Considering moving before my Fiancee and I plant roots.

[roadrunner]

I have a friend who is the foreman at an electrical shop in Northern NM and can give you a referral. They, like most electrical shops, are hiring.

Avoid NM like the plague. It has gone super liberal in two short years.

No one is safe here...

 

[Laramie]

I’m not sure when you last looked at the front range, but I wouldn’t describe it as cheap by any measure of the word. Maybe you mean 25 years ago?

Of course it isn't cheap. You are missing the point. Live somewhere expensive, that has higher wages to build equity. Wages are generally based on the cost of living unless you are living somewhere desirable like the beach or Wyoming for instance. Denver isn't the best example but it would be a balance of the two. Build equity for 10 years and then move somewhere much cheaper and you can live much higher class for a lot less money. Same concept as people retiring to central America, just on a different scale.

 

[Laramie]

Avoid NM like the plague. It has gone super liberal in two short years.

No one is safe here...

Or we could encourage conservatives to move there too flip the script. At some point we have to quit running from the state takeovers.

 

[granite7]

Of course it isn't cheap. You are missing the point. Live somewhere expensive, that has higher wages to build equity. Wages are generally based on the cost of living unless you are living somewhere desirable like the beach or Wyoming for instance. Denver isn't the best example but it would be a balance of the two. Build equity for 10 years and then move somewhere much cheaper and you can live much higher class for a lot less money. Same concept as people retiring to central America, just on a different scale.

I understand the point, but I think it is misapplied with the front range. Housing cost increases are outpacing median incomes by a large margin. The prices are so high in the front range that this advise falls short. For those of us already here, yes, selling and moving is great advice. If you are thinking of moving now, I think you’ve missed the boat. I say that for anyone who might be considering the move.

The only place on the front range with discretionary income worth mentioning is in Boulder, CO. If you can afford the price of entry in Boulder AND you have the education to find a high paying job, then you might do OK. I just don’t think the average Joe is going to be able to get started on an average $1800/month for a single bedroom apartment or to purchase the median home in Boulder for $899k.

 

[roadrunner]

Or we could encourage conservatives to move there too flip the script. At some point we have to quit running from the state takeovers.

Well if there was an industry, sure, but there isn't. That's a big reason we are planning to bug out oursleves.

Largest employers:

State gov't
Public education
Labs
Fakebook
Hollywood

That's why it's Liberal, USA...

 

[Laramie]

I understand the point, but I think it is misapplied with the front range. Housing cost increases are outpacing median incomes by a large margin. The prices are so high in the front range that this advise falls short. For those of us already here, yes, selling and moving is great advice. If you are thinking of moving now, I think you’ve missed the boat. I say that for anyone who might be considering the move.

The only place on the front range with discretionary income worth mentioning is in Boulder, CO. If you can afford the price of entry in Boulder AND you have the education to find a high paying job, then you might do OK. I just don’t think the average Joe is going to be able to get started on an average $1800/month for a single bedroom apartment or to purchase the median home in Boulder for $899k.

Buddy of mine just rented a decent house for $1300 in Ft Collins... And took a 30% increase in income to move there.

I do understand your point and buying right at this minute wouldn't be smart. However, there are still opportunities.

 

[The_Jim]

I am from and live in Nebraska. Good people and lots of hunting opportunity. Housing is affordable and there are lots of jobs. Taxes suck though. They really suck.

South Dakota would be another awesome place to go. Way better taxes, better fishing than Nebraska. Lots of hunting opportunities too.

 

[seww]

If not now, when? Don't be looking back years down the road and have to say, we should have... Regarding the housing bubble, maybe rent until there is a correction.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Just to chime in, this is spot on for us!
My wife and I lived comfortably in Northern Sweden between 2009-2018. In those ten years, things changed, mostly for the worst and we felt like we need to get out before we get too old.
And this was one of our biggest points, if not now, when? And what if we never did, would we look back years later at what could have been?

You can always move back. If you leave family, they're still there after a few years I'm sure. We only live once, and we got to make it count. Whatever works for you, is all that matters.
Don't live your lives for someone else's sake. I know. My sister is pissed we moved out of country, "leaving" her. But it's my life, I need to do live it the way I think is right.

 

[ToolMann]

Idaho is full.

So is Colorado.

 

[Schroedernd]

I'm from ND, lived in various places in AK for 11 years, and now live in conservative southern oregon. I always wanted to go back to AK but after being away for a few years I realized I did not miss the long winters, 3 month summers, crazy expensive groceries, utilities, housing, etc. Now I just go back every year for 2 weeks for fishing and get my fill. I was set on ID until their real estate market went crazy. Now days SD and TN look very promising with low taxes...

 

[DuckDogDr]

I'm jealous of you and your fiancee ..when I was younger 9.5 years ago I moved out to Idaho..and for several reasons did not work out well..
Good friend kept trying to get me to move a little further to the western portion (boise) and I wished I had...but I was literally out of money and moved back home with my parents til I got back on my feet...

Being slightly older and wiser if you're considering Alaska go for it now..if it doesn't work out you can always move back..

If you don't take any other recommendations from this thread..follow Laramie's advice and live within commuting distance to a larger metropolitan area...but far enough away you can have a quiet area to raise a family and have your back 40 acres...reap the benefits of higher salary and better benefits..l. build your wealth now so you don't have to later...
I went from a 70-80 hr 7 day a week job with minimal pay (small town) to a 55 hr every other week (pre-pandemic) with 3x the salary

 

[DenverCountryBoy]

Move to a state that sells lifetime licenses. Stay there for a year. Rinse, repeat.