If I had all the money I needed, I still need help with the 'where' part..

silvertipgrizz
silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

It is my goal and has been for the last 3 years to move to the country out of town..

I welcome and ask for input about the different states, good and bad, and in between to help me consider where I might want to re locate to. I love fishing, the country, want to eventually be off grid as much as I can, love warm to hot summers, moderate winters, and live not too far from freedom loving people....and somewhere where there are lots and lots of trees.

All input much needed and much appreciated.

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Comments

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    @silvertipgrizz and @RustBeltCowgirl if we do relocate to somewhere else in the US which is also possible, low taxes is key. My life experience is that there are no legal rights. THERE IS NO protection from GUBMT that GUBMT itself will provide you. It is up to you to protect yourself and your family. The best you can do is go where there is lowest taxes. Quite simply this is all I needed to learn in law school: a GUBMT will mess with you unless it doesn't have the resources to do so. Low taxes is key!!! I challenge TGN to let all the members know where in 'MERCA are the lowest property taxes possible. I wonder if there are places in 'MERCA where no property taxes are required? I would be very curious to know.

    EDIT: Language. A reminder that this is a family friendly site & inappropriate language is not acceptable on this forum. Thanks, Admin

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    @aprilbbrinkman According to this article, there are no states with zero property taxes and 11 states with the lowest property taxes.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Honestly... I love the south, especially the mountains. TN has no state taxes and a very independent mindset east of Nashville. If money were no issue though, I'd probably move to Poland.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman a long time ago, property taxes were one thing... rural not so much, city higher...then someone came up with the bright idea to make sure that no matter where you were, as soon as one upgraded something on their property their property taxes could or maybe would be raised. And if I remember correctly, as soon as anyone in your a neighborhood 'upgraded' something on their or about their property, everyone else's property taxes went up.... I don't know if there is anywhere one doesn't have to pay property taxes but I would think a county/city assessors office would at least be able to point in the direction of the office that does...

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 Why Poland? And how would the Smokey Mountain area be to live?

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    The Smokies are very nice. I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Smokies are like 20 miles away, so I've been all over both. Poland appeals to me very much culturally. It is a predominately conservative, Christian culture, crime is extremely rare comparative to other nations, the food is excellent, the country side is beautiful, the people are very well educated and the history, art, music, churches, etc are really astounding. I also really like Polish and Ukrainian people. They are obsessed with mushrooms and pickles! I think I could be very happy there... if I were to ever leave the US. I probably won't.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Maybe I shouldn't be voicing an opinion here, being Canadian. But if you didn't want to immigrate to Beautiful British Columbia (that's what is says on our license plates) then I would suggest the Pacific Northwest. Washington and Oregon are beautiful. Well forested with lots of rural land. Generally laid back people. Lots of great fishing streams. Lots of big game. The Yakima Valley is becoming well known for its wine industry. Walla Walla onions. Very environmentally friendly. Hotsprings. No sales tax in Oregon. I'd choose somewhere close enough to the coast to be able to access seafood. But inland enough to be a bit drier climate. I think I remember you saying that you had lived in Alaska for awhile. Is that a possibility?

  • Suburban Pioneer
    Suburban Pioneer Posts: 339 ✭✭✭

    NOT Idaho any more, especially the southwest part of the state. Taxes and home prices going through the roof. Average temperatures and droughty conditions intensifying. Crime rising. The area was really nice as recently as the first few years of the milennium, but not so much since it's been "discovered" by others suddenly fleeing their own messes and bringing them here. Only one county left that's free of the onerous UN building codes, from what I heard last year. Every part of the state is being chewed up for subdivisions or luxury ranchettes bought by wealthy hedge fund managers or others selling their homes for grossly inflated prices and rehoming here, raising everybody's cost of living. Wonderful outdoors areas still, but gradually becoming overrun, especially by people who love powered recreation. Lots of pollution problems, especially water pollution, that are hidden and nobody wants to talk about (research, for example, the toxic ticking time bomb waiting at the bottom of beautiful lake Couer d' Alene - a combo of old mining waste nobody wants to acknowledge and runoff from the exploding number of septic systems in the area. At some point, the mixture is going to make the whole district, especially the big rim of pricey luxury resort developments expanding around the vicinity, pretty well uninhabitable.) Idaho is still pretty attractive on the surface, and there's still much to love about it, but it's not the state it used to be if you pay attention to the details of change happening beneath the surface. There are getting to be fewer places left to run.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Yes, I can see those types of things (escaping to, wealthy buying up productive land to hide or play, rec vehicles) happening here in my province too. I think it must be a movement of sorts, but it isn't positive. It brings with it a disregard for the existing rural people & the land & water. There is generally no positive progressive progress that comes with it, only selfishness & disregard for the land itself. It is sad to see the good land becoming housing, a play place & useless otherwise.

    Do these folks bring their problems? Certainly. I have heard from friends in southern BC & somewhat south central, that have noticed the same. 🙁

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    @torey my daughter and I have discussed the pacific NW. She has a good college friend who lives there (Washington) and she fell in love with the state when she visited. The heat here is just getting so bad as well as the drought. We have big cracks all over the front and back yard. I set a sprinkler this morning (6:30 a.m.) and honest to goodness I had to stop and follow the cracking pattern to make sure I wasn't going to fall through into a deep crack (not to swallow me, just to break an ankle and get wedged in). Property taxes have risen greatly due to Fixer Upper (HGTV) being filmed here and very popular. We are also close to Space X testing facilities and there is some industry here and there is Baylor College. Today it was 103 with heat index at 109F about 2:30p.m. and 105 with heat index 108F at 5:30 p.m., central time zone. We didn't have enough rain in Spring to close up last year's cracks so they are just much worse this year. I'm less tolerant of the heat as I've gotten older. I don't think there is anywhere in the US without taxes but Texas does not have a state income tax. We have sales taxes which in most cities is 8.25%. There are still some areas that do not have crazy high property prices or high property taxes but those are mostly in the areas of the state that are pretty inhospitable; lack of water is becoming an issue all over the state.

  • OhiohillsLouise
    OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 I agree with you! I’ve been to Poland twice and Ukraine once. I found Poland very western friendly and the food sooo good. I also like Tennessee but I’ll stay here in East Central Ohio although I would consider Southeastern Ohio because it is more hilly, less populated, land cheaper and climate slightly better than northern Ohio.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    I know this is a totally different approach, but how about finding a spot close to family? Geographically, each area has its pros and cons. Tax-wise maybe not, but even so, each area has its own political and social issues as well. We have moved a lot in our lives and we are almost envious of those who have been in the same area for generations.

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I can attest to climate in Northern Ohio. Lake effect snow with whiteout conditions. Cold. Summer: hot, humid, bugs. The midges, OMG, buildings get totally covered by them.

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Annie Kate I'd still be moving west in that case. My extended family has and is moving to Oklahoma. My chosen area at the moment is about 8 hours drive SW from where they are.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 I've had these reoccurring dreams about the Smokies, although I've never been there. In the dream, it is always dark and foggy, literally smokey. I'm about to enter what appears to be a mountain range from the forest and I can see the peaks rising above. I'm always really anxious about it. But the beauty invites me in and then I wake up. Same dream always. But never been there, I want to explore them someday though! I have heard the best things about Tennessee and literally everyone I know from there is good people. You have now added to this hypothesis with yet another fact / data point. 😊

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @RustBeltCowgirl you are awesome thank you for the article on property taxes!

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @Annie Kate I am thinking more and more that yes where I am now and grew up is what feels most like home. @judsoncarroll4 I have Polish, German, French, Spanish, also African and Indigenous ancestry. I want to research my family tree in more detail what fun. There is this road with part of my family name that still goes I think from France into Spain. Nation states try to board up culture, but it really isn't possible to block those roads LOL.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @torey please do speak yes PAC NW in terms of ecology and the land is god's country for sure.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    The mountains are not so much smoky as foggy from clouds. The blue ridge are just as foggy. But, the Blue Ridge has a more blue hue. It looks like we share similar heritage. Mine also includes a lot of Celtic, British and Scandinavian, but includes those you mentioned.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 we are also Celtic, me French and my man is Irish. Someday we will visit the great Smokies. Until then you will find us blockcading in the hollows by the light of the foxfire. Makes for some good Sunday reading, even though I had nothing to do with making this a national park it makes me proud to be American knowing how some in our country came together for it. Wny not they lambast us Americans enough for things I didn't do, here I'll also brag about something I had nothing to do with: https://www.visitmysmokies.com/blog/smoky-mountains/10-things-dont-know-history-of-the-smoky-mountains/

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    I'm reading a Foxfire book right now. Vol 3... just to the chapter on banjo making and saw the cousin of my old friend, Ray Hicks, Charlie. Anti-Americanism is very much in vogue right now.... as it has been for most every nation in the past. We do well to remember that no people on earth is actually "from" where they live now, we all come from the same two ancestors, every people on earth has practiced war and slavery and their is blood on everyone's hands. People are people.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @RustBeltCowgirl we were paying over 10 thou a year property taxes where we are moving from. It is not so much the money, but what the local cronies did with it. Multnomah County Oregon is maybe the biggest police state in this country. Portlandia gives one version of the place. Well, we are leaving for good. Any of these other property tax thresholds would be fantastic. Many other places in PAC NW have a much saner property tax level. We will move there. Tired of paying our own captors LOL

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 I could not agree with you more!!!

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 I had no idea about the foxfire books thank you!!! Have you seen Songcatcher? I saw this awhile back and it was strange, but it made Appalachia seem kind of like home even though I've never been there. I don't know if you think it's too Hollywood, I really loved the movie for what it's worth.

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    All I can say to that is "ouch". I can understand why you are moving. According to my calculations, we're paying about $3K a year.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Oh sure! There were some good movies based on Appalachia, and some of the folks I knew were extras in them. Here's a real one:


  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    That's Ray and Rosie. Rosie taught me herbs, Ray told stories... we played old instruments and say late into the night.... some of the best memories of my life were in that old cabin with one electric light being the only modern convenience... wood stove for heat, springhouse for storing food, outhouse out back. To quote Big Ray, "Yeah, gaw."

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 love the clips and thank you!

  • andrea745
    andrea745 Posts: 89 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    Such a fascinating conversation. My husband and I lived in big cities before we had our children-- Miami Fl, Washington, DC, Los Angeles California and Philadephia PA. Both of us were on the career ladder and when we finally decided it was too much stress, dirt, etc, we settled in Charlottesville Virginia for 25 years where we had our family of three boys. I was a school teacher and he was a country lawyer. When my parents got sick with Alzheimer's we moved to SW Florida to help care for them. That was 12 years ago. They have since passed and all three of our boys are grown up-- one in Brazil, one in Jacksonville and as soon as COVID19 is under control, our youngest will head to Wall Street. We want a simplier life but my husband has found a great career as a government attorney for the local county down here. Taxes are relatively low. We have homestead here in Florida. It is the reason that most part timers choose to live 6 months plus 1 day a year here rather than wherever they are living in the summer. I love the sound of the Northwest and British Columbia for its ruggedness, but I have gotten soft when it comes to cold weather. I love the humidity. It keeps my skin soft, my sinuses in better shape and my eyesin this state would be saving our environment because of the tourism, but big Ag has a stronghold in our state still. When my husband retires we will probably relocate closer to our children when they have children. I have one granddaughter and she lives in Brazil and as much as I miss her and find many intriguing things about that country, it is not a place I could live. Thanks for starting this dicussion.