If you could move and live anywhere in the lower 48 where would you go?

DuckDogDr

WKR
Joined
Aug 24, 2019
Messages
741
If they would get their politics right I’d say Washington state.. beautiful scenery. Get a combination of forests, high plains desert, beautiful river systems and some amazing scuba diving (cold AF) on the coast ..… but the powers that be are trying to turn it into the next kommiefornia so unfortunately it’s out of the question unless something drastic changes.

I actually have been curious about Tennessee, would also consider Nebraska

Wouldn’t be opposed to Montana either. Beautiful country up there
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
30
NC is absolutely an intriguing state. Maybe I'm biased.

Despite being 28th in overall size, it has the 7th largest coastline in the United States, the tallest mountains East of the Rockies with 52 peaks over 6,000ft in elevation, and is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. From the swamps on the East Coast that are more akin to Louisiana, to mountains in the West whose climate is more akin to Maine. You can find it all in NC.

Random fact, the Venus Fly Trap are native to and can only be found in the wild in the Carolina subtropical swamps on the coast. The more you know. :ROFLMAO:
NC always will have a special place in my heart. I lived there for a few years and wished I would've made more of the time I was there. The west part of the state is one of the more beatiful areas on the east coast.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
30
I like where I'm at in PA. In 3 hours I can be up hunting in the mountains of the Allegheny Plateau or down fishing on the coast in Delaware. Other than the amount of people its the best of both worlds.
 

docdb

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
260
Location
Atlanta
ya'll come on to Atlanta, brush up on your Spanish/Korean/Vietnamese; buy a house 30 miles from where you work and join the party
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
4,110
Location
South Dakota
Having a place south for winter dog training would be nice but dont think i will ever leave Sodak. Outdoors wise its pretty tough to beat. If i had some tech water and a few more people that lived closer to run dogs with would be about perfect
 

Snowwolfe

WKR
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
306
Location
Alaska
I had the opportunity to visit all 50 states and live in 8 of them:
Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
Delaware
Washington
Colorado
Tennessee
Alaska
New York

I would live in Key West (Florida) and learn to take the heat because it is arguably the best year around fishing in the USA. If that didn't work out Tennessee would be my second choice. I would never move back to PA or CO even if you paid me and gave me a free house.
 
Last edited:

NRA4LIFE

WKR
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
1,999
Location
washington
If they would get their politics right I’d say Washington state.. beautiful scenery. Get a combination of forests, high plains desert, beautiful river systems and some amazing scuba diving (cold AF) on the coast ..… but the powers that be are trying to turn it into the next kommiefornia so unfortunately it’s out of the question unless something drastic changes.

I actually have been curious about Tennessee, would also consider Nebraska

Wouldn’t be opposed to Montana either. Beautiful country up there
Don't move to WA. No matter what part of the state you live in you are driven by the politics of the Seattle area, which is undesirable for right thinking kind of people. I would move but I like the relatively mild climate and the fishing is great. Hunting is so-so. But I can travel to hunt some great places, all on private land.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2025
Messages
6
Sounds like you’ve had some great hunts! WY’s got that wild beauty, but those winters? They can be brutal. If you're not used to it, the cold’s no joke.

I'm not living the dream just yet, but I get the appeal—wide open spaces, solitude, and a good hunt. TN's home base for now, huh? Ever thought about testing out WY for a season to see if you could handle it?
 

Speaks

Lil-Rokslider
Classified Approved
Joined
Jul 27, 2024
Messages
141
Location
MN
With my job I can live anywhere as long as I can also reasonably fly to anywhere. I moved back to MN 10 years ago and also bought my dad out of our cabin in WI. Im getting close to where I want to buy our "forever home" and I am a little torn. 90% chance I get a place just on either side of the MN WI border an hour north of the cities.

A little part of me would like to get out West, I would really miss WI grouse hunting though and it would suck being that far from family, and I wont give up my cabin but would use it a ton less if I moved.

Western MT or ID would be high on my list though, as would the spearfish area of SD. UT might be up there as well.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2015
Messages
381
Location
Sandhills, NE
I’m in the Nebraska Sandhills and love it, except the elk hunting situation. For that reason, I am looking at real estate daily in WY.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

philos

Super Southern Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
1,762
Location
Behind you
I’d like to see a little different take on this question. For example, where would you live if you could never hunt elk again? Or where would you live if you had to live there year-round and not as a second home? Where would you live if you couldn’t fish again. Where would you live if you could only fish and not hunt.

As crazy as this may sound, there is life beyond hunting. It’s easy to get caught up in the YouTube realm thinking that life is one giant Sitka gear commercial but realty will be waiting for you around the corner.

What are you real priorities? Can you live without dependable Internet? Do you have to have a Walmart within a 20 minute drive?

Everybody loves the Rocky Mountain states until they contend with zero degree temps and 30 mile an hour winds while trying to stalk an muley. Everybody loves the beach until they live through a hurricane. Everybody loves tourist towns until the tourist actually show up.

Much like you carry your demons with you I think you carry your joy with you. If you’re a positive person, you’ll be happy wherever you’re at as long as you’re open minded and willing to put in the work. If you expect to watch a 10 minute YouTube video and be the master of all things humanly possible-you will likely be disappointed in most of your endeavors no matter where you hang your hat.
 

ihookem

FNG
Joined
Jan 21, 2024
Messages
67
Location
Allenton , Wis
There is really no perfect place if you are well rounded . I live in S.E WIs. Many of my relatives think that is Milwaukee. However, I live 40 NW of Milwaukee and is a different world. The great things are Lake Michigan..It is 30 mi. from the oat launch . I started fishing it again since I got a bigger boat. I don't know if it is world class trout and salmon,, but it is darn good .I catch at least a few every time I go out. I can be on some real good walleye fishing in just 26 miles. ( Lake Winnebago). I can be on a river so full of fish it is unreal in 3 hours The Mississippi River has some of the best fishing on earth. I can hunt 7,000 ac. of public land for deer inside of 10 miles. It is tough hunting, but I get a deer almost every year. Although, I have yet to shoot a monster. I can be up to my cabin in 4 hours ( Price co.) It is all but wilderness in the Flambeau River State Forest.. However, the grouse numbers are pretty good, the deer numbers are terrible due to the wolves. Canoeing is awsum . I can be on Green Bay for som of the best walleye fishing there is ,, except Lake Eirie... Nothing beats Lake Eirie. Green Bay has very good musky, northern , walleye , smallmouth bass and very good perch fishing. Boat launch fees are about 6 bucks. Big deal. I can be in Upper Michigan in 3 hours but I rarely go there anymore. The summers can be hot and humid,and the winters can be very harsh, but bad winters dont come around all that often. Snowmobiling, skiing , ice fishing is pretty good most years. I know a guy who lives in Cottonwood Id. I told him I thing Idaho is better , and for hunting ,it is. He quickly rebutalled that we sure have a LOT of water. here , and that made me think . The best of both worlds is to have two places , but I dont have the money.. Politics is quite conservative , except our governor is a liberal wack job.
 

JFK

WKR
Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
872
Taking into consideration employment and ability to be around my extended family as absolute top priorities, I won’t move out of Ca. In an ideal situation I’d split my time between here and somewhere else once I’m retired. Maybe southern Wy. There is nothing more important to me than family, and if my kids decide to stay here I’d feel a bit selfish moving several states away from them for the sole purpose of hunting and better trout fishing.
 

F51 LRS

FNG
Joined
Jan 2, 2025
Messages
7
Honestly the winters aren’t bad. I much prefer them to southeastern winters.

Lower humidity makes things much more bearable, as does having winter sports with which to utilize the winter.
I'm a weak & soft southerner :LOL: I'd rather have 90* and humid than cold; though I could do without all the spiders that promotes.
 

jimh406

WKR
Joined
Feb 6, 2022
Messages
1,287
Location
Western MT
Just some thoughts ....

Moving away from family and friends if you have them, takes some getting used to. Don't count on anyone visiting you. Sure, some may come to visit, but most people I know see it only works one direction.

Pick a political perspective. Either pick a state that closely matches you, or ignore the politics of where you will move. There isn't a right approach, but do pick before you move again.

Pick somewhere you can make a living. Maybe you continue the same profession, or maybe you do something different. Figure that out before you move. I suggest it's easier to make a big move once you are retired.

Consider the schools if you have kids. I'm not a big believer that it is a make or break in the decision because there are good schools in most states.

Weather is important. The weather in many of the larger states can vary quite a lot, North to South, or West to East. Once you get to a short list of states, check out the temperature averages in several regions of the state. I think you'll find the differences significant for different times of the year.

Consider natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes. No, you can't completely eliminate the possibility, but you should be aware of the possibilities.

As you know, lots of people are moving to Tennessee. Maybe you just need a change of scenery there. There is quite a bit of difference between the flat areas in West TN, to the Middle, to the East. Of course, there are rural and urban areas in each with high tech to factories and trades in each.
 
Top