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Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are my top three. Moderate, beautiful nature, historic architecture, affordable housing (excl. Nova), as a fan of diners and Americana, they ooze that.
Ideal would be the Philadelphia suburbs like New Hope.
Of the big ones, Illinois, New Jersey, New York all have an allure, but all are so thoroughly mismanaged that I’d never bite the bullet and live there. Texas has grown on me as time has gone by. California went from “meh†to “no friggin way†as a place to live.
West Virginia is a dark horse, but is too right-wing for me (just as IL, NJ, NY are too left-wing).
Interesting looking at my old reply and how my opinions have changed!
For one, remote work wasn't really an option in 2019, it is now (with me being fully remote), and that takes jobs out of the equation thank god! Now you can focus just on what you like, not where the paycheck comes from.
Just got back from a week in Northern Virginia. I can see why people are attracted to the area, and career wise I'd be best off moving there, but I REALLY wouldn't want to live there - because of the culture. It's like the epicenter of workism, the coworkers only talked about work, all the groups I saw at bars and outings were work related, so many stories about wives cheating on husbands and vice versa cause they are never home. It checks off a lot of boxes on paper, but in person that culture just isn't something I'd want to settle down in. Same with Wisconsin, the amount of drinking is a big turn off for me, and that's something you only get to know by visiting...
It's good we're all unique and don't want the same things, but what may be great for one person really isn't what someone else is geared for.
Initially, I had this impression that living in the arid west was some sort of unsustainable lifestyle because of water dependency. After living in the east for 2 years, I've come to the conclusion that it's actually more environmentally friendly to in the arid west. There's so much more natural potential in a temperate forest in the east than an arid basin in the west, and the east has been so chewed up by development, fences, lawns, farms etc that there's only a handful of undisturbed islands left. I'd hope in the future those can expand. Just figuring out water isn't the hardest, and many eastern US cities like Atlanta have the same water problems as cities out west, natural rainfall doesn't really supply much. You need aquifers, rivers, or lakes to really have a surplus.
I really did come to appreciate public land after being east as well where it's just not as prevalent. I've discovered that scenery and weather aren't as important as the ability to quickly get outdoors and just discover things and explore without the crowds. You can always find beauty if you know how to look for it, the important thing is the ease of getting to outdoor rec and actually spending time there.
Exploring the country more, it's amazing how much complaining people do about crowds when 60% of the country is basically void of humans. I refuse to be one of those people griping about growth and crowds when I can do something about it and move somewhere where more people would make the place better and not worse.
So, results of my 2023 favorite states? Missouri for the east and Southern CO / Northern New Mexico for the West. Under the radar, still wild, and social environments that I jived with. Since the family is in COS and I want to be close, Taos is my destination for moving next month.
Well, i'm currently in NJ, 30 minutes from the beach....
And i really would want that in any other state I considered. I have visited most of the states on the east coast but my choices would be (if i didn't stay here) either Maine or Washington State. It has to be near the ocean... and i'm leaning towards Maine because the autumn colors are stunning. But i have not yet visited the PNW, and it's on my list....
So 4 seasons, ocean nearby, and colorful fall. And i'm a happy girl!!!
Connecticut - because it's a relatively "sane" Blue state with a functioning government and less tolerance for dramatics, four seasons, low-key in presentation, and generally well kept historic town centers.
Besides Connecticut, a big fan of Hawai'i besides the costs. I like the deep meaning of aloha and the sense of respect for the land.
I am already living in the State I voted for in the poll: Hawaii.
Why? The climate. Warm, but without the ugly, horrible humidity of the Southeast, back on the Mainland. Also, the scenery. And still, there are libraries, shows, opera, church.
What are the drawbacks? PEOPLE. People suck. But how are you going to avoid PEOPLE? I can't live all alone on some Alaska homestead. Snow, cold? Been there, done that. I've had my FILL of snow and cold. And I've shoveled enough snow for 12 lifetimes. Nope. Never again.
Mother Nature has visited lately to remind us that this is not Paradise, exactly: two weeks of wind and showers. Just when you think it's safe to go out, BAM! The wind drives the rain past you in sheets. But hey, that's ok. You don't have to ever shovel RAIN.
Connecticut - because it's a relatively "sane" Blue state with a functioning government and less tolerance for dramatics, four seasons, low-key in presentation, and generally well kept historic town centers.
Besides Connecticut, a big fan of Hawai'i besides the costs. I like the deep meaning of aloha and the sense of respect for the land.
My favorite fishing hole is in Enfield, Connecticut. I'm in Honolulu now.
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