And don't forget Skip:
PA remains one of the few states that does NOT tax your retirement income.
That explains much of the exodus up from MD and VA - as well as the much lower taxes here!
(You may need to look around some, as our school property taxes can vary significantly from district-to-district and area-to-area).

Southern Oregon sucks:

Rains 90% of the time.
High taxes.
Too close to California.
Super expensive housing.
Very cold winters with Chicago style snow storms.
Hot summers for 3 months.
Water rationing.
Earth quakes in the near future, maybe even a tornado or two.
Smelly people from the PCT in town during the summers.
2 pack a day habit from forest fires for a couple of months a year.
California vagrants from Spring until Fall.
Rivers are covered in rafters and kayakers which harass all the wild salmon.
Nothing to do or see.

Unknown (resized).jpgOK then. As Dorothy said "there's no place like home"

Werewolves

I had to take a big roundabout off the highway because of a fuel spill and ended up in the neatest little town and ate the most flavorful steak I ever had.

Wish I could remember the name of that town, but i'll never forget that steak. Super nice people too.

Werewolf

This is an interesting thought exercise. I have often thought the same thing. If I had the means, but not unlimited where would I move with ideal weather (not humid and no snow), stuff to do, and not be too expensive (California used to be this, but not anymore), away from reoccuring natural disasters, and not considering family ties. Even though I have never been, I have thought possibly New Mexico or Arizona. Too bad though, I'm not that adventurous to uproot the family and leave our family ties. Of course, if I won a big lottery this would be real.

Tasty werewolf!

The town was very surreal.

I'd be more afraid of the skinwalkers.

Come to Michigan, they said. Lower cost of living, good wages and jobs, they said. Forgot to mention -20F temps and 100" of lake effect snowfall each year. Oh well. Been here almost 30 years and love it anyways.

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I may join em’ outta here.
gotta get me an acre or three and some peace.

You don't make this easy. With all your stipulations and don't want cold, crowds, but still want a decent income.

Are you OK with bugs? Lots of bugs?

somewhere where there is free health care [any other country in the world] and a place were pot is legal. probably Canada . I have to look into that eventually!!!!

I chose Florida for the following reasons.

1) Clean Air Everyday from Oceans.
2) No Snow
3) Low Taxes, no State Income Tax.
4) Low Housing Cost.....(Plenty under $150K with $1500 Taxes)
5) 2 Different Oceans within an Hour ish

The Bad

1) 3 months of bad heat.
2) Bugs, Snakes, and Gators
3) Hurricanes.

A Home is a box, and Family makes it. Ive always shared dont be a slave to a Mortgage....

For the reasons that a $40K salary can support a nice place to live, easy commute, and plenty to do,
living a life without a rat race commute, or never enough $$$, Ive been very happy.

Well, I've been looking my whole life for what you are asking except I like to be close to an ocean.

Anywhere that is nice and still warm in the USA where you can make a decent living, the secret is out and will cost money. You don't want cold leaves only the most southern states. You don't want bugs eliminate Texas and east of that.

So all that's left is

giphy.gif

Pinside.

LTG : )

Free

Seattle. Beautiful place to live. So much outdoor activity if you are that type, and so many powerhouse corporation(microsoft,amazon,nintendo,starbucks,etc) to work for. And it doesn't rain as much as ppl tend to believe.

I have spent several months in Florida over the past couple years and four things that would turn me off to living there would be:

!) NO BASEMENTS so no big ass gameroom in the basement like here in the northeast
2) Those dam little lizards that are all over & the bugs including termites that seem to love pinball machines.
3) The weather - very hot during the summer and even pretty hot spring & fall so you basically only have about 4 decent months and that is when Florida is crazy busy because of the "snow birds". If the heat isn't bad enough toss in a hurricane every couple years to keep things interesting.
4) Traffic is insane in most areas.

Otherwise Florida wouldn't be a bad swamp to live in.

How about lovey San Francisco ?
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Freedom Baby

Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri, lake front home with a dock is my dream!

Not at all. Once you get inland a little bit there is plenty of cheap farm land with rusty old cars everywhere.

It's called living the dream.

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Tennessee and Texas and probably many of the southern states. Tennessee has crazy low taxes compared to most. I personally say anywhere that is run by conservatives seems to be safer and have much lower taxes and crime rate.

Alaska is where it's at!

2nd generation Arizona native, I've got to say that aside from being a little tired of the color brown and cacti, it's a pretty darn good place to live. Especially if you can swing a cabin up north for the summer's and a place in the Phoenix area for the rest of the year.

Great cost of living, great people, little to no weather issues, wide open spaces, ocean a few hours away, good job selection, several highly rated school districts, beautiful northern Arizona woods for hiking and camping, plenty of lakes, all the big sports teams.

Id rather have a larger square footage on ground level for games....easier than getting in a basement. But other than Pins, Basements are Nice.
The Lizards are cool, but I can see them being a New invader to some, the bugs genuinely suck.
But the weather/heat, also depends on where in the state. On the Gulf coast, if its 95 degrees, the ocean breeze makes it very comfortable.
at Disney, it sucks. The heat in Orlando that hurts is from June through September, about 4 months. October and may, the highs are in the Low 80s...
traffic sucks everywhere, but if one has to commute...its terrible.

Nonetheless, like everywhere else, Id take CA except for the cost, and Id dive into North Carolina....Just like O-din...Need an Ocean, Something of a Primal need to walk the beach, hit the waves, and dive/snorkel.

This is a tough one. I've often thought about escaping California as well, but to where?

Pros:
California has amazing weather.
The beach.
The mountains.
Theme parks, museums, zoos, etc. stuff to do and see

Cons
Government is run by lefty a-holes who impose ridiculous crap on us all the time
Schools are run by idiots. Forcing very small children to learn about weird sex and other BS
EXPENSIVE to live here, taxed to death
Fires, Quakes, Traffic, Illegal Aliens running amuck in sanctuary cities

I'm in SO. California so its a little more conservative here but i don't know for how long.

Yep.

Terrible humidity, awful education system, traffic worse than LA, pollution worse than Riverside. Plus it's full of dope smokers and Californians, but i repeat myself.

If I could get out of NJ, I would in a heartbeat and be headed to South Carolina. Love it down there.

I'm just going to say it's getting time to make this a reality and leave it at that.

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You have to look at places that travel is not easy but yet desirable. On my short list is Branson, Bentonville and Durango. All offer amazing outdoor activities. There are drawbacks on each. If you want to know more PM me.

Minnesota for the Spring, Summer and Fall. Florida, Arizona, Vegas or Cruises in the Winter. Unfortunately the politics in Minnesota are ruining the state, and Omar is trying to ruin the country.

Forchristsakes you guys

Meet the new boss, not quite the same as the old boss.

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LOL why are all the Colorado guys saying not to move there? Don't want to share your stash?

I can drive four hours to Massachusetts

No matter where you go, you have to choose at least one bad thing to live with.

Snow
Heat
Humidity
Natural Disasters
Taxes
Politics

Grew up and spent my first 26 years in Manhattan, NYC. Then came out here. Retired and not going anywhere. Very nice in my area about 20 miles from the water. The state is control crazy and too liberal, but the weather is perfect.