kittensaver
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We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. - Mother Teresa
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Post by kittensaver on Apr 14, 2015 16:20:07 GMT -5
Well I haven't done it, but I actually think I'd like it . I have my days where I like my animals and my plants better than I like *some* people
Why Oregon or Washington? Have you checked out the coast area of Marin County (nothing but goat farms for MILES), the central coast around Hearst Castle, inland SLO County, Petaluma, Santa Maria?
Just a thought. Or if you REALLY want to get away, buy a hobby farm in upcountry Maui .
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Apr 14, 2015 16:22:27 GMT -5
PM okay? I can talk in specific detail if you would like.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 14, 2015 16:28:14 GMT -5
You could also look at far N California. How about Shasta?
We've had a few friends move from the SF Bay Area. Most of them regret selling their SF Bay Area homes. Now they can't afford to move back.
I had one friend who moved to Omaha when our employer was bought by another company. She had a wonderful home but hated the culture. She begged to be laid-off so she could get a "package". Her timing was pretty good and was able to buy a modest track home in Sonoma County; I think this was towards the end of 2002.
Nothing like moving away to appreciate what you have!
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Apr 14, 2015 16:29:11 GMT -5
I wish.
Ever watch the old tv sitcom Green Acres? Reverse the gender roles and you have DH and I.
He can't stand the thought of living away from the big city. Me, I'd love to live somewhere more rural.
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Malarky
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Post by Malarky on Apr 14, 2015 16:31:56 GMT -5
My parents moved us to East Buttf**k NH when I was ten. Five miles from town. Sixteen miles from the high school. Twenty miles from a movie theater or decent pizza. While there were some things I liked about it, I ran back to civilization as an adult. I like the simple life on vacation. The rest of the time I need a bit more opportunity for entertainment and the procurement of goods and services. I always liken that experience to the theme song from "That 70"s Show". Hangin' out down the street The same old thing we did last week Not a thing to do but talk to you Not a thing to do out in the street, oh yeah Read more at www.songlyrics.com/cheap-trick/that-70-s-show-theme-song-lyrics/#kBYJiO0Us02kJ2wY.99
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Apr 14, 2015 16:39:23 GMT -5
Weather, price, availability of game to hunt, somewhere different. Both Oregon and Washington have two very different areas. You looking east or west of the Cascades? I have lived in rural of each side in Washington.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Apr 14, 2015 16:43:26 GMT -5
You could buy a nice place out side of Wenatchee. Plant some apple trees. Enjoy the sunshine and no state income tax.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Apr 14, 2015 16:44:09 GMT -5
What about Kentucky (Lexington is a nice "city" and there's lots of rural area nearby) or Tennesee (not as familiar but it seems similiar to Kentucky? Southern Indiana's not bad either. Pluses: LCOL Minuses: Jokes about marrying your cousin. I'm vaguely kind of looking at properties (rental type things not so much 'rural') in the Lexington area or maybe in the Bloomington, Indiana area. Both are 'college towns' and what caught my eye was that if I didn't want an 'urban/suburban rental proprety' I could probably find some 'rural' property for myself where I could tend Goats and Cats and maybe some Chickens and not be too far from Civilization. There's that whole Cow Tipping thing and Marrying your cousin thing that I might have trouble getting past I also hear Montana has places like you are looking for - but the biggest minus I can think of would be Winter.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Apr 14, 2015 16:47:15 GMT -5
If Dark is like me I'm going to guess getting out of CA would be one of the benefits/reasons so that rules out northern CA. I too would be looking at Washington or Oregon but admittedly haven't looked into it seriously. I think Colorado is about far east as I'd consider moving but I'd still rank Oregon/Washington higher since both of those are coastal. I've lived within 5 miles of the coast my entire life and even though I don't go to the beach much these days it's one of those things where I like knowing it's close.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Apr 14, 2015 16:52:52 GMT -5
West of the Cascades is not going to be sunny. Not sure what you mean by 'weather'. It's grey and rainy on the west side. Things grow really well though and the days that are beautiful ARE beautiful.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Apr 14, 2015 17:01:33 GMT -5
Ah, then definitely stick to the temperate regions on the coast. Maybe you could find something out on the peninsula that would suit you... maybe near Aberdeen?
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 14, 2015 17:22:54 GMT -5
When I said garden I meant fruit and veggies, not pot. LOL, they're both green?
One thing that you'll need to be prepared for is a lot of those rural inexpensive areas have drug (meth) problems. Basically if there is no industry that IS the industry.
If you're really serious as the time comes closer I'd consider renting out your house and renting in an area you think you'll like. It may not be as quaint as you think it will be.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Apr 14, 2015 17:23:41 GMT -5
West of the Cascades is not going to be sunny. Not sure what you mean by 'weather'. It's grey and rainy on the west side. Things grow really well though and the days that are beautiful ARE beautiful. Rain is fine. By weather I mean very little of that white frozen stuff you see in movies and on TV. And I had on my drive to work this morning in Eastern Washington.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Apr 14, 2015 17:27:12 GMT -5
We are already pretty rural in Oregon. We just don't have the 5 acre lot, but we could. It's a bit of a change to a small town, but we love it. We are in the heart of the valley in Oregon. I travel frequently to washington for work but I much prefer Oregon.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Apr 14, 2015 17:33:33 GMT -5
Anyone here done it? We're thinking about looking for a nice quiet place to start prepping for the zombie apocalypse (not really, but it's a cool side benefit) once the kids are out of the house. We still have four years and change before we'd pull the trigger. We want 5+ acres to garden in, maybe get a few animals. Loop wants to make goat cheese and be a beekeeper. I want to take up blacksmithing, some woodworking, and have a little beer brewing shack. We're thinking Oregon or Washington. For those who have done it, or thought about it, where would you move to get away from people? My issue with western OR and WA is the weather. I get really cranky if I don't get enough time in the sun. So, how do you do if you get two or three months straight without sunshine? And the idea of cleaning a couple of inches of moss off the roof every couple of years doesn't excite me much. Are you guys thinking about selling the products you produce? If so, you probably don't want to be too far out in the boonies. I speak from experience. I went to a high school in a remote area. There were/are 3,000 people in the entire county. Access to goods and services was limited. You had a choice of the one doctor, one dentist, and one pharmacy in town. If you didn't care for one of those folks, your next choice was literally 100+ miles down the road. These days, that town doesn't even have a car dealer. The nearest car dealer is over 80 miles away. So getting a little warranty work done takes at least one full day of your time, and more likely three or more days. And you ain't gonna be stylin, cause there was only one clothing store and one women's wear shop. Don't know if either of them is in operation today. It was also the kind of place where a high school aged kid could really hone their driving skills. For me, a typical date night would be 20 miles out to the GF's house, 40 miles down to the only swimming pool in the county, 40 miles back to the GF's, and 20 miles home. Other recreation options wre limited. It would be a 250 mile round trip to see a first run movie. Of course, it was the same if you needed major emergency medical care. A 100+ mile ride in the back of an ambulance on a narrow, curvy, two lane road for anything the local Doc couldn't handle. Some people love it, but remote can come with lots of limitations. Especially if you're used to large urban areas. When we first moved to this area, DW was looking for a pair of basic Keds. Penny's didn't have anything that fit in stock. DW asked the sales person to check with other stores. The sales person looked at her like she was slightly off balance, then asked, you mean like Sacramento (2 1/2 hours away)? You might want to check on best places to retire articles. I don't think either of your choices are known for being tax friendly/low cost places to live.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Apr 14, 2015 17:41:15 GMT -5
I used to live in Petaluma (actually in the city) - wasn't a fan. Two Rock valley is really pretty but mostly chicken farms.
I would love to move to the country. Years ago contemplated moving to TN.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 14, 2015 17:41:53 GMT -5
I don't think either of your choices are known for being tax friendly/low cost places to live.
WA has no state income tax. I believe OR has no sales tax. Property tax (at least from what I've seen in WA) is comparable to other parts of the US, at least where I live in WA.
While generally (in WA) west of the Cascades the COL is fairly high, if you go east prices decrease a good bit. However, the weather isn't as temperate. Summers are much warmer, winters are colder.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Apr 14, 2015 17:43:08 GMT -5
tskeeter are you 2.5 hours north or south of me here in Sac?
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Apr 14, 2015 17:51:27 GMT -5
tskeeter are you 2.5 hours north or south of me here in Sac? East
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2015 17:57:02 GMT -5
Rural areas are nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live in one. I think I could do a small town if there was a big city nearby. What tskeeter described does not sound appealing to me at all. I enjoy my solitude, but that's way too much for me.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Apr 14, 2015 17:59:29 GMT -5
I don't think either of your choices are known for being tax friendly/low cost places to live.WA has no state income tax. I believe OR has no sales tax. Property tax (at least from what I've seen in WA) is comparable to other parts of the US, at least where I live in WA. While generally (in WA) west of the Cascades the COL is fairly high, if you go east prices decrease a good bit. However, the weather isn't as temperate. Summers are much warmer, winters are colder. According to Kiplinger, CA and OR are among the 10 least tax friendly states for retirees to live in. And WA doesn't make the 10 most tax friendly states for retirees list either.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2015 18:12:48 GMT -5
Well, I'm already on 15 acres in the country. Have goats and chickens and grow my own (veggies, not pot).
The biggest disadvantage for me, is the kids aren't as cool about just being out in the sticks with no friends. Older one doesn't mind, but he also just spends all his time on a computer or ipod. So, I'm always shuttling back and forth to town for activities for them.
eta: Just noticed you didn't mean to do this until after the kids were gone.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Apr 14, 2015 18:15:22 GMT -5
Some friends did this -- moved out here to rent a farmhouse about half a mile from us (~10 minutes from the city). They are both teachers with grown kids so are able to devote a lot of time to the honeybee, goat, etc. thing and are loving it so far. The original plan was to sell the house in town after a couple of years, but it is in a good school district so I think they are leaning toward keeping it as a rental. IMO you can avoid a lot of the drug and poverty problems by staying on the outskirts of at least a small city instead of total BFE. My inlaws live about 30 minutes outside a town of 10K. Horrible drug problem, lots of thefts, etc. I worry a bit when DD spends the night with them because it takes 30 minutes to get to the ER of a terrible hospital, if something were to happen. But you can find some really nice properties here within a few minutes of a city of 50K, and they are much more tolerant of "city folk" It does take quite a bit of time and money to maintain acreage, though. I'm sure MPL can attest to that. Definitely a lifestyle commitment type of thing (which is why the try before you buy option is smart).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2015 18:17:37 GMT -5
I am a city girl, I could not do it. Good luck.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 14, 2015 18:17:46 GMT -5
I don't think either of your choices are known for being tax friendly/low cost places to live.WA has no state income tax. I believe OR has no sales tax. Property tax (at least from what I've seen in WA) is comparable to other parts of the US, at least where I live in WA. While generally (in WA) west of the Cascades the COL is fairly high, if you go east prices decrease a good bit. However, the weather isn't as temperate. Summers are much warmer, winters are colder. According to Kiplinger, CA and OR are among the 10 least tax friendly states for retirees to live in. And WA doesn't make the 10 most tax friendly states for retirees list either. You have to take those articles with a grain lump of salt and do your personal math. If you have a paid off house you have a paid off house regardless. Our property taxes are limited by Prop 13. Because our income is < $100k our state income tax is minimal. Food is about the same but since so much is grown with 100 miles probably fresher. Gas is more expensive but we don't drive that much except when I go off on one of my property trips and then it's effectively written off. Clothing-occasional items from Land's End, LL Bean, Target or a Thrift shop. Not enough to worry about.
On the plus side our utilities are low because we're in a very temperate climate. We rarely even reach 80 degrees or go below 40.
And we can't forget that wine is cheaper.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Apr 14, 2015 18:19:22 GMT -5
My parents moved us to East Buttf**k NH when I was ten. Five miles from town. Sixteen miles from the high school. Twenty miles from a movie theater or decent pizza. While there were some things I liked about it, I ran back to civilization as an adult. I like the simple life on vacation. The rest of the time I need a bit more opportunity for entertainment and the procurement of goods and services. I always liken that experience to the theme song from "That 70"s Show". Hangin' out down the street The same old thing we did last week Not a thing to do but talk to you Not a thing to do out in the street, oh yeah Read more at www.songlyrics.com/cheap-trick/that-70-s-show-theme-song-lyrics/#kBYJiO0Us02kJ2wY.99 Sorry, some of those places are a little scary
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Apr 14, 2015 18:24:18 GMT -5
A lot of that is based on things like lower property tax rates for those over 65, state tax treatment of capital gain income, and estate laws. We're a long damn way from being able to take advantage of anything like that. So, you want to move someplace that you wouldn't want to live after you retire? What I do know is that after Dad moved from OR to NV, he said his state income tax bill dropped by over $20K. And yes, the OR estate taxes would be a factor when he died. By my rough estimate, OR would grab at least $275K of his assets.
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violagirl
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Post by violagirl on Apr 14, 2015 18:27:30 GMT -5
I think the best place to live is somewhere in the middle. I live 20 minutes (highway driving) outside the city. I have about 2.5 acres, but could easily buy the field behind the house and get a horse. So I have the best of both worlds - my neighbours are far enough away that I dont' see them and work is close enough for an easy commute.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Apr 14, 2015 18:29:59 GMT -5
I couldn't do it. I nearly lost my mind living in the suburbs. I need the city!! However Washington is gorgeous!
Sent from my Nexus 10
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Apr 14, 2015 18:35:01 GMT -5
A lot of that is based on things like lower property tax rates for those over 65, state tax treatment of capital gain income, and estate laws. We're a long damn way from being able to take advantage of anything like that. So, you want to move someplace that you wouldn't want to live after you retire? What I do know is that after Dad moved from OR to NV, he said his state income tax bill dropped by over $20K. And yes, the OR estate taxes would be a factor when he died. By my rough estimate, OR would grab at least $275K of his assets. One of the reasons MIL moved to OR was that Federal pensions were only taxed above $100k. OR estates are taxed at 10% over $1M. With some judicious charitable donations I think we'll be able to reduce any excess to something nominal.
But she seriously under estimated what it would be like to try live on her own at age 80 with her closest family (DH her only child) 500 miles away.
I tried to talk her into moving into this house when we moved to AZ. She could have done really well financially had she done that. Could have bought a house for $500k in 2012 when we returned that would now be worth about $800k. I'm sure it would have been a nightmare to have her a tenant for 9 years though.
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