So the work I do is 100% remote now. I moved to Southern California because of an industry that has in part moved to remote work. My only requirements are a temperate climate, nature access and hopefully a blue-ish state. Is there a place out there that makes sense financially? I’m hoping to buy a house less then 500k. I don’t need access to large cities as I honestly don’t do anything. The only requirement I can think of is access to solid internet as I stream full screen video for what I do.
I’m currently looking at Michigan and Virginia as options.
Wichita, KS is a wonderful town with its own kind of chill vibe, and cost of living is low. But Kansas is definitely not a blue-ish state, despite its current Democratic governor.
Still, I love it here. But if I could pick up the city and move it over to Colorado or something, I would.
@ImADifferentBird I was going to say somewhere in Western Kansas would be good as Wichita is Koch-sucking territory, but OP said they’re an introvert so they may be able to put up with the bullshit. Out on this side of the state it’s mostly senile old people with backwards-ass views and the occasional extremist douche that the rest of the community laughs at the second they open their mouths.
Maybe it’s just the crowd I hang out with in Wichita, but it feels like it’s become that way as well. Younger generations here are much more liberal than old people. Koch is one of the largest employers in town still, but I feel like their influence on our politics is waning.
Luckily even though I lean blue, I am an introvert to a fault and as long as I have enough buffer and seclusion, I honestly don’t care. No children so I don’t have that worry.
Seriously consider Scranton, PA. I live here and most houses go for well under your budget. You get all the seasons, are surrounded by state forest, and multi gigabit internet is available (thru Comcast unfortunately but other ISP’s are moving in soon). Also it’s in a county that remained blue during PA’s 2016 turn to red.
Would you say there’s any downsides to PA? Scranton seems like it may fall on the colder side yearly but not too bad
PA can be fairly cold expect snow and ice every year. It does snow in Virginia as well but I can tell you it’s on average atleast 10 degrees warmer in VA vs PA year round. (Lived in both areas). Virginia is wetter (and far more humid than CA) and has more hills since Appalachia cuts right through a lot of the western part of the state. If you don’t like the outdoors I’d suggest eastern Virginia. If you like the outdoors western Virginia is great for outdoor activity (hit or miss on things like high speed internet, research any specific towns your interested in out there.) One thing I will say is that Virginia is NOT blue. But then Scranton is probably considered the beginnings of Pennsyltucky too.
Scranton is a dot of blue surrounded by red…but overall the area is fairly moderate with a few crazies.
Thanks!
The Scranton Strangler qualifies as a downside…
I mean yes…but Scranton has made one of those safest cities in the US lists…I think like top 100
I know this was a joke but it is actually interesting…supposedly Scranton was the first city in the US (or maybe PA) with electric street lights.
When you’re looking at Virginia keep in mind that Northern Virginia is what makes Virginia blue. Most of Virginia is purple or red especially the farther you get from DC.
Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Charlottesville contribute as well, but basically if it’s not a city or the suburbs of one, it’s red as a sunburn.
It sounds like you want to move to Oregon or Washington. They have way better climates than Michigan.
Oregon is blue, but mostly in the cities where home prices and cost of living are both high. Moving away from the cities give better affordability, but it turns red quickly. So pick your poison.
That’s true anywhere in the country though. Not a lot of blue rednecks.
If you love the outdoors, I recommend Montana and the Wyoming/Idaho border (Teton counties).
I would agree from an outdoors perspective but there’s no part of those states that really fit “blueish”. I keep hoping as a neighborhood state, but Wyoming continues to disappoint as does Montana.
Yeah, I was thinking the Teton counties because they are blue, but the state governments are indeed a fascist clown show.
Nothing to add, but this is a wildly distopian thread.
It’s the world we live in sadly
Yeah imagine reading this post like 30 years ago
north of Sacramento and south of Seattle… for that price you’ll have to be inland a few miles.
south of Seattle
Dear god please no. I’ve been here in “South of Seattle” for a good portion of my life, and due to the influx of remote workers, I’m being priced out. Restaurants are shutting down because the workers can’t afford to live in the city anymore.
I know that’s not the fault of the remote workers, it’s the fault of a capitalist system that refuses to budge on pay for work that just a few years ago was deemed “essential” and these people were expected to brave a deadly pandemic to keep things running but are now back to being treated as disposable and replaceable. They’re pretty over it, and many of them are giving up on cities like this because of it.
Would you say that’s a bit cold year round? What are the summers like?
South of Seattle (South King or North Pierce counties, or even further south, closer to Olympia) gets occasional snow in the winter, and occasional 100+ degree days in the summer. Summer is gorgeous FTMP, with temps around 75-80 most days. Oct-Mar can be rough if you’re prone to seasonal depression, from the lack of sunshine. Plan to vacation somewhere sunny for a week some time in January or February, and you’ll do better.
I will say this specific area is pretty rural and red, vs the city centers closer to Seattle and Tacoma.
Michigan gets frigid winters, doesn’t it?
I will say this specific area is pretty rural and red
That’s really farther South or East, really. Olympia is largely “progressive” (of the rich, slightly out of touch, white liberal variety) and that attitude extends to the city suburbs. The only area where that might not be as true is Lacey, which has way more of the JBLM population living there.
Speaking of which, because of JBLM and basically daily accidents on I-5, going anywhere North from the Olympia area is a fucking crapshoot. An accident can shut down I-5 for hours and because of the nature of the area, there’s not a lot of side-roads to offload traffic onto, I-5 is really the main thoroughfare. It’s not as bad going south because there’s less traffic going south, so fewer accidents. But if you want to visit a friend on Tacoma, or catch a flight out of SeaTac, or see a show in Seattle… you pretty much have to add a guesstimated 2-3 hours of travel time depending on how far north you’re going based on how long traffic could be backed up if there’s a severe accident.
The frequency of accidents honestly keeps me off of I-5 because holy fucking shit. I don’t want one of those accidents to involve me. A lot of them are real bad.
Yeah, I was thinking of areas like Enumclaw, Bonney Lake, and Puyallup. You can definitely get a (smaller) house for under 500k in those areas, but I’m not sure if it quite fits OP’s political preference.
but I’m not sure if it quite fits OP’s political preference.
I’m not even sure you could peg a political line on this area other than “meth.” Also, for whatever reason, I always think of them as far southeast of Tacoma.
Although, it can be argued if you want the political climate of those areas to change, people with different politics need to move there.
However, I think that whole area is experiencing a huge influx of remote workers as well, as it is. Rents have been rising all over.
Michigan definitely gets cold if you’re north. Places like Holland, MI seem a bit warmer
Shitload of snow too though, but that is all of Michigan
I don’t mind a bit of snow, especially considering I don’t commute or go anywhere
Lol it can be a lot some times but if you’re working from home you kinda get to choose to go out in it so not nearly as painful. Michigan is awesome.
If you don’t mind the snow, I can strongly recommend south east Michigan. I love it here. You could get a nice home with a large yard, especially if you go a little more rural. You are also likely going to be within an hour of DTW airport, which is a delta hub so you can fly to a lot of places direct.
Take a look at Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Ferndale.
Thanks! Really feeling Michigan as an option
Give it 10 years. With climate change we may be in the 50s and 60s all winter long.
Sad state of affairs for the world unfortunately have guided my choices in this matter
North of Sacramento? Not cold at all, and there are lots of great places to get out in nature. I can’t speak to Seattle much, it will get colder than Sacramento but the nature is probably even better. Summer near Sac can be very warm and get over 100, but that’s becoming more common more places
I’ll check it out, thanks!
Eureka is quite nice.
CA north of SAC is definitely not “blue-ish” in the slightest. Towns like Yreka are basically de-industrialized, the locals blame “environmentalists” for that, and now Siskiyou County goes like 70% Trump.
Also, Redding is an absolute shithole.
You should think about Minneapolis. The winters are gnarly, but very few climate change related problems on the horizon, reasonable cost of living, one of the most bike friendly cities in the U.S.
If you’re looking at Michigan I would also consider Minnesota. They have voted blue for the most presidential in a row and this last session with democratic majority has made huge gains. Michigan and Minnesota are showing what Midwestern values really mean.
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are quite large together so you can get most amenities including one of every major sport league. Housing is no longer cheap within the cities because people from out of state are coming back to buy them. But there’s tons of jobs and fortune 500 companies headquartered here.
Greater Minnesota has lots of smaller cities as well. Rochester, Brainard or Duluth all got their charms. Duluth has been listed as best city in the nation for it’s cheaper coat of living with good job opportunities. Duluth gets real bad winters so get prepared for it. But it’s better to be too cold than too hot
One of the other interesting twin cities facts is that we have a very large theater scene, one of the biggest in the nation outside NYC.
I know we get all the big Broadway hits but a few years afterwards. I know they stop at Chicago and other larger cities first
Anywhere in New England is great, but I’m also biased.
Also except New Hampshire, but I’m also biased being from Massachusetts.
Plus you’re so close to Quebec and Toronto which are super fun to visit. Western MA has a ton of nature trails in the summer and skiing trails in the winter. Plus Massachusetts history is great!
New England tends to be a bit cold no? Seems like 6-8 months will be on the very cold side
It depends on what your version of cold is haha. I love it but it tends to start to get colder toward the end of october and then get warmer around the middle or end of march; anywhere between 30ish to 50ish (as a high) though of course with climate change (sigh) it’s pretty much all over the place!
I don’t mind cold but I have to keep my wife in mind. Grew up in NJ and run hot. I miss snow but I only got to experience the good parts of it in NJ. Moved out of NJ at 14 so it was all snowmen and snow days
It’s pretty hit or miss with snow these days; when we do get it, there can be pretty significant amounts (especially in western and central mass) but I think this past winter we only had like 1 or 2 significant storms compared to when I was growing up. But yeah if she doesn’t like cold too much it might be difficult
Luckily with climate change, it’ll be perfect eventually right? Silver lining and all
I’m laughing but I’m also crying inside!
It’s a sad thing that’s guiding my house / coffin purchase
I’m eyeing big bear,ca.
Been there, it’s but definitely on the cold side, no? Honestly I view this place as where I will die so I need as much info as possible
Well yes they do get some cold weather. I’m hoping to have a place in the joshua tree area too and just migrate with the weather.
Colorado, northern Arizona, and many other states have better CoL than Ca though.
fwiw you should probably add walkability and public transport to that list, it’s one of the most significant improvements you can make to your general physical and mental health, as well as saving a disgusting amount of money on not needing a car to buy groceries.
You can do ok for 500k here in Rhode Island. No mountain wilderness, but the beaches and islands are gorgeous, and there’s lots of nature to the western part of the state.
Thanks will check it out!
The waterfires more than make up for it though!
I might be a bit biased for my own state, but Oregon sounds like it could be right up your alley. Real estate prices have kinda settled down recently after the inflation we had the past few years, so you can find nice houses for 350-500k in the slightly-rural areas surrounding Portland like Gresham, Oregon City, Estacada or Sandy.
Nature access is excellent, especially if you were to live around the Columbia River Gorge like in Corbett. A drive to the coast is under 2 hours from there also.
I am in Oregon as well, outside of Eugene. I love it. Hour to the coast, hour to the mountains, and just a general great place to live.
Brother in law wants to move to some Washington/Oregon border town to take advantage of tax stuff. What would you say are the downsides of Oregon?
Aside from the social issues mentioned by Jim, if you’re looking to move somewhere on the I-5 corridor be aware that Oregon’s reputation for ceaseless rain is, in some ways, well-deserved. Fall through spring is very cloudy and rainy. It gets gloomy and if you suffer from SAD it can be hard on you. On the other hand, summers are beautiful, with mostly sunny and warm days with the occasional heat spell.
Being a fairly large state with varied terrain, there are several climate zones:
- Summers are hotter on the I-5 corridor south of Eugene.
- The coast is cool and cloudy year-round, and rainier than the I-5 corridor.
- Areas east of the Cascade Mountains are much drier, with hotter summers and cold winters.
Thanks! Definitely good to know about the rain
The biggest downside of late in my opinion has been the homelessness and mentally unwell / drug abuse issues. Measure 110’s decriminalization of hard drugs without actually having sufficient treatment options available just exacerbated existing problems. Rural areas have a lot less of this but you’re almost guaranteed to see some nasty stuff if you’re in the bigger cities.
A lot of people do take advantage of taxes around here. There’s no sales tax in Oregon so people from Vancouver just drive over one of the bridges to do their shopping.
Corbett looks nice, the yearly average temps look good. Would you say that’s a more rural option? I’m looking for something outside any major city, I don’t go anywhere honestly.
I’d say so. It’s the kind of town with one main road that runs through the center. I had a family friend who lived there and when I visited the houses were all surrounded by acres of fields, plenty of room for horses and such.
Sounds great, will definitely check it out. Thanks so much
You might like Hood River. It’s a little more of an established town with grocery stores and many breweries/shops/outdoor activities.
My brother in law may be involved in this as he seems to think there’s tax advantages to living on the Oregon / Washington border. Would you say this is true? It’s not like I buy a lot of stuff, am I crossing the border for groceries? Trying to see what he’s seeing.
The main tax advantage there would only apply if you lived in Washington and drove to Oregon for significant purchases (cars, electronics, potentially groceries, whatever makes up the bulk of your spending). This is because Oregon doesn’t have sales tax and Washington doesn’t have income tax (Oregon has some of the highest income taxes in the nation, depending on your tax bracket, 4.75-9.9% per nerdwallet. Property taxes are roughly the same at the state level.
If you’re thinking about moving because you have free agency and want to get the most bang for your buck, considering tax burdens of places you’re looking at should definitely be a data point, since that can make a big financial difference depending on your lifestyle, spending habits, and future income.
Thanks!
One of the amazing pluses for Corbett is it’s proximity to the Columbia River Gorge. One of the minuses would be zero grocery stores in close proximity. I believe the closest is in Troutdale about 20 minutes away.
That’s not too bad, I’ve literally gone nearly a month not leaving my house. I know it might not be healthy but that’s me
I know you said the US but have you considered moving abroad? If you want a similar timezone to the States, Mexico and Chile have pretty easy immigration programs you should be able to qualify for without much effort… The crime rate in Chile is about the same as Canada IIRC. I left the US in 2017 and I honestly could not imagine coming back at this point.
