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Thank you so much for your information! This is great news. Now my other question is how are racial tensions in North and South Carolina? I am a Chinese female. My liberal Californian friends are telling me scare stories about me being of "colored" race living in these states. I like to treat people as people first without labelling them according to their political affiliations. Do you think I will be accepts in Carolina. I hope so as the websites you provided looked very appealing.
Which cracks me up because much of NC in particular is quite diverse. Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro is especially diverse and welcoming as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro component sits at close to 10% of population being Asian thanks to the presence of higher education (University of North Carolina and Duke University), two major healthcare/research facilities (Duke University Medical Center and University of North Carolina Hospitals) and the nearby massive Research Triangle Park. In stark contrast to Amish communities which are typically chilly toward outsiders and especially non-caucasians.
Thank you for telling me about online shopping for local produce. I am really very unknowledgeable about the rest of America. I have lived in Pasadena CA for fourteen years and never lived anywhere else. Of course in CA there is online shopping for locally grown food but I didn't know other places have it too. By the same token, I believe other states might have online shopping for local coops? Can someone correct me if I assumed wrong?
After a quick search, I found this directory of food coops: Coop Directory Listing But, I don't know how comprehensive it is, as my coop is not listed.
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I am asking about other states because I think Ohio has too much snow for my comfort. Is it true that living in places with lots of snow incur more expenses like heating, repainting your house more often, servicing your car more often? Again I have to rely on people who have lived in snow states to give me more accurate information. Thanks.
In colder, snowy climates, you will spend more on heating, but less on cooling. (I don't have central air, and only use a window unit a couple weeks during the summer.) Harsher weather might take a toll on the exterior of a house, but so will lots of sun and heat. Cold, snowy weather is harder on roads, though. This leads to potholes, and bad roads, in general. That translates to additional wear and tear on a car. Also, when roads are covered with snow and ice, they are usually treated with salt, which also affects the longevity of a car.
I like the idea of being able to get home grown and home made foodstuffs. I don't want to buy my food from a chain supermarket.
Amish food may be homemade, but it is rich by modern standards and not particularly healthy. It's laden with carbs (especially flour and potatoes) and the baked goods often contain lard.
I'd suggest trying it a few times, before committing to making it a central part of your diet.
You don't have to live down Lancaster way to go to a farmers' market, don't ya know? You can live in a civilized place like Harrisburg or Hershey and have all the amenities of a million population CSA from Carlisle to York To Harrisburg. Plenty of housing ranging from old farms to rebuild, modern 4 bedroom communities, town houses, and trailer parks.
Trouble is they get real Winter with snowstorms over 12" and weeks below freezing.
I think everyone from CA should move somewhere that has really snowy winters and humid summers for at least one year, and preferably even longer.
If they own property in Ca, though, I highly suggest they do NOT sell it until they have lived in their new cold/humid environment for a few years, so they are absolutely sure they will love the weather.
Then, they should also try to get involved in the community where they have moved. And if after a few years, they still feel like outsiders, they will have more info regarding whether or not they would like to go ahead and move back to CA, or if they honestly really overwhelmingly love their new state and want to stay there forever.
As someone who grew up in the SF Bay Area, and moved away to the Pacific Northwest for nearly 20 years, and also lived in Nashville, TN area for about 5 years - and who moved back to the SF Bay Area (and will never leave again) - I can say I'm glad I now have real knowledge of why I never want to leave again.
Also, beyond just weather, you also have to consider the culture of where you are thinking of living, and the resources and health care and schools and whatever else that will affect your day to day life.
I learned that not only do I want to live in CA, but I also want to live in a major metropolitan area in CA in order to have the best resources and health care available here.
Unless you really have no other options - why put up with less resources, more backwards politics (if that's the case), worse weather, on and on?
And people often are incorrect about the cost of buying a home in another state. Many don't have any types of limits on reassessing home/land value, which means you never know how much your property taxes may go up in the future. In CA, that's not the case.
Just saying that people sometimes think they'll get a way better quality of life somewhere else, only to learn they could have stayed in CA with better weather, etc., and been as good as, or better off. So, just really do all the research regarding all costs of living, all taxes, real costs of heating and cooling, salaries that are realistic, resources and healthcare available, so you can really assess the differences and if you'd really be better off - and happier - somewhere else.
I can tell you that moving to TN was horrible for me regarding weather. I HATE humidity. For the women here, forget fixing your hair. Imagine fixing your hair, then walking into a really wet sauna for an hour. Will your hair still look good? Will your silk blouse still look nice? Will you be comfortable in nylons?
Living in a humid environment is absolute misery. The only people who don't know that, are people who never lived somewhere without major humidity like CA.
This is a very big state. If you can no longer afford Pasadena, and that's your reason for moving, look at other areas within the state. CA takes good care of it's citizens. Other states - not so much. So, you really need to think about all of these things.
If not - you'll be someone like me in your later years, telling people they should have just stayed put in CA :-)
Nashville is a very poor example of what's available out there. One of the worst cities in the country. Also, California isn't known for sensible politics unless you're very far to one end of the spectrum. The rest of us shake our collective heads in disbelief to what goes on in California. People flee for a reason, and it's not just cost of living.
Here's a new one for the OP to consider: St. Mary's County, Maryland. There is a substantial Amish population in the northern end of the county, basically along Route 5 from Charlotte Hall down to almost Leonardtown. There are two markets that I know of, one in Charlotte Hall and the other in Loveville.
This area sits on the outer edge of the "commuter-shed" into Washington, DC, so it's an open question as to whether it will retain its rural, relatively affordable character into the future.
There are few Asians there, and I honestly don't know how the OP would feel being so distinctly in the minority. I am not familiar enough with the area to be able to give an opinion about race relations there.
Also, it does snow there, though not really all that much. Being in the southern part of Maryland, and being relatively close to the Chesapeake Bay, helps moderate the weather.
Hi, I've posted several different threads on this site and I apologize. It's just that as I do research, my thoughts change. I'm retiring in 2021 and want to live in a simple rural area. I thought I might want to live near sizeable Amish communities because I like the idea of being able to get home grown and home made foodstuffs. I don't want to buy my food from a chain supermarket. I don't need much entertainment or activities. I've found out that there are good sized Amish communities in Holmes County Ohio, Lancaster Pennsylania, Indiana, Guthrie Kentucky and Ethridge Tennessee. Since I've never lived in these towns would appreciate if somebody could give me an idea of how it is. I think out of all these states, Tennessee has the least snow, am I correct? That is a plus as I'm not used to snow. When I looked at houses for sale in Lancaster, it seems they are mostly townhouses and the few free-standing houses for sale was quite expensive. Why is that? Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Those are the Tourist Amish towns. I would recommend avoiding those and stick with the smaller rural under the radar Amish settlements to avoid the ripoffs.
Another option is to move to a rural area that has a lot of small hobby farms. Most farmers grow and raise their own food naturally and have stands open on the side of the road in the summers.
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