The best state to move to.

Magnum

Well-known member
Hey all,
Thinking about leaving Illinois , the democrats have drug this state down so far that I doubt there is any possible way to recover. The property taxes are out of control, we pay over $1,000 per month for our home on 1 acre, it's a decent house that suits our needs , purchased in 2016 for about $250k but my taxes are as much as the mortgage . there will be no return for taxes paid, it funds Chicago - a crime ridden cesspool of corruption and liberal agenda, it isn't even safe to venture into Chicago and if I were so inclined would not be allowed to defend myself as I would deem necessary . our gun rights are trampled on and our infrastructure is crumbling, pensions for state employees are through the roof with no way to catch up and the climate here sucks- we have 2 seasons, frozen shithole & surface of the sun. Hell, I can't even hunt here, the costs are high, public hunting ground is in seriously short supply and infested with morons and using a rifle is not permitted at all.

I moved to Tennessee in 2005 , before I had a wife and kids and liked it but had issues making an honest living. I worked for a good size auto repair shop in pigeon forge (lots of tourists ) but had an hour commute each way and could only net about $300 a week, I had to leave, it drove me into debt and destroyed everything I had up to that point.so I returned to Illinois where I had connections and was fairly well known in the automotive repair community. I've done well here and have had more business than I can handle but every penny made is taxed to oblivion and I figure I'd happily accept less money if I gave less to government , it equals out.

My family is at a crossroads right now. Brought on by the Chinese flu thing and further exasperated by a sever illness in the family, not my immediate family but my wife's sister watches my kids during the week and her husband was diagnosed with cancer last month and can no longer handle her situation along with my 1 year old & 3 year old. It's sad, my wife can not stay home with the kids, she's the bread winner & insurance holder for the family and my income has been down since the covid stuff started, people aren't driving and don't have car repair money,this isn't the end of the world but to pay a full time nanny would make no sense - if I worked all week I would only clear a few hundred dollars after paying a nanny, that's trading money for money. I'm not interested in that. Daycare is out of the question with the kung flu , not only are they not accepting more kids but they're over crowded as parents need to work and schools aren't opening here. A bit of a perfect storm.

Best thing I can come up with is to move to an area with lower taxes , have my wife work and have me stay home with the kids until they're school age and all this stuff has blown over (hopefully). I could still make money part time doing repairs from my home at night or on the weekends if needed but I want to change professions anyway, the human body can only turn a wrench for so many years until there's nothing left. At 36 I still have time to avoid some of the damage I'd take if I try to do auto repair another 20 years+,that's a topic for another time. I also still have time to get into a better profession that I can do another 30 years.

Kind of long winded but that's what's on my mind. Where would you guys think is a nice place to live with lower taxes and not in a liberal wasteland where my family can prosper without the crippling regulations and taxation of the leftist scum that's infested our fine country? Gun friendly, good schools and that's not headed to hell in a handbasket.
 

TomJ

Member
I live in the Chicago suburbs. We're making the move to Wisconsin at the end of the upcoming school year as my youngest son wanted to finish 8th grade at his school, otherwise we'd make the move sooner. I own a business and my customers are in the Chicago area, so we're moving to the Lake Geneva area as it's close enough to Illinois that it'll allow me to keep my business. My oldest son got married a little over a year ago and lives in that area. It's a different world there as the atmosphere is so much more relaxed. We all enjoy outdoor activities, which there's an abundance of there. Crime is significantly lower than it is here, and the crimes that take place are generally property crimes. Someone being murdered almost never happens. As far a property prices and taxes go, I currently own a 3 bedroom ranch. It's a nice house, but nothing special. A comparable house is going to cost me $100,000 to $150,000 less with my property taxes dropping 50% or more. There's a surge if Illinois residents making the move and houses there are generally selling in a week or so, assuming they're not overpriced or have problems. I hope those of us making the move are smart enough to not vote for the same policies that sank Illinois. As far as politics go, that area is pretty conservtive. I've seen two Biden signs and hundreds (I'm not exaggerating) of Trump signs and flags. Finally, the people are as friendly as can be, which IMO is the best thing about that area.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
I live in the Chicago suburbs. We're making the move to Wisconsin at the end of the upcoming school year as my youngest son wanted to finish 8th grade at his school, otherwise we'd make the move sooner. I own a business and my customers are in the Chicago area, so we're moving to the Lake Geneva area as it's close enough to Illinois that it'll allow me to keep my business. My oldest son got married a little over a year ago and lives in that area. It's a different world there as the atmosphere is so much more relaxed. We all enjoy outdoor activities, which there's an abundance of there. Crime is significantly lower than it is here, and the crimes that take place are generally property crimes. Someone being murdered almost never happens. As far a property prices and taxes go, I currently own a 3 bedroom ranch. It's a nice house, but nothing special. A comparable house is going to cost me $100,000 to $150,000 less with my property taxes dropping 50% or more. There's a surge if Illinois residents making the move and houses there are generally selling in a week or so, assuming they're not overpriced or have problems. I hope those of us making the move are smart enough to not vote for the same policies that sank Illinois. As far as politics go, that area is pretty conservtive. I've seen two Biden signs and hundreds (I'm not exaggerating) of Trump signs and flags. Finally, the people are as friendly as can be, which IMO is the best thing about that area.
I live 10 miles from the Wisconsin border and use Wisconsin recreation more than Illinois , I typically shoot in Delavan, use the sell a for weekend getaways and go to lake Geneva for a date with the wife ect. I do like wisconsin, I love beer & cheese, I'm a little concerned about the political climate there as well. My wife's family is all in mchenry county so she may want to stay close . my mom is in Tennessee & my brother is in Germany , so I've got no one here but my wife's side. I think Utah is nice , or Wyoming, Or Texas . like @WrongHanded said, West may be ideal. But I do think Wisconsin is an option, my wife could keep her current job, I couldn't - I work in gilberts and it's already a 40+ minute drive.
 

Good Ol' Boy

Active member
Not VA.

Although we still have "decent" gun laws for at least another few months it doesnt look good for the future.

I've debated moving myself and I don't think I'd go all the way west, more like mid/mid northwest. Plenty of places out there to "get lost", which is what I would prefer.
 

Selena

Active member
I would suggest Indiana but I've had far too much experience with Illinois people that move here to escape then attempt to pass the same inane laws here that make Illinois such a...
 

Grunt

Member
Anyone know anyone who's ever been to Idaho?:unsure:

I was born in Idaho and spent much of my youth there.

It's not the same. I was born in Boise and raised in Nampa. Graduated high school in Pocatello.

Nampa is now a latino gang hotspot. Boise is California north. Pocatello still sucks :).

I lived 25 years in Portland Oregon. I love Oregon. It's a very beautiful state filled with very ugly people. My wife and I made the decision we had to leave.

There was one problem. The old Golden Handcuffs. But in 2012 my health took a turn for the worst. I could no longer work. We were FREE! After a couple months of research it was decided we would move to Texas. It was a close race between Texas and Oklahoma. But Texas won.

We were planning on moving mid 2013. I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in January of 2013. The move was put on hold. After surgery and radiation treatments we made the move in March of 2014.

We had made two visits to Texas prior to the move. From the moment we set foot in Texas it felt like home. I'm now a 100% disabled Veteran. Texas treats individuals like me very well.

We've been down here for over six years now and are still in love with the state. There are a couple of times I've thought about moving to NE Oklahoma, after all it's where my dad was born, but I'd miss HEB way too much :)

If someone is willing to work hard Texas is hard to beat. It's a very pro business state. The one thing is property taxes can be high. There's no state income tax though. I really have no idea what my property taxes would be on our property because I'm tax exempt.

I just looked it up. Our taxes would be $7,800 on a 2500 sq foot house on 2.5 acres.
 

X62503

New member
I grew up in the Texas Hill Country, near Blanco. Mrs. X62503 and me miss H.E.B. and Whataburger, good brisket and Lone Star, Tex-Mex and bluebonnets. You’re a lucky man, Grunt. Positive thoughts and inspiration to you, Magnum.
 

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
I've moved some fifty-two times over the years (peripatetic parents) and I agree that you could do much worse than Texas... .
 

George P

Well-known member
There's a surge if Illinois residents making the move and houses there are generally selling in a week or so, assuming they're not overpriced or have problems. I hope those of us making the move are smart enough to not vote for the same policies that sank Illinois.
So you're changing state lines for the same quality of life.................
I watched the same thing happen in the Reno area in the 80s and 90s as the folks from CA moved over the hill; property prices soared and now, NV went from DEEP Red to blue
 

George P

Well-known member
OP, look at every state with no income tax and then check property taxes. Florida, for example has a WIDE range of taxes from very low to NYC high depending on the location.
 

TomJ

Member
So you're changing state lines for the same quality of life.................
I watched the same thing happen in the Reno area in the 80s and 90s as the folks from CA moved over the hill; property prices soared and now, NV went from DEEP Red to blue

Re-read what I posted in post #2. The difference in the quality of life is significant, or I wouldn't bother making the move. I can't speak for other people from Illinois who move to Wisconsin but I have never and will never vote for the policies that ruined Illinois. I'll be one more red vote in Wisconsin. The unknown is how the other people moving from Illinois will vote, but for now Wisconsin is a huge step up for us. States further away are not an option as I'll have to walk away from a business I spent 20 years building.
 

Olon

Active member
I like it here in Nebraska, but it's where I grew up and have always lived. I was born and raised in the western part of the state and moved east for college. West NE is definitely the way to go imo.

I've traveled at lot in the US for work but the plains and the Sandhills are still the very best vistas around if you ask me. Beautiful landscapes and down-home people. Nothing beats watching a summer rain roll across the Prarie and feeling that cool breeze.
 

Zendude

New member
Here in Texas, the job market, salaries, and cost of living are better than most. it’s not a secret though and people are relocating to Texas cities in droves. This makes the long term political future uncertain. But the two reasons to move are generally either family or jobs. Leaving an extended family behind has a lot of consequences. There is no real public transportation in texas cities, so cars are king which might be a positive for you.
 

Ranb

Member
WA threatened to improve a bit for a while, but now things are going stale.

The Democrats got silencer use and SBR's back, but Representative Brian Blake (D) said he didn't have the support for the short barreled shotguns.

The Range Protection Act failed and my local gun club is going bankrupt while awaiting a use permit for firearms. The other club I belong to will not allow me to shoot my 50 BMG, not even with a silencer and reduced loads.

I retire in three years and am going to spend most of my time in MN. I wish I had been able to find good work in Idaho back in 2003, that would ahve been a nice place to retire to.
 

CleanDean

New member
Anyone know anyone who's ever been to Idaho?:unsure:
[/QUOTE

My cousin , Dave Morelli moved to Idaho from Nevada. He was @ Las Vegas LEO.
His later job...writing for Tactical gun rags, articles about new combat firearms etc.

He must like it . He is still there ... now 10 years later.
 

bluetick

New member
Here are three states to consider. They border each other and all three have Constitutional Carry. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. All three have extremely low crime. New Hampshire has no income tax and no sales tax. Maine has a beautiful coast line. Vermont and Maine are very good for hunting and fishing. All three have stable economies. All three have vast stretches of rural areas. And all three could only benefit from conservative people moving there.
 
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