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My wife and I currently live in San Ramon, CA, which is on the eastern side of the San Francisco bay area. We were both laid off, but young enough to either continue working or possibly take early retirement, depending on the desired standard of living, location, and associated costs.
I would like to create a short list of states that might be a good choice to consider moving to, given our wants and needs, and then use the forums for those states to better identify potential locales within those states. Input and comment from forum members would be very helpful I think. I have listed some wants and needs below that are more state specific.
We are staunch conservatives and the bay area is anything but that, even if San Ramon is more conservative than most areas around here. As a gun owner (target shooter, but not hunter), firearm freedoms are very important. We are not religious though we have no objection to those that are. We value an environment with a strong moral compass, loyalty, trust, and easy pace that leads to strong bonds with others in the community. We are not progressives and value old fashioned ideals. We have no children that would come with us...my daughter is grown.
A big concern of mine is state demographics that are changing in a way that is not aligned with what I want. Texas is reputedly turning more blue, a worry. I don’t want to be in a place where liberal Californians are migrating to, as they are the people I am trying to get away from.
I know the San Ramon climate would be hard to beat, but minimal snow and 25 degree low to 105 degree max would be nice. I would prefer modest humidity, but know I can’t have it all.
Things such as crime, education level, income, medical facilities, etc. would seem to be more specific to the actual cities and locale, so have not asked for comments on that, but if relevant, I welcome hearing about it. However, low crime is important.
It would be nice to not be too far from the bay area, so we can visit family with a long one day drive, but this is not a requirement. We have looked at Idaho and Arizona, but welcome any other suggestions, even if on the other side of the country.
As far as housing, I am sure there is plenty of variety within a state, but an acre or two, in a newer home that is at least 2500 square feet, with a max price of $400k would be nice. Cost of living should be on the low side, both in day to day expenses and in taxes.
My wife and I currently live in San Ramon, CA, which is on the eastern side of the San Francisco bay area. We were both laid off, but young enough to either continue working or possibly take early retirement, depending on the desired standard of living, location, and associated costs.
I would like to create a short list of states that might be a good choice to consider moving to, given our wants and needs, and then use the forums for those states to better identify potential locales within those states. Input and comment from forum members would be very helpful I think. I have listed some wants and needs below that are more state specific.
We are staunch conservatives and the bay area is anything but that, even if San Ramon is more conservative than most areas around here. As a gun owner (target shooter, but not hunter), firearm freedoms are very important. We are not religious though we have no objection to those that are. We value an environment with a strong moral compass, loyalty, trust, and easy pace that leads to strong bonds with others in the community. We are not progressives and value old fashioned ideals. We have no children that would come with us...my daughter is grown.
A big concern of mine is state demographics that are changing in a way that is not aligned with what I want. Texas is reputedly turning more blue, a worry. I don’t want to be in a place where liberal Californians are migrating to, as they are the people I am trying to get away from.
I know the San Ramon climate would be hard to beat, but minimal snow and 25 degree low to 105 degree max would be nice. I would prefer modest humidity, but know I can’t have it all.
Things such as crime, education level, income, medical facilities, etc. would seem to be more specific to the actual cities and locale, so have not asked for comments on that, but if relevant, I welcome hearing about it. However, low crime is important.
It would be nice to not be too far from the bay area, so we can visit family with a long one day drive, but this is not a requirement. We have looked at Idaho and Arizona, but welcome any other suggestions, even if on the other side of the country.
As far as housing, I am sure there is plenty of variety within a state, but an acre or two, in a newer home that is at least 2500 square feet, with a max price of $400k would be nice. Cost of living should be on the low side, both in day to day expenses and in taxes.
The unemployment rate is 16.6% in 2011 with median household income at $36k. If we retire there, it won't matter, but not much prospect for any kind of low income fun job if we seek that. 15% edge over Obama in election, a sharp contrast to rest of CA. The county is still in CA, which unfortunately means high taxes and insanely restrictive firearm regulations.
Well, climatic and distance concerns considered, Oregon or Washington east of I-5, or southern Utah are worth consideration.
Really, Oklahoma and Arkansas fit your political and climatic desires perfectly. Louisiana, Mississippi, and pretty much the rest of the South (sans FL, VA, and NC), almost perfectly. But there's the issue of distance, but you can fly direct to the Bay Area from Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis, Charlotte, and maybe Oklahoma City.
Texas is turning blue. Slowly. Even if it turns blue, it will take decades after that before it becomes another California. Texas natives, of which there are plenty, will be hard-pressed to let go of their cultural, social, and political heritage and traditions anytime soon. Whereas, California went from conservative to liberal in just a generation; in 2011, California reached 50% native-born population for the first time since like 1900, so I attribute this shift to the fact that California is even more transient than Texas.
By the way, I'm a southern conservative living in the Bay Area--with liberal California friends. And I actually like it. I'm moving down to LA or Orange County soon, so blue or purple, respectively. Of course, I don't have kids, so I'm not worried about a kid-friendly environment right now.
Another possibility- Northeast Tennessee. Say around the Johnson City area.
Much more hospitable climate than roasting in heat and high humidity for months on end in much of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas or the south east states.
East TN has four mild seasons, spectacular scenery, affordable homes and may be a good option. Johnson City has good medical facilities, good colleges, couple of hours drive to Nashville for flights back to CA. Post in the TN forums for more info.
Lots of churches although you said you didn't mind that. Very red state area. Basically old fashioned small town to suburbia living with tons of outdoor recreation due to proximity to state and national forests.
Redding is IN California, a problem. There are many fine places to live within California, if they weren't located IN California. To escape the sky high taxes, the liberal politics coming out of Sacramento (capital), and insane gun laws, I have to exit the state. I like where I live, San Ramon, a lot, if only it was in some other state.
We considered Nevada, but having been there numerous times, find we really don't care for the pervasive gambling climate. If we moved further south in Nevada where it is warmer, I might as well jump to Arizona, which on balance is more attractive. Carson City is not TOO far, climate is colder than I would like, and snowfall more than I would care for, but crime is modest, so will explore this further.
Phil
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