Where to live - suggestions please

[PaulinSD]

As most people ask me.... is South Dakota north of Canada????

Well, some winters it feels like it. Total population: 700,000. 2.5 million cattle. No state income tax. Sioux Falls has a large regional airport, jet service to Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis & Denver several times a day. On two Interstates, 29 (n/s) and I-90 (e/w). We've enjoyed living here, Sioux Falls is steadly growing, now about 150,000 pop. Terrain is flat/rolling in the east to the Black Hills in the west part of the state. Land prices are rising at a rapid pace. buying 80+ acres put you in the $800+/acre slot, depending on location to Sioux Falls. As a friend of mine said: The only time the wind stops blowing is to change directions.

Paul

 

[RobertN]

I concur. There is a lot of empty space left in Calif, which puts you near practically anything you might want. Desert, alpine lakes, mountinans, flat lands, ocean, rivers, ect.

My only beef, is So Cal taking all the N Cal water, and our rural poltics looked over by the big guys in the bay area and LA(sorry Glue and Harv...)

North and Eastern Calif really does have a lot to offer, and is a nice distance from big cities, but still close enough to cath a flight without too many hassles.

 

[glennmac]

This is easy, because there is an objectively correct, definitively correct, and apodictically correct answer: Northern California. Nothing else is close. If you want cheap: Northwest Arkansas. There is a book called Places Rated Almanac by Savageau and Loftus, which I recommend highly to anyone studying places to live. It rates every SMSA in the country by various criteria, and has various self-evaluation helps. Statitistically averaged Number 1 in their erroneous view: Orange County, California.

 

[MChalkley]

glennmac - <font color=blue>apodictically</font color=blue>??!!??!! That's why I tell all my friends: "If you really want a well-rounded education, and stimulating intellectual exercise, visit a really good tractor forum." /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[billboe]

RonL,

Where did you buy in the White Mountains? I grew up there! Beautiful area!!! Darn cold tho...

 

[Knight9]

<font color=blue>is South Dakota north of Canada...</font color=blue>

CANADA.....Now you're talkin' !!!!! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif


Kevin

 

[ejb]

Thanks everybody so far...looks like VA and the surrounding areas have the most votes...guess my instincts where sound.

As far as CA (GlueGuy), I am sure there are beautiful sections of CA, and I think it probably would have most of what I want, but for the same reason I ruled out upstate NY a while ago (besides having winter), is that even though the rural parts of NY are absolutely beautiful, as are I am sure, the rural parts of CA, you can't get away from the fact that the states are run from the big cities. (A fish rots from the head)..so everytime the people in the big cities need more money, they are going to happily raise the taxes on all the country folk to pay for there projects.

Got the same problem here in MAss where all of out taxe money goes to pay for the $10BILLION+ dollar "Big Dig" in Boston...I can't even get my road fixed in my town for loack of funds, but I gotta pay for some huge boondoggle that I may use once in my lifetime./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif...perhaps the rural parts of CA should secede from S. CA and become the 51st state/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Defintely have ruled out S. Dakota and Alaska...neither place seems logical if I want to escape the winters.

I'll be surfing some websites and see if I can find any good realtors/areas of Virigina area to get an idea of what I can get for my money...but keep the suggestions coming/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RonL]

Billboe

Just outside of Littleton in the town of Lyman, population 400. Cows across the Street from Town Hall.
RonL

 

[Thomas]

So you had enough of the rat race..I hear you loud and clear /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif We also have been talking about moving from New England when I retire in less than 2 years.
We like Kentucky and South Virginia lot,for it still offers some of the four seasons.
My ownly request..not to live near a college area or city..plus snakes. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

 

[JTD]

We went through the same process a little over a year ago after I retired from 29 yr in pharmaceutical business. Settled in Aiken county SC last summer. Bought 273 acre; 120 hay, 75 wooded, 15 pond, remainder in brush. Travel time: Augusta 20 min, Columbia 45 min, Atlanta 2 1/2 hr, Charlotte 3 1/2 to 4 hr, coast 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hr, mountains 3 to 4 hr. Land prices $1800 to $3500/acre depending upon location. We paid ~$2,000/acre. Neighbors are great. Makes all the difference in a long distance move. We came from the Bay Area, CA - too crowded and expensive. Next door neighbor hired to cut our new road to our building site and clean up the property lines for fencing (~ 3 miles). He's got 3 dozers, trackhoe, 2 haulers, dump truck, dump trailer, other trailers, 2 tractors & attachments. I'm storing my tractor at his place 'til my shop gets built (first). He was raised on his property and mine was his (and his son's) playfields. They know the history, water and soil issues, pond construction, etc. Great info when you want to build / maintain it. They treat it like it's theirs also (family GGfather owned it with several thousand acres). More people moving in the Carolinas every day and I expect this to continue. Soil is light to heavy sand in most of the county. Ours has a significant clay underbase that'll hold water well if we want to add another pond. We'll be planting wildlife food plots in the upper brush/field. Another neighbor is currently leasing the hay field since I won't be acquiring large haying equipment. Only downside to some is concern about summer heat/humidity. Last year was pretty mild but it can get 100+ w/ high humidity for 3 weeks in August typically. Sounds like traveling time to me. Winter - typically 1 or 2 snows, averaging 1 inch. We had 4-6 inch about a week ago - gone in 3 days and it was a big deal to many. Very pretty in the forrest.