what state is the best to live in
Posted March 3rd, 2008 by yardworksltd
output
I live in Massachusetts and am considering leaving. I am thinking of selling everything I own and starting a new life somewhere else. What are the best states to live in with a good warm climate, and with no state income tax, Also with low taxes all around. Or is it better to pack up and go to Panama or Costa Rica. Has any body done this research.
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The future rise of the ULC
I personally do not see ANY state in the US that have the potential of being an ideal place of residence. Regardless, there are Taxes everywhere, corruption and power-hungry politicians, police organizations, greedy mega-corporations, the worsening environment, lazy leaders, debt, recessions... you name it. The 'freedom' is the only attractive quality the US possesses, but that freedom is being violated left and right.
The only two things I see for myself as potential solutions would be to either move to another country with some US influence (without all of the bad) or forming my own company controlled nation; the United Lunar Colonies (ULC). The moon is a great potential place to go to start 'fresh' and right all the wrongs we have experience through out the history of the US. Allow FULL research and development privilages to other prospective technology and biological firms so we can finally embrace a new future of enlightenment and immortality. Ultimately allowing us all to escape our bounds to earth and explore our space and beyond in search of life other than 'us'.
*Gives off a light shrug* Eh. My imagination is powerful and dreams that are addictive. These are my opinions and views any way.
Colorado Rules!
I am a Northern VA transplant, been in Colorado Springs area for 3 years now and love it. Great family friendly environment. Great for lovers of the outdoors - lots of camping, hiking, beautiful parks, etc. Driving distance to lots of other national parks and scenic areas. Weather is awesome - true, it can be 70 one day and a blizzard the next, but I love heat and snow so I am a happy camper! Even though we have DEM gov and house/senate, we are protected (somewhat) by TABOR (taxpayer bill of rights). Housing costs are low and air is clean. LOVE IT!
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
There's already too many people living there!! :D
That's my hometown, born and raised but I left last year in search of "greener pastures" because of the severe growing pains there... :( One thing CO is REALLY bad about is trying to attract business to the area without having sufficient infrastructure in place to handle it....
Tannim...Manitou is my FAVORITE ---definately "my scene" hahaha.... :D
Used to live there, great place IF
IF you can get past the hyper-fundoid and blood-red politics. But at least Manitou Springs and the west side are oases of sanity from that.
Me, heading to TX soon. Also recommend WY and MT if you can stand the cold.
Colorado refugee...
here in WYO. 1/2 million people, so your vote goes a lot farther, but it has plenty of nanny-staters still. CO gun laws make them (CO) look like CA to us up here. Colorado is a beautiful state, but it looks best in my rear-view mirror on the way back home.
P.S. King Coal is cheap and plentiful, so I can stand the cold. But the vagrants, cockroaches, and those who transport cockroaches, seem to not be able to handle the cold. Darn.
THE MORE I LEARN ABOUT GOVERNMENT
THE MORE I LOVE MY GUNS
FourWindsTradingPost
The Lakotah Nation
listening to Russell Means right now - he sounds like Ron Paul....
Lakotah has just moved from all USA treaties etc... they are to be
their own sovereign nation - He said they are having problems with
imigrants (folks like us) freedom - gold, silver standards, no taxes
on and on. www.republicoflakotah.com
Russell Means
Russell Means ran against Ron Paul for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in 1987. He lost, obviously. He's one of the good guys. Hope he's successful with his Republic of Lakotah, but I rather suspect the new FEMA camps are being built for folks like him.
I say Montana
I live in New York ... I know that is all I have to say for people to get it :)
I used to think New Hampshire would be good but that has changed.
If not Montana then out of the US to Australia ~ I like their thinking ... if anyone does not like what they do or believes in something different they will not change; they tell you to leave if you don't like it, lol.
For anyone who is unsure about weather and fuel prices in Montana because of the cold and winters; you need to build a very energy efficient home on some acreage, which there is a lot of, and get solar and wind power as your main source of energy.
Aussies are very anti-gun
and their crime rate relfects it.
I hear Panama is good--ask McCain!
The obvious choice: New Hampshire!
We've already got the momentum! Join the hundreds that have moved - and thousands that have pledged - for liberty in our lifetime:
http://freestateproject.o...
And when you get there, get involved:
http://nhliberty.org/
I moved from Los Angeles, and it rocks.
Moving ANYWHERE from L.A. rocks.
because L.A. sucks!
jersey sucks too
Fortune Favors the Bold
we are a completely corrupt police state that is taxed to the teeth
Definately NOT...
The Peoples Republic Of Ohio. No Jobs, Police State, Taxes, Taxes, and more Taxes. Nanny State, Big Brother State, Corruption - State and local. Both Parties are entrenched in the good 'ol boy network...no freedom here nowhere. I am also looking for a free country to live in. I like Florida, but understand it is a police state...like the gulf coast...Fort Walton area..I am leaning toward Nevada at this point. I think we should all find the best state and then we should all move there and take over the place. Alaska is probably the free-ist state...I hate the cold...but I like the "other" climate in Alaska...I know for sure that you Do Not want to live in the Peoples Republic of Ohio. Thats for sure my friends.
I'm Buying in Panama
Unfortunately, it looks like the most popular state in the US is denial.
Been there, did that.
Hope you aren't bothered by big government managing your life---they're into that here. Oh and forget about 'quality workmanship' unless you do it yourself. But it really has some beautiful spots.
Nevada
Has no income tax.
I lived there for 30 years, until 1995, and it was very "libertarian" and taxes were very low.
In the last 10 years it's been invaded by people fleeing California, and they seem to love taxes. They must, they constantly vote to raise them.
Southern Nevada gets really hot in the summer.
I live in Washington now. No income tax but everything else is so expensive and taxed so high. It's also cold and rainy, but I like cold and rainy.
Nevada
is still the wild west. No state income tax. Nice and warm (you can drive to snow). Climate would support PV's, so no electric bills. Victimless crimes are legal there. Tons of wide open space. Good spot to be.
Vegas is kind of grimey though
Fortune Favors the Bold
sorry to anyone who lives in vegas. It reminds me of Atlantic City on a much grander scale. It's really pretty diving towards though.
bump
bump
Idaho County, ID
yes, there is a state income tax, but Idaho County has no Planning and Zoning, no building permits required, is VERY RP friendly, and is the 3rd largest county in the US. The entire state is only about 1.3 mil. ID County has millions of acres of public lands where you can literally subsist on wild red meat (deer, elk, bear, etc.), wild fish (trout, salmon, steelhead, etc.), and, you can still stake a mining claim!!! The county stretches from MT to OR, and is very underpopulated. Out here, people still LOVE freedom. Outside of AK, you can't get much better than here all things considered.
It's only about an hours drive to a large metro area, Lewiston, and about 3.5 hrs from Boise, the Capitol. This is truly God's Country - He told me so :) ... don't tell anyone else!
Good luck in your quest.
Florida
Even though it is a haven for Neocons, the state is surrounded by free food, you can actually live without climate control, and your tie-rod ends last indefinitely!
I'm in Florida
I was living just outside of New York city before I came here. I had no more patience for the regulation that was going on there. Taxes were through the roof, a 30 or 40 year old house was at least 500,000. It was also quickly becoming a police state. In fact as I was leaving NY and heading to Florida at 4am with the car fully packed, I was pulled over and accused of going more than 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. I may have been 5 over honestly...if that, but when he saw the Florida license...automatic. Then I did what he expected and paid it and found out that they now access an additional $300 fine to certain tickets and the one he wrote me was 1 mile per hour into the fine. Good riddance New York! I don't miss you.
I was planning to move there
until the neocons started raising the prices. I mean, all (food, gas, homes, etc).
"He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it." Confucius
The state of freedom and liberty
no matter what your geographical location.
Florida
no income tax
lower taxes on many things, including recently reduced property taxes. I visit my relatives there anually, it's a lean govt. You don't even have to get your car inspected.
That is cool and all.........
But you should have your car inspected for safety reasons!
Vermont is decent too
Fortune Favors the Bold
If freedom to home school is your issue,
Don't come to TN. Pending legislation HB 2795 will force all private schools, church related schools, basically all home schoolers to adopt state chosen curriculum and will also require you to adhere to state testing standards.
May sound defeatest, but I believe it will pass reguardless of the amount of protest. That seems to be the way of things these days.
Sales tax is high (IMO) 9.250%
I lived for 10 years in
I lived for 10 years in California. California is one of the most over-regulated, over-taxed, over-priced and over-policed states anywhere. They were one of the first states to take your fingerprints for a driver's license. They have more roadblock checkpoints. They have primary enforcement seatbelt laws (cops hide in the bushes with binoculars looking for seatbelt violators). They have motorcycle helmet laws. They have very bureaucratic licensing and regulation for building permits and businesses.
I like Colorado a lot, but the politics is becoming very California-like and the taxes are pretty invasive. They do have relatively low property tax in many areas though.
A state without an income tax can be attractive and as an earlier writer noted a good plan is to live in Washington near Portland, Oregon. That way you can enjoy the fact that Washington has no income tax and do all your shopping free of sales tax in Oregon. The problem for me is that it is too rainy around western OR/ WA.
Alaska is truly the last frontier of freedom in America. The area just north of Anchorage is fantastic. It has a temperate climate and a good growing season and the scenery is drop dead gorgeous. Not only do you have lots of unspoiled land, you have big rivers and ocean inlets that are like fiords. Living on a sailboat in the inlet (during the warmer months) may be the way to beat the system.
Taxes in CO invasive? WhereTF in CO are you?
CO income tax = 4.63% flat rate
Avg Sales Tax = 7.5%, same as CA
Property taxes limited by Gallagher Amendment
Tax increases limted to voter approval per TABOR.
Tax refunds for excess revenue per TABOR.
It's actually damn low for taxes there, even with Amendment 23!
Houston, you got a problem....
I'm moving in. heh heh..
Summer home? I'm not sure.. Vermont-New Hamphire, New Hampshire-Vermont. I'm torn between lobsters and ski slopes.
"He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it." Confucius
The Research Was Done By the Free State Project
I'm sure you can read the research at their site. They considered all the things you mention.
They chose New Hampshire which is not warm in winter, but they felt would allow them to make a difference. But you could consider some of the runners up.
IMissLiberty
Winter is just one season
I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life, and just recently made the move to NH just in time to experience winter. Yeah, it's cold, but it's only one season, and if I can get used to it, anyone can. Besides, it's a small price to pay for freedom!
I work in Mass and live in RI which is
just as socialist with a little more corruption thrown in just for fun.
My family is considering NH but in a strange sense MA, RI and other far left states are the place to be when the economy tanks worse than everyone expects, because we could have a front seat at the birth of a new GOP that rejects warfare as well as welfare and seizes political power.
By the way, just voted for Ron. Dozens of people, bright yellow ballots for GOP, blue for Dem... I peered throughout the room, didn't see ONE other yellow ballot in anyone's hands. You Red Staters wouldn't believe it unless you saw it with your own etyes.
-JP
get out of cities...
Eastern Oregon is Ron Paul Country!
i did
i moved from san diego to southern oregon. the 'don't tread on me' attitude is very much alive here. they ran out of money for the libraries shortly before i moved here. guess what they did. they closed them. imagine that. then someone started a non-profit to raise money for the libraries. no sales tax here, but there is an income tax. we also get a 'kicker' check if the government has a surplus. this year it's about $600.
www.TuNeCedeMalis.com
I thought about moving to
I thought about moving to Bend so i could be closer to Smith Rock, Steelhead falls, Mt.Hood...
Montana
THE TRUE LIVE FREE OR DIE STATE
Have told the federal government that Montana will not comply with the REAL ID act, and have even threatened to leave the Union if the Supreme court rules against the right to bear arms.
California is an illegal alien utopia, and the entire state is experiancing a tidal wave of business flight. If it were me, I would move to Montana.
Montana is Beautiful
I heard that too. For anyone who is unsure about weather and fuel prices you need to build a very energy efficient home on some acreage, which there is a lot of, and get solar and wind power as your main source of energy.
Except that Montana is cold!
REALLY COLD!
Having moved from Texas to Wisconsin, I can tell you I don't appreciate the cold at all and had no idea how pervaisive it could be.
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A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
~Mahatma Gandhi
weather just besides preference of comfort
could be a real challange in times to come, fuel prices, utilities, health, transportation,etc.,etc. Everyone has to make their individual choices, but I am going for temperate weather .
My vote
Would be California, where I am. Weather was 72F yesterday. We have areas of wide open beautiful rural areas. Expensive, yes compared to other states maybe, but who knows how that will change soon. I guess my second pick would be Texas. I have only been to Austin, but I really liked it.
Colorado. It's pretty, has
Colorado. It's pretty, has nice weather all year round (320 days of sunshine or something like that), and there's the mountains of course.
Unfortunately, Democrats control the State House, Senate, and Governor's office, so taxes might not be so great in the near future... and with the massive influx of people in recent years, it'll probably get worse before it gets better...
but there are definitely some strong positives about it. I lived in Fort Collins, it was nice there....
Let me tell you everything that's wrong about Colorado...
I grew up in Wisconsin, and I am currently living in Colorado, but I'm homesick and I hate it. I hate the schizophrenic weather: Saturday for the republican assemblies it was a sunny 75 degrees. By Sunday we had sub-freezing temperatures and eight inches of snow. I hate having to meticulously apply skin lotion after every shower to keep from stratching myself out of my skin. I hate how flat my naturally wavy hair sticks to my scalp. I hate how district attorney Carol Chambers complains how expensive it is to have people put to death. As a native of a state with no death penalty, this is a no-brainer: if it's too expensive, don't kill them! Use the money for prevention programs instead if you must! Murdering people who murder people is the epitome of hypocrisy for me. I hate the cowboy attitude: when people in four-wheel drives cause accidents in bad weather, they blame the other driver instead of taking responsibility for their own recklessness. "Hey, I'm a cowboy, you shoulda stayed outa my way!" I hate the transience: this is a place where many people only live for a while and then move on to somewhere better. This place has no distinct personality or civic pride. I guess I can't blame them: I want to leave, too. Worst of all, Colorado has a cult following of a total jerk named John Elway, who couldn't care less if the state of Colorado was nuked by foreign terrorists. That's how much he cares about his idiotic fans who aren't smart enough to see through his bullshit. They're like Obama cultists, and that's the worst thing of all: Coloradans like Obama! And Denver is hosting the democratic convention!
A couple of pluses: it's very easy to get out of vaccinating your kids, and yourself for that matter, here. They actually mail out the exemption forms with the vaccination notices. Despite Columbine, it's also still a second amendment friendly place. If you're into skiing or snowboarding, Colorado is the place for you.
Otherwise, the mountains are overated. They're just big piles of rocks, and the only reason anyone likes them is because they're different: you can't see big piles of rocks like that just anywhere! They're certainly not beautiful, or even pretty. I can't begin to list all the people I know who moved here and vowed to spent every weekend in the mountains only to decide they're more trouble than they're worth. Property values, for some inexplicable reason, are through the roof! If you're going to spend $2 to 3 hundred thousand on a home, go to a place where that kind of money will actually get you something worthwhile. It amazes me how much people will spend here for the privilege of living in hell.
So, how about Wisconsin? Birch forests, lakes untouched by acid rain (the high levels of calcites in Wisconsin buffer the lakes, and make the drinking water extra tasty), friendly midwesterners and a strong Ron Paul following, at least as strong as Colorado... http://www.lewrockwell.co...
I love Colorado
Live in Ft Collins and love it here. How long have you lived here? Yes the last 2 winters have been much colder but overall the blue skies are what I love and the moderate winters and dry summer heat is wonderful compared to the east. As for the politics.....Statists are all over the place anyways.
I know!
I constantly meet people who love Colorado! I don't get it! I first moved to Colorado in 1987, then in 1994 made a plan to attend a school in St. Louis (I liked St. Louis) and from there was going to Chicago or Minneapolis (I like big cities), but I met a man from here and got married, so I ended up back here in 1999 and have been here ever since.
Oh! And that's another thing I hate about this place! Snow doesn't get removed from roads and sidewalks because everyone assumes the weather will warm up again and it will just melt anyway! That doesn't always work: last winter in Denver I struggled to get around for weeks. If I have to deal with snow, I want to do it in a state where people expect it and are prepared to take care of it.
As a 20-year resident of CO exiled in CA, I say
Deal with it or GTF out.
CO had the best economic boom in the 90s. Sure there's a harsh winter going on there, but it is cyclical. No humidity like in the Midworst, either.
As for the snow, that's normal. It does melt off and snow removal is prioritized to main drags since TABOR limits local revenue expenses. Go get a 4x4 like everyone else.
Besides, it could be worse. Ask any native about Frederico Pena's Garnage Truck Snow Plan and how well *that* worked in the 80s!
Can we trade places?
I may have to GTF out after the republican national primary. I don't think I can run as a national delegate if I leave my precinct. By the way, I have a 4X4 and I hate the dry air. It makes me so uncomfortable I can't function without dousing myself in body lotion every morning. I'm still covered with itchy red spots and I haven't found any way to treat it effectively. It only goes away when I vacation in more humid places. I'll miss my husband.
Oh and that's another thing! Frederico Pena! What the hell was up with building that massive airport in the middle of Kansas?! I hate that airport!
HAHA! I moved to Wisconsin from Texas.
And having read your post, lemme tell you, there are more options. Don't get me wrong. People here take care of their property (outside Milwaukee) and from July to November it's actually really scenic and the lakes and beaches are nice....But, The winters blow....hard. The winters last from December to May and the rest of the seasons are June to November. Furthermore, Wisconsin is socially conservative and economically liberal. This is the closest thing to a police state I've been to so far.The evening news take the whole "Oh god! Think of the children!" thing to obnoxious extremes. I mean, don't get me wrong, if your into shoveling your drive, drinking, and bratwursts, Wisconsin is great. Otherwise, maybe it's not the best place to move to.
I think Austin (notice I specified Austin, not the rest of Texas) is actually a perfect place for People like us. It always came up first on google trends for searches for Ron Paul and it is the live music capitol of North America due to the South by Southwest music festival. Furthermore, The weather is warm and the city has a very Liberal/Libertarian flavor and is known for it's individualism.
California would be my next bet because of the weather.
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A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
~Mahatma Gandhi
That's where I'm headed soon
Assuming I can sell in CA first.