Which state does everyone like the best?

I love living here in NH near the seacoast, however housing is pretty high relative to other parts of the state, and our property taxes are pretty high. but no income or sales tax helps a lot. Ocean is right here for beach fun, Boston is an hour drive away for city fun, and the White Mountains an hour drive away for outdoors fun. Portsmouth is a relatively fancy and touristy town, but that means it's overloaded with great restaurants.

Winters here are hit or miss with respect to brutality. I'm a fisherperson, and there's lot's of different fisheries to enjoy. I have a small whaler and fish for striped bass on the tidal river near Portsmouth, a raft for drifting the northern rivers here for trout and there's landlock salmon in the big lake. mountain bikign is really good, and camping/hiking is great.

Unless i missed it, what are the things you like to do for fun?

Also... most of these positives can apply to Maine, except the taxes.

 

Even though the winters can be very gray and gloomy, I like living in Pennsylvania. From where I live, I can drive just a few hours and be at Lake Erie, up in the mountains of the Allegheny Plateau, or in the rolling farmland of central PA.

It’s a great area if you like to explore, especially on a motorcycle. Pittsburgh is a fun city but can be tricky to navigate.

Property taxes can be on the high side but homes aren’t all that expensive compared to the west coast.
I bought my brick 4BR with a detached garage for $61k in 2012.

 

I hear lots of good things about Knoxville but have not been there in a very long time. Also, Nashville. Yes, a lot of people complaining that it is getting too busy, and housing prices may be going up, but you could find a place a bit outside of the city and do well. Plus, given the hotels, bars, etc. plenty of potential for business there as well. Lovely place, too.

 

Texas!!! Just leave leave the stupid leftist crap in Oregon or keep driving.

 

same here!!...we get gyped on true winter. I would rather it be full on winter than what we get...but where you plan on moving, the winters are not much different. I call our winters "Tennessee" winters...even though most people think that we have Michigan winters...

 

Lots of nice places in PA. Big question is can he find a town big enough for his line of work? But some lovely areas there, no question.

 

love that area as well...I actually want to retire to the Copper Harbor area, but it is "too snowy" and far away for my wife...so we will just visit up there.

 

Just went there this past summer. Not much there unless you love mountain biking, like I do, but it is beautiful! We even camped at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

 

I love MTBing, and there is , or used to be, a cool golf course up there...but I could never find work up there....not enough people...I need to be near a moderate sized pop center to find work

 

I’m a big fan of Wisconsin.

 

Western Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh. Nice area for all types of outdoor activities and close to Pittsburgh should be plenty of work.

 

that is like a glimpse of heaven to me...

b/c if I could afford it, I would actually retire to Norway or Iceland...

 

I'd vote for Idaho or Utah.

 

Anywhere in PA, southern ME, NH, TN, NC all get my vote.

The wife and I visited ME in November and loved it enough to consider moving up there. You'll need an area awash in restaurants, though, so that'd be Portland.

 

I work for a major electronics company, supporting sales at the largest electronics retailers in the US. I'm constantly doing analysis on economic demographics and "quality of life" within various markets arounds the nation, so that we can stay ahead of sales trends. The two most up-and-coming regions of the nation are Tennessee and North Carolina. If you're in your late 20s or early 30s and looking for a great place to settle down for the rest of your life, these would be great places to look. Makes me wish I could get the he77 out of California, but I'm pretty much stuck here at this point due to my job and family commitments. I guess I can always look forward to retirement in 25-ish years.

Edited to add: Utah would be my 3rd choice, if focusing on the same concerns (good place to move now and be there for 20 to 40 more years). It is quickly becoming the new "go-to" for people fleeing California, as the other popular destinations (AZ, TX, NV, OR) are becoming more expensive quickly.

 

soooo...I will be avoiding Tenn and NC.... looking to get away from people!!

 

I'm not much of a golfer so I'm not sure about that. There's also an old rocket range up there that not many people know about.

 

I hear you. I wish I could be ready to move away from civilization and purchase a nice compound of land in the middle of nowhere, but I need my kid to grow up first.

This kind of stuff really depends on where people are in their lives and what their priorities are. Economics and quality of life are often cyclical in regions (over the course of a couple of generations), but are of course tied to your own personal needs and interests (which will also vary, depending on where you are in your own life). Most people are looking for different things as they are in different phases of their lives. So for someone who is in their 20s or early 30s, they're usually looking for a place to buy a home for an affordable price, where they can start a family and enjoy the next 20 to 30 years of their lives. Places like California are well beyond that phase. Taxes are too high, homes are too expensive, and work is getting too specialized. Places like AZ, TX, and NV are quickly reaching that same status, but are currently much better than California or New York (that's why they are popular destinations for people who already have a family and a home that they can sell, but not as popular for people just starting out in life). Places like TN, NC, and UT are perfect for starting a good life right now.

 

DEFINITELY sounds like my kind of place!