[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by wpcp

i love best friends, they are such a wonderful place. my cousin visit there over spring break with her class, because they do this thing were they go to grammer kids and talk about dog fighting, animal abuse, pit bulls, stray animals, etc. they have also been in several articles.

Me, too! I've been there a couple of times to visit and volunteer. I also volunteer remotely with Best Friends Network. My sister, brother-in-law, and nieces just got back from an amazing visit/volunteer stay at Best Friends. I think the excellent magazine is well worth the $25 annual membership donation.

[arctichomesteader]

Well, in order of preference from first to last:

1-Alaska
2-Northern Maine
3-Northern New Hampshire
4-Northern Idaho
5-Wyoming

[quickdraw]

Portland, Maine or Madison, Wisconsin.

[GypsySoul22]

Somewhere there are jobs!

Seriously, I wish it would work out here but unless I get a job (not supermarket or fast food) we are out of here.

I am also glad not to be in NY, Arel.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Well, in order of preference from first to last:

1-Alaska
2-Northern Maine
3-Northern New Hampshire
4-Northern Idaho
5-Wyoming

Have you been to the panhandle (Idaho)? It's pretty scary up there. White supremacists, anti-gov't types that don't play around...
I don't know if the Aryan Nation still has their parade in Couer d' Alene, but that is definitely not a friendly place, especially not for someone from VT (I've been there many times in a car with VT plates).

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by BickleTravis

Have you been to the panhandle (Idaho)? It's pretty scary up there. White supremacists, anti-gov't types that don't play around...
I don't know if the Aryan Nation still has their parade in Couer d' Alene, but that is definitely not a friendly place, especially not for someone from VT (I've been there many times in a car with VT plates).

Yeah a relative lives there. I didn't find many White supremacists, I think that's been way overblown by the media, those people are largely outcasts there. There are quite a few libertarian/anti-big government types and some militia types but in some ways I blend in with them (not to some of their extremes though...). I didn't have a problem even in a car with VT plates. Then again I also open carried a .44 revolver too (largely for critters though), I suppose I didn't look like someone to mess with or the stereotypical granola munching hippy VT'er some of them might think of...

That was about 4 years ago that I visited for a couple weeks though, not sure if things are the same there. I even looked at some land while I was there but decided against it. Taxes are high there. I ultimately decided Alaska is a better place to go...

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Yeah a relative lives there. I didn't find many White supremacists, I think that's been way overblown by the media, those people are largely outcasts there. There are quite a few libertarian/anti-big government types and some militia types but in some ways I blend in with them (not to some of their extremes though...). I didn't have a problem even in a car with VT plates. Then again I also open carried a .44 revolver too (largely for critters though), I suppose I didn't look like someone to mess with or the stereotypical granola munching hippy VT'er some of them might think of...

That was about 4 years ago that I visited for a couple weeks though, not sure if things are the same there. I even looked at some land while I was there but decided against it. Taxes are high there. I ultimately decided Alaska is a better place to go...

I definitely don't look like a hippie at all (buzz cut, normal clothes), but the people in the panhandle, every time I've been there, were unfriendly bordering on hostile. Then you cross into WA state and its a different (more normal) world. That was my experience anyway. The difference between MT/WA and the panhandle was pretty obvious.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by BickleTravis

I definitely don't look like a hippie at all (buzz cut, normal clothes), but the people in the panhandle, every time I've been there, were unfriendly bordering on hostile. Then you cross into WA state and its a different (more normal) world. That was my experience anyway. The difference between MT/WA and the panhandle was pretty obvious.

Interesting. I didn't experience that. I've been to other places people say are unfriendly (like Northern Maine) and didn't experience it. Obviously then it's not someplace you would be happy in. It's not at the top of my list either obviously but I thought it was a nice place, except for the taxes (kind of like Vermont, nice, but too expensive and not a wonderful economy), but I sort of liked that people weren't big on big government there.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Interesting. I didn't experience that. I've been to other places people say are unfriendly (like Northern Maine) and didn't experience it. Obviously then it's not someplace you would be happy in. It's not at the top of my list either obviously but I thought it was a nice place, except for the taxes (kind of like Vermont, nice, but too expensive and not a wonderful economy), but I sort of liked that people weren't big on big government there.

I lived in MT for years, and people aren't big on gov't there either. I may have disagreed with them sometimes, and agreed with them others, but it was always in a friendly way. The politics in MT weren't necessarily my politics, but I got along just find because the overriding attitude there is to mind your own business. I guess my point is that it wasn't really the politics in northern Idaho that bothered me (I dont have any problems with libertarians, its the theocratic elements of the GOP that bother me) it was the hostility. It is certainly possible that I ran into a few bad apples, but the only other time I've felt that way was in rural GA.
I also think the politics in that part of Idaho are a little extreme for me (extreme right, just like I don't like VT politics because they are extreme left). MT was much less in your face about it, and I really respect that.

[Wingfoot]

ALL things considered the best places in US are WI,MN and parts of upstate NY and UP of Michigan.