Hello all,

So I'm starting a new job in a few weeks, and once I'm done with training there is a chance I will be relocating. I currently live in the Seattle area, and I am very much wanting to leave (like a lot of people). Fortunately I have a little bit of say in where I go, and I was looking at the mid-west as as decent place.

My main areas of focus for where I go are:

1. Cost of Living vs. wages. Doesn't do me any good to leave a super expensive place to live and go somewhere cheap if my wage drops an equal amount. I know this is more dependent on my employer but relative wages will at least affect what they offer.
2. Emissions friendliness. My Z28 is absolutely not emissions friendly. I can do stuff to make it so but it'll still be nowhere CARB compliant or stand up to any real inspection. I know posting this information on a public forum is iffy, so for this sort of info I would invite people to PM me please.
3. Other normal living things. How are the people? How are the schools? Crime? Etc etc.

Much appreciated everyone!

 

I'm in Minnesota, beautiful land, no emissions.

Cost of living is middle of the road.

Big car scene. (Look up Power Cruise at Brainard International Raceway)

You looking to move into a big city or the outskirts within driving range of the city's?

 

If i had a choice, the outskirts. Usually cost of living is lower and theres a bit more freedom at the cost of a commute (which im fine with. Used to do car audio so ive made my daily as enjoyable as possible lol). Looks like my options for locations in MN would be Minneapolis, Roger's, and Maplewood.

 

Much of Chicago is a horrible place, I'm just a couple miles from it (right near O'hare Airport). Terrible politics, terrible taxes, plenty of crime. But other parts of IL are quite nice, even my little town, close as it is to the big city, is very different from Chicago proper. Of course, all major cities have good and bad areas. Car scene around here is highly dependent on exactly where you live (I used to live 10 miles further east and there was almost no car scene at all, but in my new location there is stuff everywhere). Lots of regional cruise nights throughout the suburbs, if you're into that. A couple of tracks within ~50 miles or so. Emissions are not much of an issue here, no testing at all in most of the state other than ZIP codes right around Chicago and the IL side of St. Louis, but this is OBD scan-only testing; no sniff, no visual - so, really, no problem if properly tuned.

Not sure how COL compares to your area, but I just paid $5.95/gallon for regular gas on the outskirts of Chicago this week. It's higher deeper into the city, but that might give you something to compare.

Weather here absolutely sucks for most of the winter, and sometimes winter runs from November until nearly May, but then other years it will still be super nice at Thanksgiving and/or start getting really nice by mid-late March. You just don't know. Spring here is very iffy; some years nice, some years cold, rainy or even snowy. Summer is nice but can get very hot and humid at times. Late summer/early fall is almost always our nicest period (moderate temps, low humidity, generally dry). I've lived here for ~4.5 decades and I've seen temps range from as low as -27°F to as high as +104°F.

 

Out of those three locations I would choose Maplewood.

I will echo what RPM WS6 said in his first paragraph in his description of Chicago. That can also be applied to Minneapolis. The politics suck ****, and traffic is horrible also.

Maplewood is east of Minneapolis about 20 miles and would be the location I would choose.

As far as location to live....I am right on the Mn/Wis border in White Bear Lake. Along the St. Croix River is the location I would recommend. It is east of Maplewood about 10 miles which would be Stillwater. North of that is Taylor's Falls about 25 miles and south of Stillwater is Hudson. All absolute stunning areas. Below I will post a few pictures of the areas. It is such a nice drive on a sunny day with the tops of for a cruise also.

Obviously these are just a couple picture's but just punch in the locations I mentioned into Google images.

Taylor Falls



Stillwater






White Bear Lake




Hudson, Wi

 

Gas in my city is around 5.30 or so, more expensive as you head further south and get closer to Seattle. I'm about as far north of Seattle as you can get without moving into the ridiculous. Fortunately crappy winters, springs, summers, and falls are what I'm used to. Last summer I got about 3 months of top down/motorcycle weather before having to park everything. The fact that there's any car culture is a huge jump from what's around here.

Yeah I figure being in any big city is going to suck, which is why I was aiming for the outskirts if possible. But wow that looks gorgeous. If you know, what are the schools like? I'm a good 4-ish years away from that, but it'll probably be my wife's first question lol.

 

The closer you get to the inner city the public schools get worse. I would not enroll in Maplewood but White Bear, Stillwater, Mahtomedi, Woodbury have very good schools.

 

Well if you happen to get a job in the STL mo area, don't live there. Its about as bad as Chicago. But there are some great towns a short drive away. Washington mo is a great little town with some good school options and as of July 1st no more emissions ( it was just obd plug in anyway) . or st charles or o'fallon are nice as well but do have plug in type emissions ( cause St Charles/St Louis county) but Franklin county is pretty LAX on most things. Lots of wineries around Augusta area (where I work). And many other things to do as well. Either way congratulations on that new job and new life adventure as well, best ov luck to you.

 

Anywhere in the Midwest?

 

I'm limited to where my company has a location. However they have at least one in every state, mostly around larger cities.

 

Florida.....away from all the moonbats.

 

This would get my vote

 

Too bad you did not have the choice to goto FL seems to be the greatest state right now....

With places in the mid-west there are a lot of nice places to live just not in the main city's which unfortunately is because of political crap for example if you were to come to Michigan... there is vary nice places to live you just don't want to be around Detroit

 

Agreed 100%. Same issue with Chicago, that city ruins the political climate for the entire state, but things aren't so bad the further you get from it.

 

Where ever you plan on moving I would go visit for a week or two to get an idea of the atmosphere. I live in Des Moines, Iowa. Not that Des Moines is such a great place to live there are several suburbs that are very nice. Low crime, Cost of living is pretty decent. Car scene is good. Great schools and a good place to raise a family. Waukee, Ankeny Grimes, Johnston Iowa are minutes from down town Des Moines.

 

Same thing with Detroit and Michigan..... most of the state does not vote for these out of their mind Dems

Detroit, Lansing and flint pretty much determines the elections here which is so screwed.... all 3 of those cities have been ran by Dems for YEARS and they are all cities people avoid and the people that live there are the ones that cant get out but yet still vote blue no matter what it's like they enjoy living in a dumpster

 

Bingo and this can be applied to many other cities in other states. This right here is the whole reason the D wants to abolish the electoral college. They want a few of the biggest cities to control the whole country by popular vote. Its easy to stuff endless ballots into the big crime infested cities as many of us witnessed in 2020.
Michigan has proven to be very corrupt. Look into the AG and governor, two of the most corrupt radicals in the country believe it or not.

Its too bad what happened to Michigan. Especially Detroit, once known as the automobile capital of the world, now a total hellhole.

 

I think you need to visit some cities. I've never been to Everett WA but I have been to Vancouver, Bellevue and a little bit in Seattle. Chicago for example is very dense in parts, and has the same cons as that any older city has, high traffic, crime, taxes and not the best roads.

If it were up to me, I'd look at living near Kansas City, I think that compares a bit to Bellevue for example. The only real bad traffic there is downtown but plenty of folks live 30-40 minutes out. Plus winter is not too bad there.

 

What's a "Moonbat"? LOL

 

Tennessee has tons to offer as long as you stay away from Memphis.
FL would me #2 for me
Then Alabama...

But I hate snow and cold weather so im a bit biased....