Please rank the top 10 states in which to live.

[69360]

Maine
New Hampshire
Alaska
Idaho
North Dakota
South Dakota
Montana
Texas
Nevada
Wyoming

Everyone is going to tell you NH and it's good, but they have a serious masshole problem there.

 

[cjm]

Least restrictive laws on issues like gun control, permitting structures, licensing to hunt, raise and grow food, surveillance. Job availability, government not in massive debt.

opencarry.org has Virginia listed as one of its "gold star" states: http://www.opencarry.org/?page_id=310

Virginia is one of our “Gold Star” open carry states. There is complete state preemption of all firearms laws, open carry is increasingly common and law enforcement is well educated as to its legality.

There was a list published a while back from another source that put Virginia 15th for gun rights, but that was behind states like Texas that have no open carry at all for sidearms. By my understanding of gun laws nationwide, I put Virginia just below the constitutional carry states with regard to respecting gun rights. So just behind AZ, VT, AK, and WY.

There is a lot of variance in the freedom culture statewide, but it's pretty strong in the western part of the state. You should put Virginia's 6th district on your research list. Notable residents include Joel Salatin and Karen Kwiatkowski. Eric Peters lives in the 9th just to the south.

Plenty of places to get non-ethanol gas too: http://pure-gas.org/extensions/map.html

 

[TaftFan]

More maps.

WEB SOIL SURVEY (Find out what the soil is good for where you live)

Federally Owned Land:

Agricultural regions:

 

[I<3Liberty]

Pennsylvania isn't on any of these lists!? UGH! I'm so done with this forum!

JK

It's all opinion unless you select a standard objective/set of objectives like crime or employment rate.

 

[TaftFan]

Joel Skousen talks strategic relocation. I don't have the book but if I planned on moving I would shell out and buy it.

http://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Relocation-Joel-Skousen/dp/156861053X

http://www.joelskousen.com/strategic.html

 

[TaftFan]

Concealed carry laws:

Murder rate:

 

[tangent4ronpaul]

Was talking to a guy from TN the other day and he said most of the state had no building codes!

As to VA, I remember the state was cracking down on ppl making cheese and raw milk. Also, they have one horrid firearms law out there that has mandatory min sentences. I think it mostly had to do with having firearms near a school.

-t

 

[James Madison]

Pennsylvania isn't on any of these lists!? UGH! I'm so done with this forum!

JK

It's all opinion unless you select a standard objective/set of objectives like crime or employment rate.

Don't worry. Your homestate isn't a reflection on you.

 

[pcosmar]

In all those charts they show Michigan as one state,,which is misleading.

Detroit and Lansing (high population areas) skew the result(and screw the state). The UP is not the Lower Peninsula.

 

[Keith and stuff]

The link I included has discussions on other states as well, such as Idaho and Wyoming.

I personally would not move to NH, as someone put it the Massholes are invading.

Maine
Everyone is going to tell you NH and it's good, but they have a serious masshole problem there.

They aren't invading at all. The massholes aren't a problem other than watch out for people driving with MA plates. Since millions of people live in MA, and MA has much higher sales taxes, excise taxes and fees than NH, a ton of MA folks (same with ME, VT, CT and NY) shop/vacation/participate in outdoor activities in NH. That's part of the reason the quality of life is higher in NH than in the rest of the US. It's also partly why the taxes are so low, the government is so small, the pay is so high and the unemployment rate is the 2nd lowest in the East.

Sure, only 40% of the people living in NH were born in NH. That's not a problem to me. I encourage non-natives to move to NH, including all of you wonderful people Sure, almost 25% of the population in NH is from MA. Again, that's not a problem. MA if by far the most likely place to find FSP movers. I'd love to move 1,000s of more liberty folks from MA. I know many great people, and even many legislators in NH that were born in MA. The MA folks that want socialism and to live in the woods often move to ME or VT. The MA folks that want major city life, often move to NYC. The MA folks that want a warmer climate often move to FL or even NC. The MA that want freedom often move to NH, along with the MA that want a cheap place to live since NH is the least expensive place to live in New England, largely because it has near the lowest taxes in the US and no general sales tax.

Keep in mind that in NH, unlike every other state, even the plurality of Democrats (including college kids that actually live in another state but sometimes vote in NH since they attend a NH college) are against against the creation of a personal income tax or a general sales tax. Heck, almost every other state already has both (there are 2 states besides NH that prohibit a statewide or local general sales tax, OR and DE).

You don't seem to understand the situation. What you meant to say is that lots of people from NJ/NY/CT used to move to NH before the great recession. That is true. You meant that a large percentage of those people, while socially pro-liberty on many issues, are in favor of a larger government than currently exists in NH. They moved here because NH had such an amazing economy, especially when it came to high tech and health care. Of course, that was before the Free State Project became well known in the area. Now, a lot of those types of people are scared of moving to NH. That's part of the reason population growth slowed so dramatically in NH. The better liberty does in NH and the better the world about the FSP gets out, the less likely socially partly pro-liberty statists are going to want to move to NH and the more likely pro-liberty folks are going to want to move to NH.

 

[tod evans]

If you're thinking of moving I'd look for climate and population density first, that's going to narrow your choices depending on what you want...

My understanding of upstate NY is that folks are a lot like the Ozarks except for the funny accent..

To me, neighbors are far more important than state lines.

 

[69360]

They aren't invading at all. Sure, only 40% of the people living in NH were born in NH. That's not a problem. Sure, 25% of the population in NH is from MA. Again, that's not a problem. I know many great people, and even many legislators in NH that were born in MA. The MA folks that want socialism and to live in the woods often move to ME or VT. The MA folks that want a warmer climate often move to FL or even NC. The MA that want freedom often move to NH, along with the MA that want a cheap place to live since NH is the least expensive place to live in New England, largely because it has near the lowest taxes in the US and no general sales tax.

You don't seem to understand the situation. What you meant to say is that lots of people from NJ/NY/CT used to move to NH before the great recession. That is true. You meant that a large percentage of those people, while socially pro-liberty on many issues, are in favor of a larger government than currently exists in NH. They moved here because NH had such an amazing economy, especially when it came to high tech and health care. Of course, that was before the Free State Project became well known in the area. Now, a lot of those types of people are scared of moving to NH. That's part of the reason population growth slowed so dramatically in NH.

You are sugarcoating it.

I'm in NH usually twice a month. You have a masshole problem, it's horrid in the summer, the summer massholes will drive you bonkers. We have the same problem here in Maine, it just took me 3 hours to drive 20 miles to the home depot and walmart to shop and back. In the winter it takes an hour.

The FSP is not well known. The population of NH is 1.3 million. The FSP is 1000. So it's maybe .1% of the population.

 

[Keith and stuff]

You are sugarcoating it.

I'm in NH usually twice a month. You have a masshole problem, it's horrid in the summer, the summer massholes will drive you bonkers. We have the same problem here in Maine, it just took me 3 hours to drive 20 miles to the home depot and walmart to shop and back. In the winter it takes an hour.

The FSP is not well known. The population of NH is 1.3 million. The FSP is 1000. So it's maybe .1% of the population.

I mentioned the folks from MA enjoying "shop/vacation/participate in outdoor activities in NH." I'm not sugarcoating it at all. The MA folks don't bother me at all. They may visit and as spend as much of their money in the NH economy as they want. I encourage them to visit early and often. I've never had a problem with people at a beach, lake or ski area. I don't go to them when they are crowded so the problem never exists for me.

http://freestateproject.org/

Participants:
14,480 of 20,000
Participants in NH:
1,176
In-state Friends:
1,412

Millions of people in the Northeast have heard of the FSP at least once. Some many times. That doesn't mean everyone remembers it, though. When people look up relocating to NH, it certainly pops up from time to time on the internet. When people talk to their friends about moving to NH, it also likely pops up from time to time. The more it pops up, the less likely the somewhat statist people are to move to NH.

I explained the situation as it is. You may disagree. IMO, though, if you disagree, it doesn't mean I'm going to change my opinion. My opinion is that you and TaftFan were putting out incorrect information, maybe because you didn't completely understand the situation and jumped to conclusions.

 

[catfeathers]

I like Kentucky,Rand and Massie,beautiful country with mild weather and plenty of water,reasonable acreage prices with low property taxes.
If I ever hit the lottery...

I'm not sure about the mild weather. I guess compared to some places it's mild but it can be very humid at least here in the mountains. Depending on where you buy the acreage might be more vertical than horizontal. We were lucky and found an old fixer-upper with about an acre that's fairly flat and doesn't flood.
It's not too bad for homeschooling though. And the guys can go out and shoot their guns in the yard.

 

[Dianne]

1. California (Pros - legal, available medicinal herb, great climate, variety of places and cultures to choose to live in, lots of coastline. Cons - expensive, high taxes, regulations, gun laws)

2. Oregon

3. Washington

4. Colorado

5. New Hampshire

6. Maine

7. Montana

8. Wyoming

8. Idaho

9. Utah

10. New Mexico

Wow I'm shocked anyone would say CA ... now they are coming up with digital license plates so they know where you are every second of the day? CA .... besides NY are the most intrusive states in the country ....

 

[DamianTV]

I'll try another perspective. Jobs.

Bottom of my list: Nevada. There are NO jobs here. Im sure places like Detroit have us beat by miles and miles. But who is at the TOP of the list for Jobs?

 

[Dianne]

Don't know what the best state is, but do know the worst or one of the worst.... besides N.Y. and CA ... and that is North Carolina ... North Carolina is the bankster state .... Personal income tax sky high to fund Bank of America and Wells Fargo's free tax ride.

Disgusting, corrupt state.. Amazing Obama picked this hell hole for the democratic convention... but then again ... the banksters have plenty of money laundered money to throw back his way.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO to North Carolina ... Run as fast as you can.

 

[Dianne]

How about North Dakota ... several areas close to the Canadian border... nothing happens in North Dakota .. No intrusive coked up Senators ... that I know of.

 

[Deborah K]

How about North Dakota ... several areas close to the Canadian border... nothing happens in North Dakota .. No intrusive coked up Senators ... that I know of.

Funny you should mention ND. A friend of Mark's just told us recently that there are jobs galore there - well paying jobs. I've lived in the SW my whole life though. I don't know if I can handle the frigid cold.

 

[malkusm]

From George Mason: http://freedominthe50states.org/

Go to "Personalize" (top right) and you can select which variables should be included in your rankings - probably the best way to choose what matters to you and get the answer that is best for you. (Note on all the menu items you can click the (+) sign and drill down into more specific criteria.)

Here are my rankings: http://freedominthe50states.org/custom/malkusm-rankings/calcdist/cbeert/cbluelaw/chappy/ckeg/dautouuc/dbelt/dcell/docont/dsobchk/ehscurr/ehslaw/ehsnoti/ehsrkr/ehsst/ehstq/emaps/emlpst/emrps/epscurr/lforf/dgamfel/dgrpi/dintgam/dsocgam/bguns/dfirewks/drawmilk/drecord/drfra/dtrans/sbldtest/ssame/swait/cmjindex/csalvia/iindex/rarrests/rdrenrat/rincarcr/rvcarrst/adebtpi/ainctot3/aslgpi/hbfip/hirr/hmindex/hmspec/hsgrr/hsrp/gminwag/grtw/frent/frtp/fspeech/fwrluri/mindex/nhoirr/niiprc/npairr/nrcp/kexam/kfees/oliabrk/jclsifc/jtdereg

1. North Dakota
2. South Dakota
3. Tennessee
4. Oklahoma
5. New Hampshire
6. Idaho
7. Utah
8. Virginia
9. Alaska
10. Missouri

ETA: Ironically, I live in the state that my rankings put dead last (New York - #50) - and you live in the state that they put next to last!