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I am a native to the Pacific Northwest and I am very sad, but I have decided I am going to be leaving this area for good. There are many reasons I can go into as why I am going to leave, but I will just state the basic reasons.. I grew up in the state of Oregon and sadly watched the state transform for the worse. I am a pretty staunch Libertarian (formerly Republican) and I do really uphold my views, which could be considered very right-wing or left-wing depending on who I am talking to. Basically, I support issues on both sides of the fence, being a Libertarian. Although, I am more right-wing than other Libertarians. I still believe in most Libertarian values. That is not to say I don't have a religion, morals or whatever. I am a semi-observant Jewish guy. However, I also strongly believe in separation of church and state and don't want to live in any type of theocracy.
The main problems I have with Seattle and the Puget Sound are its horrible (to me) and intolerant ultra left-wing radical politics. Basically, the final nail in the coffin for me leaving is the constant unconstitutional gun control legislation they are constantly trying to pass here. I'm thinking in the next couple years they will outright ban gun ownership or at least ownership of most of the types of firearms I own, which are semi-auto firearms. Gun rights always take the front seat for me and I will take my gun freedoms over just about anything else if I have no other choice. So, being a gun owner, it makes good sense to get the heck out of dodge , since Pacific Northwest has been invaded by large swaths of Northeasterners/Californians from the most liberal city centers who are now going to fix and save the Northwest and make it better like where they came from.. This is sad for me, because the Oregon I grew up in (and Washington too) use to be very Libertarian friendly places which had the most lenient gun laws and other types of things were fairly tolerated like smoking weed, moderate alcohol laws, strip clubs, etc.
There are other lingering issues I have with the Pacific Northwest, but more specifically with Seattle and Puget Sound area. People are very insular, introverted, unfriendly and cold. They hate people of a different viewpoint and despise anyone who is not an ultra liberal like themselves. As well, the weather is crappy here almost year round except for our short summers which have been filled with smoke over the last few years. We have so much glorious beauty here and mountains, but unless you enjoy roughing miserable weather conditions you don't get to enjoy them much. Then, there is the insane cost of living and the traffic is getting out of control. The only solutions the crooked and self-serving city and state governments can come up with is tolling roads, increasing taxes and fees to pay for a imaginary high speed rail system that will be built in 15 years.
I can go on and on, but I would rather leave the Puget Sound behind me for good. However, explaining what I hate may give some insight in what I am looking for. So, to the point, I would like to hear people's opinions of the best metro area or cities in the USA that would fit my criteria of being a single 40 year old Libertarian male. I'm aware that there is no perfect place for Libertarians in this country , which tends to be extreme liberal or extreme evangelical/Reagan style conservative. However, I am looking for somewhere that can meet as much of my expectations as possible.
As far as my job situation which many will ask, I am sure. I'm a software developer and will be taking a major paycut over the next two years. However, I will be telecommuting from home and that will give me the flexibility to live anywhere I have access to high speed internet. I will be only making $60,000 for the next couple years, but hoping I will be making over $100,000 or more in the next few years after I launch my new business venture and learn a variety of new technologies.
Here is a list of what I am looking for in a metro area or city:
Non-Restrictive Gun Laws (No Unconstitutional Gun Control, so California is Out!)
Non-Theocratic (Separation of Church and State, Utah is Out!)
Legal or Tolerated Cannabis (Suffering from Nerve problems and injuries from work. It would be major bonus. My Libertarian values also hate War on Cannabis/Drugs. This is one thing I will really miss from Washington. If it is illegal, then at least the laws are not draconian and it is accessible.)
Strip Clubs (I moved to Portland at 19 and use to go to these, but don't go to these anymore. However, it's more conceptual to me. If a state bans these, it means they are going against my Libertarian values. I think adults should be allowed to do this).
Loose Gambling Laws
Proximity to Shooting Ranges (Good gun laws don't do much if you have no where to shoot)
Here is some of my criteria that has not so much to do with being a Libertarian as being just a single guy. This additional criteria is why I think places like Las Vegas (an obvious Libertarian choice) may or may not be good for me. I know most people will say Vegas, but I am wondering how it would fit these criteria:
Plentiful supply of Single Women in the 21-40 year age range (The Puget Sound has one of the worst gender ratios in the country for men. Outside Seattle, most people get married young and divorced old. Living in Boise was even worse in this regard. Need a place where people don't marry young and there is a mixed age dating culture)
Have a moderate amount of Software jobs (I don't have to live in a major IT hub, but a place with some software jobs would be more ideal than a place with nothing at all. This is just in case I need to get work for some reason).
Decent music scene and variety of musical clubs. (I really love so many genres of music and looking for a good music scene, ranging from classical music to folk, blues, jazz and even metal. I was a metalhead back in the day).
Some Jewish synagogues (Living in Idaho really sucked because there was no Jewish life. I don't need Brooklyn, but having a small Jewish community to go to services time to time would be nice).
Good amount of bars, breweries, beer scene a bonus.
Nice scenery, mountains and hiking are a great bonus. (Growing up in the Pacific Northwest it will be hard to say good bye to the beautiful mountains, trees, lakes, rivers, ocean, etc).
Whoa boy.. That was quite a list, but that's the best I can think of and I apologize for being a bit exhaustive . Anyhow, I appreciate any opinions or suggestions people can give me on their view of a best place to fit my criteria.
Just off the top of my head, and I haven't researched this so I'm going strictly by visits to those areas, but I'm thinking Biloxi, MS or Mobile, AL. Or maybe Charleston, Savannah, maybe even Houston? No legal cannabis in any of those areas to my knowledge but that severely limits your search as you probably know.
The closest areas that come to mind are Arizona and Nevada except Arizona doesn't have legal cannabis, just medical use as of now. Otherwise, that place you describe will be difficult to find.
I escaped from the PNW to the Cleveland area for many of the same reasons as yours. Of course as a senior citizen I had different issues.
Cleveland has some but not all of what you are looking for. They’ve just made medical marijuana legal and are getting all the particulars together so that’s a big plus for you. The cultural aspect can’t be beat. I’ve found people don’t get in your face about stuff. The COL is much more reasonable.
I was pleasantly surprised. It might be worth considering.
I escaped from the PNW to the Cleveland area for many of the same reasons as yours. Of course as a senior citizen I had different issues.
Cleveland has some but not all of what you are looking for. They’ve just made medical marijuana legal and are getting all the particulars together so that’s a big plus for you. The cultural aspect can’t be beat. I’ve found people don’t get in your face about stuff. The COL is much more reasonable.
I was pleasantly surprised. It might be worth considering.
I am always pleasantly surprised with Ohio cities. My daughter and her family just moved to Dayton a couple of years ago and I really, really like it up there.
I appreciate the responses and I apologize as my original post was a bit exhaustive and may have seen restrictive. First of all, I want to say that the list I wrote is my "IDEALS", rather than my requirements. Non-restrictive gun laws and lower taxes would be the only "REQUIREMENTS" I would have in living in any place. As well, another requirement, but is not one of the Libertarian ones, is being in a place where there is some type of single scene and not being where everyone is married and is mostly family oriented environment like where I live now in South Puget Sound of Washington.
Anyhow, I am definitely flexible and can make some compromises, especially in regards to cannabis laws. That is why I wrote in my original post, that if the metro area/city is in a state with no legal cannabis, then at least the laws are not draconian and it is readily available. For example, some states will throw you into prison for years for even possession of a small amount and I don't want to live in such a place. Some states may have strict laws, but there are cities like Atlanta and Nashville that have somewhat decriminalized possession of smaller amounts and that could be acceptable if all other factors check out.
As of now, here are some of the cities I am looking at relocating that may fit some of my criteria more than other places. Yes, I know that very few places will fit even a majority of my criteria.
1. Las Vegas, NV.. My problem with moving to Las Vegas is I here there is not many single people who are permanent residents. I'm thinking moving here as a single late 30/early 40 something may be a bit lonesome or be hard to meet people who are not tourists. As far as laws, Nevada is absolutely perfect and is, as of now, the only true Libertarian state along with Alaska and now, Maine. However, Nevada also is very remote, desolate and I am not a big fan of desert scenery (unless there are beautiful canyons/mountains like Utah, Arizona), although the weather is very agreeable with me. Both Alaska and Maine are just too cold and dark, so I know I cannot move there. One day I would like to buy land and maybe retire in a place like Alaska or Maine for summer months.
2. Nashville, TN. Nashville has many of the qualities I am looking for. Even though Tennessee does have a lot of the Evangelical type of Republicans, there is a bit of Libertarian element I am seeing in Nashville. They have somewhat decriminalized cannabis there and the town has tons of head shops, so I think somebody is tokin in this city. And, then there is Willie Nelson's legacy here As well, Tennessee meets my requirements in every other way with gun laws, no state income tax (yes, sales tax is high, but oh well), moderate cost of living and a nice single scene with lots of entertainment in Nashville.
3. Charlotte, NC North Carolina has a lot of strikes against it, but the cost of living could make up for the higher taxes in this state. I'm not sure about the cannabis laws. Asheville is probably more friendly here, but the candidate running for Sheriff in Buncombe county, R Daryl Fisher, said if he is elected he will go around and murder all gun owners who refuse to give him their guns. He was making jokes about removing them for their cold dead hands. Considering my family was massacred in the Holocaust and had this actually done to them, I don't take his comments lightly.
4. Raleigh/Durham, NC The Triangle is another area considered as with Charlotte.
5. Philadelphia, PA I wouldn't live in the city, but in the burbs if I went here. Pennsylvania is seeming to be more and more Libertarian friendly. Non-Restrictive gun laws, moderate taxes and Massachusetts is not a far drive for legal cannabis. I was actually born in Philly, but left it when I was very, very young as my father was in dental school. The weather of Pennsylvania could be the biggest deal breaker and Philly as a city has lot of crime and I am not sure how I will handle Northeast grittiness and the crowds.
6. Denver, CO.. The crappy gun laws and crazy weather might be the big deal breakers here. Colorado is probably going the way of Washington and Oregon with its loss of freedoms, but I think it will be slower death than in the Northwest. As of now, you can own most firearms in this state but they have the high cap magazine ban. However, I hear it's not heavily enforced, outside of Denver city limits. Denver, has an Assault Weapon Ban, so I would be living outside the city limits if I moved here.
7. Scottsdale, AZ I hear a lot of nice things about this city. However, I am pretty sure that unless I can find a temporary rental in the summer months I would not survive the summers in the Phoenix area. As well, some tell me it is hard to make friends and meet people in Arizona. I'm still learning about this area. I hear Scottsdale has more going on than Phoenix, so this is the place to go if you are not married with kids and want some urban lifestyle.
I wanted to make a comment about Texas. Texas has some of the most draconian laws against cannabis and has a lot of ultra liberals (Austin) and Reagan-style and Evangelical type of conservatives on both sides of the spectrum. I have heard the people in Texas are really friendly and after living 6 years in the land of cold faces and unfriendly people (The Puget Sound) that could be a nice change. However, I think the flat terrain, very hot and humid weather and draconian drug laws are deal breakers. Texas use to have really crappy gun laws, but I am happy to see that Texans are being liberated and now it is becoming a very 2nd Amendment friendly state. Sadly, this is the opposite of Oregon and Washington which use to have the least restrictive gun laws in the country, but now are becoming Californicated and they are striving not only to ban guns here, but confiscate them as well with a fraudulent licensing scheme.
One more comment is that I cannot get a medical card, because it will create legal problems for me in other ways. However, states with legal cannabis generally have more permissive laws for non-medical users and it is more accessible. As I said, if I was to use cannabis it would have to be done without government approval. Sadly, with my injuries I definitely could qualify, but Big Brother still wants to make trouble, so I just want to be in a place where it is accessible and legal, just in case
Last edited by RotseCherut; 05-01-2018 at 04:16 PM..
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As well, Tennessee meets my requirements in every other way with gun laws, no state income tax (yes, sales tax is high, but oh well), moderate cost of living and a nice single scene with lots of entertainment in Nashville.
