If not here, then where?

[Explorer1]

I'm guessing mostly flat, combined with boredom, and limited work opportunities might be part of it, too. I know some people who said the same about North Dakota. Other than the fact that they made a ton of money during the first "drill baby drill" era. There wasn't much else to draw people there. And the winters suck hard.

Flat? Have seen the Tetons?
Yes, some call it boredom while others can it peace, quiet, and sanity.
To each his own!
P.S. FIRMLY agree on the winters

 

[CamoDeafie]

View: https://youtu.be/83fo78Gt9Bs?si=uHQbKzQpHS2wW4yP


Jackson Hole Resort, Jackson Hole Wyoming. Horse pulled skiing competitions

 

[Mathias]

Yup.

Escaped Mass for here, over a decade this escape attempt.

Its unlikely we'd move to another State now. Not going to say we wouldn't, just unlikely.

...now if " Greater Idaho" or "State of Jefferson" ever TRULY happens? We'd be in a new, free State by default. That'd be welcome, for sure.

What are the chances of that ever happening?

 

[CamoDeafie]

What are the chances of that ever happening?

IMO.... Of Greater Idaho or Jefferson States splitting from OR/WA?

 

[Camelfilter]

What are the chances of that ever happening?

Exactly this;

IMO.... Of Greater Idaho or Jefferson States splitting from OR/WA?
View attachment 2079750

Unless there is some type of calamity which results in an overall true Balkanization of the US as we know it.

Then, maybe…

 

[Rkangel]

Flat? Have seen the Tetons?
Yes, some call it boredom while others can it peace, quiet, and sanity.
To each his own!
P.S. FIRMLY agree on the winters

I am a strong supporter of peace and quiet.
Unfortunately the hilly and wooded parts of Wyoming are all National Parks. And Jackson Hole isn't exactly affordable.... Same thing happened to Kalispell, Montana (another place I looked at). Word gets out and property prices go through the roof.

 

[crstrode]

I'm guessing mostly flat, combined with boredom, and limited work opportunities might be part of it, too. I know some people who said the same about North Dakota. Other than the fact that they made a ton of money during the first "drill baby drill" era. There wasn't much else to draw people there. And the winters suck hard.

I thought the same about Wyoming and North Dakota. However two recent road trips in the springtime revealed how wrong I was. Both states are absolutely beautiful!

At over 70 years of age, moving is not on my wish list any longer. It will probably be acceptable to hold-out for the duration at my very nice place in unincorporated Spokane County. A bloodthirsty dog keeps the undesirables at bay - If I could only figure out how to keep the tax man from robbing me blind, I would be at peace.

 

[OutwardHound]

I was fortunate to relocate to Western Montana last August. I lived in Washington state 45 years. Long divorced, no kids. Siblings on east coast. My brother so far lost with TDS that he totally shut me out. "You're dead to me" he said. Ok, well, see ya I guess. The closest I have to 'family' moved here in 2016. The plan was to follow after I retired. I could finally swing it last August. Its been a good move. I feel very blessed.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I should have bought house in Idaho in 2020 when the Treasure Valley was still affordable. Damn, I could have rented it out for the mortgage payment and moved over a few years later.

We are making a scouting trip to Texas this summer to look at houses and see if my wife can stand the heat.

 

[Snowbound]

For everyone who looks to Alaska as the be all end all of freedom from all the bullbubblegum regs in Oregon, it's not what you think it is! I moved to Alaska in 1982 and moved back to Oregon in 2016. AK has much going for it, but so does Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Each state has it's pros and cons. The libs in Anchorage have an outsize influence in Alaska just as the libs in Portland and the libs in Seattle have outsize influence in Oregon and Washington respectively. Some states may have slightly better or slightly worse laws at the immediate moment, but the fight must be nationwide or we are all cooked. There is a lot of liberal bullbubblegum in Alaska. I pulled my kids out of what was supposedly a back-to-basics school curriculum in the Anchorage School District and went the home school route back in 1988. Don't think Anchorage in particular or Alaska in general is the be all-end all of conservative thought and practice. You WILL be disappointed!

 

[AshWilliams]

I should have bought house in Idaho in 2020 when the Treasure Valley was still affordable. Damn, I could have rented it out for the mortgage payment and moved over a few years later.

We are making a scouting trip to Texas this summer to look at houses and see if my wife can stand the heat.

Lived in San Antonio for 5 years and Oregon was like a paradise in comparison climate-wise. The heat in the summertime is brutal.

 

[orygun]

If not here, then where?
Good question. We are looking to move to eastern Oregon in a few years. Still "here", but not at all the same.

I'll bet the FFL's in eastern Oregon don't do all that many private party transfers.

 

[pdx210]

Recently in the M114 thread I mentioned that I have some co-workers looking to leave Oregon because of M114. Some other users replied saying they're leaving, others replied saying they'd leave if they could. My wife and I have tossed around the idea of leaving but its hard when most of our family is located in the PNW. Many different places have come to mind - Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Iowa, Texas, Missouri, and Idaho. However, all those places have some sort of downside that makes us unsure if they're the right choice for us. So I'm curious.. for those who are leaving or wish they could leave - where will/would you be going? Why there?

Dono, Have family that fled to Idaho. I'm not that impressed with Bosie, flies are horrible late summer.

Anyway, the big issue is that with all the growth, Bosie is facing infrastructure issues and will have to upgrade, well, basically everything now or in the near future, water/sewer, electrical, roads, schools, police, and fire. This is going to spike the cost of housing, taxes, and fees

The biggest is Boise, which faces a drinking water shortage, drawing heavily on groundwater that's being depleted faster than its being replenished

 

[Aught Six]

for those who are leaving or wish they could leave - where will/would you be going? Why there?

Been in washingrad since 1965. Next year when the woman retires we are selling the house, (if there is any market left)
buying an RV. First we are headed to NE AZ to visit me bro, then off to Spearfish SD, or there abouts. Its where 3 states meet, so we can decide after we get there. If we dont like it. On the road again.

 

[Czechsix]

For everyone who looks to Alaska as the be all end all of freedom from all the bullbubblegum regs in Oregon, it's not what you think it is! I moved to Alaska in 1982 and moved back to Oregon in 2016. AK has much going for it, but so does Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Each state has it's pros and cons. The libs in Anchorage have an outsize influence in Alaska just as the libs in Portland and the libs in Seattle have outsize influence in Oregon and Washington respectively. Some states may have slightly better or slightly worse laws at the immediate moment, but the fight must be nationwide or we are all cooked. There is a lot of liberal bullbubblegum in Alaska. I pulled my kids out of what was supposedly a back-to-basics school curriculum in the Anchorage School District and went the home school route back in 1988. Don't think Anchorage in particular or Alaska in general is the be all-end all of conservative thought and practice. You WILL be disappointed!

Yep. It's gotten quite a bit worse since you moved out.

I'm still hanging on up here, but I'm in the Valley also. Bit different in this borough. But it's also changing.

 

[Aero Denezol]

I will say most of Oregon is NOT the Naz! stronghold like Portland is. I reckon just move to a county that isn't under their control and full of their anti-American supporters.

The little time I've spent in Eastern Oregon I have really enjoyed. The further away from the Interstate 5 the less pretentious and more down to earth people get.

I also have family in Texas and Idaho. I would be more than happy to go there. I honestly don't give a damn about the weather or the greenery, I lived in Arizona for many years when it was still Conservative there and I loved it. I'd rather live among Christians than live in a place with nice weather. I work indoors anyway.

I used to be able to hang out in social scenes but now if you simply stay silent your marked. The people here are anything but "coexisting".

^^You are 100% correct about this my friend. You can't just sit there and watch the game with friends anymore. People will "go there" and pick a fight with you. Some guys are trying to keep it neutral and I appreciate that, but there's a lot of SOBs that can't help themselves. Especially in Salem/Portland/Eugene.

 

[Hotdog 7]

I just returned a few weeks ago from seeing family in the Kansas City area. It was my first time visiting that region of the country. Both my wife and I enjoyed our visit. KCMO was actually a pretty nice city. It was clean, free of graffiti, no homeless people present, and traffic moved quite well. Additionally, the people were very friendly and it was noticeably cheaper than here. The cheapest we saw gas was $2.74/gal. It appeared groceries ran about 15-20% cheaper (at least from the little bit of walking around we did in a Hy-Vee and Walmart). We jumped back and fourth between Kansas and Missouri quite a bit while we were there but we enjoyed both sides of the river equally. I think the roads were better on the Kansas side though.

Unfortunately doing my same job over there would net a massive pay cut that would be hard to manage, even with the cheaper standard of living. We've talked about it and we're probably going to stay in Oregon until it becomes absolutely unbearable and then bite the bullet and move somewhere new. Hopefully when that time comes we'll be totally debt free and have a load of equity in our home. My family in KCMO bought their first home in the Portland area in the late 90s for about $170k. They sold it right when COVID started for $500k. They took that money and went to KC and bought an identical home for about $250k - obviously pocketing the difference. We're hoping to do something like that but its going to take time for the equity in our home to build.

If you haven't been to Kansas City, I highly recommend it. I was pleasantly surprised by the city. I genuinely thought it was going to be super run down and ghetto but I found it to be totally the opposite of my preconceived notion.

 

[orygun]

Since I posted above, we travelled and spent a few days in Northern Idaho. I can retire when I want. Our house is paid off. The wife could likely transfer to another job with the Postal Service.
We are currently looking for a place south east of Coeur D'Alene near where our friends live. Nice, quiet, conservative.

 

[WillametteWill]

I just returned a few weeks ago from seeing family in the Kansas City area. It was my first time visiting that region of the country. Both my wife and I enjoyed our visit. KCMO was actually a pretty nice city. It was clean, free of graffiti, no homeless people present, and traffic moved quite well. Additionally, the people were very friendly and it was noticeably cheaper than here. The cheapest we saw gas was $2.74/gal. It appeared groceries ran about 15-20% cheaper (at least from the little bit of walking around we did in a Hy-Vee and Walmart). We jumped back and fourth between Kansas and Missouri quite a bit while we were there but we enjoyed both sides of the river equally. I think the roads were better on the Kansas side though.

Unfortunately doing my same job over there would net a massive pay cut that would be hard to manage, even with the cheaper standard of living. We've talked about it and we're probably going to stay in Oregon until it becomes absolutely unbearable and then bite the bullet and move somewhere new. Hopefully when that time comes we'll be totally debt free and have a load of equity in our home. My family in KCMO bought their first home in the Portland area in the late 90s for about $170k. They sold it right when COVID started for $500k. They took that money and went to KC and bought an identical home for about $250k - obviously pocketing the difference. We're hoping to do something like that but its going to take time for the equity in our home to build.

If you haven't been to Kansas City, I highly recommend it. I was pleasantly surprised by the city. I genuinely thought it was going to be super run down and ghetto but I found it to be totally the opposite of my preconceived notion.

I'm sincerely not trying to challenge your experience, but like most larger cities, it all depends on where you go. There are amazingly beautiful areas in Portland...but there is the rest of it. Bad people don't stay in the bad areas to steal and rob, they go to Norstrom...aka the rest of the city. KCMO has an extremely high crime rate and over 95% of its unhoused population lives on the street (as opposed to shelters). I've been to some of the sketchy areas there in the past. KCMO is ranked 8th worst in the nation for homicides, Portland is 56th.

I'm on the road around the country for much of the year. The inside lid of my suitcase has over 50 stickers from different airports, and I'm missing at least 30 others. Few large cities are without significant issues. I've found it takes getting out to rural areas away from the cities or well policed and managed cities in the suburbs where they actually address crime and problems effectively (the latter tending to be spendy places to live).

I grew up in SoCal and lived in nice areas, not high rent, truly middle class. But within anywhere from a few blocks to a few miles, there were sketchy areas, best avoided after dark, or sometimes during daylight. The area you describe in KC sounds great. I've just found there is a shady side to all larger cities.

 

[nwslopoke]

I just returned a few weeks ago from seeing family in the Kansas City area. It was my first time visiting that region of the country. Both my wife and I enjoyed our visit. KCMO was actually a pretty nice city. It was clean, free of graffiti, no homeless people present, and traffic moved quite well. Additionally, the people were very friendly and it was noticeably cheaper than here. The cheapest we saw gas was $2.74/gal. It appeared groceries ran about 15-20% cheaper (at least from the little bit of walking around we did in a Hy-Vee and Walmart). We jumped back and fourth between Kansas and Missouri quite a bit while we were there but we enjoyed both sides of the river equally. I think the roads were better on the Kansas side though.

Unfortunately doing my same job over there would net a massive pay cut that would be hard to manage, even with the cheaper standard of living. We've talked about it and we're probably going to stay in Oregon until it becomes absolutely unbearable and then bite the bullet and move somewhere new. Hopefully when that time comes we'll be totally debt free and have a load of equity in our home. My family in KCMO bought their first home in the Portland area in the late 90s for about $170k. They sold it right when COVID started for $500k. They took that money and went to KC and bought an identical home for about $250k - obviously pocketing the difference. We're hoping to do something like that but its going to take time for the equity in our home to build.

If you haven't been to Kansas City, I highly recommend it. I was pleasantly surprised by the city. I genuinely thought it was going to be super run down and ghetto but I found it to be totally the opposite of my preconceived notion.

We went to Ohio a few years ago. Yellowstone and South Dakota for Mt Rushmore as well. Getting out into America's interior is important. Eventhough we see other people living in a bubble, we can get stuck in one as well.

The west coast has decent weather and generally better pay, but not necessarily the best quality of life in comparison to some in the Midwest.