Does this place exist? (Snowy winters, friendly people, historic architecture, low taxes) (cheap house, neighborhoods)

[TheBeagleLady]

You might actually take a look at South Dakota. There's no income tax, and parts of it actually meet some of the criteria on your list. East River (Sioux Falls) is farming country, more humid, green and more similar to the Midwest. West River (Rapid City/Black Hills/Badlands) is ranching country, not as humid, but not nearly as dry as the desert and west coast. It can get hot in the summer, but it's usually pretty tolerable. It definitely gets cold and snowy.

It's a business friendly state, which means low wages. If you are bringing your self-employment and high income with you, that shouldn't be a problem. Property taxes can be a bit high, but again, no income tax. A lot depends on what part of the state you're in. I am partial to the Black Hills, myself.

Originally Posted by LostAnomaly

Hi! I recently left a certain high-tax west coast state for a temporary spot in the desert, and am now trying to figure out a place to "put down roots." I may be a bit of an anomaly, so I'm having trouble figuring out where to go. I'd appreciate any advice!

I know the perfect place doesn't exist and I'll need to compromise in some areas (perhaps many), but I thought I'd tap into the collective wisdom of the City Data forum to see if there's some place I haven't yet considered.

Here's what I'm looking for:
- Lots of green and water (fresh water preferred, especially lakes)
- Friendly, reliable people (I'm tired of California flakiness)
- A more humid, cooler climate (dryness and heat above 90F crush my soul)
- Four seasons, a snowy winter, and actual "weather" (I find endless sunshine boring and love winter clothing)
- Outdoor activities (hiking, swimming, skiing, boating, horseback riding)
- Lower taxes (especially income tax)
- A business-friendly, more conservative state that is not a "sanctuary state"
- A bit of a tech/startup/entrepreneurial scene
- A strong connection to the land, agriculture, farming
- Common sense urban planning (bike-friendly, transit-friendly, walkable downtown)
- Historic and more traditional architecture
- Within a 2-hour drive of a major airport, or very close to a smaller regional airport
- Not everyone is married, but also not exclusively a college town
- Some single men with integrity and high motivation
- Population somewhere between 25,000 and 600,000
- Smart workforce for when I need to hire (I currently work from home)
- No sagebrush or chaparral

As someone who's spent most of her life in the busy, stucco'd sprawl of SoCal, I really dig the beautiful stone and brick architecture (whether they're houses or public buildings) in places east of the Rockies. Traditional farmhouses are awesome, too. Also, I'm sick of cactus, sagebrush, and succulents and prefer colorful, green English-garden-style flora. One of my favorite climate types is Koppen Cfb, but the only place it exists in the continental US is a very liberal sanctuary state (Washington) with a high business gross receipts tax. Boo.

Basically, I'm looking for Switzerland, but in the U.S. Does something like it exist here?

More about me, in case it's helpful:
- Mid-30s female, single, no kids
- Motivated and creative entrepreneur with high income
- Educated (grad school) but I don't think higher education is required to be smart and successful
- Friends and family are scattered around the country
- Fiscally conservative
- Socially I don't care too much, as long as it doesn't harm anyone and it's not shoved in my face
- High respect for military
- Strong moral principles but not religious
- Strong love and respect for animals and nature
- Down-to-earth and friendly

Thanks so much!!

[Dport7674]

Without reading most of your post I'll go with 'somewhere in New Hampshire'.

[NDak15]

You're not going to find non flaky people anywhere. That's a new norm.

[wiscokay]

Sioux Falls, South Dakota came to my mind as a possible match when reading through your criteria. It's where I grew up.

- Lots of green and water (fresh water preferred, especially lakes)
There are some lakes in the area, though a little drive, most are up near Brookings/Watertown. Northwest Iowa and Minnesota (land of 10,000 lakes) are also right next door. The downside of the area to me is the lack of trees.

- Friendly, reliable people (I'm tired of California flakiness)
The people are friendly, though can tend to have a homegrown thing about them. I grew up in a small town outside of Sioux Falls and everyone knew each other and most never leave home. Sioux Falls is probably less affected by this, however.

- A more humid, cooler climate (dryness and heat above 90F crush my soul)
The summers can be humid, though less so than the east coast. Winters tend to be pretty dry.

- Four seasons, a snowy winter, and actual "weather" (I find endless sunshine boring and love winter clothing)
South Dakota definitely has snow in the winter, it can be bitter cold a lot of the time too. My favorite is the May and June thunderstorms. Since the topography is so flat you can see them coming from miles away. I love watching a good thunderstorm roll in.

- Outdoor activities (hiking, swimming, skiing, boating, horseback riding)
Plenty to do outdoors. Most of your list involves summer activities though and summer is fairly short in the upper midwest. Might have to find winter activities you enjoy if you move to a four season climate. My favorite activity in the winter is ice skating on the frozen ponds.

- Lower taxes (especially income tax)
No state income tax, so that could be a huge plus.

- A business-friendly, more conservative state that is not a "sanctuary state"
South Dakota is definitely conservative, though Sioux Falls is less so.

- A bit of a tech/startup/entrepreneurial scene
Not sure about this.

- A strong connection to the land, agriculture, farming
Sioux Falls is in the middle of farm country. No shortage of land, agriculture and farming there.

- Common sense urban planning (bike-friendly, transit-friendly, walkable downtown)
Sioux Falls is a smaller city, that's growing at a fairly good rate. I can't comment specifically on the transit, though I'd assume it's similar to other smaller cities in the US. Most people drive in a small city, since it doesn't take that long to get anywhere. Rush hour also would be nothing compared to where you live now. There is a nice bike path that follows the river through town, also goes right through downtown.

- Historic and more traditional architecture

- Within a 2-hour drive of a major airport, or very close to a smaller regional airport
Sioux Falls has a nice regional airport. It's around a 4 hour drive to the Minneapolis Airport.

- Not everyone is married, but also not exclusively a college town
Not sure about this. But it's not a college town. The 2 main state colleges are in Vermillion and Brookings.

- Some single men with integrity and high motivation
I would assume you could find this about anywhere. All depends on you and the types of men you search for.

- Population somewhere between 25,000 and 600,000
Sioux Falls is 174,000

- Smart workforce for when I need to hire (I currently work from home)
The unemployment rate has hovered between 2 and 3 percent the last couple years. Might make it a bit harder to find smarter employees. The lower cost of living allows employers to pay employees a much lower wage than out in California.

- No sagebrush or chaparral
I've never heard of these and had to look them up. Which is to say, South Dakota doesn't have them.

[jakebarnes]

How about Grand Rapids, Michigan? It's rather conservative, close to Lake Michigan, and it's a decent sized city. Michigan trends conservative but isn't extreme.

[mvpsharky]

New Hampshire

[Nn2036]

Second Grand Rapids

[sub]

Parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, parts of New England will check many things off your list, but none will fit entirely.
Wisconsin minus the high taxes comes awfully close, for example.

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

How about Grand Rapids, Michigan? It's rather conservative, close to Lake Michigan, and it's a decent sized city. Michigan trends conservative but isn't extreme.

+1 for Grand Rapids, that was going to be my pick. or possibly a beach town along the southern tip of Lake Michigan like Chesterton, IN or New Buffalo, MI. Then you're a hop, skip and jump from Chicago, which has some of the greatest architecture, food, museums, sports, etc. in the world.

[in_newengland]

You are probably describing New Hampshire but the winters are loooong, dark, cold, and depressing. You could check out their lakes region.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakes_...(New_Hampshire)