Moving states

[Skippy722]

I’ll preface this with this isn’t a “do it now now!” thing, this is a 4-5 year plan that is just barely in its infancy. My wife will be finishing her Vet Tech classes first and foremost.

Now that I’m not beholden to what I thought was my “forever” job that I’d retire from in 30+ years (take your mandatory 12 hour shifts and shove them), we are considering moving. Moving FAR. Like Indiana to Texas far.

We’re thinking some rural part of Texas. Modest house (ideally under 1,300~2,000sq ft) but 5 acre minimum. We both come from a town of <5,000, so we’ll be avoiding neighborhoods/suburbs/cities… tried it once for 4 years, not for us. We also raise chickens and would like to get cows and/or goats.

I guess what I’m getting at is what do I need to know? Obviously we need to look into schools for the kids, crime rate/safety, job prospects for both of us (her vet tech, me machining or HVACR). I can only google stuff so much and sift through so many AI generated articles before I go mad…. So what say the BITOG collective?

Oh yeah… the only real requirement I have is no emissions inspections

 

[Boomer]

Taxes (local and state), proximity to the Mexican border, how close are services and stores to where you want to live (distance to the grocery, for example), availability and constant supply of water are just some that come to mind.

 

[RooflessVW]

We'll take you in NC

 

[gman2304]

Texas is a great choice….N.C. has emissions testing, and is no longer taking applications!

 

[snarl]

Only some parts of NC have emissions testing.

 

[Wylie6G72]

Be warned. The climate here sucks. 3 weeks of Spring between April and May, then scorching heat and suffocating humidity well into October. Epic ice storms and infrastructure issues between December and March. You'll constantly be preparing for hail, high winds, tornados and flash flooding. If I had it to do all over again, I would have done some serious climate research before I moved.

 

[RooflessVW]

Texas is a great choice….N.C. has emissions testing, and is no longer taking applications!

Only two counties now.

 

[gman2304]

Only two counties now.

Actually 19 of N.C.’s 100 counties require emissions testing.

 

[Revving2Redline]

Find a Midwest area thats warm enough to get your tan but cold enough to kill the bugs and keep the riff raff to a minimum. Hunter?Fisherman? Kansas or Missouri have great areas for both. 2A? We are rated #1, no annual inspection, but definitely taxed way more than i prefer. What is on your list as potential spots?

 

[dnewton3]

You need to realize that the term "rural" means something different in TX, versus IN.
There's nothing in Indiana that isn't 10 minutes from a state road and 15 or less minutes to a DG or Walmart.
In Texas, as with most things west of the Mississippi river, when they say "rural", it's a LOT further to drive to anything.
You may find that attractive, but it can be burdensome when you want/need something quickly.
Healthcare is often "so-so" in rural areas; if that's something you'd need frequently.
Etc ...

 

[AJB0009]

Ten years ago, me, my wife, and our four children packed up and moved from north/central WI to NC.
We probably sounded like you (and most on BITOG for that matter), over-analyzing.
There are many reasons of varying importance or priority as to why we moved. I had been mulling over moving for many years in the way back of my mind. As they say, my only regret is that we didn't do it sooner. That is what comes to mind when I read your original post, and you say "4-5-year plan". Yes, it is a major deal, and you need to plan for it.
We researched climates, jobs, economies, taxes, weather, etc., etc., etc. for every state along the southern U.S.
Our kids at the time would have been between 7-14, IIRC.
I will say it was more stressful than I thought it would be. I mean a low, underlying type of stress. Just adjusting to moving 1,000 miles away from everything we had known our whole lives. It did not bother me one bit to move away from my family, but it did for my wife. She visits there and they come here and visit throughout the year.
My $.02: Some of the issues with TX have been listed. A LOT of people are flocking to NC. I may still, one day, slide south of the border into SC. A lot fewer people, lower cost of living (taxes much lower), a touch less winter weather.
I wish you the very best.

 

[RooflessVW]

Actually 19 of N.C.’s 100 counties require emissions testing.

I thought they ended testing for everywhere but Charlotte.

 

[KrisZ]

If you’re going to go rural Texas, plan to school from home IMO. The schools in the cities aren’t great, and I don’t think small rural town would be any better, probably worse.

 

[cptbarkey]

SW Texas if you are extremely brave.
S Texas if you are ok turning into leather.
E Texas if you are ok with high humidity.
W Texas you cant survive basically.
NW Texas if you enjoy vast fields of nothing, dust storms and biker gangs.
Central Texas if you are ok with a cesspool, but enjoy heat and scorpions (been here for 31 years).

 

[Capt W]

Oh yeah… the only real requirement I have is no emissions inspections

And the only real requirement we have is this: If you're a lefty, please confine yourself to Austin or Dallas. Thank you.

Signed,

The rest of Texas

 

[gman2304]

I thought they ended testing for everywhere but Charlotte.

The goal is to have emissions testing only in Mecklenburg county in the future. Not there yet.

 

[andrew_j]

Whenever you land rent for six months and see if a fit before committing. You’ll buy smarter knowing things and living an area.

 

[SC Maintenance]

So some general thoughts - irrelevant of where you go - I have done this a few times.

It will cost a lot more than you think. Not moving, but all the new things you have to set up. The new stuff you need. Etc. Money just seems to fly out the window while moving. Plan ahead.

Kids in school? Moved mine twice. First was K and 1 moving up. No issues - little kids are easy. Second time was one kid just moving to middle, and the older kid was in middle and despised the school (a big reason we moved). So that worked also. If there in the middle of a stretch or in High school, I would think long and hard about moving them. Unless there doing poorly, then the change might do them good?

I strongly suggest taking an extended vacation to where you think your going to move. And stay as close to possible to where your looking to move. Don't just see the sites and say this is great. Drive in traffic during rush hour. Go check out the grocery stores. Do live there stuff, not tourist stuff. The longer the better. 2 weeks is better than nothing (do a month if you can).

Rent for a year. Not just because the entire area. If you find your commuting the wrong way every day, you might decide to live in a different part of town.

Then all the normal stuff - jobs, schools, etc

Good luck!

 

[factorytuned2012]

I would start with crime rate and schools don’t do your children wrong. That was my mistake moving to horry county sc wasn’t thinking about our 2 week old at the time. now going to be 4 and schools around the corner. We aren’t near the beach but also many areas here are not the best and for the most part are seedy. You want low crime and good schools top priority. Avoid horry county South Carolina at all measures unless you want to take my place I’ll gladly move out of town-state.

 

[Skippy722]

And the only real requirement we have is this: If you're a lefty, please confine yourself to Austin or Dallas. Thank you.

Signed,

The rest of Texas

Don’t worry about that, someone has to come and help balance out Austin and Dallas… or 6 someone’s, but we ain’t living IN Dallas or Austin I’ll stick out like a sore thumb, but my wife will blend right in with her southern accent…. At least that’s how it went in Georgia and Arkansas She would talk and they wouldn’t say anything, I’d talk with my Chicago accent I apparently have and they’d immediately be like “you’re from up north!”

You need to realize that the term "rural" means something different in TX, versus IN.
There's nothing in Indiana that isn't 10 minutes from a state road and 15 or less minutes to a DG or Walmart.
In Texas, as with most things west of the Mississippi river, when they say "rural", it's a LOT further to drive to anything.
You may find that attractive, but it can be burdensome when you want/need something quickly.
Healthcare is often "so-so" in rural areas; if that's something you'd need frequently.
Etc ...

We both grew up having to drive a minimum of 30 minutes to “real” shopping areas like a Walmart. Ideally we’ll be able to find some land that’s ~30-45 minutes away from everything we need/want. We’re not super picky on that front, we ultimately just want to raise our children and chickens in peace.

Be warned. The climate here sucks. 3 weeks of Spring between April and May, then scorching heat and suffocating humidity well into October. Epic ice storms and infrastructure issues between December and March. You'll constantly be preparing for hail, high winds, tornados and flash flooding. If I had it to do all over again, I would have done some serious climate research before I moved.

Our weather is bipolar. 70 with 70mph winds one day, 40 and raining the next.

We are planning to visit various areas. I do have a friend local to the Dallas area I’ve also been in contact with.