Not sure where to move. Sell me on your state.

[Slache]

We live in Oregon and the cost of living is too high so we have to move. We keep bouncing back and forth on locations so I thought I'd ask a bunch of strangers on the internet where we should go. Things that are important to us include:

• Good homeschool laws
• Forgiving immunization laws
• Low cost of living
• Income tax, sales tax, personal property tax, property tax, etc.
• Conservative politics

 

My husband wants to live close to Cincinnati, I want to live far from Cincinnati so we need a good middle. I like the west coast, he likes the midwest and we both like the south. Nothing brings me more joy than the beach.

Thank you for deciding my entire life for me.

[Catwoman]

HI Slache!

I haven’t seen you around for a while, so I’m happy to see you here tonight!

[Scarlett]

15 minutes ago, Slache said:

We live in Oregon and the cost of living is too high so we have to move. We keep bouncing back and forth on locations so I thought I'd ask a bunch of strangers on the internet where we should go. Things that are important to us include:

• Good homeschool laws
• Forgiving immunization laws
• Low cost of living
• Income tax, sales tax, personal property tax, property tax, etc.
• Conservative politics

 

My husband wants to live close to Cincinnati, I want to live far from Cincinnati so we need a good middle. I like the west coast, he likes the midwest and we both like the south. Nothing brings me more joy than the beach.

Thank you for deciding my entire life for me.

Northwest AR. It's beautiful there.  

[Slache]

18 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

HI Slache!

I haven’t seen you around for a while, so I’m happy to see you here tonight!

I live in Ignore This Thread. 

[Catwoman]

4 minutes ago, Slache said:

I live in Ignore This Thread. 

 

Come out and visit every now and then!!!  ?

[Ellie]

Texas.

Specifically, central Texas. Because me. :-) Also, it really is central: you can be at the beach in a few hours, but you don't have to put up with hurricanes and humidity; you can drive over to Houston, or up to DFW, in a few hours. Low cost of living, awesome homeschool community and laws (no accountability to anyone, ever). And we're in Hill Country, which is not as beautiful as my Virginia but is still quite lovely. :-)

I cannot answer anything about immunization requirements, though.

[FairProspects]

Well, not WA with those qualifications. ? Although you might like Eastern WA. Where in OR do you live that the cost of living is too high (for comparison's sake)? Is it the Portland area or Bend or something like that?

[Slache]

1 hour ago, FairProspects said:

Well, not WA with those qualifications. ? Although you might like Eastern WA. Where in OR do you live that the cost of living is too high (for comparison's sake)? Is it the Portland area or Bend or something like that?

Beaverton.

[LucyStoner]

I'd think first about what you guys rely on for a living and investigate various markets for those skills.  

I second (third?) Arkansas, assuming it's workable for your industry.  

Another thought is North Carolina.  

[LucyStoner]

Coeur D'Alene or Boise are nice.  We've considered CDA ourselves.  We go camping in northern Idaho most every summer and it's a really nice area.  No ocean but lots of waterways and large lakes.  

[moonflower]

Ooh I want to play!  We are also trying to decide where to settle; we are also very conservative and as we own our own online business, COL makes a significant difference (we don't make more money just because we live in a high COL area).

Places we've tried and had some difficulty:

small town midwest. I feel like this could be good (we're originally from Kansas City suburbs, so we're comfortable in the area) but I think many small towns at least in Missouri (we tried 2 that had been fine when we were kids) are full of meth now.  

Oregon. Expensive (we tried Bend) and super duper crowded.  Even Bend.

Western Slope of Colorado.  cheaper than the Front Range and more conservative but also kind of isolated and depressed/depressing.  They had signs up all over town saying not to give $ to homeless people (there are a fair number of homeless people in CO); the sign had a picture of a cardboard sign that said "anything helps, god bless" with a big red line through it.  We're not religious, but it seemed like bad juju to cross out "god bless."

Colorado Springs.  wonderful city.  Cannot recommend it highly enough.  DH was concerned that it might be a terrorist target as they have a lot of high-level military stuff there.  People are polite, organized, great drivers, beautiful area, clean water. Kind of crowded, though, and getting more so.  Not cheap.

The Northeast.  Do not move to the North East.  It is as liberal as you are thinking, and the people are what my sister (who lives in NYC) generously calls "stoic."

 

We considered Cour de Alene; the water is poisoned, though, is my understanding.  Like, swans nibble at the banks of the river/lake in the migratory season and die from too much lead, or something. 

 

[linders]

Since you both like the South, South Carolina. The homeschool requirements are negligible, the cost of living is ridiculously low, very conservative, much to do from mountains (I call them foothills, but I'm from Washington state) to beaches to historical sites. I personally don't like the weather - the mild temps in winter don't make up for the hotter summers for me, but everyone else here loves it. I live in a mid-size town that is considered so wonderful that 100 years ago, wealthy people from the north (e.g., the Vanderbilts) wintered here. 

We've been to North Carolina often, and that might also be a good option.

[Ann.without.an.e]

North or South Carolina for sure ❤️ 

[SamanthaCarter]

You don’t give quite enough information to say for sure, but we were in Blacksburg VA yesterday, home of Virginia Tech, and it seems like it would hold some appeal for you. Virginia has super easy homeschool laws, Blacksburg has a ton going on, is in a very conservative part of the state (though being a huge state school, I suspect it’s a pocket of liberalism). Good taxes, wonderful climate. Beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Downsides are it’s a very long way to the beach (6-7 hour drive) and it’s the highest cost of living in S.W. Virginia (though probably nothing compared to what you are used to.)

[Scarlett]

Arkansas has beautiful lakes.  The Hot Springs area is beautiful too but I doubt the job prospects are as good as NW Arkansas.   But you didn't say what industry, so hard to say.  

Homeschooling is easy....

Politics seem a little more middle of the road than OK, but I am not political so it is hard to say.......

i think I just miss home. 

[historically accurate]

8 hours ago, Slache said:

We live in Oregon and the cost of living is too high so we have to move. We keep bouncing back and forth on locations so I thought I'd ask a bunch of strangers on the internet where we should go. Things that are important to us include:

• Good homeschool laws
• Forgiving immunization laws
• Low cost of living
• Income tax, sales tax, personal property tax, property tax, etc.
• Conservative politics

 

My husband wants to live close to Cincinnati, I want to live far from Cincinnati so we need a good middle. I like the west coast, he likes the midwest and we both like the south. Nothing brings me more joy than the beach.

Thank you for deciding my entire life for me.

I live in Northern IL. It could work.

• homeschool laws - one of the laxest; no testing, no reporting, etc
• immunization laws - I don't think we have any of these; my kids' new doctor said on our first appointment, "Are they vaccinated? I know a lot of my homeschool clients aren't."
• cost of living - Outside of Chicagoland, the smaller cities and towns are average to low COL.
• taxes - property tax can be high (dependent on city) & there's state income tax. No personal property tax. 
• Politics - Most of IL with the exception of Chicago leans conservative. 

No oceanfront, but we have Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River and lots of lakes in Wisconsin and various parts of IL.

[Ottakee]

West Michigan might work....if you don't mind cold, snowy winter.  The beaches on Lake Michigan are gorgeous and the sunsets are amazing.

[LucyStoner]

6 hours ago, moonflower said:

We considered Cour de Alene; the water is poisoned, though, is my understanding.  Like, swans nibble at the banks of the river/lake in the migratory season and die from too much lead, or something. 

 

Lake Coeur D’Alene is heavily polluted largely due to a century of poorly regulated mining in the area.  It is safe for swimming most of the year, the pollution is mostly in the sediment.  Lake Pend Orielle, bit farther north is a bit less so.  

[Slache]

5 hours ago, moonflower said:

Ooh I want to play!  We are also trying to decide where to settle; we are also very conservative and as we own our own online business, COL makes a significant difference (we don't make more money just because we live in a high COL area).

Places we've tried and had some difficulty:

small town midwest. I feel like this could be good (we're originally from Kansas City suburbs, so we're comfortable in the area) but I think many small towns at least in Missouri (we tried 2 that had been fine when we were kids) are full of meth now.  

Oregon. Expensive (we tried Bend) and super duper crowded.  Even Bend.

Western Slope of Colorado.  cheaper than the Front Range and more conservative but also kind of isolated and depressed/depressing.  They had signs up all over town saying not to give $ to homeless people (there are a fair number of homeless people in CO); the sign had a picture of a cardboard sign that said "anything helps, god bless" with a big red line through it.  We're not religious, but it seemed like bad juju to cross out "god bless."

Colorado Springs.  wonderful city.  Cannot recommend it highly enough.  DH was concerned that it might be a terrorist target as they have a lot of high-level military stuff there.  People are polite, organized, great drivers, beautiful area, clean water. Kind of crowded, though, and getting more so.  Not cheap.

The Northeast.  Do not move to the North East.  It is as liberal as you are thinking, and the people are what my sister (who lives in NYC) generously calls "stoic."

 

We considered Cour de Alene; the water is poisoned, though, is my understanding.  Like, swans nibble at the banks of the river/lake in the migratory season and die from too much lead, or something. 

Here's where we're at. Our decisions are based largely on our ability to get to Cincinnati in a pinch because of his parents.

Madison, Indiana. Great HS laws including a tax credit, low COL, extremely conservative.

Knoxville, Tennessee. Poopiest of the HS laws that we're considering, but not terrible, low COL, pretty conservative.

San Antonio, Texas. Great HS laws, low COL, and it's Texas. Beaches! Hot though. Very hot. Cheap flights to the in laws.

I'm from California (too expensive), he's from Ohio (too close to in laws), we met in DC (love! too expensive) and have lived in Louisiana (love!) and Ohio. 

Side note. I have traveled to and lived in all the places (far more than listed because that's just since marriage) and Cincinnati is the most racist place I have ever been. It was a blatant part of daily life.

3 hours ago, SamanthaCarter said:

You don’t give quite enough information to say for sure...

That was intentional. I didn't want to narrow the answers down too much. ?

[threewishes]

Come to Florida! North Florida is very conservative and not bad on cost of living. I think our home school laws are super easy to comply with! No state income tax although property tax and home owner's insurance can be on the expensive side, but not as much in north Florida. And then there are the beautiful Gulf Beaches, and, in central Florida, the theme parks. I love living here!

[LucyStoner]

I have friends who moved to Knoxville last year (academic work so not a ton of choice as to where to live, you go where there is a job offer) and they really like it.  They homeschooled the first year and are now using the public school.  

[bethben]

Colorado Springs has great resources for homeschooling.  There are a ton of excellent and free charter school homeschool programs that meet one to two days a week and really help with the academics.  Also, free college while in high school opportunities.

Like a pp mentioned though, the cost of housing has been increasing at a pretty fast rate.  It’s one of the top real estate growth areas in the country.  People are pricing their homes assuming Denver buyers in my area.  So they price really high because Denver has gotten so expensive.

Weather is great usually.  No beaches.  The closest we get to a lake is fresh water reservoirs.  

[LucyStoner]

Denver and Colorado Springs will both have the affordability issues Slache has in NW Oregon.  

[Slache]

1 minute ago, LucyStoner said:

Denver and Colorado Springs will both have the affordability issues Slache has in NW Oregon.  

Unfortunately, I had the same thought. People are taking about "industry" in this thread but my husband has ADD and will always be a minimum wage type of worker. 1,423 days until we're debt free. Then I can breathe.

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, Slache said:

Unfortunately, I had the same thought. People are taking about "industry" in this thread but my husband has ADD and will always be a minimum wage type of worker. 1,423 days until we're debt free. Then I can breathe.

Arkansas is LCOL.  And beautiful.  Did I mention that?  ?

 

[lexi]

Indiana. Close to Cincy but easier HS laws. 

North of indianapolis has nice suburbs. 

No beach though unless you count the shores of the Great Lakes. Lol! 

[Slache]

1 minute ago, Scarlett said:

Arkansas is LCOL.  And beautiful.  Did I mention that?  ?

 

I don't think so. Thank you for the clarification!

[Rachel]

How close to Cincinnati is too close? I vaguely remember a previous thread about someone moving to northern Kentucky, if that was your thread I think I remember that you need available public transportation too. 

[Slache]

5 minutes ago, Rachel said:

How close to Cincinnati is too close? I vaguely remember a previous thread about someone moving to northern Kentucky, if that was your thread I think I remember that you need available public transportation too. 

3 hours? I don't drive but I don't do things so I'm good without transportation.

[Paige]

Costa Rica or Panama....far, far away from Cincinnati.

But really, what about a beach city in Georgia? You'd still be in emergency driving distance of family.

[Liz CA]

13 hours ago, Slache said:

We live in Oregon and the cost of living is too high so we have to move. We keep bouncing back and forth on locations so I thought I'd ask a bunch of strangers on the internet where we should go. Things that are important to us include:

• Good homeschool laws
• Forgiving immunization laws
• Low cost of living
• Income tax, sales tax, personal property tax, property tax, etc.
• Conservative politics

 

My husband wants to live close to Cincinnati, I want to live far from Cincinnati so we need a good middle. I like the west coast, he likes the midwest and we both like the south. Nothing brings me more joy than the beach.

Thank you for deciding my entire life for me.

 

Sounds like this is a weighty decision and a little more complicated as you and your dh are favoring different places.

I cannot recommend any state as I know nothing about the Midwest or South but hope someone here will be able to facilitate this decision for you.

[AngieW in Texas]

Texas pretty much fits what you are looking for.

HS laws are easy here. You just hs. No documentation required. 

You do need to be aware that in high school it is pretty much all or nothing. The high schools will not accept any hs credits. In order for them to accept your credits, you will have to use an accredited umbrella school of some type. I hsed all three of my kids all the way through, so it wasn't an issue for me. I am now a public high school science teacher. If you want your child to go to public hs, they need to start as 9th graders or they will be starting over as 9th graders. In Austin, we have a great community college system with free dual credit for the first 12 courses as long as you live in the taxing district for ACC.

You should also be aware that you can't do any kind of partial day thing with the schools and cannot participate in any school sports. I know that is an option in some states, but it is not an option here.

Texas has a conscientious objection form that you can use for vaccine exemption.

COL is low compared to many other states. 

Texas is, regrettably, extremely conservative. Therefore, if anybody in your family has special needs or needs mental health services or is LGBTQ or is minority, you should probably look elsewhere. We plan to move to Oregon after our youngest finishes college because Texas no longer feels like a safe place to be.

[Selkie]

Don't consider Illinois. Our state is a corrupt financial and political disaster and people and businesses are leaving in droves. Taxes are high and most likely going higher as more taxpayers leave. Some parts of Illinois are conservative, but the state is basically run by liberal politicians from Chicago and its suburbs.

[teachermom2834]

Homeschooling in TN is not at all hard. There are rules (for testing,etc) if you register through the school system but you can opt for an umbrella school to avoid that. Umbrella schools vary in cost and level of oversight. You can find ones with very loose oversight, no testing, etc. 

We have free community college here now. The public universities aren’t exactly cheap but they are among some of the more affordable. 

We are no longer in Knoxville but they have a strong homeschooling community with tons of activities and resources. 

I don’t know anything about immunization laws but I recall people who didn’t want to vax having difficulty finding pediatricians who would see them. I am now in a small town south of Knoxville and there are more doctors available to those that don’t vax.

[Mergath]

I can't sell you on Minnesota because it's the exact opposite of what you're looking for, except that the cost of living is pretty reasonable. I love it here and we do have a lot of beaches, but it's more of a collectivist, liberal state and most of us like our vaccines quite a lot.

MN does have a lot of decent-paying entry-level manufacturing jobs in certain parts of the state though, if your dh is going to have to look for a new job. So there's that, if you decide to embrace your inner Socialist and give us a try. ?

[Slache]

7 minutes ago, Mergath said:

I can't sell you on Minnesota because it's the exact opposite of what you're looking for, except that the cost of living is pretty reasonable. I love it here and we do have a lot of beaches, but it's more of a collectivist, liberal state and most of us like our vaccines quite a lot.

MN does have a lot of decent-paying entry-level manufacturing jobs in certain parts of the state though, if your dh is going to have to look for a new job. So there's that, if you decide to embrace your inner Socialist and give us a try. ?

This is so not my impression of Minnesota!

[MeaganS]

15 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Northwest AR. It's beautiful there.  

 

We're moving back to NW Arkansas next summer. I am so excited. It's gorgeous and lots of amenities with LCOL and small-town feel.

My second would be central NC. We were near Winston-Salem for 3 years and it was perfect. A few hours from the mountains, the beach, and all sorts of history. Plus very pretty. 

[Lostinabook]

2 hours ago, Selkie said:

Don't consider Illinois. Our state is a corrupt financial and political disaster and people and businesses are leaving in droves. Taxes are high and most likely going higher as more taxpayers leave. Some parts of Illinois are conservative, but the state is basically run by liberal politicians from Chicago and its suburbs.

This. Ugh. I cannot believe we were dumb enough to buy a house here. I grew up here. I should have known better. ?

9 minutes ago, MeaganS said:

 

We're moving back to NW Arkansas next summer. I am so excited. It's gorgeous and lots of amenities with LCOL and small-town feel.

 

I have a relative who lived in NW Arkansas & loved it so much. They're really big city people, but felt like there were enough cultural things with Fayetteville nearby. The houses are so inexpensive there & they have great parks, trails, etc. They only left because of a job situation.

[bethben]

2 hours ago, Mergath said:

I can't sell you on Minnesota because it's the exact opposite of what you're looking for, except that the cost of living is pretty reasonable. I love it here and we do have a lot of beaches, but it's more of a collectivist, liberal state and most of us like our vaccines quite a lot.

MN does have a lot of decent-paying entry-level manufacturing jobs in certain parts of the state though, if your dh is going to have to look for a new job. So there's that, if you decide to embrace your inner Socialist and give us a try. ?

 

I lived in MN for 17 years.  Totally correct in your estimation.  Cost of living is good in many small towns. but I never knew how much I was weighed down by the political vibe until I moved.  BTW, beaches in Minnesota are very different than your west coast beach.  You can find Minnesota surfers who surf on Lake Erie, but BRRRRR!!!!

[Slache]

34 minutes ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

I think we should both pack up and move to Minnesota!

Can I have your house? It would simplify things.

[lavender's green]

How about the Carolinas? Mountains to the west, beaches to the east. I can get home to Michigan in a day if I really want to, so I imagine it'd be easy to get to Cinci if that's important to you. I can hardly move without tripping over someone who homeschools, used to homeschool, strongly considered homeschooling, or was homeschooled as a child. I don't know of anyone who finds the laws onerous. You'll find pockets of both liberal and conservative, depending exactly where you go.

Vaccines may be more of a problem. My pediatrician and my kids' schools will fire you if you don't vax within a year of the recommended schedule, but I do know a handful of anti-vaccers who get by, especially in the homeschool world.

 

[LucyStoner]

6 hours ago, Slache said:

Unfortunately, I had the same thought. People are taking about "industry" in this thread but my husband has ADD and will always be a minimum wage type of worker. 1,423 days until we're debt free. Then I can breathe.

 

There’s a few COL comparison calculators online where you can put in what you earn where you live and it will tell you about what you need to earn where you are thinking of moving.  Then he can check the availability of work he is qualified for and the prevailing wages and see if it works out.  

To be frank, raising a family at or close to minimum wage is harder in some states than others for lots of quality of life reasons.  I would consider if you receive any benefits where you are living (for example free or low-cost health insurance for children via SCHIP funded programs) and if those benefits exist at the same level where you are looking to move.  States with the absolute lowest cost of living might not be the best bet if the wages he can expect are proportionally much lower.  Until recently my husband was a pharmacy technician in a high cost of living area.  Surprisingly, we were better off here than we would have been in many of the lower cost of living areas we checked out.  Because he would have been earning roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of what he does here, mostly likely with less robust benefits and things were cheaper but not by *THAT* much.  Now he’s starting a better career that builds in his past experience + the education he’s been plodding through but has much more room for growth.  He progress on his degree was slow due to his ADD and other factors so I feel you there!  

 

[Alicia64]

I haven't read all of the responses, but I grew up in CA (don't recommend), lived in VA for five years (LOVED), and have been in GA for last three years (it's okay).

Good thing to know: several states have no state income tax. I knew one super rich guy who moved out of CA to FL because FL has no state income tax. And I know of a relatively wealthy lady who left CA for Texas because it doesn't have state income tax. I know that South Dakota and Alaska don't have state income tax either.

All told, "Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. And residents of New Hampshire and Tennessee are also spared from handing over an extra chunk of their paycheck on April 15, though they do pay tax on dividends and income from investments."

I have a good friend who moved out of CA and settled in TN specifically because of state income tax.

I highly recommend Richmond, VA -- close to DC, Mount Vernon, Monticello and Williamsburg. History EVERYWHERE. Two hours to a beautiful beach. Four gorgeous seasons (well, summer is hot but you just stay in a/c or get into a pool). The fall and spring are stunners. Sometimes you get a little snow in the winter, some years no.

If you want more info on GA or VA, just PM me!

Alley

[LucyStoner]

1 hour ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

From your description, I would like Minnesota a heck of a lot more than I like where I live currently.  With the added bonus of nice cold snowy winters.  Though my present fervent hope is to emigrate to Canada (though it is highly unlikely to happen, I can still dream and pray).

 

We were planning to relocate to either Minnesota or Wisconsin had my son not been accepted to the high school he was accepted to.  Minnesota FTW!  We liked the strong healthcare employment market plus many other factors.  

[Slache]

6 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

 

There’s a few COL comparison calculators online where you can put in what you earn where you live and it will tell you about what you need to earn where you are thinking of moving.  Then he can check the availability of work he is qualified for and the prevailing wages and see if it works out.  

To be frank, raising a family at or close to minimum wage is harder in some states than others for lots of quality of life reasons.  I would consider if you receive any benefits where you are living (for example free or low-cost health insurance for children via SCHIP funded programs) and if those benefits exist at the same level where you are looking to move.  States with the absolute lowest cost of living might not be the best bet if the wages he can expect are proportionally much lower.  Until recently my husband was a pharmacy technician in a high cost of living area.  Surprisingly, we were better off here than we would have been in many of the lower cost of living areas we checked out.  Because he would have been earning roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of what he does here, mostly likely with less robust benefits and things were cheaper but not by *THAT* much.  Now he’s starting a better career that builds in his past experience + the education he’s been plodding through but has much more room for growth.  He progress on his degree was slow due to his ADD and other factors so I feel you there!  

Yes, the kids are on state insurance. Definitely something to consider. I'll look for COL calculators. Thanks.

6 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

I haven't read all of the responses, but I grew up in CA (don't recommend), lived in VA for five years (LOVED), and have been in GA for last three years (it's okay).

Good thing to know: several states have no state income tax. I knew one super rich guy who moved out of CA to FL because FL has no state income tax. And I know of a relatively wealthy lady who left CA for Texas because it doesn't have state income tax. I know that South Dakota and Alaska don't have state income tax either.

All told, "Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. And residents of New Hampshire and Tennessee are also spared from handing over an extra chunk of their paycheck on April 15, though they do pay tax on dividends and income from investments."

I have a good friend who moved out of CA and settled in TN specifically because of state income tax.

I highly recommend Richmond, VA -- close to DC, Mount Vernon, Monticello and Williamsburg. History EVERYWHERE. Two hours to a beautiful beach. Four gorgeous seasons (well, summer is hot but you just stay in a/c or get into a pool). The fall and spring are stunners. Sometimes you get a little snow in the winter, some years no.

If you want more info on GA or VA, just PM me!

Alley

Yes, definitely considering how taxes factor in.

[Guest]

I totally want to play this game for myself, except I’m pretty convinced already that the only places I want to live (like for real want to live, not just when fantasizing) besides where I live is northern Virginia or in Delaware, which my kids say is pretty much like I saying I just want to live exactly where I live already (central Maryland). 

There are parts of Maryland that would hit your list. Homeschool laws are easy to comply with, certain sections are politically conservative though it is nearly always a blue state in elections (it is highly gerrymandered, I have heard), it is generally HCOL due to proximity to Washington and Baltimore, however prices drop as one moves away from those meccas. Some people skirt immunization through homeschooling, but any kind of organized camps or activities require it. It is hard to find a pediatrician who will be in any way flexible about immunizations because the insurance companies penalize them; however I did have a pediatrician like this at one time. (I am no longer anti-vax, but I delayed for two of my kids.) I love the variety of geographical features Maryland has despite being a very small state; i can be on the shore of the Atlantic in three hours or in the Appalachians for a hike in just over one. Tons of historically important sites and events here. Also: Maryland seafood; I am a fan. 

Our taxes...yeah, well, we are not known for low taxes, however, we do enjoy great perks for putting up with them. I can visit excellent public libraries, incredibly nice public parks, public schools are (sometimes) excellent (seriously depends on location), our roads are exceedingly well-maintained, services like recycling are very good. The state sales tax is 6%. Our property taxes are kind of horrifying. It is a nice place for people who are Catholic; Maryland was a land grant gift to protect Roman Catholics and there is still a large Catholic population here. 

We have four seasons, although it sometimes seems like we have two: freezing cold and sweltering humid. I do wish we had less tempermental weather here, but at least our susceptibility to natural disasters is low. We get the rare hurricane/tropical storm but they are usually weak by the time we get them and we get Nor’easters that can bring either flooding rains or a crap ton of snow. 

Also, we have the prettiest state flag in the nation. Truth! 

[Mergath]

5 hours ago, Slache said:

This is so not my impression of Minnesota!

 

Remind me- did you live in MN previously, or is that a general impression? I'm horrible at keeping track of where everyone lives/lived no matter how many times I read these kinds of threads, lol.

It certainly varies depending on where you live in the state. Rural farming communities tend to be more conservative than the metro areas, and the former will have a much lower COL than the latter, of course. And you get those uber loud crankypants anti-government types anywhere you go. Overall though, we pay higher taxes, get a lot in return, rabidly protect the environment, happily fund good schools, and are glad to sacrifice to make life better for everyone. We just can't seem to shed the Scandinavian socialist mindset that many of our great-grandparents brought over. ?  It's definitely not the place for everyone, but I've lived here pretty much my whole life and unless I win the lottery and can move to a stretch of beach in Hawaii, I can't think of any other place I'd rather live in the US.

[Slache]

1 minute ago, Mergath said:

 

Remind me- did you live in MN previously, or is that a general impression? I'm horrible at keeping track of where everyone lives/lived no matter how many times I read these kinds of threads, lol.

It certainly varies depending on where you live in the state. Rural farming communities tend to be more conservative than the metro areas, and the former will have a much lower COL than the latter, of course. And you get those uber loud crankypants anti-government types anywhere you go. Overall though, we pay higher taxes, get a lot in return, rabidly protect the environment, happily fund good schools, and are glad to sacrifice to make life better for everyone. We just can't seem to shed the Scandinavian socialist mindset that many of our great-grandparents brought over. ?  It's definitely not the place for everyone, but I've lived here pretty much my whole life and unless I win the lottery and can move to a stretch of beach in Hawaii, I can't think of any other place I'd rather live in the US.

No. California, Oregon, DC, Louisiana, Ohio. There will be a test.

I met a chick from Minnesota in boot camp who was terrified of black people because she had never met one and they're evil according to the media. The story had a happy ending.

[Mergath]

2 minutes ago, Slache said:

No. California, Oregon, DC, Louisiana, Ohio. There will be a test.

I met a chick from Minnesota in boot camp who was terrified of black people because she had never met one and they're evil according to the media. The story had a happy ending.

 

Ah. Yeah, we aren't exactly a global beacon for diverse communities outside of the bigger cities. Especially as you get further north into the smaller, more cut off areas that might have something like a one percent non-white population, there tends to be more racism, though in my experience it's more often ignorance and fear than outright hostility. (I grew up on the northern border, so I'm pretty familiar with things up there.) Though Duluth, where I went to college, was much more diverse. It's one of the reasons I was so sad to leave, though the economy back in '08 didn't really give me a choice.

The person you met is pretty extreme, though. I'm glad things turned out well.

[shawthorne44]

I'd like to third (or fourth?) the Texas recommendation.   

Like the other states that persecuted homeschoolers decades ago, and then got slapped down by the courts, Texas has basically no homeschool laws.   

COL is low, plus there are no income taxes.   

The community colleges are pretty awesome here, so if you need help with high school classes.   As a language-dunce, I think doing foreign language at the college level where you might get college credit and never have to do it again makes sense.  

Also, we have a large number of really nice 4-year colleges.   There is a reasons Texans like to stay in Texas for college..  

I can only speak of the north of Dallas cities/towns, but there are many homeschooling groups.  Even in my tiny 3K people town there is a co-op, and there is another two in the next town over about twice our size.   There are also several places where you can outsource individual classes.  

Another idea with the north of Dallas area, there are a lot semiconductor and related companies.  Factory type jobs but that pay better.   They used to not require a high school diploma, just a SSN, now many require an Associates Degree.  

Outside of the Austin area and downtown Dallas and pockets here and there, people are conservative.