Where Would YOU Move?

[SiameseRat]

After reading the article posted about a school in Texas recommending students to fight back if an armed intruder enters the classroom it made me wonder what you all think. I know most of us, if we had more than enough money to go, would move to a state with little to no restriction on our 2nd Amendment rights. If I had enough money my list looks like this:

1) Arizona (it's where my husband was raised and the gun laws are a lot better than they are here, though not perfect. But there's family there so it's on top)
2) Texas
3) New Hampshire
4) Vermont
5) Maine


What is your top pick, and your top few choices of where you'd move to if you could?

 

[Martlet]

I grew up in Maine, lived in NH for a bit, and have visited the other states. A year ago, I considered a move to Arizona.

I'd love to move back to Maine, but the taxes there are killer.

 

[cdkayak]

I made it out of NJ 10 years ago, spent a year & a half in NH & then on to Maine. I'll stay in Maine.

 

[SKS Ray]

My wife and I always talk about southern NH. Theres lots of stuff we enjoy going to here in Mass. I just hate the gun laws and we both hate the crime and welfare seeking immigration that are turning the neighborhoods into scum.

 

[reinbeau]

I would move to NH, but I'd prefer Maine. We've already got a house up there, it's my family ties and my gardens that keep me planted here (pun intended).

 

[daveInME]

I ran from NJ in '80, hung out in Mass, then
escaped to Maine 6 years ago, never regreted it.

 

[Mike508]

Though I voted for TX in the poll, I'm currently looking at NC, TN, OK, and MI.

 

[Shane]

I voted for New Hampshire. I get the feeling Vermont may be too rural. Maine might be too far north, I'm afraid it will be too cold. Arizona, Florida, Texas have already been crippled by mass illegal immigration. I'd like to stay in eastern Massachusetts, just somewhere with a better police chief.

 

[The Goose]

Last year my wife and I vacationed in Texas. I loved it. I have tried to convince her to move there when we retire, but no go. My second choice was Idaho, but again no go. We have both agreed on NH. She wants to stay in New England and I want out of MA.

I think it is important that we fight the good fight here in MA and try to keep the spirit alive that founded this great country. I often wonder what a Minuteman would think of the Commonwealth today. So I belong to GOAL and the NRA and GOA and JFPO and a few more. I vote and I participate. I write letters to my politicians and successfully manage to slowly convert a few anti's to our side. As I long as I live here I will slug it out, but I fear that in the long run it is a losing battle. One election could destroy everything. This state is just too damn liberal.

So at the end of the day when I retire and sell my business and my wife does not have to commute any more we are out of here. It would be nice to be able to buy a new Glock or some hi cap mags or a Kahr. Because no matter how hard we fight here in MA we will remain behind the eight ball and subject to the whims of the liberal pukes. I doubt it will ever get much better, but it could get a lot worse.

 

[JellyFish]

I'd go to NH. Seems to be the best of all possible worlds. If Deval Patrick is elected and the democrat wins for attorney general, I will probably be out of MA by the spring time and into NH. But I'll cross that bridge when/if I get to it.

 

[FPrice]

I want to go to Montana. I like the west but want to be far enough north to avoid heat like you find in Arizona.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I'd move 10 minutes north to NH

 

[M1966]

FIVE minutes north to NH.... Unfortunately we haven't been able to find a Special Education system for my son in NH that can touch Massachusetts.(about the only GOOD thing we have). Gotta have those priorities straight.

 

[blindndead]

NH

I still would like to still be close to my family and friends.

 

[Jose]

Kentucky

 

[Twigg]

I'd say Vermont - Not just because of the firearms laws. My family has been vacationing in Vt as far back as I remember. I dang near bought a couple of acres out in Peru before I bought my first house and just might yet when my son is out of school.

 

[Cledus J. Crabb]

Both sides of my family have been in my immediate area for a while (3 great-great uncles KIA in the CW buried right up the road) so when the time comes to bail out of this "workers' paradise", It will most likey be difficult.
When I do retire and get out of Massachusetts, most likely I'll go to VT. I have family there, way up nawth. Of course, I'd have to make an attempt to stir up some local interest in rifle shooting that has no connection to deer hunting.
There are, also, too many places to live that are better than here, so I'd need about 50 years to scout them all out.

 

[highlander]

Spent two weeks in Az the heat is not that bad.My wife has medical problems that make staying hear impractical.yes I know the best medical facilities in the world but the problem she has mobility problems and the cold only makes it worse and I'm getting to old to be carrying her up and down stairs when she can't move.
Believe me I am not thrilled about starting over,in fact it scares the hell out of me but I have to think of my wife's health before anything else.
BTW avg temp 105 degrees while I was there BUT no humidity and most everywhere is flat

 

[Big Daddy 45acp]

I wanted to go to AZ or VA or WV, but due to circumstances (wife's health) NH is now my top pick. The cooler climate is healthier for her and the relatively short drive to Mass General is most important.

Plus, low crime rate, low taxes (property taxes fluctuate depending on community) and generally nice people put it into 1st place.

 

[Ray P]

Didn't vote as I'm already in ME. There are good reasons why my reserve friends from Down East refer to Maine's southwestern counties as "Mass-North". But if something good opens up towards Bath, I may stay in-state.

Been to Texas, don't want to go there. Just turned down Yuma AZ. But I've been looking strongly at the Red-neck Riviera (Gulfport/Biloxi MS) or back again to the Great NorthWet (Olympic Peninsula, WA). IL is out (really worse than MA for a gun owner). MI is good, but the southern part of the state is trying to push their anti-gun agenda down the throats of the northern counties. (Superior for 51st state!)

 

[Cross-X]

Florida, baby! Great guns, incredible weather, lots of interesting people.

 

[BigWarden]

Staying put.

I think NH is the best place in New England to live (second choice Vermont, and third Maine as I have family there), and I really have zero interest in moving South.

I'll take the cold snowy winters over brutal summers anyday (I can put ON an extra sweater in the Winter, but there's only so much I can take off during the Summer before the cops show up).

Further to that I can do without the "War of Northern Aggression" being brought up every 5 minutes.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Depends...Vt if we were to stay in New England. My heart is also on the west coast. ID or WA. I also would like New Mexico.

 

[dd]

Benefits of living where???

Gun issues are only one part of the equation.

No income tax nor sales tax in NH, BUT real estate taxes are very high. Maine has sales tax and income tax, including on retirement annuities that are NOT taxed here in MA (not all, just some), but RE taxes are low. VT seems a tad too socialistic to me (am I saying this being from MA???!!!) and several types of taxes also.

FL has active bullseye as does the Carolinas if one does not want to go too far south. MT-WY-CO etc are COOOLLLLDDDDD!!

TN seems pretty and gun active from watching the Outdoor Channel.

Best bet would be to get a motor home and a 30 foot trailer to drag behind with my reloading gear and guns!!! A comprehensive map of gun museums and ranges plus list/schedule of competitions. Would make for a fun decade or so for traveling around the US of A.

dd

 

[JuergenG]

Southern NH would be the place for me to go.

 

[Garys]

I want to go to Montana.

You and Frank Zappa. <G>

I like the west but want to be far enough north to avoid heat like you find in Arizona.

But it's a dry heat. Or so they tell me. I was there in December 2004 and it was about 100 each day. That was "a little bit warm" for that time of year according to my friends who live there. I was in Flagstaff, and it was very much like New Hampshire. There was snow on the ground, but it wasn't that cold. Less than 100 by road and 4000 or so feet vertically Phoenix was like an oven. In between was Sedona. If I could live anywhere, that's where it would be. I think the median house price is about $1M, but if I had it would be worth it.

Just outside of Phoenix is a state run firing range. State run! Imagine that out here.

All of that being said, I still like Texas better. I'd think I'd like to retire there. Preferably while I'm young enough to enjoy it. New Hampshire would be nice, but I'm really getting to hate the Winters. Still, if my wife didn't work in Rhode Island, I'd seriously consider going to NH for at least a few years.

Gary

 

[matt1956]

Well.... Ive been here all 32 years of my life... My family is here and my life is here.

It would take a lot more then the current status to make me go else where.

 

[KMaurer]

Given my druthers, there's no question but that I'd pick Arizona from that list. Since I rarely get my druthers, it would probably be southern NH, since my son lives there and my daughter in New Bedford. The best I could hope for (since it was stipulated that I had all the money I needed) would be to split my time between AZ and NH. While I don't have any family in the area, SW Idaho would also be on my list of potential locations.

Ken

 

[K-DUB]

Well, I was aiming for Florida, but Alabama is where I'm heading. Weather is great, work is plentiful, guns are everywhere, land is cheap, I'm not the only redneck around, & Hank Williams' Museum is 10 minutes away. I will be missing my buddies up here, but I'll come visit, & I'll expect some visitors too!

 

[Len-2A Training]

This is a lot tougher to answer than it looks on the surface!

Gun Issues:
- I have it pretty good right now, but that could always change. As long as I have an active badge in my pocket, I can carry literally anywhere in the state without thinking about it. I can't buy everything that I'd like, but I can manage.
- Places like FL, AZ, TX, etc. have totally asinine laws on where one can carry with a CCW! Signs, restaurants, public libraries, "any place people assemble", etc. are legally restricted in many of these states (and not so in MA). Worrying that I might have to walk thru the bar to get to a rest room while eating dinner in a restaurant is NOT something that I would enjoy!

Health Issues:
- MA has the best health care in the world. If you need it, you need to be near enough to it . . . it could save your life (or that of a loved one). Thus, I feel tethered to this corner of the world.

Taxes:
- MA is outrageous and some other places are too.
- Mid-NH might be as close as you can go to get relief from high property taxes, but be prepared to drive 30-45 minutes to go anywhere (shopping, medical care, etc.). [I have a good friend (retired MA LEO) who lives in Sunapee NH . . . 1/2 hour to get to shopping, 1/2 hour to get to decent restaurants, 1/2 hour to get to movie theater, etc.]
- Places near the porous Southern borders are going to be taxed out of existence to pay for welfare for the illegals that flood those areas.

Cold/Snow:
- Many states are a LOT worse than MA. For those of us who aren't fond of 2-3' of snow on the road/car, going North of MA is a painful experience.

Heat/Hurricanes/Tornadoes:
- Hot, humid weather, frequent devastating hurricanes/tornadoes are not for everyone. Certainly not for me.

Crime:
- FL, close to the porous Southern borders are rife with crime, "crimaliens" (a Jay Severinism).
- Many places in MA and NH are really not that bad.
- Lots of more serious crimes in some of our "gun friendly" Southern states (carjackings, armed invasions, etc.).

Job Opportunities:
- Wife's job in Boston is an important source of income and she's not likely to be able to replace it in most other gun-friendly places in the US.
- Work as a Constable/process server varies across the country. May not be easy to break into elsewhere. Computer work on the other hand may be more abundant in "the woods" as much less competition may exist than in MA. This is a great unknown.

So, on balance:
- If retired, I'd say that mid-NH would be ideal.
- If working (and we have no plans to ever fully retire), we're stuck in MA and not far from Boston (commuter rail distance).