Who has made a big move?

[HPBoats83]

I recently went and visited my mom in Montana who just moved outside of Bozeman in April. It really had an impact on my wife and I, the beauty of the landscape, how nice the people were, everything about it were having a hard time getting it out of our heads. My kids are at a good age to do it (4 and 2) but I would be leaving a good amount of family behind as well as my job which is the biggest thing.

 

[Tommy Gun Images]

Just go where your heart leads you. The rest has a way of sorting itself out...

 

[boatdoc55]

The wife and I made the big move 22 years ago from Riverside to here on the South Coast of Oregon. It's also a beautiful place but the wet has taken it's toll on us and we are going to Havasu very, very soon. Make sure where ever you go, to visit it in the crappy months.

 

[C-2]

WTH? You goin' Country on us?

What next, Jenn will start quilting and churning her own butter? `

I'll take care of the Fountain until you get back

 

[DaveH]

I recently went and visited my mom in Montana who just moved outside of Bozeman in April. It really had an impact on my wife and I, the beauty of the landscape, how nice the people were, everything about it were having a hard time getting it out of our heads. My kids are at a good age to do it (4 and 2) but I would be leaving a good amount of family behind as well as my job which is the biggest thing.

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have you been there in February?

actually I spent 30 years in so cal and left 16 years ago. best thing I ever did. having lived in CA my entire life, I thought the crazy "life in the fast lane" was just "normal". but once I was out of it, (took about 6 months) I look back and its like WTF how did I EVER live that way. I don't care how great the weather is and how much there is to do there, the lunacy you have to put up with is way to high of a price.

 

[HPBoats83]

WTH? You goin' Country on us?

What next, Jenn will start quilting and churning her own butter? `

I'll take care of the Fountain until you get back

I'm kind of sick of all the bull $hit of this place. I'm seriously thinking about getting rid of it and out of the boating scene for a while to head up there.

 

[C-2]

have you been there in February?

having lived in CA my entire life, I thought the crazy "life in the fast lane" was just "normal". but once I was out of it, (took about 6 months) I look back and its like WTF how did I EVER live that way.

I wonder about that too. Kinda like quitting drinking...thinking life will end or somehow will be boring, so you don't and continue raging until one day.... lol

 

[HPBoats83]

WTH? You goin' Country on us?

Imagine being able to have this 5 minutes from your house. My life is actually pulling me in two opposite directions right now so who knows what the heck will happen.

 

[C-2]

I'm kind of sick of all the bull $hit of this place. I'm seriously thinking about getting rid of it and out of the boating scene for a while to head up there.

I see horses...and cows. Just don't get sucked into the Llama deal

 

[C-2]

Imagine being able to have this 5 minutes from your house. My life is actually pulling me in two opposite directions right now so who knows what the heck will happen.
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Honestly, I could do it. Mel says she can, but I don't think so. Women

 

[2Driver]

Go back and spend some time in Feb. my brother has been in Missoula for 40 years. He laughs at the folks from the coast who visit in summer, move there and are gone in 18 months. It awesome for a few months but its basically Cananda

 

[mjc]

It would be hard they get SNOW up there and I don't do SNOW.

 

[VoodooMedMan]

We are planning on doing the move. Waiting to get our Havasu house sold and then find a job for me and move. Montana isn't the place though. You've got a two month summer and a 10 month winter. Like it was said visit in the rough months. We like the South.

 

[FreeBird236]

Two of my neighbors winter here in Havasu and are from Montana, but that would be tuff to do when you're still working. I don't blame you for wanting out of So Cal. Certain parts of AZ. Nev. and Utah would keep you close for visits to Ca. and Montana...

 

[RitcheyRch]

Dont move to Wyoming. My in-laws live there and they are now reporting snow is falling.

 

[Boozer]

I left CA. in 1998, I was 17 at the time. I've moved back to CA. twice since and I still miss it on a regular basis but I won't call it my permanent home unless I win the lottery or someone offers me a job that pays an obscene amount of money.

Montana has shitty weather. By shitty weather I mean the entire state shuts down for the most part between November and March. You get two seasons, Spring and Winter. Spring runs from Late May to Mid September and it can snow during that time. Winter spans the rest of the time. If you think a 104 degree day in Corona sucks try a -15 degree day that becomes a -45 degree day with windchill. Now imagine that scenario lasting a month straight. I've had friends from Colorado move to Montana only to come back a short while later and bitch about how tough the winters are.

You can obtain a better quality of life in other places but everything is give and take. When you leave California you will give up the best weather on the planet. California weather is unlike anything anywhere else in the country which is why people pay what they pay to live there. BUT.. There are many places where you'll make a moderate compromise when it comes to weather and have so much more available to you simply because you aren't spending 80% of your income on housing and taxes.

 

[DaytonaBabe]

Just go where your heart leads you. The rest has a way of sorting itself out...

^^^ this.

My family moved a lot when I was a kid. 7 years ago James and I made the leap from San Diego to Phoenix.

If there is one thing I know for sure, it's that you can be happy anywhere as long as you have the people you love with you.

I'd love to move to beautiful country like that....... but, the drive is just too damn far to the river

Best of luck to you and your family in your decision!

 

[cofooter]

I grew up in Huntington Beach and made the move to Colorado in 1997. I came for a job but also the desire to get out of So Cal. My kids were young at the time and I thought there were better options than raising them in So Cal. It was a bit hard to adjust, but we grew to love it here and really enjoy the seasons. My extended family is all in So Cal still and we see them all the time. They come here, or we go there, or we meet in the middle at the River. Some people I talk to have a hard time adjusting and don't last but most will never go back. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Warlock1]

Sonya and I moved 1800 miles from Dayton, OH to Phoenix. She did everything over the internet. Found the house, had all the utilities ready to go. All we had to do was get here. 3 days of non-stop driving. We stopped only for gas and the occasional nap. I think we have done pretty good for ourselves.

 

[HPBoats83]

You're correct (everybody who tells me to go back in February) I've never been in -20 weather but will go visit as I think I could tolerate it. The best analogy for us now is it's like I'm a secluded 18 year old who just left the Playboy mansion, just can't get it out of my mind. My wife called me the other day and said, "I'm looking for a job for you in Montana!"

 

[rivrrts429]

My wife is from Montana. Hell no will she go back.

I've been there when you can literally see the oxygen/moisture frozen floating through the air. Everything is 3 times harder to do in the winter.

It's beautiful for their 3 month summer. Then you have 9 months of winter to deal with. There's not much in between.

Go where your heart is. Plenty of people love it there but I just couldn't do the extreme weather but I do love the lifestyle.

 

[Motor Boater]

I think about this all the time. I grew up in a small town and would love for my kids to have the same experience. A few things u forget about though. eating out the same places all the time, nothing new or exciting, ever. No sports games or Barrett Jackson, phx open etc. We do a lot of stuff regularly that is real fun and that same stuff doesn't exist in small towns. Simple things like flying somewhere is a lot different when the closest major airport is 2 hours away. Good paying jobs, shopping, good schools and health care. U forget about how nice these things are.

Even still I think I could do it but u need to find the right place and the right job. I can't tell u how much I love to watch my boys run and play in the forest and make forts like I use to. There is a lot more to life than rush hour traffic and 5 star restaurants.

 

[Paul65k]

Sonya and I moved 1800 miles from Dayton, OH to Phoenix. She did everything over the internet. Found the house, had all the utilities ready to go. All we had to do was get here. 3 days of non-stop driving. We stopped only for gas and the occasional nap. I think we have done pretty good for ourselves.

I agree........and you did even better when you found Sonya all those years ago :thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[COCA COLA COWBOY]

Moving to Redding, CA at the end of the month. Unfortunately, it's still in California, but it's definitely not the California norm. Easy to get CCW's and three lakes and one river within minutes. I, like you, am walking away from a decent amount of business, but my wife wants out of the concrete jungle in San Diego and to move close to most of my family which is up there. My first choice was Idaho, but happy wife, happy life. The only thing I am giving up is the beach, but with the huge saving on cost of living we are just planning on allocating for vacations every summer. I'm renting for a year ($1500 for 2000sf, huge lot, pool and an awesome view...lol), but planning on building or buying a larger home on multiple acres which is basically the same amount of entry level house in SD. Really, we just want our child to grow up in a different environment where children go outside instead of playing video games all day.

 

[Boozer]

We are planning on doing the move. Waiting to get our Havasu house sold and then find a job for me and move. Montana isn't the place though. You've got a two month summer and a 10 month winter. Like it was said visit in the rough months. We like the South.

The Carolina's are where it's at. :champagne::boobeyes::beer

 

[TCHB]

My father always said if you have a good job everything else will fall into place. Without the job everything falls apart.

 

[CoolCruzin]

Just make a move before the kid get in high school .
The roots get longer and makes it harder to pull up and leave .
That's are problem.

 

[gqchris]

I think about this all the time. I grew up in a small town and would love for my kids to have the same experience. A few things u forget about though. eating out the same places all the time, nothing new or exciting, ever. No sports games or Barrett Jackson, phx open etc. We do a lot of stuff regularly that is real fun and that same stuff doesn't exist in small towns. Simple things like flying somewhere is a lot different when the closest major airport is 2 hours away. Good paying jobs, shopping, good schools and health care. U forget about how nice these things are.

Even still I think I could do it but u need to find the right place and the right job. I can't tell u how much I love to watch my boys run and play in the forest and make forts like I use to. There is a lot more to life than rush hour traffic and 5 star restaurants.

This is the truth right here. My sister lives in Wichita , KS. I could sell my boat, cars etc and buy a damn nice house there with Acreage etc and never have to look back.

But...............It aint California. Yes, I enjoy visiting and the slow lifestyle, family values, cheap living. It makes ya wonder, but on about Week #2, I want to get the hell home! Like Motor Boater said, everything is the same routine. Nothing changes. No events like out here. Look at all the things we have to choose from.

Like you guys, I dream about it also. Peace and Quiet, no traffic, no rat race. Like they say though, grass isnt always greener:thumbup:

 

[cofooter]

This is the truth right here. My sister lives in Wichita , KS. I could sell my boat, cars etc and buy a damn nice house there with Acreage etc and never have to look back.

But...............It aint California. Yes, I enjoy visiting and the slow lifestyle, family values, cheap living. It makes ya wonder, but on about Week #2, I want to get the hell home! Like Motor Boater said, everything is the same routine. Nothing changes. No events like out here. Look at all the things we have to choose from.

Like you guys, I dream about it also. Peace and Quiet, no traffic, no rat race. Like they say though, grass isnt always greener:thumbup:

Given a choice between Wichita and California, I'd chose California. There's way better places besides those two examples.http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

[crzy2bealive]

Been thinking about Texas for a couple years.

 

[gqchris]

Given a choice between Wichita and California, I'd chose California. There's way better places besides those two examples.http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

I totally agree. Its just the only example I can give personally. :thumbsup

My sister loves it, and so do all my nieces and nephews. My nephew worked for a Fortune 500 company making money living in Miami and gave it up to move back! I was like, WTF! He says he loves the place. Hell if i know! LOL

 

[Paul65k]

We are planning on doing the move. Waiting to get our Havasu house sold and then find a job for me and move. Montana isn't the place though. You've got a two month summer and a 10 month winter. Like it was said visit in the rough months. We like the South.

How's the sale going?

Homes without pools sell better in the winter so hopefully you'll get it sold here pretty soon :thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[cofooter]

Just yankin your chain, bud, I do agree, there is a lot going on in So Cal as far as entertainment/dining/events goes......I do miss that part from time to time.

 

[koenig]

I've been through Montana 4 times its nice in summer, but the winters are brutal. I moved from Vancouver to Phoenix and then moved from there to Toronto. From Toronto I moved to Eastern Washington. All big moves. Toronto was the worse, only reason I stayed beyond my 4 years of school was because of my girlfriend. The second we broke up I was out of there. -45 happened a lot and you couldn't go outside for long. You learn quick why most of Toronto is underground and indoors. Id make sure you really want to live there.

 

[McRib]

I've often wondered if I could make a move myself periodically.

I don't think I could. I'm so cal born and raised. I've been in every state in the lower 48 for something at some point in my short life and I've been around the world and back 4 times.

California has its faults but so far nothing has directly affected me in any I'll way. There is just to much to do in so cal. I know where everything is from popular tourist spots to local secret/private spots. You can't get bored in so cal imo and if you do your doing something wrong.

No other city has it like so cal imo. Some come close but not quite close enough for me to make a big lower 48 move. I know I know I'm sure anybody can say the same thing for where they are from but I just don't see it.

If I made a big move it would have to be out of the country. My 2 favorite places are Australia and Spain. I've lived in both for a year and and a half each in my USMC days and loved every minute of it! I'd move back to one or the other in a heartbeat!

 

[Wakebrdr94]

We were going to make the move a few years ago to Bozeman as my best friend lives there. I absolutely love it. We put out house up sale, sold three days later on wed. Thursday found out the wife would need back surgery, then Friday found out she was pregnant. Some big happenings in three days. Some day we'll get there, just no quite yet.

My buddy there is self employed with business here and there. He says it tough as there is still the local small town mentality and many businesses would rather hire local people from there. My wife applied at the hospital, and was told even though she was more qualified, they were going to go with someone who was local.

Best of luck to you though

 

[VoodooMedMan]

The Carolina's are where it's at. :champagne::boobeyes::beer

South Carolina is one of our choices. Depends on finding a job though. Have been a few times. Have friends that live there and it's awesome. Looking there or Nashville or Austin.

 

[VoodooMedMan]

How's the sale going?

Homes without pools sell better in the winter so hopefully you'll get it sold here pretty soon :thumbsup:thumbsup

It'll go. I knew it wouldn't be quick. Funny market out there. Funny agents too. The vets know the street name soapy not show because the original McCullough development is in that street. Only it's down the road a couple miles. Where I'm at it's nice and only gets nicer going up. Want out of California bad and didn't want to miss any opportunity. I'm thinking fall or winter will be a better shot. We bought it in the fall. Summer everyone is busy boating and partying. Not exactly a bunch of boat deep garages less than 200k. Especially one under 10 years old and immaculate. The comps work out but we are talking Havasu. When I list my house in California I guarantee I will have offers within the first week.

 

[River Runnin]

December 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. I shoveled snow for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again! What a perfect life.

December 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. l don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man - I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14: Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. l didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17: Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20: Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of stupid snow last night. More shoveling. Took all day. That stupid snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white stuff fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to use the restroom. By the time I got undressed, went and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the jerk is lying.

December 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.

December 24: 6" today. Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the jerk who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his hair. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at about 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for that stupid snowplow.

December 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the !=3D@x@!x!x1 slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.

December 26: Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27: Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.

December 28: Warmed up to above -50. Still snowed in. THAT WOMAN is driving me crazy!!!!!

December 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30: Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

December 31: Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

 

[River Runnin]

Oh! Ya!.... Give me a call when you need some snow removal! ....My names Bob!

 

[shintoooo]

December 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. I shoveled snow for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again! What a perfect life.

December 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. l don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man - I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14: Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. l didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17: Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20: Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of stupid snow last night. More shoveling. Took all day. That stupid snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white stuff fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to use the restroom. By the time I got undressed, went and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the jerk is lying.

December 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.

December 24: 6" today. Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the jerk who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his hair. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at about 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for that stupid snowplow.

December 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the !=3D@x@!x!x1 slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.

December 26: Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27: Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.

December 28: Warmed up to above -50. Still snowed in. THAT WOMAN is driving me crazy!!!!!

December 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30: Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

December 31: Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

LMAO

 

[Classic Daycruiser]

I recently went and visited my mom in Montana who just moved outside of Bozeman in April. It really had an impact on my wife and I, the beauty of the landscape, how nice the people were, everything about it were having a hard time getting it out of our heads. My kids are at a good age to do it (4 and 2) but I would be leaving a good amount of family behind as well as my job which is the biggest thing.

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Watch this movie before making any decisions.
[video=youtube;aV1wFtRi4m0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV1wFtRi4m0[/video]

 

[Tank]

I'd have to agree with everyone about checking it out in the winter. Especially if it's the northern part of Montana. It gets cold as fuck up there. We have land in the panhandle of Idaho (lake Pend orielle) and it's nice from late June to early sept. August it gets in the 80's. But when you're 45 minutes from the Canadian boarder, the winters ain't no joke. I could never do it. I agree with others that you don't have to move to such extremes to get what you're looking for. You can move to Oregon, northern cal or even Washington and have a slower pace. If you want to avoid seasons and live in paradise there's always the west costs of Florida and the keys. Slooooooow but weather is crazy nice. There's awesome little spots sprinkled all the way across he southern US. you get way up north it's going to get cold. I'd take a vacation in February and spend like three weeks there. See if you can hang. Once you leave Cali it can be tough to get back in .

 

[Paul65k]

Only thing I know about Montana...................is that we have we 3 sets of friends (couples) that come to Havasu every winter from Montana to get away from the snow from late October till April

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

You're correct (everybody who tells me to go back in February) I've never been in -20 weather but will go visit as I think I could tolerate it. The best analogy for us now is it's like I'm a secluded 18 year old who just left the Playboy mansion, just can't get it out of my mind. My wife called me the other day and said, "I'm looking for a job for you in Montana!"

Good luck with that!

I grew up in the boonies and it was a great place to be a kid. As an adult, not so much. I moved to CA from NH when is was 32 and my income doubled (job in same field) but the cost of living isn't twice as much as NH so overall increase in income. There are every few decent jobs when you live in the middle of no where.

100+ degrees in SoCal is uncomfortable but -20 degrees in Montana will hurt! Shoveling snows sucks, cars rust out and are always filthy, pipes freeze, you have to wear 10 shirts and a couple jackets, boots, gloves, etc.

I do love the tranquility but you will get bored eventually. You can keep busy with dirt bikes, 4x4's, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, etc. but there will be times where you have nothing for entertainment. Also going be lack of services.

So many people move to these types of locations and are not prepared to deal with the harsh environments so they move back. I quit often have thought about moving back east remembering all the good stuff. I have been working on a project out eat east of Boston now for over a month with another month to go. I got to visit some friends and see my old town and house. Guess what? I'm ready to go home to Socal!

I have a great place there and I've been to every state in the country. There is no better weather anywhere. You have the mountains, lakes, ocean, tons of stuff to do and see. Sure the traffic sucks and there are a lot of a-holes and the government is the worst in the country but overall, life is pretty good.

Take vacations in Montana and check out other areas as well. Better to make a move when you retire.

 

[scouter]

We made the big move (for us anyway) last year.

I was a native Californian. Born in San Francisco, raised in Contra Costa County, lived 1 year in Rancho Palos Verdes and 33 years in San Diego.

My wife was born, raised and spent her 20's and part of her 30's in Chicago. Moved to San Diego in the 90's and we met on the river. Got married (almost 15 years ago now) and raised my daughter in San Diego.

As my daughter got closer to college age (we knew she was going to go to college out of state), we started thinking about where we wanted to live. We bought a piece of land in Havasu thinking that would be nice. We sat on that for awhile and then decided that Havasu was just a little too busy for us. We had a weekend home on the Lower River and really loved it. So we decided to shed the Havasu place and buy a permanent place on the LR.

We ended up buying this shack:



We tore that one down and built this shack:



And now we get to wake up to this every morning right outside our bedroom:



It was a tough decision, leaving a place (California) that I'd spent 51 years and my wife had spent close to 20, but we wouldn't change a thing about our decision. We are so happy now and blessed. As PinkTaco mentioned at the beginning of the thread, just follow your heart.

 

[Boozer]

100+ degrees in SoCal is uncomfortable but -20 degrees in Montana will hurt! Shoveling snows sucks, cars rust out and are always filthy, pipes freeze, you have to wear 10 shirts and a couple jackets, boots, gloves, etc.

Last winter we had some of the coldest days I can recall since living in Colorado. It was something like -35 with the windchill. Even with 2 pairs of gloves on I would have to take a break about every 5 minutes or so while running the snow blower because my hands were freezing.

Sub Zero temperatures are one of those things that no matter how much you try to explain to people they'll never fully understand it until they experience it first hand. I've had people tell me "I'll take cold any day over heat, you can dress for the cold but you can only take off so much clothing." You don't know what cold is until you've experience temps so cold it hurts to breathe, that starts to happen right around the 0 mark and there's no amount of clothing in the world that will make you comfortable when it physically hurts to breathe.

For the record I woke up to snow on the ground this morning, it's currently 31 degrees and still snowing. It's still summertime so I can only imagine what the winter is going to be like.

 

[cofooter]

Boozer, I'm in Colorado, too. Snow this AM, 80's and boating for the weekend. Gotta love it. I, for one, am looking forward to an early ski season.

 

[pronstar]

Hoping to make the move to Dallas/Plano, for work.

One thing to keep in mind is higher property taxes in TX. Most of the cities/suburbs north of Dallas are a bit over 2%, I believe Austin is closer to 3%.

Houses are way cheaper, but like everything else, do your homework first so no surprises when you get there.

 

[coolchange]

Go back and spend some time in Feb. my brother has been in Missoula for 40 years. He laughs at the folks from the coast who visit in summer, move there and are gone in 18 months. It awesome for a few months but its basically Cananda

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