She doesn't mind commuting so the 'burbs of a larger city may be the answer so it will be easier for her to find a job.
She doesn't mind commuting so the 'burbs of a larger city may be the answer so it will be easier for her to find a job.
I tend to think ours is pretty good. We have a higher than national average household income, but low property taxes. It works pretty well.
frenchyd said:yupididit said:In reply to z31maniac :
Yeah property tax is a decent expense here but like I said I don't think it's out of hand given no state income tax. The last two states I've lived in were California and Virginia, so Texas feels under taxed compared to them lol
Everybody seems to get taxes wrong. Income is much more important than taxes. In fact the states with the lowest taxes tend to also have the lowest income. While states with the highest taxes also have the highest income.
I’ll take $120,000 a year income in Connecticut and gladly pay their higher tax’s compared to the $38,000 in Mississippi with no taxes and that’s the sort of difference in incomes.
When it comes to property taxes it really depends on the location more than the state. Property taxes where I live is really low compared to Minneapolis or St Paul. A house with my value there would probably cost $25-30,000. A year while I pay less than 1/5 th of that.
When you have multi-million dollar homes right next to each other the city can do a lot at a very low rate compared to $100,000 homes next to each other.
It's fun using examples on two different ends of the spectrum. What about making 75k in LA vs 75k in Austin?
Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
I keep trying to sell the wife on the Green Bay area. She's not biting. Really anywhere in Wisconsin would be fine for me.
yupididit said:frenchyd said:yupididit said:In reply to z31maniac :
Yeah property tax is a decent expense here but like I said I don't think it's out of hand given no state income tax. The last two states I've lived in were California and Virginia, so Texas feels under taxed compared to them lol
Everybody seems to get taxes wrong. Income is much more important than taxes. In fact the states with the lowest taxes tend to also have the lowest income. While states with the highest taxes also have the highest income.
I’ll take $120,000 a year income in Connecticut and gladly pay their higher tax’s compared to the $38,000 in Mississippi with no taxes and that’s the sort of difference in incomes.
When it comes to property taxes it really depends on the location more than the state. Property taxes where I live is really low compared to Minneapolis or St Paul. A house with my value there would probably cost $25-30,000. A year while I pay less than 1/5 th of that.
When you have multi-million dollar homes right next to each other the city can do a lot at a very low rate compared to $100,000 homes next to each other.
It's fun using examples on two different ends of the spectrum. What about making 75k in LA vs 75k in Austin?
Precisely, regardless of where I move, I'll be on the same salary scale (I covered this in the initial post). They won't raise my salary because I decide to move somewhere more expensive. Performance raises and promotions will be the only path to more money. Not location. So then yes, taxes DO play an important part of the equation.
For example, Texas has no state income, but dramatically higher property tax. Arkansas has an even higher state income tax then Oklahoma but much lower property taxes and slightly lower sales taxes (depending on county).
Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
That sounds great, and the girlfriend may be OK with real winters, but I just can't imagine the scenario where I would be. I get annoyed when we have a few days of snow PER YEAR.
Possibly for the right salary, but I don't think any company would be willing to pay me what it would take to deal with snow/ice/blizzards 4-5 months out of the year.
Some friends just moved to Bozeman Montana. He is almost 60 and just retired. His wife is my age (late 40's) and works for the Patent Office. She can work remotely anywhere there's hi-speed internet, so that requirement drove the towns they're living in. Right now they're renting while they move around the state and find the area they like best.
From the pictures and stories they've told so far, I'd love to live there.
yupididit said:It's fun using examples on two different ends of the spectrum. What about making 75k in LA vs 75k in Austin?
I thought there wasnt much of a difference anymore.
mtn said:Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
I keep trying to sell the wife on the Green Bay area. She's not biting. Really anywhere in Wisconsin would be fine for me.
Check out the area surrounding Elkhart Lake---- gorgeous country, and dirt cheap! There is of course the problem of finding decent employment, but if you can work remotely it's awesome. No crime, world class racetrack, super nice people I love rural WI. Really the only drawbacks are the Winter weather, and the fact that they are all rabid Packer fans!
come to minnesota. We're like wisconisn, just more cosmopolitan and less drunk children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_Wisconsin
The drinking age in Wisconsin is 21. Those under the legal drinking age may be served, possess, or consume alcohol if they are with a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who is of legal drinking age.[14] Those age 18 to 20 may also possess (but not consume) alcohol as part of their employment.[6]
Fueled by Caffeine said:come to minnesota. We're like wisconisn, just more cosmopolitan and less drunk children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_Wisconsin
The drinking age in Wisconsin is 21. Those under the legal drinking age may be served, possess, or consume alcohol if they are with a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who is of legal drinking age.[14] Those age 18 to 20 may also possess (but not consume) alcohol as part of their employment.[6]
But no Spotted Cow! But you do get grain belt. And Jucy Lucys.
Joe Gearin said:mtn said:Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
I keep trying to sell the wife on the Green Bay area. She's not biting. Really anywhere in Wisconsin would be fine for me.
Check out the area surrounding Elkhart Lake---- gorgeous country, and dirt cheap! There is of course the problem of finding decent employment, but if you can work remotely it's awesome. No crime, world class racetrack, super nice people I love rural WI. Really the only drawbacks are the Winter weather, and the fact that they are all rabid Packer fans!
Elkhart would be solid. And actually only an hour from two separate locations that my company has. But probably not happening for a few years at least.
I may have missed it, but to the OP, what does your girlfriend do for a living? That can have a big influence on where you choose to live also.
Fueled by Caffeine said:yupididit said:It's fun using examples on two different ends of the spectrum. What about making 75k in LA vs 75k in Austin?
I thought there wasn't much of a difference anymore.
High state income tax and below avg property tax (CA) vs high property tax (TX). The difference isn't as big anymore.
But, 75k in the San Antonio area there's a difference.
Don't get too friendly with the natives. Unless you've been there a lifetime, you aren't one of them. Small towns only "seem" friendly.
I really enjoyed Evansville IN. Downtown has a modestly progressive vibe, and the conservative stuff around it is not extreme. A quick googles says population is 119k but it doesn't feel that big
Slidell, LA is a bedroom community for NewO and is a really neat town. It probably ticks in at about 30k people.
Not sure how far north you want to come, but PA is packed to the gills with historic towns in the size range you seek. Lancaster and Harrisburg tip the scales at around 50k people each, and 300k will buy you a nice house here
mtn said:Joe Gearin said:mtn said:Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
I keep trying to sell the wife on the Green Bay area. She's not biting. Really anywhere in Wisconsin would be fine for me.
Check out the area surrounding Elkhart Lake---- gorgeous country, and dirt cheap! There is of course the problem of finding decent employment, but if you can work remotely it's awesome. No crime, world class racetrack, super nice people I love rural WI. Really the only drawbacks are the Winter weather, and the fact that they are all rabid Packer fans!
Elkhart would be solid. And actually only an hour from two separate locations that my company has. But probably not happening for a few years at least.
Let me second that idea. Elkhart Lake is spectacular and filled with historic and interesting cultural things . Not to mention the best road race track in America with absolutely the best Track Food in the world. The low cost of a formally small Dairy farm in the surrounding area makes the value of living there extremely attractive.
With the death of the small family dairy farm there are so many available for such a modest price it’s worth it to buy one and keep it as a family retreat even after big cities or warm southern climates call .
Hot muggy weather is something to endure all summer long and southern summers last a long-long time. Really the south is only an attraction after Christmas They invented Time shares and Jet travel for exactly that reason.
Until then there is beautiful fall colors to enjoy. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years almost on top of each other.. that leaves only January, February March to use your time share and escape winter
Small family dairy farms exist all over Wisconsin. Even near the Minnesota Border with the Lure of the Twin Cities ( Minneapolis St Paul ) #10 in size & #10 in Fortune 500 companies but because of it’s strong diverse economy one of the more economically stable cities in the country
frenchyd said:mtn said:Joe Gearin said:mtn said:Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
I keep trying to sell the wife on the Green Bay area. She's not biting. Really anywhere in Wisconsin would be fine for me.
Check out the area surrounding Elkhart Lake---- gorgeous country, and dirt cheap! There is of course the problem of finding decent employment, but if you can work remotely it's awesome. No crime, world class racetrack, super nice people I love rural WI. Really the only drawbacks are the Winter weather, and the fact that they are all rabid Packer fans!
Elkhart would be solid. And actually only an hour from two separate locations that my company has. But probably not happening for a few years at least.
Let me second that idea. Elkhart Lake is spectacular and filled with historic and interesting cultural things . Not to mention the best road race track in America with absolutely the best Track Food in the world. The low cost of a formally small Dairy farm in the surrounding area makes the value of living there extremely attractive.
With the death of the small family dairy farm there are so many available for such a modest price it’s worth it to buy one and keep it as a family retreat even after big cities or warm southern climates call .
Hot muggy weather is something to endure all summer long and southern summers last a long-long time. Really the south is only an attraction after Christmas They invented Time shares and Jet travel for exactly that reason.
Until then there is beautiful fall colors to enjoy. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years almost on top of each other.. that leaves only January, February March to use your time share and escape winter
Small family dairy farms exist all over Wisconsin. Even near the Minnesota Border with the Lure of the Twin Cities ( Minneapolis St Paul ) #10 in size & #10 in Fortune 500 companies but because of it’s strong diverse economy one of the more economically stable cities in the country
I agree with all of that....... but you are discounting the horrid greyness of wintertime in the Midwest. It wasn't the cold, or snow, or ice, or wind that drove me away, it was the monotonous greyness. You'll go a month without seeing the sun---- that's hard to take for a lot of folks. Don't get me wrong, I love the upper Midwest, it will always be home to me---- nicest people in the entire U.S. The winters up there suck though--- even if you have a snowmobile and a closet full of Carhartt clothing. It's one of the reasons the Spring is so wonderful up there----- it's like coming out of a cave after hibertation.
Joe Gearin said:frenchyd said:mtn said:Joe Gearin said:mtn said:Joe Gearin said:Madison Wisconsin would meet your needs as far as culture (big college town), being near water, and cost of living. It's a reasonable drive to Chicago or Milwaukee. Also the quality of public education is quite good in the upper Midwest--- so the regular person you meet on the street tends to be very well educated.
It is absolutely "REAL WINTER" up there though......no getting around that one. Wisconsin really is a hidden gem in the U.S. It seems the only folks who know about how beautiful and friendly WI is, are those who live nearby. It's worth a look---- as long as you aren't bothered by bundling up in the Winter. (or having a second home in AZ or FL)
I keep trying to sell the wife on the Green Bay area. She's not biting. Really anywhere in Wisconsin would be fine for me.
Check out the area surrounding Elkhart Lake---- gorgeous country, and dirt cheap! There is of course the problem of finding decent employment, but if you can work remotely it's awesome. No crime, world class racetrack, super nice people I love rural WI. Really the only drawbacks are the Winter weather, and the fact that they are all rabid Packer fans!
Elkhart would be solid. And actually only an hour from two separate locations that my company has. But probably not happening for a few years at least.
Let me second that idea. Elkhart Lake is spectacular and filled with historic and interesting cultural things . Not to mention the best road race track in America with absolutely the best Track Food in the world. The low cost of a formally small Dairy farm in the surrounding area makes the value of living there extremely attractive.
With the death of the small family dairy farm there are so many available for such a modest price it’s worth it to buy one and keep it as a family retreat even after big cities or warm southern climates call .
Hot muggy weather is something to endure all summer long and southern summers last a long-long time. Really the south is only an attraction after Christmas They invented Time shares and Jet travel for exactly that reason.
Until then there is beautiful fall colors to enjoy. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years almost on top of each other.. that leaves only January, February March to use your time share and escape winter
Small family dairy farms exist all over Wisconsin. Even near the Minnesota Border with the Lure of the Twin Cities ( Minneapolis St Paul ) #10 in size & #10 in Fortune 500 companies but because of it’s strong diverse economy one of the more economically stable cities in the country
I agree with all of that....... but you are discounting the horrid greyness of wintertime in the Midwest. It wasn't the cold, or snow, or ice, or wind that drove me away, it was the monotonous greyness. You'll go a month without seeing the sun---- that's hard to take for a lot of folks. Don't get me wrong, I love the upper Midwest, it will always be home to me---- nicest people in the entire U.S. The winters up there suck though--- even if you have a snowmobile and a closet full of Carhartt clothing. It's one of the reasons the Spring is so wonderful up there----- it's like coming out of a cave after hibertation.
Ducks with tiny little brains are smart enough to fly south for the winter, God I hate being dumber than a duck! Especially since my daughter works for Delta and I can fly free!
Actually I don’t mind early winter From Halloween to Thanksgiving followed by Christmas and New-years. But right after that is the reason they created Time shares and jet planes.
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :
You can still live in the burbs or edge of town and have a cheap house in Austin. I'm just inside the city limits by 2 streets and my house is only worth about $260K. Now if I moved 5-10 miles closer to Downtown. The same house is 550K now. The problem is that 550K home now also have at least $8500 a year in property tax as well. My place is this year is at $5400 a year and I'm still appraised well under market by 10-15%.
A friend of mine just bought a house in Rockford IL:
6,500 sq. ft
3 acres of wooded property
2 car attached garage, 4 car detached garage, AND a small barn
home in great shape, just needs upgrading (very 70's inside)
asking price was $239,000
Of course it's cheap living, Rockford is the home of Cheap Trick after all!
racerdave600 said:I may have missed it, but to the OP, what does your girlfriend do for a living? That can have a big influence on where you choose to live also.
She currently has her Associates in Marketing and is working toward her Bachelors in Marketing. She is currently the Marketing coordinator for a mid-sized trucking company here in OKC.
She handles their social media accounts, newsletters, outside marketing materials and job fairs, things like that. Before this she had a brief stint working for a company that produces software that handles recruiting drivers and background checks for the trucking industry. Happened by accident, but at this point (34) she probably needs to stick with this path so she can move up the ranks as she finishes her degree.
That's part of what makes the Fayetteville area in AR interesting is the headquarters of J.B. Hunt are nearby.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is political affiliation. FOr some people that doesn't matter, but for others (myself included) it could be a big deal. This has come up in other where to live/move/retire threads. Personally I'm liberal, and while I get frustrated here in Michigan due to Gerrymandering, I can live here as we're in reality a 50/50 state. I love places like Atlanta or Austin, but have concerns about living South of the Mason Dixon line, and I"m not the only one. We have good friends who's job took them from Michigan to Austin. They love Austin itself as a bastion of sanity in a red state, but even so they just can't stand living in such a Red state overall. He's with the same company, but his job has changed such that he can live anywhere. The day their son graduates high school they are hightailing it of Texas to a more moderate state even though they love Austin itself.
I don't know what the OP or his wife's politics are, they could be hard line republican, but I'd offer the same caveat, consider your personal politics and how that may affect you. Now, Blue Cities in Red states seem more common than red cities in blue states, but it's something to consider.
Finally, if Minnesota and Wisconsin are in play they I have to put out a shout for Michigan. There are several 'small but big' cities. Ann Arbor is really part of the Detroit Metro area, but has a different vibe. Lansing doesn't appeal to me at all, but both Grand Rapids and especially Traverse City are awesome. TC (or close too) is probably our retirement destination from Easter to Turkey day then using my bird brain we'll migrate to the deep North (Florida) for the winter.
I guess some people get a pass.
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