No blogging for a few days.
I've just about had it with California--perhaps the most beautiful place in the world, but insane.
The Diplowife and I are going to look at some houses in another state, and see what we are going to do. I do not want to be buried in California despite having thought of it as my home for many decades. Two of my kids have given up on the state, and I can see why.
We are taking our red votes and going where they can do some good.
I will report back in a few days.
That's exciting!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I've been thinking of doing the same thing here in Connecticut. It was a great place to grow up and work but it's gotten increasingly untenable as a place to live and work anymore. I tell friends who say we just have to vote the current crop of politicians out of office, that it's not enough to do that. We could replace all of them, but we can't vote the voters out of the state. They will just keep electing the same self aggrandizing phonies into office. It's too late for this state.
ReplyDeleteDiplomad, get out of Ca. and go out and Look for America.
ReplyDeleteI'm with ya on that. SF bay area just seems *completely* crazy to me. Unfortunately the rest of country just seems to follow California in whatever it does.... so it's possible that moving out of state is only a temporary reprieve. Crazy crazy.
ReplyDeleteCould move to Oregon, or Portland... those are different states, and I wouldn't recommend Portland. Too many Californians there... *sigh*.
- reader #1482
Wish I COULD recommend Oregon, but this state is owned by the "tolerant" left, and follows too closely behind Cal. Our 2nd Amendment rights have been savaged here, and anything conservative is disparaged openly and regularly. Obviously, there are a lot of good people here, and were it not for 3-4 heavily populated counties, this would be a solid red state. A dear friend of mine just re-located from San Diego area, to Pahrump, Nevada. Everything is substantially cheaper, better, less-intrusive laws, and he can get to Las Vegas Airport in 45 minutes(?).
DeleteCheck out the "Hill Country" in Texas
ReplyDeleteYou do grow accustomed to the heat. Blanco is very nice, and ten degrees cooler than Austin. The first time we drove out there, I noticed my face hurting after a while. It was from smiling so much.
DeleteOops, that last anonymous was from me, Michael F Adams.
DeleteGood luck. California money will buy a nice place in most places in the country, depending how much winter weather you can stand. Texas is great, BUT we have high property taxes, and the big cities are lefty-globs. South Padre island is pretty sweet though.
ReplyDeleteTexas what! Savage climate, uglier than average ppl. East Tennessee is where you want to be. Sweet people, no income tax, cool refreshing mountain air.
ReplyDeleteYEP, YEP and YEP.
DeleteI have gone back and forth from LA County coastal to Walland Tennessee my entire life. Grew up on the beach and currently live in the South Bay, but am very frustrated with the direction everything is going or has gone. Looking for a few acres on the Little River and will build a one level with a huge porch to wave at the passers by. Gonna try to keep the California property and extract enough equity to build with cash. Just gotta hide from the tax man.
DeleteIf you like no income or sales taxes, constitutional carry and snow, come on up to New Hampshire. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been pretty much invaded from Taxachusetts since I lived there, hasn't it.?
DeleteCome to Western Australia. You know you really want to.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I would like to know more about that area... Seems as good as anywhere if im going to even contemplate leaving the States, assuming I can handle it all
DeleteI love Western Australia, and both my kids are there with their families. It's a magnificent huge State, with some fantastic places in it. Well worth a visit!
DeleteBut. (You knew there was a but, didn't you?) Australia has a Constitution based upon our own, but they left out the Bill of Rights. There is no First Amendment, so no right to free speech in Australia. They have laws against "hate speech." If you criticize Islam, you may go to gaol.
There is no Second Amendment either; there is no right to self-defense as we understand it here in the USA, though the strict gun-ban that so marred PM Howard's term has slackened somewhat. Still, don't plan on bringing your pistol & rifle collection to Oz, as most of it wouldn't be allowed.
It's so sad. Such a wonderful country, but with some fatal flaws.
Here are some entries in my travel blog to whet your appetite. You will have to copy and paste, they aren't active links.
Deletehttp://farcanal.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/week-in-kalbarri.html
http://farcanal.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/was-granite-loop-trail.html
http://farcanal.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/popeye-goes-to-walpole.html
Gun laws are a lot better than most believe but definitely tighter than yours. In Western Australia we have pretty realistic laws allowing us to defend our homes. Free speech laws are not as draconian as generally believed either.
Anyway, "g'day mates" from way down here.
Perhaps NSW has stiffer penalties?
DeleteI just came across this: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20170929/australian-farmer-defends-family-from-knife-wielding-trespasser-government-confiscates-firearms
To many of us in rural areas of the US, this is intolerable. As Eskyman said above, a truly lovely country, but the insane gun laws remove it from serious consideration for re-locating.
At least for me.
Yes Scott, that was appalling and is being used as a catalyst for that State to review its laws. NSW's capital city, Sydney, is a cesspool anyway. It's a case of "spot the Aussie" when in Sydney.
DeleteThat's exciting! A ton of work, but it's a great country! Look forward to your blogging about a new location! BTW, I moved back to my home state Ohio from Alaska in 2013, and one reason was my utter frustration with the 2012 election, which went the wrong way in Ohio. I wanted to be there to do my bit in 2016. It was a struggle to find ways to be effective, but I did find some ways to help--and of course thousands of Ohioans felt the same way and helped to turn the tide.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to get a lot of advice on where to look, all of it heartfelt. This is a symptom of the liberal illness -- a whole lot of Americans are troubled by the general leftward drift of their home state and are looking to relocate, usually to flyover country.
ReplyDeleteI share your love for CA -- I grew up there, right against the San Gabriel mountains -- in the fifties. Then I went overseas, and when I came back I no longer recognized CA. I visited regularly because my parents were in SoCal, but every time I visited it was less like home.
When we retired from the FS I moved to southeastern Ohio. Pretty country, but I missed the mountains. After 8 years we moved to Minden, NV -- the Carson Valley, just down the hill from Tahoe. It's beautiful, but the wind is often a nuisance and the winters are harsh. Still, it has beautiful mountains, good fishing, and I finally have time to reload and shoot to my heart's content.
There are other places that are a little warmer but not hot, less windy but still wild, and where there are cultural amenities. I think all of those places, however, are filling up with Californians who are fed up with CA politicians and want to find their piece of paradise. Too many of them bring liberal politics with them. We even have a bumper sticker in northern NV: "I don't care how you did it in California." That reflects our reaction to the common theme from displaced Californians: "back home . . ."
Good luck in your search. The Dustbowl exodus in reverse. I hope you find your place.
Yeah, Nevada, or at least Washoe County, should implement a 'must carry' firearms policy.... let Californians know that they're not in California any more.
DeleteDear D'Mad,
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the search.
There are a lot of places that have considerably beauty, though different from that of California. Some have mentioned Texas, and having lived there, I have to agree with them somewhat. I'm currently in RI (family reasons), and it is a beautiful place, but as with California the politics are ... well, too one sided.
Good luck on the hunt, and remember to find out where the nearest ranges are for your shooting pleasure.
Green Bear
I'm a believer in a two-state solution. Up north in the summer and south in the winter. Cashing in a SoCal dwelling should allow you to do something along those lines without an exorbitant outlay of cash.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking. The once-beautiful state has become a POS. I am also getting out ASAP. Can't stand living in the same state as bat-sht crazy Pelosi.
ReplyDelete"Under U.S. law, Trump has until October 15 to verify that Iran is in compliance with the deal, which he has already done twice since taking office. If Trump does not give his certification this time around, then Congress has 60 days to decide whether to re-impose sanctions on Iran – a move that would effectively mean the U.S. is pulling out of the agreement."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/exclusive/middle-east/can-trump-get-iran-europe-ink-new-nuclear-deal
Well ... if its Congress we're gonna have to depend on - given the underwhelming performance of the GOP's past seven years of promising to repeal Obamacare - I say "Mr President, Pull the trigger!"
And then I guess, we'll just have to wait and see ...
JK
I loved CA, but thank God my job took me East. I refuse to even visit now due to the stupidity there now. Unfortunately due to family concerns we moved to MD. If I wasn't so dang old and dug in I would leave ASAP.
ReplyDeleteAnother Rhode islander here. House is for sale and we will make Florida our state of residency. I have mixed feelings about the destination, but no reservations about leaving RI. I have had a business here for 40 years and never made a living in the state. I sold out of state, brought the money back and paid taxes on it - so for me, its worse than California. Then too, the lefties like the saying that the personal is political and there are too damn many of them here. As a one party state for 80 years, little wonder it is both politically corrupt and anti-business.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in wherever your search takes you.
We moved to Arizona last January. I had spent 60 years in California and my wife is 5th generation. Tucson is like a small town but it has an opera and the U, which results in lots of lefties. However, we live in the foothills with great views and out precinct voted for Trump. Hot in June and July so next summer we will travel. Fall and Spring here are just delightful with a little bit of winter in January.
ReplyDeleteWell, North Carolina isn't bad at all. My family has been here since the late 1600s.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, WW. Wouldn't mind moving back if my wife finds an academic position there. Duke, UNC, or NC State would be nice!
DeleteSmall town living in FL offers interesting possibilities. Just stay off the coast, heh, heh.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your top 3 "wants," and your top 3 "don't wants"?
ReplyDeleteAre you looking for desert? Mountains? Downtown condo? 40 acres of meadow & pines? Airport nearby? Cultural pursuits? 4 seasons? Beach?
Idaho looks great - Boise, in particular.
ReplyDeleteWe visited friends in Orange County thirty years ago. They wanted to pick our brains about where to move to. Their short list included the South of England, NZ, and Oz.
ReplyDelete"Why?" we enquired.
"Because those would probably feel less foreign than OC is becoming."
They already had experience of living abroad - for example they'd lived in Edinburgh which they very much enjoyed but they thought its winter would prove too long for old folks. (Mind you, if its winter weren't so long everybody would want to live there.)
NZ!
Delete- reader #1482
Promise not to tell anybody, but I suspect Nelson would be a particularly fine spot.
DeleteI'm in Las Vegas. Highly recommend the 24/7 lifestyle and the cost of living. All the amenities and cheap flights to anywhere. Influx of liberal Californians has not yet destroyed us. Good luck in your selection.
ReplyDelete"not yet destroyed us"???
DeleteNV is blue and has legal marijuana and restrictive gun laws (not yet enforced) because of all the CA voters in Clark County.
Ugh.
Restrictive gun laws? Registration of hand guns, previously required, eliminated - I know, I have five. North Las Vegas ordnance (and others of a similar nature) limiting open carry eliminated. Marijuana - just need to make all drugs legal and dispensed and taxed in the same manner as booze - reduction in crime, prison population, waste of policing resources, more tax dollars. Winning.
DeleteNothing wrong with legal weed.
DeleteHope you are looking at Florida. No state income tax, Republican governor, sales tax 6% in Lee County where I live, excellent airport with most domestic carriers and wonderful beaches on the Gulf.
ReplyDeleteCorky Boyd
Sanibel FL
Then there's the triple-H: hurricanes, heat, and humidity. Also, flying cockroaches the size of a Buick.
DeleteHaving lived long in Taiwan, I can handle heat and humidity. However, Taiwan's mountainous east could break up the typhoons if you lived in Xinzhu County; and broke them almost all the way if you lived in Taizhong. As for the cockraoches, they're nothing a good whack with a shoe and some sweeping won't cure.
DeleteI have better things to do than whacking/sweeping roaches. Different strokes for different folks ...
DeleteI have an uncle who moved to the Space Coast because it's thick with retired military and that's where their friends were (he was career Navy). Unless you're in that situation or you're a native (atypical south of Jacksonville), it's the place where the neon goes to die.
DeleteIsrael
ReplyDeleteI gave up on mny much loved California after the Davis recall. It became apparent to me that Calif. was a lost cause. What bothers me is it is true: "so goes Calif. so goes the nation". Missouri was my refuge for several years. Now it is beginning to loose its collective sanity. Good luck Diplo, keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteMake a list of swing states and then decide which one suits your other desires?
ReplyDeleteThink yellow, as in rose of TX and Amarillo. Am working on getting my wife to consider such a move to an area with a bit less snow that Michigan (lower taxes too).
ReplyDeleteI used to love California and wanted to move back for decades. No longer.
ReplyDeleteYou have to drive through Utah. Check us out. (6th generation Californian)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind shoveling snow, Syracuse is a pleasant place to live. Virginia has a more agreeable climate. I'd take a look around the Tidewater. If you're looking at medical issues, a 2d tier city with an array of specialties and a university medical center is something you should consider. Syracuse is a 3d tier city with some 2d tier city amenities. You also might consider New England - say, a small city like Portland. If you've got the income, you might try a snowbird solution - cottage in Maine most of the year, condominium in Charleston the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteIn your travels, have you ever lived in Gibraltar? (Not very practical for retirees, to be sure. Median price for a studio is $240,000, for a 1 Br $380,000, for a 2 Br about $570,000, per the site I consulted).
Dear Dip--Please share your thoughts on Catalonia!
ReplyDeleteWould Mr Mad agree that Catalonia should apply to be the northern province of Gibraltar?
DeleteI'm not going to tell you where we are, Dip. Sorry, but I don't want to be inundated with Califreaks.
ReplyDeleteO/T
ReplyDeleteOur newest Ambassador to Israel is Dore Gold, heard a lot of good things about him but he's the spitting image of Inspector Clouseau!
My job moved me to St Louis, then Omaha from San Francisco. Living in SW Iowa for 21 years now, I have never looked back. Understand, my husband didn't move with me, and I was offered a very good job in Alameda. In the Plains one can live with a degree of style, travel wherever the urge leads, and then return to sanity.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
DeleteI crave the sanity. California is totally insane.
Conservatives are so out numbered in N Calif. My neighbors have recently bought in the back of beyond Colorado, friends have recently moved out of Calif. to Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and Washington states. As soon as I get a few things settled, I'm out of here, after 70 years.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing about where you decide to land.
IDAHO - Northern if you don't mind snow in the winter, Southern if you prefer a climate closer to CA. Taxes are half of most other places. And we are required to balance the budget. NO spending if you can't show where the money is coming from. Washington is questionable. Too many liberals in Seattle control the whole state.
ReplyDeleteI am astonished on a daily basis by the literal tsunami of California's moving to the Hill Country around Austin and San Antonio. It is nothing to be at a gun counter with 20 people and 15 are California expats, recent expats. It honestly makes me sad to hear the sad stories of tens of thousands citizens of what was once a paradise now flee on political and especially economic grounds. I will say without exception None express any desire to return to the state as it is currently, but love to tell you about the California they grew up in of the 60,70s and even 80s.Sad to see a state fail its citizens so spectaculary.
ReplyDeleteI left CA and have been in WA state for many years. The fact is that even the reddest of states (which would be OK) has lefties in the cities. I wish I could convince my husband to leave, but he really wants a place by the ocean. We are moving to a red county with nicer bureaucrats, as soon as we sell the place here.
ReplyDeletePlease consider Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Missouri, and Arkansas.
ReplyDelete