So where should we move?

[Damummis]

Maine may not be the best place but I need a friend who doesn't have mercury poisoning from eating too much seafood.

 

[~gd]

I'm down in rural South Georgia - below the pesky gnat line (not the biting ones; those are near the coast), but the fire ants have disappeared and we're NOT complaining! Sugar ants, however, are another story ... Doesn't matter where I hang my hummingbird feeder, they find it and clean it out in less than 3 days *sigh* Get or make yourself an ant trap! I have bought some but mostly I make my own. Just a jar cap with a round hole drilled or punched in the center. A cork or stopper to fit the hole. big side down where you attach your feeder the cupped side of the cap up so you can fill it with a suitable liquid and attach your hanger to the cork in the center. You can fill the cup with an insectcide if you want, I usually use either light mineral or vegatable oil, plain water would not stop my ants! Oh yes if you have a bunch of ants you will need to clean the trap daily, otherwise they just walk over the bodies to avoid the liquid
And land is decently cheap. And while a lot of people are more conservative Republican, there's some Libertarians, too. And did I mention RURAL SOUTH GEORGIA? As in, today was the first day the high was in the 60's? And we still haven't had a frost yet, much yet a freeze? Where our seasons are as follows: almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas

Good luck picking a place!

 

[Henrietta23]

What I am seeing here is everyone recommending their own states. Which leads me to believe no place is perfect.

Not me! I love a lot about CT but it is far from perfect. ANd we still don't know who our new governor is..

 

[Bethanial]

Thanks ~gd - I'll have to try that. Try filling it with vinegar. Kills ants dead on contact Seriously, we keep a spray bottle in the house for cleaning, but if a line of ants happens to sneak in, they'll get squirted and die. Immediately! I love instant gratification

 

[Wildsky]

What I am seeing here is everyone recommending their own states. Which leads me to believe no place is perfect.

Not me! I love a lot about CT but it is far from perfect. ANd we still don't know who our new governor is..

Me neither. I love the place, but the winters are horrible, and last forever. There is nothing much to do and things are cheap, because nobody else wants them or is here to buy em.

Right now, I'd rather be in Arizona....................... at least its warm there. :/

 

[Blackbird]

I'm not recommending Many-snow-ta.. Just because you know what the cold is like. Up north in the trees is desirable but otherwise you get a lot of prairie and the wind goes right through a person. And the -60 winters come into play as well..

Maybe I need to move to Oregon with the environ. freaks?

 

[cjparker]

Deb4o, sorry, didn't mean to dis your town. We've been here in the TC for only three years, after 30 years in Calif. California is a disaster for small business, and pretty much in general. I don't know where all the sales tax/income tax/lotto profits are going, but they are NOT going for infrastructure maintence, schools, police/fire, etc. And they have issued IOUs to state employees on more than one occasion.

Yakima is pretty, but the crime rate is fairly high. Still, it all depends on the area one is in, and on taking sensible precautions. Most places are what you make of them. The outskirts of Yakima are some of the prettiest areas of the state, in MHO.

Washington has a sales tax of 8.2% and no state income tax. Groceries are not taxed. The Tri Cities area has seen an INCREASE in jobs every quarter for the past 6 quarters. Small businesses are welcomed. There are three thriving Farmers' Markets in the area. Land is reasonable. Zoning laws are not too restrictive. Water is plentiful.

 

[Blue Skys]

I have lived in VA and in TX. I love it in TX! The differences that I can think of is that a lot of counties that I have looked at allow livestock even in city limits, I'm sure some don't, but it is not odd to see a donkey and chickens in neighborhood backyards. Raw milk sales are legal from the farm. There are lots of different areas with different climates. The fire ants aren't too bad if you keep your area as natural as possible, it welcomes the critters that will eat the ants (horned frogs) and makes a happy habitat. If I stay in TX, I will move more South, right now I'm near Fort Worth, but San Antonio is my favorite city! Check out the Hill Country... The weather is always 5-10 degrees cooler in the summer and 5-10 degrees warmer in the winter. I'm not sure of the small business situation...

That's my limited experience, and my two cents

 

[Wifezilla]

OFG, I can bring some boxes of spotted owl helper

Yes, Joel Salatin is in VA, NOT WV. In his book "Everything I want to do is Illegal" he outlined the specific regulations he had trouble with. I think he had a lot of legitimate complaints. Mainly they had to do with butchering and processing laws.

Now I was in WV once. I have to tell you it was the strangest experience. I was driving dad down to FL. He was moving down there after he retired a few years back. It was around 10:00pm. We pulled in to a gas station off the highway. I went in to get coffee as dad pumped gas. I stepped inside and got the most hostile vibe I have ever experienced in my life. There were about 5 "locals" in there and there was no mistaking that they didn't like anyone not really really closely related to them!!!

I swear I heard banjo music as I ran back to the car!

Washington does have a nice climate and I have been there a few times before. I will have to look at GA too. Their drought is over, right?

As for Texas, I was looking at a climate map and thought Paris, TX might be nice. Then I started reading news stories about all the racism. YIKES!!!

 

[Javamama]

If you go south, think about the humidity. Do you like to drip sweat while standing still? That's the worst issue for me in OH. I can take the hot and cold, but the moisture drives me inside.