Oklahoma is looking like a better version of Texas at this point. Anyone that needs a city should consider Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Good States to Live in the United States
- Thread starter Robin Williams
- Start date
I've done a ton a research trying to figure out where I want to bring my family to settle down. I'm coming from New Hampshire, a place that I love but it's sadly too damn expensive these days. The housing market is just out of control for both renting and buying. Other knocks I have against NH are that the winters are a bit colder and longer then I want, and it's not a red state, it's really crawling with a lot of woke weirdo types. There's a lot of good people left, but the state went to Kamala in the 2024 election (and Hilary in 2016) which in my eyes is a major canary in the coal mine. I also don't like that NH is cut off from the rest of the country by its borders with NY and MA, 2 of the worst states in the country. It's actually surrounded by blue states in every direction.
The state I'm really focused on is Tennessee, specifically East Tennessee and the areas around Knoxville. Things I specifically like about it: it's a very red area in a solidly red part of the country, it's overwhelmingly white and one of the least black regions of the South, still an affordable housing situation compared to the northeast and other desirable parts of the county along with an overall lower cost of living, great laws in terms of taxes, guns and self defense, pushback against LGBT, good weather (I'm not afraid of the summer heat) still has the 4 season, a good growing season and environment, great outdoor opportunities with the abundance of forests and mountains, and overall it seems like a great place to raise a family with lots to do for families and young kids.
My runner up would be Idaho but its just very far from NH making the move or even the ability to do a road trip there to scope it out more difficult (Tennessee is a relatively short 14 hour drive while Idaho is 40 hours).
I like Idaho (specifically the northern panhandle/ CDA area) for exactly all of the same reasons I like Tennessee, with the added benefit that Idaho has truly epic opportunities to explore the outdoors and do whatever you desire. Idaho would have colder winters (I could live with it coming from NH), a worse tax situation, and a worse housing market (not as bad as NH, but much worse then the South East).
Anyways, just want to throw that out there. I'd love to hear from other guys going through a similar decision making process.
The state I'm really focused on is Tennessee, specifically East Tennessee and the areas around Knoxville. Things I specifically like about it: it's a very red area in a solidly red part of the country, it's overwhelmingly white and one of the least black regions of the South, still an affordable housing situation compared to the northeast and other desirable parts of the county along with an overall lower cost of living, great laws in terms of taxes, guns and self defense, pushback against LGBT, good weather (I'm not afraid of the summer heat) still has the 4 season, a good growing season and environment, great outdoor opportunities with the abundance of forests and mountains, and overall it seems like a great place to raise a family with lots to do for families and young kids.
My runner up would be Idaho but its just very far from NH making the move or even the ability to do a road trip there to scope it out more difficult (Tennessee is a relatively short 14 hour drive while Idaho is 40 hours).
I like Idaho (specifically the northern panhandle/ CDA area) for exactly all of the same reasons I like Tennessee, with the added benefit that Idaho has truly epic opportunities to explore the outdoors and do whatever you desire. Idaho would have colder winters (I could live with it coming from NH), a worse tax situation, and a worse housing market (not as bad as NH, but much worse then the South East).
Anyways, just want to throw that out there. I'd love to hear from other guys going through a similar decision making process.
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Ironically, I was looking at Eastern Tennessee - specifically Sevierveille and its surrounding area due to the Smoky Mountains and Orthodox Church - as a state to move to from a Blue State (Northeast). I visited Eastern TN twice.
I had also visited the Chattanooga area as well.
What you just listed is pretty much what I had looked into as well. One thing to add to your list is there are better employment opportunities for those in the professional field.
My biggest concerns are:
*TN will continue to get overwhelmed with new people from Blue States moving to Knoxville, Nashville, etc. (I spoke to a couple originally from California -- they love TN after close to a decade of living near Chattanooga);
* costs will likely go up as more and more outsiders move to TN;
* traffic;
* tourisms.
I had to drop Idaho from my list due to lack of Orthodox Churches in some parts of the state.
Other states I looked at:
* Morgantown, West Virginia - Poorest state in the country but lowest cost of living and buying a home or property is reasonable and affordable. WV is a very Red State and Pro Gun. Morgantown is one hour from Pittsburgh and there are plenty of Orthodox Churches.
* Oklahoma & Texas - I had visited TX & OK a few times in the past. While there are positives - Red States, pro guns, excellent BBQ restaurants, etc. - I'm not a fan of flat lands and dry weather. I prefer to be near the mountains.
Right now, it is down to TN (costly) and WV (cheaper) on my 'move to' list.
Places like East TN are in high demand because they are 1) naturally beautiful, 2) mild climate, and 3) conservative/low-tax government. The one saving grace there is that it is far from most of the big liberal population centers aside from Atlanta, and Californians or New Yorkers would sometimes prefer to move somewhere closer to home. Arizona or New Hampshire are even more at risk.
But if you really want to avoid the liberal influx and cost of living surges, you have to sacrifice some of the traits that make Tennessee appealing. So WV is a good choice because the winters are harsh enough to scare off most invaders. So are Missouri and Indiana, but much of those states are flat agricultural zones. Oklahoma is even more boring. Personally, I'll take a bit of cold if I can live somewhere affordable, beautiful, and conservative.
I've only visited Idaho (Boise and Coeur d'Alene), but both areas live up to the hype in my opinion. Even with all the people moving there. The thing about Idaho is it attracts very right-wing people, except for maybe the Boise area. And Boise is still fairly right-wing compared to most cities. It's also incredibly clean.
The biggest negatives are the expensive housing and lower wages.
But the scenery is incredible, and there's a sense of freedom in Idaho that doesn't exist in much of the US. Like going back in time.
The biggest negatives are the expensive housing and lower wages.
But the scenery is incredible, and there's a sense of freedom in Idaho that doesn't exist in much of the US. Like going back in time.
I'm from the Midwest and would go to Michigan or Wisconsin if I ever went back. No mountains, but still very beautiful states with all the lakes, beaches, forests, etc. Also incredibly nice people.
The houses are also affordable, with good wages. And lots of nice smaller to medium cities to choose from.
The houses are also affordable, with good wages. And lots of nice smaller to medium cities to choose from.
That's true, it's a very nice area once you get out of the big cities.
Downside of those States is they usually elect Democratic governments, and Michigan's governor is notorious for her abuses. Trump did win them by about a 1% margin, so they could still swing right in the future.
Re: Idaho.
Years ago - late 1980's - I was planning to transfer to a 4 year college in Pocatello (Idaho State University) from a community college in the northeast. A childhood-high school buddy was already living there because of Ricks College, which is a Mormon college. (My buddy was a Mormon.)
He begged me to come out to Pocatello to check out ISU. Sadly, the school wouldn't accept any transfer credits from an out-of-state community college when I spoke with an ISU official in the admissions office. I dropped my transfer plan.
Pocatello is surrounded by mountains. Beautiful area.
Years ago - late 1980's - I was planning to transfer to a 4 year college in Pocatello (Idaho State University) from a community college in the northeast. A childhood-high school buddy was already living there because of Ricks College, which is a Mormon college. (My buddy was a Mormon.)
He begged me to come out to Pocatello to check out ISU. Sadly, the school wouldn't accept any transfer credits from an out-of-state community college when I spoke with an ISU official in the admissions office. I dropped my transfer plan.
Pocatello is surrounded by mountains. Beautiful area.
Yeah you could say your vote actually matters in Michigan and Wisconsin. Their politics can be frustrating at times, but at least they aren't completely gay like Illinois and Minnesota.
The rural areas of the Midwest can be some of the most peaceful places to live.
Those mountains are incredible. Yeah East Idaho looks to be very Mormon like Utah. I've always thought Mormons are very nice people and never cause problems.Re: Idaho.
Years ago - late 1980's - I was planning to transfer to a 4 year college in Pocatello (Idaho State University) from a community college in the northeast. A childhood-high school buddy was already living there because of Ricks College, which is a Mormon college. (My buddy was a Mormon.)
He begged me to come out to Pocatello to check out ISU. Sadly, the school wouldn't accept any transfer credits from an out-of-state community college when I spoke with an ISU official in the admissions office. I dropped my transfer plan.
Pocatello is surrounded by mountains. Beautiful area.
Twin Falls and Idaho Falls are a couple of other smaller cities with cheaper housing than Boise and North Idaho. I'm hoping to check them out one day.