South Dakota, North Dakota, or Kansas??

[sholomar]

flip a coin really. Anywhere along I-29 would be fine. If you want more scenery you could try the twin cities or La Crosse, WI, Madison, WI.

Here are the income tax rates, keeping in mind south dakota taxes grocery items while states with state income taxes usually do not.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxe...our-state.aspx

North Dakota For single taxpayers: (quite low)
-- 1.51 percent on the first $34,500 of taxable income.
-- 2.82 percent on taxable income between $34,501 and $83,600.

South Dakota: None (very low)

Nebraska For single taxpayers: (not so bad)
-- 2.56 percent on the first $2,400 of taxable income.
-- 3.57 percent on taxable income between $2,401 and $17,500.
-- 5.12 percent on taxable income between $17,501 and $27,000.
-- 6.84 percent on taxable income of $27,001 and above.

Kansas For single taxpayers, they are: (meh)
-- 3.5 percent on the first $15,000 of taxable income.
-- 6.25 percent on taxable income between $15,001 and $30,000.
-- 6.45 percent on taxable income of $30,001 and above.

Minnesota For single taxpayers: (quite high, imo)
-- 5.35 percent on the first $23,100 of taxable income.
-- 7.05 percent on taxable income between $23,101 and $75,890.
-- 7.85 percent on taxable income of $75,891 and above.

There are people who work where I work that commute from and live just over the MN border which to me is a bit silly. Huge chunk of change disappearing yearly.... about $2650 if they don't work much overtime, going up from there. Look up the sales tax info on the site to see MN has the highest sales taxes.

[RadioSilence]

In Kansas, you will experience four relatively equal seasons, with a slight lean to summer. The weather greatly depends on the part of the state. We have a reputation for severe thunderstorms because all the major air masses meet here: cool Canadian air, warm moist Gulf of Mexico air, and dry desert southwest air.

Dec/Jan/Feb: winter. 20" of snow (compared to 40-50" in the Dakotas), high temps in the 30s-40s, lows around 20. In western Kansas, the high plains, the temperature variance will be greater because of the drier climate.

March: tossup... could be winter, could be spring, often both. It's still winter in the Dakotas.

April/May: spring, rainiest months, high temperatures can vary wildly from 50-80, with lows often in the 40s-50s. I lived in Minnesota for a while, and snow often falls in April there, so it probably falls in the Dakotas too.

June/July/August/September: summer, with July and August the hottest months. It's more humid in the east, and more arid in the west. June temps are in the 80s. July/August: 90-105. September: 80s. In the Dakotas, it can be just as hot on the high plains/Black Hills area. But it's short-lived. Summer is generally very pleasant up there, but shorter.

October: autumn, bad for hay fever sufferers in Kansas, but generally pleasant with high temperatures dropping back into the 60s.

November: much like March, it's a transition month between two seasons in Kansas. My birthday is in November. I have experienced snow storms, as well as 75-degree days on my birthday.

Pheasant hunting is much better in South Dakota.

Missouri has more of a lake recreation/fishing culture than Kansas, if you happen to choose the eastern part of Kansas. In the Dakotas, you're close to excellent walleye fishing in Minnesota.

[TedH71]

I have lived in Kansas for the past 6 years. I live in Bel Aire which is very close to Wichita. Western KS gets what I call Colorado snow...in other words, lots of snow. Eastern KS is more wet and yes, probably more snow. Central KS is the best because it gets maybe 1-4 snowstorms a year and the snow is anywhere from 1 inch to 12 inches. Get this though..the snow is usually gone 1-4 days after! Humidity isn't too bad considering I came from East Texas. The summers can be hot but then again, Texas is hotter. Houses are cheap here. Cheaper out in the country than in the big towns. Wichita is Kansas' biggest town. KC isn't because it shares it with another state. When I was out at my wife's family reunion in Western Kansas..we saw tons of pheasants and quail out and scurrying around in the farmlands there. Not too far from Wichita. I would say maybe 2-4 hours away. I plan to visit South Dakota some day because I'm a cnc machinist and I hear there are plenty of jobs there for a machinist.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by TedH71

I have lived in Kansas for the past 6 years. I live in Bel Aire which is very close to Wichita. Western KS gets what I call Colorado snow...in other words, lots of snow. Eastern KS is more wet and yes, probably more snow. Central KS is the best because it gets maybe 1-4 snowstorms a year and the snow is anywhere from 1 inch to 12 inches. Get this though..the snow is usually gone 1-4 days after! Humidity isn't too bad considering I came from East Texas. The summers can be hot but then again, Texas is hotter. Houses are cheap here. Cheaper out in the country than in the big towns. Wichita is Kansas' biggest town. KC isn't because it shares it with another state. When I was out at my wife's family reunion in Western Kansas..we saw tons of pheasants and quail out and scurrying around in the farmlands there. Not too far from Wichita. I would say maybe 2-4 hours away. I plan to visit South Dakota some day because I'm a cnc machinist and I hear there are plenty of jobs there for a machinist.

Sioux Falls, SD has the best economy of any small metro in the Great Plains region right now outside of the oil patch.

[CincyIowan]

Originally Posted by FLRick

I didn't even consider Omaha, thanks for bringing that up. How does Nebraska differ from Kansas geographically? I must admit, pheasant hunting is very high on my list, which is why I initially chose the three. I love the black hills pictures I have seen, but I read you have to drive hours east to find good pheasant hunting.

You should really look into Des Moines! DSM is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation and has one of the lowest unemployment in the country.

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by CincyIowan

You should really look into Des Moines! DSM is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation and has one of the lowest unemployment in the country.

Iowa is also known for pheasant hunting (although this it not my area of interest, so can't give you any specfics.

Here are some recent accolades for Des Moines/Des Moines metro from 3rd party souces:

Ankeny ranked #1 for families (November 24, NerdWallet.com)

Des Moines Farmers’ Market ranked #2 on this list of 101 (August 29, thedailymeal.com)

Waukee and Ankeny both land on CNN Money's "Best Places To Live" list (August 12, CNN Money)

Des Moines Comes in #8 for Top Minor League Markets in US (August 12, Sports Business Daily)

Des Moines Tops List Of The Best Places For Business And Careers (August 7, Forbes)

Des Moines Ranks in Top Ten of Most Unexpected Cities for High-Tech Innovation (April 8, Techie.com)

Des Moines is the #1 Midwest City for Young Adults (March 26, The Business Journals)

Des Moines is #3 for Top Emerging Downtowns in US (March 25, Forbes)

#2 Best City to Start a Business (March 19, The Street)

mOre: Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau