Best state to live/retire ?
- Thread starter IMADMAN
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No state tax on Military, Civil Service, or Social Security. I pay none except MRD from 401K. Gas is $295 for regular. States with no income tax gauge you on gas tax and sales tax.
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When I watch shows on TV that I see it raining and cloudy almost every day and the flying insects constantly everywhere, and all that goes with this type of environment, it makes me appreciate Arizona. Though at times it gets really dry here in arid northern AZ. At my place the flying insects hardly bother us.
I hate that humid feeling like "back east" which is something I wouldn't be able to get used to.
My sister lives in rural Minnesota and the flies there are insane! She has to vacuum off her window sills every day. It's that bad!!! So I went there once and never went back even though she lives on 3000 acres. Also it gets down to almost 40 below zero there in the winter which is stupid cold.
Where I live I love the abundance of bright blue sky days which are awesome. Also love the evergreens here at higher altitude and on my property we have Ponderosa pine, Pinion, two types of juniper, plus some deciduous trees, and fields, all bordering the FS on 3 sides. Rarely gets below 10 degrees and above 100.
The negatives are is it gets windy in the spring which I don't like and no fresh water source close by as well as the growing season is somewhat short.
All that being said I'd rather live off the grid away from the city life because I don't have good luck with neighbors, hate noise and all that, and because I'm more of a loaner.
I hate that humid feeling like "back east" which is something I wouldn't be able to get used to.
My sister lives in rural Minnesota and the flies there are insane! She has to vacuum off her window sills every day. It's that bad!!! So I went there once and never went back even though she lives on 3000 acres. Also it gets down to almost 40 below zero there in the winter which is stupid cold.
Where I live I love the abundance of bright blue sky days which are awesome. Also love the evergreens here at higher altitude and on my property we have Ponderosa pine, Pinion, two types of juniper, plus some deciduous trees, and fields, all bordering the FS on 3 sides. Rarely gets below 10 degrees and above 100.
The negatives are is it gets windy in the spring which I don't like and no fresh water source close by as well as the growing season is somewhat short.
All that being said I'd rather live off the grid away from the city life because I don't have good luck with neighbors, hate noise and all that, and because I'm more of a loaner.
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(https://www.houstonchronicle.com/ne...-taxes-than-california-data-show-17390051.php)
I dunno, the taxes in Texas seem really high compared to where I live!
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It's not the taxes you see on the graph but all of the hidden taxes and fees they charge. Crv and shopping bags come to mind off the top of my head. Crap, my property tax double in 1 year. Gas is a dollar or more higher.View attachment 323076
(https://www.houstonchronicle.com/ne...-taxes-than-california-data-show-17390051.php)
I dunno, the taxes in Texas seem really high compared to where I live!
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Pretty sure that ITEP is a "progressive" think tank. The top 1% in CA pay 50% of all taxes. The current top rate is 13+%View attachment 323076
(https://www.houstonchronicle.com/ne...-taxes-than-california-data-show-17390051.php)
I dunno, the taxes in Texas seem really high compared to where I live!
"Top 1 Percent" Pays Half of State Income Taxes [EconTax Blog]
In 2012, for perhaps the first time in state history, the top 1% of the state's tax filers paid slightly over half of the state's personal income taxes.
lao.ca.gov Upvote 0
I'm in the same boat, and I think in the same island
I'm looking at east North Carolina.
People keep telling me to move to the Big Island - they can never articulate why though lol
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I’m in rural Ohio where property is very inexpensive. The closer you are to big cities is where property prices rise rapidly. We were going to retire to somewhere warm but the grand kids are here and we enjoy all 4 seasons So we are staying put. Plus with all the crazy weather on the coasts we have VERY mild weather here compared to other coastal states.
We are 2A friendly and you can hunt small game with air but no large game yet.
We are 2A friendly and you can hunt small game with air but no large game yet.
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Right now I have Arizona and South Carolina on the list as we have family like 2 states away. If the requirements I seen online in regards to airgun hunting are current and correct, either would be great.
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I’ve visited AZ and it’s hot and extremely dry in the summer. It’s akin to standing in front of a hair dryer 24/7. There’s very little green there either. They have rock landscaping for yards, yuk. SC would be my choice of the 2 if I were choosing. However, SC will see storm surges from hurricane season so factor that in.
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Big Island is great but if I had to stay on the chain Molokai would be my choice,.......but I'm not retiring I will be still working, I think it would be pretty prohibitive anywhere on the islands unless you have big retiring bucks to fall on.
I just want to get out of Oahu, I hate it and I'm kinda tired to be stuck on a rock, I like long roadtrips.
The Monterey area in California is the other area I'm looking into.
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That is in the lower altitudes where its a blast furnace in the summer.
True story here. There's been 3-4 times in my life that I've traveled down to Phoenix(1200 ft elevation) from Flagstaff(7000 ft elevation) that it was snowing when I left and when I arrived down there it was almost T-shirt weather and by 2 in the afternoon it was in the mid 60's and very nice out.
August at my place is beautiful if we have good snows in February and March.
I used to think that the desert was kind of a dead zone when it comes to wildlife but that's not the case and is actually the opposite. I have a friend that has created an oasis in his yard that lots of wildlife come to. Quail and all kinds of birds, rabbits, roadrunners, peccaries, coues whitetail, mule deer, coyotes and bobcats, etc.
Spring comes very early down in the desert, like mid February and March, and the desert begins to bloom. Some places in the desert are pretty ugly but some parts are really pretty in a way.
Though AZ will never be as green as many places in the world it can still be pretty green. Here's my place last August with some rock landscaping
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Ifin's I migrated to AZ? It would be the Flagstaff area. I've left Phoenix on a warm day and hit snow in Flagstaff.
And there is some fantastic country in that area!
Still partial to the Raccoon Mountain area of Southern Tennessee though.
And there is some fantastic country in that area!
Still partial to the Raccoon Mountain area of Southern Tennessee though.
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Some areas in the White Mountains of AZ are even prettier. Especially by the Ski resort and they get a tad more moister there.
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Love that house.That is in the lower altitudes where its a blast furnace in the summer.
True story here. There's been 3-4 times in my life that I've traveled down to Phoenix(1200 ft elevation) from Flagstaff(7000 ft elevation) that it was snowing when I left and when I arrived down there it was almost T-shirt weather and by 2 in the afternoon it was in the mid 60's and very nice out.
August at my place is beautiful if we have good snows in February and March.
I used to think that the desert was kind of a dead zone when it comes to wildlife but that's not the case and is actually the opposite. I have a friend that has created an oasis in his yard that lots of wildlife come to. Quail and all kinds of birds, rabbits, roadrunners, peccaries, coues whitetail, mule deer, coyotes and bobcats, etc.
Spring comes very early down in the desert, like mid February and March, and the desert begins to bloom. Some places in the desert are pretty ugly but some parts are really pretty in a way.
Though AZ will never be as green as many places in the world it can still be pretty green. Here's my place last August with some rock landscaping
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Flagstaff was also on my radar both because of the country itself and because of the possible work possibilities with the ski resorts and university in the area.
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Thanks. I did 95% of the siding, etc, myself.
I didn't mention that 20 minutes from my place there's a shooting spot in the FS at 6000 ft elevation that we shoot as far out as 1900 yards.
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