Moving to the USA - which state / city?

So what do you trade? It sounds like you get by without face-to-face customer contact. Do you need to be located in a financial hub?

One of the location issues out here is high speed internet connection. If you locate out in the forest you may not get high bandwidth. I am on the outskirts of an area know as Black Forest. For several years the best internet connection that I could get was ISDN. It provided an immediate connection without dialing, but only gave about twice the bandwidth of a 56k modem. About 3 years ago the one-and-only available cable TV network added cable modem service in my area. There are many locations in Black Forest that don't have that option yet. My wife has a wireless Sprint PCS Data Link for her work notebook computer that gets pretty good coverage around the state. As long as she is close to a major interstate highway and not in a canyon she can surf the net while we drive. I would still estimate that 80% of the state (by area) is not covered by high speed internet access. When you are up in the mountains or out in cowboy country there aren't a lot of cables or cell towers.
 
Out of your choices, I would personally move to Seattle or a surrounding area!!
 
I've been everywhere, and I'd say go for Orange County, California. Somewhere like Newport Beach or Irvine is good. Good schools, low crime rate, etc.

I'd avoid Los Angeles like the plague, 30 million people, sh*tty traffic, I used to spend 4 hours in the car every day, smog, gangs, drugs, random shootings, houses are at least 1 million, tap water is toxic, etc.

Good luck with your move! :thumbup:
 
Didn't read the thread, so sorry if I'm redundant.

Based on all your criteria, I recommend Oregon. If practical, the best approach would be to plan a vist and look around for yourself. Of course that could be applied to the entire West Coast - or at least selected parts of it.

Oregon has a great variety of living situations to offer, most of which feature a significant outdoor component. The climate in Oregon and Washington differs greatly depending on which side of the Cascades one is on.

Another important thing to consider is that all the states on your list feature large ranges of altitude. This also plays an important role in weather conditions, especially the length of seasons. Obviously that's a concern for one's immediate living situation, but also consider that you may need to drive over mountain passes throughout the year.

Good luck in your search. Certainly the western US has its share of problems, but it also has a great deal to offer. :)
 
Another vote for the great state of Colorado. I'm originally from Missouri and moved here almost seven years ago. I live in the Denver area but Colorado Springs is a great place to live too. You own't get a large yard unless you have big bucks. But, a lot of people live in the outlying areas so they can have large yards and commute to the city. There is a nice town called Castle Rock which is midway between Denver and Colorado Springs. It is a nice town in a beautiful setting. It is also good base to do business in either city. The outdoor activities are endless and withing a 2 hour drive to the mountains, on average. The cost of housing here is above the national average. I pay considerably more for a house here than I did in Missouri but it's worth it to live here, in my opinion.
 
Forget the US. Go for Canada. Civil and personal rights are being lost an alarming rate in the US due to Bush and his military/ industrial complex buddies. Just Google Dick Cheney. You'll see what Im talking about
 
The taxes and regulation would probably kill you in Canada. They are not gun friendly in the cities.
 
Again, thanks all for the info!

Jeff Clark said:
So what do you trade? It sounds like you get by without face-to-face customer contact. Do you need to be located in a financial hub?
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I trade the emini S&P500 futures index mainly. I only need a computer, phone and broadband internet. It must be reliable broadband so that's going to eliminate anything too remote.

T.K.C. said:
Out of your choices, I would personally move to Seattle or a surrounding area!!
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Seattle is on the list for sure.

flatgrinder said:
I've been everywhere, and I'd say go for Orange County, California. Somewhere like Newport Beach or Irvine is good. Good schools, low crime rate, etc.

I'd avoid Los Angeles like the plague
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LA is definitely NOT on the list, and I could probably live without CCW being California so perhaps those areas might be ok.

As for house prices, $2m USD is about 3 times the value of my current house!! Then again I pay 39% income tax, plus 12.5% sales tax in NZ so... its a stretch but still doable.


tsiloics said:
Based on all your criteria, I recommend Oregon. If practical, the best approach would be to plan a vist and look around for yourself. Of course that could be applied to the entire West Coast - or at least selected parts of it.
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We do plan to make a road trip with the family - should be fun visiting various places. Best part is I can still work / trade while on the road.

The move isn't immediate so we've plenty of time for planning and checking out. I guesss that we will be our family holiday next year. It might just co-incide with Blade Show :)

Apparently there's a KAPAP Academy (like Krav Maga) in Denver....

We're still undecided about Canada too... sounds like a beautiful place! Just need to check out laws and taxes...
 
I live in the Seattle area so if you have any specific questions about that area, I might be able to answer them. I would say the major drawback to this area is the rain. It is pretty wet for most of the winter (Nov to April) but the temperature is fairly mild. The summers are really nice but short. June to September the temperatures are usually in the 70s. In July and August, the weather here is possibly the best in the world. Since you don't have to worry about commuting you can get a really nice home in the outlying areas of Seattle in the $600K range. That would get you a nice 3500 sqft home with a 3car garage on a reasonable lot. You can also find houses on a bit of land for not much more than that depending on the caliber of house you want.
 
Don't write off all of California, just SoCal and San Francisco (OK to visit though). There are a ton of great places to live in NorCal, which is where I grew up and would love to go back one day.

Could you deal with Lake Tahoe, maybe?

tahoe_emerald_bay.jpg
 
I reconmend any of the hairy chested square states in the middle of the country.

Left coast avoid. Right coast ok as long as you stay away from anything between Boston to Washington.

Stick to the middle.
 
flatgrinder said:
I've been everywhere, and I'd say go for Orange County, California. Somewhere like Newport Beach or Irvine is good. Good schools, low crime rate, etc.

I'd avoid Los Angeles like the plague, 30 million people, sh*tty traffic, I used to spend 4 hours in the car every day, smog, gangs, drugs, random shootings, houses are at least 1 million, tap water is toxic, etc.

Good luck with your move! :thumbup:
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Newport and Irvine are nice if you can afford it. Apartments in Irvine can run 2-3 grand/ month. Condos in Garden Grove (the armpit of OC) are starting at 400k+. I wouldn't even look at Newport, Laguna or Dana Point unless I had 2-3 million burning a hole in my pocket. I've lived in OC my whole life. If you can afford to live in South County it's great. If you're in North County:thumbdn: When I was growing up here it was nice, but now it's all just spillover from LA.

Frank
 
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