Moving to the USA - which state / city?

Daniel L

Daniel L

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 2, 1998
Messages
1,978
I'm considering a move to USA next year and wanted to check out options / opinions.

Some background:
I'm moving since I trade the US markets (self employed) and getting sick of waking up at 230am! Based on the time zones I want to work in I'm predominantly looking at western states:

- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Arizona
- Vancouver (yes I know that's not a state of USA!)

I've got a young family (2 kids under 5) with wife. Money is not a major constraining factor (within reason) in terms of where we move to, but it would be great if the state was:

- family friendly (safe, access to schools)
- can buy a house with a large yard
- gun and knife friendly (does that exclude California?)
- not rural
- love the outdoors, but not necessarily ocean side
- temperate climate
- tax friendly, at least from a business perspective since I trade via my own company structure

I doubt there's a "perfect" state so it will be a matter of balancing priorities.

OK - what do you guys reckon?

Cheers,
 
Daniel! I'm busy getting my act together to move to New Zealand next year, and now you're off to the US!

:grumpy:

Now who am I going to buy knives from over there?
 
I'll be here for a little while yet...

BUT it means I can buy more knives and guns - YE HAR!!
 
CA is reasonably knife friendly but is crowded, and expensive. Traffic is grotesque. A big yard in a nice city will cost you a small fortune. I wouldn't move here. Weather is nice, though.

Frank
 
Ditto on SoCal being a lousy place to live. I live in Los Angeles and am considering relocating because of cost of living, high cost of real estate, congestion, pollution, state taxes and lack of decent public schools, plus the gun laws are terrible. (hmmmm, you got me on an LA rant :) ) Sadly I work in tech so there is a lot of work here for me.

Arizona is nice but I couldn't take the heat. I travel to Phoenix for work
and its awful during the summer although many people like the desert lifestyle.
Real estate is reasonable.

Seattle is beautiful, in fact the entire Pacific Northwest is magnificent. The only downside can be the amount of rain. Real estate is still reasonable. Portland is a very nice city as well, although they've had a rough time with drug problems in the past five years. I've really liked it when I've visited.

To throw you a curve ball, take a look at Austin, Texas. Inexpensive real estate, good economic growth, family friendly, lots to do in terms of outdoor recreation, culture and its texas, so shoot em if you've got em... I know because its on my short list of places to relocate to myself...
 
It's not in a western state, but I would look at Gulf Breeze, FL. If you check a map, it's on a peninsula sticking out into the middle of Pensacola Bay in Northwest Florida. Gulf Breeze has good schools, you can get big yards for good prices, and you're ten minutes from the beach on one side, 15 from the malls on the other. If you visit prior to moving, drive out to Peg Leg Pete's on the beach and have their deluxe grouper sandwich. Florida is a shall-issue CCW state, and the CCW does include knives.

If you want to look at prices, google "Spencer Realty of Northwest Florida" and refine the MLS search to only show you 32561-area code houses.

If you're looking for something cooler, check out Victoria, British Columbia. I think it's a little less expensive than Vancouver, but a nicer city. The PNW is BEAUTIFUL. Nowhere near as weapon-friendly as Florida, of course, and probably double the cost of living.

Hope this helps. :)
 
Thanks so far - Texas and Florida were on my list but the time zone is not quite what I'm after. Since I can choose the time zone I am aiming to work 7am till 1pm and it's over for the day - so the states that co-incide with that timing are the western ones.

Thanks FoxholeAtheist... will check out Victoria.

Its all a balance of priorities... hoping guns and knives can stay at the top!!
 
I live in the North East. Don't come here it's terrible.

(kidding... I'm trying to keep the place to myself.)

Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. But you'd better "enjoy" snow and 4 seasons. Gun laws in NH and Vermont are excellent. NH is Shall-Issue (state motto is "Live Free or Die", and they mean it!). VT don't care what or how you carry... got 'em, carry 'em. Many other US states are pushing for "Vermont type" gun laws. Not sure about laws in Maine. Not sure about knife laws in any of them.

All three states are beutiful... land prices can be up there (5K-10K per acre... some for less) depending where you wish to settle. Up-state (in any) is relatively uninhabited (farm land). A great place to raise kids. No Earth quakes (of interest), No tornadoes (notable), No Hurricanes/floods (unless you live coastal in ME or NH). In the last 5 days, I've seen one Moose, one Coyote/wolf, 2 fox (back yard), 40 wild turkeys (back yard), and 19 White tail deer (2 nice Bucks) (back yard). Two weeks ago I had a large black bear walking up my driveway.

I have been in EVERY state in the US except Washington State (I've been told it's a lot like the North East but without the hard winters and the bugs), and this is where I wanted to be planted... so this is where I decided to retire.

Actually, it could all be just a wonderful dream... actually I think it was... I just woke up.

Don't come to the North East. It's terrible and you will just HATE it here!:D:D:D
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
CA is reasonably knife friendly but is crowded, and expensive. Traffic is grotesque. A big yard in a nice city will cost you a small fortune. I wouldn't move here. Weather is nice, though.

Frank
Click to expand...

I second that. If you can avoid the freeways for the most part and stay out of Downtown L.A., you would be okay though. There are some really nice suburbs in the surrounding areas though, but they can be very pricey.
 
i live in northeastern PA. i have been in KKKalifornia for one summer, and i'd never live there. i hear good things about Oregon, except for the weather, but i hear it's 2A friendly. can't say much about the other states you mentioned. my travels have kept me mostly on the east coast.
 
I've lived in CA and WA and visit OR once a year. CA sucks unless you are in northern CA but the taxes will kill you. OR is an eclectic mix of people. It might take some getting accustomed to. If I had to leave Nevada I'd move back to WA. Mild weather, good hunting and fishing and fairly gun and knife friendly.
 
The weather is kind of sucky..but it is a Class III state, automatic knives are legal, downtown Portland is rockin', massive amounts of strip clubs; for doing "business":D, there is no sales tax, there is no state tax, and property is still inexpensive, and they have good schools.

What more do you want to know?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Daniel! You lucky bastard.

Have a great time in the US. I grew up there(New Jersey) and it was the best years of my life by far solely due to the country I was in.

From the states you chose I personally would choose Pheonix Arizona or surroundings. Spent some time in Arizona and I liked it a lot. It is very hot in summer but still, great environment, great second amendment freedom, nice people for the most part.
Lots of great knifemakers around there too. If guns and knives are important to you, as they are to me, this is the state to choose from the ones you listed (along with Oregon).

You can enjoy the freedoms in terms of carrying firearms, and your still close enough to California to drive over and enjoy some of the best beaches there and Hollywood etc....

Best of luck to you and your family.
 
You could consider Colorado Springs. It is notoriously "family friendly" (in the sense that Dobson's Focus on the Family is headquartered here). Our kids went to school in the Air Force Academy School District where the norm is for kids to be responsible and have ambitions. I live in the pine trees slightly out of town where the small lots are 1/2 acre. For years the local sheriff had a policy that essentially encouraged responsible adults to get concealed carry permits. The air is clear, we recently stopped doing smog inspections of cars.

This is a military town more than anything else. While there is a state university and a private college in town, the big college is the Air Force Academy. There are also 3 air force bases nearby that are primarily involved in satellite control. The most famous is Cheyenne Mountain which is underground. Peterson AFB is where the headquarters for Northcom (homeland defense) is based. We also have an army base south of town, Fort Carson, home to armor and special forces troops.

The interesting thing is how cosmopolitan the town is considering the military and Christian enterprises located here. The military contingent commonly have been stationed all over the country and all over the world. A large number of the local military families have spent years living in Europe and many of the men and women have served in the middle east and Bosnia. A significant fraction of the Christian community is involved in missions. Many of them have spent years living in Africa or Latin America. I ran across this craggy old guy recently who looks like a stereotype of a hayseed farmer. In reality he has a PhD in linguistics and commutes to Guatemala where he translates the bible into obscure indian dialects.

It is pretty high tech here. I work at one of several semiconductor design firms located nearby. There are also high tech military contractors within walking distance. HP, LSI Logic, Atmel are some of the bigger names. Intel has been here, but is moving out of town.

The weather averages comfortable from my perspective. I like the cool, thin, dry air. It rarely hits 90 F degrees, and even that is fairly comfortable in the shade. It never gets hot and sticky. The air is so dry at our 6,000 foot altitude that house dust mites can't survive and mildew is a rarely seen. People come here to get away from asthma and other respiratory problems. While we get some snow in the winter that is our dry season. The sunlight is very strong here and snow only stays on the ground where there is shade. It is common to get snow at night and see it steaming off the roads the next morning. January can get downright cold, but it can still be comfortable if the wind is not blowing and you are out in the sun. It is only rarely overcast here.

You can pick whether you want to be urban or rural here. Most businesses are spread out. Generally you wouldn't have your office in the old downtown section. Most big corporate centers have moved up towards the Air Force Academy side of town. For example the local T. Rowe Price operations center is on the north side of town. I like Colorado Springs because I can have a high tech engineering job and afford a house in the pine trees within an easy commute of the office. Other engineers live in nice neighborhoods within a 5 minute drive of this office. My old boss commutes down from a cabin community up at 9,000 foot altitude.

Anyway, I think you might want to look in Colorado. It is fairly affordable with a lot of variety to offer. The cultural range is also broad. You can go from a liberal state university town like Boulder to a military college town like Colorado Springs. You can have the big city, Denver, or a small town like Elizabeth. If you want to be close to big spenders you could head up into the ski communities of the mountains. The names Vale, Aspen, Telluride and Steamboat Springs represent big money.

And there are the places that are just plain beautiful, like Estes Park:
ML-MarysLakeCGview.jpg


http://www.coloradobyways.org/Main.cfm
 
Avoid California like the plague , unless you choose a mid sized town away from LA or the Bay Area , no offense to those who live there but both cities are overrated , crime high , rent expensive , traffic is beyond horrible , smog is terrible , water is going to be scarce this next summer , forget California.

Oregon is beautiful , cool temps relativly , prices are okay but will rise as more Californians vacate for the upper states.
Washington is my choice one day , cool weather , lots of rain , great people !
Arizona ? Pheonix is fast growing city , also one of the higest crime rates in America , forget it. It is also unbearably hot much of the year , once again water is going to be very scarce in these states this next year unless we get a bumper crop wet winter ( please , Lord... ).
Scarce water means , higher prices on everything , by the way.
 
Victoria is gorgeous and Vancouver is beautiful but more pricey, albeit, not CA price of living. Rains alot, big trees, great ocean landscapes and ease of getting to many amazing parks, wilderness areas and ski resorts. You will find several similarities between British Columbia and New Zealand, just a lot more orchards and less sheep :) Good luck on your search!
 
Kohai999 said:
Oregon

The weather is kind of sucky
Click to expand...

That's not true! It only rains once per year... of course it starts in September and continues through May, but the rest of the year is great.

downtown Portland is rockin',
Click to expand...

Especially during the EARTHQUAKES!!!


there is no state tax
Click to expand...

Actually, there is.


and property is still inexpensive,
Click to expand...

Yes! You can get a 506 square-foot Condo in Downtown Portland for just $389,000!


and they have good schools.
Click to expand...

Especially the private ones.

Oregon, it's a nice place to visit, but you don't want to live here.




If you are wanting to trade on the US markets, they are almost all east coast (and Chicago) and so east coast may be a better choice.
 
I'll throw in another vote for Texas. I live in the DFW metroplex and have for the last...15+ years?

My parents recently built a house in Frisco for very cheap, the schools in the area are top notch as far as rating go as well. It was cheaper for them to build and design a house to there preference, than to find one already built in Coppell (where we used to live.) I think that's a good thing, you get exactly what you want and spend less, win win. Sold there last house for more than they bought it for actually.

Having a large yard is very easy here. Across the street is undeveloped and it's not crowded. In the big city it's a different story, but that's obvious, it's a city. You can still go down the street and find what you need, it's kind of a perfect mix of urban and rural.

Gun and knife friendly, it's Texas. I open carry a knife every day of the year and I'm under 21, I've never been given a hard time about it.

Climate is...hot. Right now it's beautiful outside, middle of summer can get intense. Winters are a joke, if you want to go skiing you'll have to vacation somewhere lol.

You'll have to look up the tax business. All I know is shopping online is great cuz' 99% of the time it's tax free. So if it's $49.99 online, you pay $49.99, period. I like that.
 
Cool keep it coming guys!! This is the kind of info you DON'T get from the tourist brochures!

Funny my wife asked me "where's Colorado Springs?" last night :) Sounds like a nice place and we love Focus on the Family.

Gollnick said:
If you are wanting to trade on the US markets, they are almost all east coast (and Chicago) and so east coast may be a better choice.
Click to expand...

I mainly trade on Central Time 930am-315pm, but I am deliberately wanting to change to Pacific Time (730-1pm) ideally so I can work morning and skip the afternoon. I trade from home in my pyjamas (sorta) so as long as theres high speed internet that's practically all I need.

Traffic is only an issue when I need to go shopping or to school.
 
Like most of the major cities in the state of Colorado, Colorado Springs is nestled up close to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. It is a little south of the North-South center of the state. If you catch Americans singing "America the Beautiful" you should know that it was written by a visitor from back east who had crossed the prairie and just seen the view from the top of Pike's Peak west of town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful

You can take a look at its location on Google maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Colorado+Springs,+CO,+USA

You can scroll out and in. I think that using the hybrid (map combined with satellite) view is particularly nice.

Colorado Springs is the second largest city in Colorado. Colorado has a lot of open land, the western half of the state is mostly mountains, the eastern half is open prairie and farming country. Most of "civilization" is in a ribbon at the foot of the mountains in between. The state capital is Denver about 70 miles north.

Back in the early 1800's beaver trappers trekked here from the Mississippi river area in the center of the country and roamed the rocky mountains looking for pelts. They became the guides for later military expeditions and settlers. In 1859 people started heavy exploration for gold in the Rockies. One of the cries of the 59ers was "Pikes Peak or Bust". They were hunting for gold about 30 miles west of what became Colorado Springs. Eventually gold was found. The Cripple Creek and Victor mine is still one of the largest in the world: http://www.ccvgoldmining.com/About/about.html The old mining town of Victor looks like it is still 1908.

Colorado Springs itself started as a tourist and health seeker's destination. It was founded by a minor railroad magnate. The guys who got rich from the gold mines came down the hill and built mansions just north of downtown. That is also where the first serious private college in the state was built.

Colorado is in the Mountain Time Zone. That is one hour ahead of the Pacific Time zone of California, Oregon, and Washington. There are two earlier time zones, Central and Eastern.

Cities on the eastern slope of the rockies tend to have dry clear weather. The primary jet stream flow is west-to-east and rain tends to get wrung out of the clouds over the peaks. When we get serious snow it is when a low pressure system stalls south of us and a counter-clockwise air flow pulls moisture up from around the Gulf of Mexico and pushes it up the east side of the Rockies. Every few years we get snowed in for a few day. Last December it happened two or three times. It is warm enough that I usually shovel that kind of snow in a sweatshirt.

There are people from the south who consider Colorado cold. People from the northern, central, and northeastern parts of the country tend to consider Colorado to have mild weather. Most other places get stuck under overcast clouds for days on end when winter weather gets bad. They also have heavier moist air that really carries a chill. A typical bad Colorado winter day starts out sunny and mild, in the afternoon a cold front moves in and it snows. By morning there is 4 or 6 inches of snow and the sun comes out bright and strong. Driving to work is a little tricky, but by noon the streets are dry and clear, some people are riding bicycles.

I come from southern California where it never snows. I find the weather fun. I also like the fact that I never need an air conditioner.

This is a place where hunting is considered practical as much as recreational. Elk are common and an in-state license is cheap. An elk is comparable in weight to a steer so when you can bag one for $46.00 it can really help your food bills.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top