Leaving the Peoples Republic of California

[Heirloom]

I can't take it any more. This state has lost it's marbles. Not to mention the perma-drought we are in. My well has just started to run low. It isn't keeping up with demand now and I have to start cutting back on the garden, tree and pig wallow watering. Not acceptable My little mountain town is drying up

Soooo.....my family, and I mean my entire family...Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle & Grandma....we are all going to relocate somewhere east. My Sinister....I mean Sister and Bro-in-Law have just left. They closed escrow on the sale of their house yesterday (Monday). They left the state Sunday morning....heading for Huntington, WV. They have rented a place in town to get them through the winter while searching for the right house/property to buy.

We are all looking at West Virginia, Central to Eastern Kentucky and North/Central Tennessee. Going to buy a good chunk or two of land with a fixer house. We are going to go the self sufficient route. Something I have been wanting to do, but have been held back by being on rented land and not having enough workable land.

So FORDification friends, I want to hear from you. If you live in the area's I listed I really want to hear anything you can tell me about life in that area. I've looked at everything from weather to taxes. If you have a garden, tell me about your growing season, what sort of issues do you face. I know many counties vary in sales & property taxes, as well as county board members and local police. Tell me about your local Sheriff. Is he/she a Constitutionalists or another gun grabbing leftist patsy (sorry if that offends anyone, but it's important to me). We are conservatives (also known now as domestic terrorists ) and simply want to live in a area with like minded folks.

Tell me where you live, give me your . Maybe you'll gain a FORDification friend (who believes in fortification) as a neighbor

Thanks!!!

[Ranchero50]

I think you'll do well if you don't have high income expectations. Dirt poor areas with great people living there. Small towns with steep valleys. Coal down South.

Shepherdstown WV, highest annual family income in the state at $88k and that's only because it's within commuting distance of DC and has a college in town. I love this area, flat land with mountain lines running both East and West. Always green, has four honest seasons and depending on where you end up you'll either get snow or ice for winter.

If you are into the firearms, they are pretty liberal with CCW permits and there's a lot of state hunting grounds.

[Heirloom]

Thanks for the info Ranchero50!

Income isn't too big of a concern, and a lot of the best people I've known are dirt poor. Being too close to DC is a concern though. I have looked at a few listings on the eastern side of WV below the mountains. It's beautiful fertile country for sure.

Besides having more water than I need, I really look forward to hunting. Out here they spend tax dollars to pay hunters (AKA friends and family) to hunt the javelina (closest thing we have to wild pigs/boars). No tags or licenses available. Deer hunting? Forget it in my area.

I grew up here in So Cal. It will be hard to say goodbye to home. I've lived in several other states, but this time is different. Home was always California. I'm leaving for good and taking the 'home' sign with me.

[sargentrs]

Come to God's country! North Georgia mountains. I live in a "small" town of about 30k but that covers a large area. Sales tax is 7%. Property tax runs about 1400/yr on an assessed value of $165k. Homeowners insurance is about $700/yr. Downtown has been locked in the 60s-70s for decades. Walmart, Home Depot, hotels, liquor stores, etc tried to move in and the city council allowed them to build out by the highway passage but told them "Don't bring that crap in our town!" Everybody owns guns and most vote Conservative. Summers run to the mid 90s and we get snow about 5 days a year. More later....gotta run.

[eggman918]

Were in the same boat as you the Wife just got a job in Sedona AZ. she starts in 2 weeks listed the house yesterday,hoping it will sell fast most of our stuff is already packed except for my shop will need a forklift to do that so it's last.Been in CA. my whole life but can't take it or afford it any more, we want to stay west of the Rockies and the mountainous parts of AZ. looked real good when we were there last month as does the regulatory climate including the gun rights.The Wife and I and my youngest daughter her fiance and my 2 grand daughters are coming with us,my oldest daughter her husband and daughter will follow in the next few years once we get established.My family has been moving west for the last 350 years but unless we go to Australia or new zealand there is now more west to move to.All the sane ones are fleeing this once great state.

[Heirloom]

Hey there Sarge. North GA is an option too. There are a few promising listings I've seen down there. I need minimum 20 acres. Love the fact that your town has kept big boxes just out of town.

Eggman - Thanks for sharing your story. Nice to know I'm on the sane side, . Good luck to you and all of your family in your new lives.


Oh, I WILL be bringing my 68, as well as one or two other old fords with me This is what sparked me refocusing my efforts on the truck.

[sargentrs]

Check out Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Copper Hill (TN), Maysville, Murphy and Franklin NC, too. All those places have kept things well preserved, property values are low and acreage is plentiful. Outside of the main town, home sites are spread out with lots of road in between. The Ocoee and Hiawassee rivers, Cherokee National Forest, Pigeon Forge, TN, Dollywood, etc are on the route and have made that area appealing without contaminating it. Up in that area, they get a little more snow during the winter but the summers are milder and spring and fall are fantastic. And this whole area has a love of vintage American iron with cruise ins and car/truck shows all over. Just, if you hear banjo music, you might want to be closer to a large town. That's where they filmed Deliverance, you know.

[Heirloom]

Sounds like the promised land to me Sarge. Thank you again for the ideas

[sargentrs]

Just a couple I did a google search for "homes for sale in the North Georgia Mountains". Not sure what you're budget is but ...

http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/235919/
http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/228520/
http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/222899/
http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/235913/
http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/232907/
http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/240815/
http://www.northgeorgiamountainrealty.com/land/226025/

Might also do some MLS searches here...

http://www.blairsvillerealty.com/
http://www.mountaintoprealty.net/
http://www.appalachian-realty.com/

[68RGR]

JOSH - Congratulations on your decision to leave the Peoples Republic!

I sincerely hope you find a more hospitable place to live - in all aspects. Water? Man, you gotta have water! Even that nut-job base commander in "Dr Strangelove" knew that!

I had heard that one or two groups of counties in the Peoples Republic wanted to form their own states. I suppose that hasn't gotten any momentum, huh?

Welcome to the other side of the Mississippi - But, don't stray too far north! Even Maryland has some wacky notions about firearms - To the point of running out-of-state tags and comparing the registered owners' names to concealed carry license databases in order to predicate a traffic stop!

http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/artic ... -city.aspx

Plus, they doubled-down on firearms restrictions recently. It just seems that the farther north you go, the wackier it gets. I guess the same could be said of 'west' if you go far enough!

Good luck - And, I mean it!

[Heirloom]

Randy - Thanks man! I've looked at a couple in there before. The Copperhill, TN place is beautiful.

68RGR - Thank you very much. Yeah, water. Get this. Our Governor signed a bill today which in the long run will amount to personal wells being managed by the state or local authority.




EDIT - I already knew about the CCW checks and 'probable cause' stops And I doubt there will be enough support to split the state in two, much less 3 or more as I have heard.

Going to have a beer or 6 now. My BP just rose a bunch

[tqwrench]

All I can say is Texas, Florida and maybe Penna. Texas if you want a job, Florida for the easy living - taxes are so low it's scary. These other areas sound nice. If you have marketable skills you get to choose where you want to live, if you want 4 seasons and reasonable living, look at Pennsylvania too. Taxes there are still manageable, many from the democratic people's republic of NY have crossed the border for asylum. However it's surrounded by the stupidity of Maryland, Delaware and New York. Mind you, many who live there are sane, however their big cities have driven the states into commie hell. Maryland has to be one of the worst, they tax the rain there. No, I'm not BSing you, they actually tax the rain. Look it up.

[sykanr0ng]

All I can say is Texas, Florida and maybe Penna. Texas if you want a job, Florida for the easy living - taxes are so low it's scary. These other areas sound nice. If you have marketable skills you get to choose where you want to live, if you want 4 seasons and reasonable living, look at Pennsylvania too. Taxes there are still manageable, many from the democratic people's republic of NY have crossed the border for asylum. However it's surrounded by the stupidity of Maryland, Delaware and New York. Mind you, many who live there are sane, however their big cities have driven the states into commie hell. Maryland has to be one of the worst, they tax the rain there. No, I'm not BSing you, they actually tax the rain. Look it up.

Florida has a lot of people that speak against living there.
For example; they no longer allow new auto salvage yards, which usually means that the next step is to regulate the old ones out of existence.
Can be hard to earn a living there too.

Pennsylvania is on its way toward the gun control of their neighbors.

[red_67f100]

Well....here in Texas we get a lot of "winter Texans" they come down from northern states because we don't get such harsh weather as the northern states. As far as jobs go they pay well in the northern part of Texas especially in the gas and oil field....the southern part where I live has low paying jobs but a great climate and good people and great food. The police here is awesome, they don't bother you. Best of wishes on your search for a new hometown.

[sargentrs]

Here's how we do it in Georgia. http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/co ... ere-almost and http://rense.com/general9/gunlaw.htm

One thing to consider is that TN has no state tax but their sales taxes are a lot higher. I have noticed that gas prices in TN are 30-40 cents lower in TN than GA. My daughter and her family just moved from Pigeon Forge, TN to Panama City, FL and she says that food prices are lot higher in FL than TN and that it's flipping HOT in FL. I've heard FL has 4 seasons, almost summer, early summer, summer and late summer. And a friend of mine moved from here to the Orlando,FL area last year and moved back this year. He hated it there. Said the people weren't friendly. Here, when you're driving down the road, meet somebody and raise your hand, they wave back. Down there he said they just look at you like you're crazy.

On the road from here to my daughter's former house in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, up Hwy 411, is a lot of empty land and small towns scattered between here and there, with a lot of for sale signs posted out. We went there once a month to see my granddaughter the whole time they lived there. On that route, 3 hour drive, are several small and 2 BIG junk yards and I see classic cars, from pristine to rusted hulks scattered all through there. And let's not forget that, every year, Pigeon Forge hosts the Rod Run, Shades of the Past, and the F100 SuperNationals!

I moved from North Louisiana out here to North Georgia 24 years ago and will never move anywhere else.