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I'm looking for opinions on an area suited for me. With the vast number of people on this forum, I'm hoping I can get some good advice.
Short story.
Im a 30 year old Caucasian male, currently living in Southern California.
I remodel gas station for a large company. My teritory is California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona. And travel between these states frequently.
My father, 60+, was recently diagnosed with PPS and wanted to live with his son (me) and moved back to the states. (He retired to Vancouver Island about 10 years ago)
He was a home builder for some time and knows what he is doing on that aspect; He figured we would pool our money together and he would build us two homes, relatively close together. So I can help him out while he falls apart, and not be alone.
California building fees are crazy, land is expensive, labor is expensive, materials are expensive. Traffic is crazy, cost of living is extremely high, job market sucks. There is absolute no reason for me to stay in California.
What Im looking for is a decently populated area, with a decent climate.
I dont like the extreme heat we find in CA, AZ, or NV. However, I dont want to have to shovel snow out of my driveway every morning.
Looking for about an acre. This should give me plenty of room for my hobbies without pissing off any neighbors.
Im in Fife, WA right now.
Its a nice cool area. I really like it. My father may not, the heat helps out the old timers aces and pains I guess. However, a quick realtor.com search shows affordable land.
Im too young to retire into some kind of back-water town.
So I need to be near people (females) about my age group.
I would also like to be near some type of water-way. Im a big fan of marine vehicles.
Also, I hate traffic.
Working budget is very tight.
I figure, cant pay much more than $50k for the land, and still have enough to build 2 homes.
When I was living in Renton, I liked it, but didn't love it. Housing was crazy in the Seattle area, and a little too crowded for me. I always like Vancouver WA. Larger city without being stupid like Seattle was (driving from Renton to Bellevue everyday up the 405...fun.) and I know a lot of people like the lack of a state income tax in WA & just run over the bridge to Portland to take advantage of no sales tax in OR. I never lived there, thought hard about it but it never worked out. The compromise of the convenience of being in a city but being able to escape the rat race quickly when I needed to always appealed to me. You're kind of centered too, just hop on the I-5 to run north or south or the I-84 to go East for work, instead of being way at one end or the other. Just a thought.
I have lived in Washington, Maryland, Pennsylvania, San Diego California, and am now in Western Tennessee (20 minutes north of Memphis).
MY PLAN is to relocate to TEXAS - and a lot of options are available there.
1) NO income tax
2) People are expected to know how to live - it IS NOT a "NANNY STATE"
3) Texas ladies (from what I have seen) are a cut above...
*Hey man - KIM BASSINGER was from there, you know what I'm talkin' about...
4) Offroad is not CUT OFF by silly conservation laws - you can go where you want
5) Far as I know, they have not set integration back about 200 years there...
6) You can grow citrus trees in your own backyard
7) You can grow your own Avocado's
8) The growing season is as long as it gets in North America
9) People are polite to one another
10) IT IS A HOTRODDERS MECCA
~ and if you have been in Washington for any time at all you will HEAR THIS!
SLUGS DON'T CLIMB UP YOUR BEER CANS
I'm not gonna promise that there are NO mosquitos - it depends on where you go
It occurs to me that I have two invites (standing) to Tejas.
ONE is for a "MULE RIDE" out into the desert around Witchita Falls
The OTHER is to go big boar hunting with a former navy seal...
Puget Sound has it's charms. I like Kitsap County, especially the northern reaches since it's close to everything but still somewhat rural. North Mason county is nice too, I'd actually rather live there but it's further from jobs.
It occurs to me that I have two invites (standing) to Tejas.
ONE is for a "MULE RIDE" out into the desert around Witchita Falls
The OTHER is to go big boar hunting with a former navy seal...
Boar hunting with a friend and you aren't on the road yet? What are you waiting for?
OK I understand that waiting for the weather to cool a bit might be a decent reason.
My old 85 pound compound lynx was stolen while I was away on duty. I wanted to run it right up to a hunnerd....
See, that right there is what I mean about this place, we have thieves and welfare basstards around here
~ The man who stole it and sold it was one my estranged wife LET IN THE HOUSE while I was gone.
You have no idea how many bad things I taste just standing around my own home!
I need to throw all of this in the DIRT and leave it behind!!!
* I'm working on a Suzuki Swift. It will get amazing mileage, and will have room for one or both of my DOGS. I guarantee ya, I WILL go see TEXAS -
And they have wild boar there that can't be beat
NOW, down in Bihalia I know a place I can harvest GATOR TAIL, I should consider that and mark it on my calendar
I wonder if Jim remembers me?
Didn't quite catch whether you had to stay in your current work territory or were open to changing jobs. If you can you should put Texas on your list of possibilities. good luck.