Relocating: South Dakota?

[Erik Loza]

Can't comment on SD but we have friends who recently relocated to Boise and are happy there. I have family in the Tri-Cities area of eastern WA and have been there. A very nice area. These areas are in the rain shadow of the Cascades, so don't get socked in with snow like in your photos, Michael. Like Denver, I would say. Both areas staunchly "red" but not intolerant in my experience. Good luck in your search.

Erik

[Michael Drew]

Thanks once again for the input folks. I’ll try this muti-quote function to respond…….

We had a similar plan. I bought land in west central CO. While we saved up to break ground, the building costs were going up. Sat on that property for five years.

Then we found an existing house that checked off 8 of our top 10 wants. We sold the land, bought the house and wish we would have done it sooner.

Might there be an existing house if you are willing to compromise on a few things?

That would be an option, but unfortunately, home sales are every bit as nuts in this area. 2500 square foot homes on tiny lots without a view are going for 750K and up.

A gentleman I know did this. He said years ago he and several friends decided they would move south from their area that was getting too crowded. They got out a map and one guy closed his eyes and pointed to a spot. Turned out it was in Virginia, towards the south west. They all moved to that area and love it.

I've never tasted and know nothing about good or bad bourbon or whiskey but I read there is a controversy over which is which. I found some stuff about TN bourbon: https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-ten...ave-the-answer I know when we travel to Europe when people find out we came from TN they almost always light up and say "Jack Daniels!"

Anywhere close to the big cities of Memphis or Nasheville will be loaded with people. Chattanooga and Knoxville are significantly smaller. The areas between can be out-in-the-sticks rural or with farms everywhere. A LOT of people seem to be moving to the areas around Crossville and Cookville and friends there say the prices are rising like crazy, probably in other areas too. I'd still say take a look at East TN. Areas both east and west of Knoxville have a lot of gently rolling hills covered with farms. Take a drive through the mountains, maybe on the Foothills parkway and stop at the overlooks. You can get way out in the sticks if you don't want neighbors or fairly close to an interstate if you like to be out and about. The far east towards NC and Asheville and south can be pretty mountainous (or "hilly" if you are used to the Rockies), expensive to build on but the views can be incredible.

There is a huge amount of rural land between the TN cities. If you zoom in and scroll around the satellite pictures you can get an idea of what areas are less dense and likely to be less expensive, if that is an issue. If you want land on the water it seems sky high everywhere. For example a realtor friend told me undeveloped land along the Clinch River below Norris Lake is generally appraised at $100,000 and acre for tax purposes and that's not any where near the selling prices. Other rural land can be far less expensive, sometimes downright cheap if undeveloped. If you are looking to buy developed land with a decent and fairly new house it still will be nothing like the prices in many other states. There are lots of web sites that compare home prices in different areas and states.

I like areas in North Carolina and Kentucky too - we lived between Winston Salem and Greensboro for some years and went to school in Berea KY - both great areas, very similar to TN of course.

JKJ

Thanks for the informative response. I’m putting together an itinerary for a road trip using your notes to help me.

Missouri has two zones. The northern and western half (roughly) are rolling hills, plains, and very agricultural, with Kansas City and Springfield the two urban areas. The southeastern and southern half is Ozark hill country, with oak and hickory forest, springs, caves and whitewater rivers. St Louis is the gateway there. The southeastern corner (known as the bootheel) is flat Mississippi Delta country. Most people consider the Ozarks as the place to retire too. Its culturally like a remnant of Appalachia.

I’ve always wanted to visit the Ozarks. That area looks very pretty in pictures/films. Hopefully, the majority of residents are not portrayed accurately in the Netflix series “Ozark”.

Areas in the Smokey Mountains are nice, but starting to stray away from good medical care. Never lived in Knoxville, but medical care is excellent there and easy access to other areas with I-75 N/S and I-40 E/W. I used to drive through there monthly to my vacation house. John could tell you far more than I could, but I always thought that area had promise for a vacation home. One of my ex-partners did that, and loves it. He'll be moving there full-time when he FINALLY retires.

Chapel Hill, NC area is nice, also with top-notch medical care.

Not really four seasons weather for me in Tampa/Clearwater, FL area, but has some benefits. Decent food, and getting better, some museums, great sports teams, beautiful beaches. Much less pricey than CA, NY, NJ, but certainly not as cheap as Tennessee, SD, etc...

Avoid the rust belt areas. I lived there for 10 years, and the incredibly cheap cost of housing is more than offset by the lack of culture and mediocre food.

Put nearby quality medical care at the top of your list when choosing locations. And I'm not just saying this as a doctor. I'm saying this as a retired 62yo.

Thank you. Very informative. I agree with you with medical services. That is one area that is making my retirement plans more complicated. I did have plans to retire in Florida about 20 years ago. I bought 20 acres in Destine and was going to develop the land and live there. A divorce derailed that grand plan….. She got “half”.

You want 4 seasons and land.
Michigan has it. I've lived here all my life. Never considered leaving.

I have a friend who retired and moved to the Travers City area. He spent the last five years trying to convince me to move next to him. Last week he called me to show me pictures of his new home. He sold his house, and bought a new truck and fifth wheel travel trailer. They are travelling in Arizona now. They got tired of the winters. So I reckon it all depends on where one resides in Michigan?

Don't come to central NC, unless you want to be in New Jersey / New York South. Our area is over run with those leaving these areas. In the county we live in, people are moving in at the rate of over 100 per day. 40+ years ago, we bought in one of the most rural areas of the county. Because of a nuclear plant, zoning was minimum of two acres. Closest town, of about 500 people was seven miles away. Now town has EXPLODED! 20,000+ people. Million dollar homes (on golf course) are just across the creek from us. Track of land (100 + acres) behind us is potentially for sale. Two new light industrial plants, that cover about 100 acres each are being built within two miles. Worse part is refugees from north move here, and then want to make it like where they came from. Why didn't they just stay where they were. Would the last person leaving NY /NJ turn out the lights.

The exodus from Blue states to Red states is a real thing. Escape high taxes and government overreach, but then they bring their baggage with them. Montana, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada are all good examples of this phenomena in the west. Texas is next.

Can't comment on SD but we have friends who recently relocated to Boise and are happy there. I have family in the Tri-Cities area of eastern WA and have been there. A very nice area. These areas are in the rain shadow of the Cascades, so don't get socked in with snow like in your photos, Michael. Like Denver, I would say. Both areas staunchly "red" but not intolerant in my experience. Good luck in your search.

Erik

Boise has gone nuts. It has seen an invasion the past few years. Long term locals are not happy. I was looking for place to live in northern Idaho, primarily the Sandpoint area, but gave up after finding every lot I could afford was either near a railroad route or highway with heavy truck traffic. Washington, much like Oregon, have gone too far left for my tolerance level. I know this is due mostly to the coastal cities, and folks on the east side are pretty normal, but the crazy politics affects the entire state. It really is painful to watch, because I do love the west coast states.

[Jim Koepke]

Michael, we had similar thought as you before we retired. San Francisco area was just too crowded for us. One of our considerations was the milage to our health care provider.

Not much exodus traffic here other than city folks moving to the country. Most of them still have to live close to a city for the commute.

Our main feature may be a turnoff to people who do not like rain. We have mount Rainier. It sounds French the way most folks pronounce it rain-ear. But it is really rain-e-er. Same with the town across the river from us in Oregon.

Top ten wettest places in the continental United States:

The number one most rainy spot in the United States belongs to Aberdeen Reservoir, Washington on the westside of the state which averages 130.6 inches of rain. That's a whole lot of H20!

1) Aberdeen Reservoir, Washington
2) Laurel Mountain, Oregon
3) Forks, Washington
4) North Fork Nehalem Park, Oregon
5) Mt Rainier, Paradise Station, Washington
6) Port Orford, Oregon
7) Humptulips, Washington
8) Swift Reservoir, Washington
9) Naselle, Washington
10) Clearwater State Park, Washington

Read More: Washington State Owns Seven of the Top 10 Wettest Spots in the United States | https://kffm.com/washington-state-ow...edium=referral

Washington has seven locations listed in the top 10 rainiest places in North America. All that rain is why Washington is "The Evergreen State."

Here is a meandering rust hunt story, including a short tale of how the state got its name > http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?163796

jtk

[Myk Rian]

I have a friend who retired and moved to the Travers City area. He spent the last five years trying to convince me to move next to him. Last week he called me to show me pictures of his new home. He sold his house, and bought a new truck and fifth wheel travel trailer. They are travelling in Arizona now. They got tired of the winters. So I reckon it all depends on where one resides in Michigan?

He went to the wrong side of the state. Traverse gets lake effect snow measured in feet. All the way down the Lake Michigan shore gets it,

[Derek Meyer]

I've lived in Moscow, Idaho (North Idaho) for 31 years, and it's a great place to live. The town is about 25,000 people and the University of Idaho is located here. It is one of the bluest areas in a deep red state. Weather is 4 seasons, with snow in the winter, 90+ days in summer, rain in spring and fall. We typically run air conditioning for 2 months a year and heat for about 4. If you like fishing or want to get into it, this is a paradise, with tons of rivers, lakes, streams, etc. nearby. Cost of living is not bad (better if you're rural), and there is land available in a lot of places. We're 90 minutes from Spokane, WA, and 5 hours from Boise, Seattle and Missoula, MT.

[Michael Drew]

I drove through Moscow a couple years ago on my way to Walla Walla (one of our annual wine country trips). I remember liking the area. This comment however makes my nervous. "It is one of the bluest areas in a deep red state." I am hoping to find a place where the majority of the population is centric. Crazy progressive "woke" BS from the left is every bit of crazy as the far alt right. I want nothing to do with either of the two extreme's.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

View of the barn from our back porch. Northeast Georgia,... this area has top notch health care!

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[Michael Drew]

That 'barn' looks nice enough to live in..... Beautiful property. What do you keep in that palace, race horses?

[Lawrence Duckworth]

That 'barn' looks nice enough to live in..... Beautiful property. What do you keep in that palace, race horses?

no horse in there but I do have "keep your distance pandemic shuffle board court" and a wood lathe


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[Lawrence Duckworth]

You want 4 seasons and land.
Michigan has it. I've lived here all my life. Never considered leaving.

I still have a lot of family in michigan; I left there in 72'.....there was a billboard on I-94 south that said "last one out shut out the lights"....

Here's a wood turned sculpture I made, a tribute to the people in charge of the commonwealth of Flint Michigan, more specifically the water authority . FWIW, this town is where the first Corvette rolled off the assembly line, over 200 thousand people lived and prospered, today you'd have a better shot at being murdered there than if you lived in south chicago!

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[roger wiegand]

I'll be the oddball here (what a surprise), but I love living in New England. Been, and lived in, lots of other places, but this is where I want to be. With New Zealand as the backup plan if it becomes necessary. Not cheap, but, for me, one of those "you get what you pay for" situations.

[Jim Becker]

no horse in there but I do have "keep your distance pandemic shuffle board court" and a wood lathe


B6DC5A27-2900-42D1-A2FD-D028C44E954C_1_201_a.jpg

That polished concrete is da bomb!

[Myk Rian]

I love that sculpture. Great job.
Flint is 30 mi N of us. It isn't all that bad.
North of Bay City is where I would like to have a piece of land and cabin. We're south of that area in Livingston cty. Pretty much outside the fringes of the Detroit suburbs, but getting populated by people leaving the burbs.
They don't realize we have wildlife out here, and complain about the Sandhill cranes pecking holes in the lawn.

[John K Jordan]

I'll be the oddball here (what a surprise), but I love living in New England. Been, and lived in, lots of other places, but this is where I want to be. With New Zealand as the backup plan if it becomes necessary. Not cheap, but, for me, one of those "you get what you pay for" situations.

I’ve been to Mass, Rhode Island. and Conn but a few years ago in the fall we spent a few weeks driving up the coast, through NH & Vermont, then looped down and around. What beautiful country and great food (and friendly people). A ranger in northern VT did say 6’ of snow was not rare.

[Jack Frederick]

Sounds to me like time to take a serious Road Trip. Fun reading these type posts. One thing you want is water and the Great Lakes area is where it is. I like that Traverse City area myself and my SIL family have been there forever. Yes, winter may induce snow-bird mentality, but that isn’t so bad. You might look at Maine, NH, VT. Fabulous country and again Water. When you look at the New England area you have to re-order your State by State dimensions some. Western Distances are long between places. In the East youy can leave NYC and in less than eight hrs be in Bangor ME crossing 4 states. I apparently am as “odd a ball” as Roger. We left MA in ‘11 to be with the kids. I’d go back in a heartbeat, but with that snowbird mentality. Mattapoisett is the spot I’d go. The Shenandoah area of Virginia is terrific country all the way down to the NW GA area. I’ve lived around the country. People are people. Some will drive you nuts. Wherever you go you have to sort that out.