Relocation - "Retirement" homestead, what state?

[Ichi]

You make some good observations.
I will add another piece to "The Matrix".
Age / Health
10 years ago these Montana winters were beautiful, the wood burning heat was hypnotizing and the Californians had left for the winter.
Today all the medical specialist are an hour's drive away, firewood is $300+ / cord and the Californians stay for the winter but can't drive in show and ice.
Paradise today could be uninhabitable in 10 years. SoCal is a good example.

 

[sakoguy21]

Hobo, I think about that more as I get older. When the winds are 50+ and the snow is falling I can't go anywhere. 80 miles to the nearest ER. 20 years ago my RMK could do it but I can't now.

All of a sudden relatively basic health issues become life or death. I will trade my health security for the freedom to shoot my guns and bows off my front deck (it makes load development easier) and my dogs are free to run. My wife is amazing and buys into it.

Life is one big risk/reward scenario......

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Ironic :

You can leave it all behind
Sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did
So many years ago

 

[SilentStalkr]

Stay away from Oregon. It’s beautiful but the politics are bad and getting worse. Also, the public employee’s retirement system (PERS) is currently underfunded by $25 billion. Yes, the state owes the retirement system $25 billion. It’s gotta get paid and it’s coming from taxpayers.

I’m here three years, tops.



P

$25Billion? Holy shit!

 

[Hobo Hilton]

I will throw out the name of another state that is flying under the radar. Might be a good place to go, work a few more years, then retire.
New Mexico

New Mexico’s Record Oil Output To Generate $3.5 Billion Budget Surplus | OilPrice.com

A record-high crude oil production in New Mexico this year is expected to boost the state’s income for its general fund, leaving it with a $3.5-billion surplus for the fiscal year between July 2024 and June 2025

oilprice.com

 

[sakoguy21]

Went elk hunting in NM in 2017. The outfitter put us up in a cabin site by El Morro. For a farm kid from ND it was shocking to see all the LGBTQ flaunting it with no second thoughts. Guess it's a no for me, but your mileage may vary.....

 

[alpine44]

You make some good observations.
I will add another piece to "The Matrix".
Age / Health
10 years ago these Montana winters were beautiful, the wood burning heat was hypnotizing and the Californians had left for the winter.
Today all the medical specialist are an hour's drive away, firewood is $300+ / cord and the Californians stay for the winter but can't drive in show and ice.
Paradise today could be uninhabitable in 10 years. SoCal is a good example.

And let's not forget that the wood you buy in MT is crappy softwood. It it less dense and provides much less BTU per cord than Oak, Locust, etc. With energy cost on the rise I would be very careful moving to cold areas that do not have free hardwood.

In places where you need AC in the summer you typically have excellent solar gain and get the majority of the electricity from the sun. That does not work for electric heat in harsh winters.

 

[alpine44]

We currently live in East TX and my wife and myself both work remotely. We have been dicussing one final move to a more remote location to ride out the crazy until it's time for the big dirt nap. We love living in TX and we are in a pretty rural area now. However, the heat & humidity will not be tenable as we get into our 60s and beyond. I don't want any harsh winters or heavy snowfall. I don't want anything on the gulf coast - a hurricane wiping out infrastructure and no means to rebuild. I would love to find somewhere that is as gun friendly as TX with no or low taxes.

We are still a couple of years away from being ready to drop some coin on land but we would like to narrow our list down and start traveling to some of the potential new sites to get a feel for the area.

Fire away with suggestions. Thank you.

OP: I would make a short list and then try these places out in an RV since you work remotely anyway. A picture is worth a thousand words and first hand experience is worth a million words and thousands of pictures. It is also a rite of passage to have experienced the seasonal snow closures of an interstate highway or be homebound for a week because of poor air quality due to wildfires.

 

[MCSO1357]

Went elk hunting in NM in 2017. The outfitter put us up in a cabin site by El Morro. For a farm kid from ND it was shocking to see all the LGBTQ flaunting it with no second thoughts. Guess it's a no for me, but your mileage may vary.....

Back in the 90's, when San Francisco was synonymous with gay culture, there were more gay identifying people per capita in Albuquerque than all of SF.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

And let's not forget that the wood you buy in MT is crappy softwood. It it less dense and provides much less BTU per cord than Oak, Locust, etc. With energy cost on the rise I would be very careful moving to cold areas that do not have free hardwood.

In places where you need AC in the summer you typically have excellent solar gain and get the majority of the electricity from the sun. That does not work for electric heat in harsh winters.

True... When those hurricanes blow into Louisiana the people there are paying to have those blow down hard woods hauled off. If I could get my hands on an 18 wheeler with a drop deck float I would go get a load and sell some off in Montana to pay for fuel and burn the rest here on the homestead,
Of course, I would eat good while down south.