Question on States

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Which state would be best to settle in?

  • Colorado

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • Oregon

    Votes: 2 14.3%
  • Arkansas

    Votes: 11 78.6%

  • Total voters
    14

JazzyJ

Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
6
Location
Washington
My partner and I are trying to decide on a state to settle in. We have it down to 3, but they all seem to be equally good and bad. We've been considering things like climate, types of soil, natural resources, rainfall, extreme weather, etc. They all have their pros and cons, just different kinds of pros and cons.

So, I thought maybe y'all could give me some insight based on your own experiences.

The state's we are looking at are Colorado, Oregon, and Arkansas.

We plan on growing crops and raising livestock at the very least (once that's set up we may look into things like beekeeping, maybe blacksmithing, smoked meats, etc. Just some extra trades for extra income. But they're not very important right now.)
My partner is adamant that we have at least Some trees on the property. The more the better to him. Obviously that limits the areas in Colorado and Oregon that we can settle in, but there are still options.
Also concerned about extreme weather. From fires to droughts, tornadoes to floods; all three states can be deadly when they feel like it. But then thats pretty much any state.
Personally I'm more partial to the west side of the state's, but then the east side does have a lot of resouces available..

So what do you say? Which state has benefitted you? Which has given you problems? What's your experience?
I'll include a poll too.
 
strategic relocation by joel Skousen is a great reference guide for all sorts of info on all 50 states. along with that looking up counties statictics and demographics and whatnot can help you decide on what state. Id highly recommend visiting potential towns and counties prior to moving if possible.
I love Oregon but the western side is turning into liberal hell..If it were for beauty alone Id love to live on the southern to centeral western coastline area. It is dreamy and a beautiful scenic coast with a grand mix of rolling hills dipping into the Pacific, dotted with rural small foggy coastal towns that draw summer tourists by the hourds. Abundant wildlife, ancient forests of spruce and scentic redwoods intermixed with wild sea sprayed rock outcropings along the coast greet people from all over to enchant even the most hardened city folk into its folds. It owns an enchanting lure and if it were not for the taxes and insane laws finding grip on more and more American liberty..it would be an ideal homestead. If you can afford or and have the money to evade the _ull_hit laws and rules..its great. The eastern side is higher and dryer but offers some sweet little rural towns that are more conservative minded but are at the mercy politically of the more populated liberal voting density side. Plus, they tax the you know what outta home and property owners and have insane laws like, you cant collect rain water...stupid crap like that. I spent many of good times in Oregon, but it became a non choice for me because of many of these issues I mentioned.
The other two states I've no personal experiences on so I cant make a informed comment. I just know they didn't fall into my hit list of potential relocation areas I was interested in because of climate for gardens and other deal breakers for me personally.
best of luck..
 
First off Welcome, good to have another Washington voice on here.
Colorado and Oregon have became liberal hell holes, same as Washington. Arkansas would be my choice between the 3, if I was in a position to move, which I'm not unfortunately. We live on the dry side of Washington and it is now over ran with illegals and the people that cater to them. The large wet side populations have destroyed the state and they are doing the same to Colorado and even worse in Oregon.
 
Arkansas is the most gun friendly place of the three.
You have to be prepared for tornadoes and earthquakes and in some areas floods.
Arkansas has a few strategic targets in the event of terrorist attacks or war so stay as far away from them as you can.
Pick your location carefully on high ground. Have the home built to the highest earthquake and wind standards. Make sure you have a good storm shelter and make it into a root cellar too.
 
Yep, of those three and right now, the Ozarks would be my choice. If you're planning on raising kids, though, the Ozarks are apt to turn into a hard row to hoe in 30-50 years. Even Trump's buddies admit that climate change is coming. I haven't seen a recent climate model, but the models from awhile back lead me to the Northeast. The Adirondacks maybe. Unfortunately, NYC has way too much to say about living there.
 
According to the NASA data they are expecting a period of dramatic cooling. It seems the atmosphere is releasing more heat than the sun is causing.
]They also state that none of the models align with the facts at this point in time. They just don't know all the parameters that affect weather and climate.
So, man caused global change is a lie and the earth is just doing what it does. Change is the one constant in the universe.
 
I have a cousin who is in law enforcement in Oregon. I know that there are many problems in the state. Mushroom hunters alone cause lots of problems.

I am curious, if you are seeking input, why those 3 states were selected and not others.

I live in Colorado and there are many great things about living here, but with the legalization of marijuana, it is getting over-populated and very expensive to buy property here.
 
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According to the NASA data they are expecting a period of dramatic cooling. It seems the atmosphere is releasing more heat than the sun is causing.
]They also state that none of the models align with the facts at this point in time. They just don't know all the parameters that affect weather and climate.
So, man caused global change is a lie and the earth is just doing what it does. Change is the one constant in the universe.

We are obviously drinking Koolaid from different providers. Your 'they' and my 'they' are different theys. The NASA data is raw. The different 'theys' have different results in mind when they cook the data. Scientific method is never closely observed when "facts" are politically driven.

How we connect the above sentences together. and our thought amongst the connections, affect the meaning we derive from them. Objective truths and subjective falsehoods duel around the details.
 
Wow, a lot of feedback, thanks everyone!

Personally I dont mind liberals. Besides, I plan on having very little to do with actual society. I like a lot of liberal standpoints, but I don't like thr overreach of personal property - but then thats on both sides, regardless of party affiliation, the government wants its hands in what you own.

Honestly my main concerns over these locations are fires and floods. I can deal with everything else, but those two things have been happening with such increased frequency lately, and I'd hate to lose everything.

Weedygarden, we based our picks on a few things. One major thing was geographical location. We like mountains, canyons, deep old growth forests, etc. We lived in Florida for years, and we're done with flat forests. Empty plains are definitely a no go.
Then it came down to policies of certain states. Im not much a fan of the East coast in general.
Also land cost. Certain states like VA have higher cost of land per acre.
 
interesting...
well keep in mind even if you plan to not have much to do with society, society in some states, like OR are extreamly restrictive on personal property and liberities and fairly expensive in purchasing and taxs. The more restrictive the state if on freedom, the less freedoms you will have. so regardless of your intentions and plans , you might find the perfect property and not be able to do anything that you plan to do on it because of all that is mentioned above.
welcome to the forum and I hope you do a lot of informed research.
 
I looked for land and/or a house on the western slope of Colorado but it was just too expensive for us. Another drawback for us was few rural places had a well on the property. Most rural houses are supplied with the "rural water system" and have commercial water piped to them over long distances. Property taxes are not too bad in Colorado but off-grid living is a no-no in many counties.
 
I looked for land and/or a house on the western slope of Colorado but it was just too expensive for us. Another drawback for us was few rural places had a well on the property. Most rural houses are supplied with the "rural water system" and have commercial water piped to them over long distances. Property taxes are not too bad in Colorado but off-grid living is a no-no in many counties.


Same here.
 
Was born and raised in California moved to Arkansas and things are great. People mind their business and don't worry about yours. Yet they are friendly, helpful and down right neighborly. If you own at least 10 acres you don't need a building permit. The first thing I did when I got here was change my license plate and get a phone number with the local area code. A word of caution folks around don't like when people move here and then compare Arkansas to where they came from. Not saying that you would just felt it was important to mention.
 
A word of caution folks around don't like when people move here and then compare Arkansas to where they came from
That applies to most places. Nothing I hate more is Californians moving here then turning here into the same mess they just left. I had one woman tell me how much better California was than here and I told her to move back quickly. She accused me of not being friendly.:rolleyes:
 
That applies to most places. Nothing I hate more is Californians moving here then turning here into the same mess they just left. I had one woman tell me how much better California was than here and I told her to move back quickly. She accused me of not being friendly.:rolleyes:

Ah, you gave her an out because you 'told' instead of 'asking'. 'Well gosh, [her name here], what possessed you to leave California then?" The "Well, don't let the door . . . :good luck: " comes later.
 
I've looked in WV a bit, but they seemed a bit pricier per acre than some other states.

Thanks everyone for your input. Ive been looking more into Arkansas, as they have more properties to our liking available thatn other states. Also been looking at Missouri and Tennessee just for the heck of it, but they seem a little more limites on suitable options.

Do y'all know of any sites better than Zillow to look for land? I cant seem to find any that dont want me to sign up for their "free trial" or something another..
 
Welcome, we moved to Oregon about 3 years ago from the California desert. We used landwatch.com as one of our resources for property. You can set a search parameter and save it. We used city guide and area vibe websites to check on demographics and weather data. We ended up in one of the conservative counties east of the Cascades. We have a property that qualifies as farm, so our taxes are minimal. Most people seem to do whatever they want within reason and no one seems to mind. When people ask where we are from we say the desert. If they assume Arizona or Nevada I don't feel the need to correct them. Good luck.
 
I've looked in WV a bit, but they seemed a bit pricier per acre than some other states.

Thanks everyone for your input. Ive been looking more into Arkansas, as they have more properties to our liking available thatn other states. Also been looking at Missouri and Tennessee just for the heck of it, but they seem a little more limites on suitable options.

Do y'all know of any sites better than Zillow to look for land? I cant seem to find any that dont want me to sign up for their "free trial" or something another..
https://www.landwatch.com/
https://www.realtor.com/
 
I spent most of my life in Oregon and recently moved to Washington which is only slightly better but is saving us thousands Per year. Oregon has it beauties on both sides of the mountains but don’t count on your land being yours. We don’t plan on living in Washington forever- but for now. Oregon and Colorado have become inundated with Californians. Wherever you look, I would strongly suggest looking at more than the price of the land. Taxes (income, property, sales) as well as cost of permits if you intended to build anything are huge factors that can negate the low price of the land. One other thing is if it is on federally owned land, there are even more restrictions. Good luck! Oh and Craigslist for specific areas is one more resource for searching.
 
Thanks everyone, this information has been really useful. I'm starting to lean towards the east side, cause as a lot of you have said..taxes and restrictions are pretty rampant towards the west.
Plus my partner just found out it snows even in southern Colorado, and he's done with the snow. (Even though I told him it snowed there like a week ago...)

We went through Oregon on our last move as we scanned the west coast for a place to live. I was impressed by the landscape, but not the people...a bit too, lets say yuppity, for me.
Guess theres a reason they call it California Light.

I'm gonna look at some of those states around the Ozarks and some of the Appalachians and try finding some decent land for a fair price.
 

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