Jet Boater wants to relocate, but WHERE?

[probablecause]

:clover: Greetings from a West Coast jet boater. I have $200,000 worth of equity in my house and am seriously contemplating, selling it, and moving to Alabama (or a similar state). Plus, I am sick and tired of California and all of the $hitbags there (minus the awesome boaters of course).
I am looking for a cool area where I can take my family to a great lake or a choice of lakes where loud, obnoxious, jet boats owners, with bbq's, nice families, and plenty of beer are welcomed with open arms. I am not looking for a vacation lake where 18 year olds hang out. I am looking for a down to earth area where I can just hang out where English is not the second language and people actually wave (not their middle finger). I am looking for a community with good schools and where the police actually take care of the non-desirables and not the tax payers. I don’t actually have to live in the area, but a 30 – 60 minute drive would be OK.
If any of you know have found this utopian place let me know OR if you have a suggestion, please let me know.

[Infomaniac]

Tulsa Oklahoma
5 very nice lakes within 45 minutes. Most drag boat friendly.
Can buy a mansion for 200K
Low cost of living. Gas is 1.80 is now. The highest ever. Up .20 from a week ago.
All 4 seasons. Snow only stays a couple of days. Lake season is May- Sep. Not uncommon to start in April and go well into October.
-

[Hotcrusader76]

Texas Hill Country... :clover:

[Tn_River_Ratt]

Come to Tennessee or the Mid South. More BBQ that ya can stand and all the beer ya can drink. Just pull up to a sandbar on the Tennessee River, sit back, enjoy the kids and drink a beer or three. I love it here. The best part, just about no A$$holes anywhere.
For $350,000 ya can have a 3500 sq. ft. mansion.
Drive it till ya break it!!!!!!!!!!

[NashvilleBound]

Have to agree. TN is the place only if your looking for affordable housing...family values, GREAT FREE lakes...within 30 minutes in EVERY direction....water as flat as glass all day everyday....people who know how to party not just pretend :rollside: car reg fees are $65 a year regardless..no state tax. hmmmm... Its a green as can be and you get just a taste of the 4 seasons...4-5" of snow the whole year. Nobody will bother you for your boat being loud either... If your looking for housing I'm a builder..and financing certain buyers. Just moved here permanently 3 months ago...commuted for 6 years....not 1 regret! Let me know if you want some local housing info.
Good Luck,
NB

[NashvilleBound]

Come to Tennessee or the Mid South. More BBQ that ya can stand and all the beer ya can drink. Just pull up to a sandbar on the Tennessee River, sit back, enjoy the kids and drink a beer or three. I love it here. The best part, just about no A$$holes anywhere.
For $350,000 ya can have a 3500 sq. ft. mansion.
Drive it till ya break it!!!!!!!!!!
where is that sandbar anyways???? Give me something Mapquest can actually find:)

[OMEGA_BUBBLE_JET]

One word partner..... TEXAS. tons of lakes. loud pipes=no problem. gas is cheap the weather is warm (south/southeast texas). Winter lasts about 3 weeks here in Houston. I have actually worn shorts on Christmas day.
On the flip side the humidity is bad along the coast but you get used to that. people are nice. For 200k you could buy a 3,000 sq ft NICE house in Houston no problem.
Omega

[N2Lake]

If I was to relocate I would look very hard at the Weatherford, Texas area. 15 minutes to Fort Worth, 45 minutes to Dallas going east and Possum Kingdom Lake going West. Also there are a load of other lakes within an hour drive.

[vdrivenman]

TEXAS Gulf Coast has plenty to offer ! the heat & humidity are kinda oppressive here on the coast,along with the ocassional hurricane!
plenty of fresh water lakes and Gulf of Mexico all within easy drive.deer hunting, bird hunting.
also some Great Cajun & Tex-Mex food in the GC area !
Hill Country 1st and then Deep East Texas !
what type of employment do you plan to seek ? that may help your decision !

[uclahater]

:clover: Greetings from a West Coast jet boater. I have $200,000 worth of equity in my house and am seriously contemplating, selling it, and moving to Alabama (or a similar state). Plus, I am sick and tired of California and all of the $hitbags there (minus the awesome boaters of course).
I am looking for a cool area where I can take my family to a great lake or a choice of lakes where loud, obnoxious, jet boats owners, with bbq's, nice families, and plenty of beer are welcomed with open arms. I am not looking for a vacation lake where 18 year olds hang out. I am looking for a down to earth area where I can just hang out where English is not the second language and people actually wave (not their middle finger). I am looking for a community with good schools and where the police actually take care of the non-desirables and not the tax payers. I don’t actually have to live in the area, but a 30 – 60 minute drive would be OK.
If any of you know have found this utopian place let me know OR if you have a suggestion, please let me know.
Im doin the same thing right now :D House is sold and were outta here :cool: St George UT 3 lakes within 15 minutes

[hava life]

We just did the same thing and moved to our vacation house in Havasu. We'll never go back. Go for it, you won't be disapointed.

[dean51267]

Paducah Kentucky, cost of living is VERY low, average home cost $120K, and that is a nice place to live. Ultra low crime, GREAT lakes, Kentucky and Barkley, over 5000 miles of shoreline, lots of great boaters, no azz holes anywhere, great schools....
The following is from a political discussion I had some time ago, it sheds some light....
I have had the opportunity to live in several places in this country, while in and shortly after being in the military. Looking at my walls I see large framed pictures from each state, one of Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, one of the WorldÂ’s Fair Tower in Seattle, one of the train stations in Chicago, another of the Connecticut river just outside of Hartford, one of a Georgia Peach orchard, another of horses being turned out in a bluegrass field in the morning, and several more. Yes, I realize I have been fortunate enough to live in many places, and get to know many people from around the nation and the country.
One thing that has always amazed me is the similarities of people, and the differences. We worry about the same thing; we discuss the same things, eat the same foods, drink the same beer, and laugh at the same jokes. We have the same fears; I would guess people everywhere do. The main difference is how we manage these fears, how we stop the bad things from happening, and keep the good ones going. If youÂ’re in a big city you often count on the city council or mayorÂ’s office to keep things running on time, while if youÂ’re in a rural area you count on yourself and your neighbors. May sound like there is a whole lot of a similarity, but their worlds apart.
I live in a rural area, I chose this area over all others and busted my butt to get here, I am glad I did. Things move a lot slower, there is a lot more interaction with my neighbors, and it just seems there is an extra hour or two in the day to get things done. While living in a larger city shortly after separating from the Navy I joined a large international accounting firm, man what a different life that is. I enjoyed them both, but chose the rural lifestyle.
What does this have to do with politics, everything. The people in these communities traditionally have exactly opposite political views. On Saturday mornings I stop in at the little mom and pop store down the road here and sit around and talk with the guys from the neighborhood over coffee. They still serve meals there, so I often have breakfast. If you ever get to Freemont Kentucky stop in at the store (it is the only one) and have the biscuits and gravy, you will be glad you did.
Folks here have guns, lots of them. You see them in the back of pick-ups frequently, no one thinks twice about it. There has not been a murder in this community in 27 years, hell I was only 4 years old then.
Folks here do not use government programs, with exception of some farmers who sorely wish the government got out of the farming business.
Folks here do not worry about gangs, there are not any. Kids have jobs in the nearby city, or help out some farmer to make a few extra dollars. This is not a poor community, the average home here sells for about $120,000, that gets you a 3 br, 2 ba ranch on 5 to 8 acres.
Most folks here will tell you they never saw any of those 100,000 new cops, and are glad they did not. We have a local deputy who writes warning tickets on occasion to folks who do not stop at the 4-way by FranklinÂ’s Market. School PTA meetings often turn into heated debates, seems everyone wants the schools run a particular way, and over all it works out. At least parents are involved. Someone once did a study and found 83% of the kids here go on to college after High School, not bad considering how often people here are called hicks. We do not need the government re circulating our money back to us and telling us what to do with it. We do not need new cops, teachers, schools, or any of that stuff. We need a fire department and natural gas line on each road. We need to keep our tax money here, then we could afford such things. There is lots of money for teacher and cops, one of the guys here even mentioned hiring firemen who could also put in gas lines, and tell the feds their teachers and cops. Sound crazy? Sure it does, but it is reality.
Okay, back to the question, what does this have to do with politics? It has EVERYTHING to do with politics. Communities are different; the way to settle crime in New York City is vastly different than in Freemont. The best way to provide an education to kid in Chicago is different than the best way to do it here. Crime control in San Diego requires different things than in McCracken County. What the people of Buffalo need is different than what the people in Plaines Montana need.
High taxes here do not work no mater what the money is used for. We pay $1 a gallon for gas and the roads are in better shape than most places. The county population is just over 250,000 and our crime prevention methods are vastly different than yours.
The next time you hear of this great program coming out of Washington, ask yourself “Why don’t the people who will benefit the most from this program implement it at a local level, and who is it gonna hurt?”
The federal government has no business in the day-to-day lives of most Americans. That is the difference between people in America, and our political parties.

[Cbrown]

If you move to Tn I would look at Nashville. There are about four lakes or rivers in a very short driving distance. A fair number of jet boats and perfromance boats.
Nashvillebound what part of Nashville do you live? I have a cousing that lives in Brentwood and we make a trip to percy priest and every year and possibly dale hollow in the future.

[NashvilleBound]

We boat on Center Hill almost always unless we get invited to another to check things out. I live in N Murfreesboro. We have all of our rentals here so it's convienent...I'm thinking we'll move on next year to a different area...like Lascasses. Closer to the lake and a little more privacy. If you ever go to Dale Hollow i would like to come if you have room for another boat. We tried to boat there once and had trouble finding a launch ramp to fit our needs....more than 6' wide:) I think I was just in the wrong spot. It has to be the nicest lake around and would like to give it another shot. I am amazed at how nice all the boaters are out in this area. It was kinda weird at first but now I'm used to it.

[AQUAholicSTV2]

We moved here from Wisconsin 3 years ago and never regretted it once.
Clean clear deep water, (about 200,00 acres between 4 lakes).
Friendly people, (even the rednecks).
Low property taxes.
Mild climate with 4 seasons.
Check out, www.branson.com for more info and links.
If you want to e-mail me I will send you more info and photos.

[Tommy1005]

I would have to say Central Texas. You're no more than 3 hours from atleast 15 lakes that I can think of right now, and ofcourse jetboats are welcomed everywhere. We like thing big and loud down here.
Just my .02.

[100mbs]

I have some friends that just moved to Brentwood and they love it. They bought a huge home there for about $300K.
The wife and I just bought a brand new home that we are using for income property in Searville TN. It is really nice in TN. We hope to buy some more property there soon maybe in Nashville.
The wife and i want to do the same as "probablecause". We just want to find the right place.

[ONAROLL]

Tulsa or surrounding area..............

[NashvilleBound]

I have some friends that just moved to Brentwood and they love it. They bought a huge home there for about $300K.
The wife and I just bought a brand new home that we are using for income property in Searville TN. It is really nice in TN. We hope to buy some more property there soon maybe in Nashville.
The wife and i want to do the same as "probablecause". We just want to find the right place.
We were in Valley Center for 15 years till 5 months ago...made enough on our place to cash out this place(280) and our 6 rentals plus a nice stash. Nothing like the CA market. If you nned any info on homes back here just let me know.....

[Doug H.]

We just moved to Kingman Az. so we can play on the colorado river (laughlin,havasu etc.) We bought our house in Lancaster Ca. 6 years ago for 80,000 and just sold it for 222,000. We wanted to get out of Calif. too cause i got tired of the crap happening around me and i can't do nothing about it.

[Jim Hall]

Houston and surrounding area! I moved from Long Beach back in the late 70's and never looked back....don't even want to visit Cal again. I am currently building a 3,000 sq.ft.water front house on lake Houston for $185,000. The boating is awesome everybody waves and nobody ever bothers you. C'mon on down!!!!

[100mbs]

Hey NashvilleBound, What do you do for a living? I think that is biggest problem for me is to find work in my field that pays decent in these smaller cities.

[Bryan Rose]

Texas Hill Country... :clover:
Amen Brother , Heaven on Earth .... However getting kind of pricey.
Bryan

[NashvilleBound]

Hey NashvilleBound, What do you do for a living? I think that is biggest problem for me is to find work in my field that pays decent in these smaller cities.
Um...good question. I am am part of an investment group who are building new houses....my wife has all the listings as the Real Estate person....I develope land... screw off most days... Boat at least 3 days during the season....my wife says I am unemployed...I beg to differ. Screwing off like I'm 20 still requires allot of work. As well I am a member of a group of successful business men who are starting to help others...like single parents... kids in general...we are even traveling to Haiti later this year on a ministry venture. I have friends in every field of employment out here. You need a job I am sure I can help. Whats your specialty?...(work:) )

[Mrs.sleekcraft76]

How about some good old North Carolina! You get a full 4 seasons. Several lakes around, great beaches and mountains! Check us out! You'll never regret it! See ya soon.
We boat on Lake Jordan, Lake Gaston, and Kerr Lake.

[cookieman]

How's about North Central Texas. We live 35 mi sw of Fort Worth and live in a county of about 50,000. We live on Lake Granbury which is great boating lake and we can make about 6 other lakes in about 1hrs. drive time from here. You can boat in the lake or on the River here in Granbury. You can also boat on the river below Granbury or Lake Whitney. We have a 2-3 organized jetboat events here in Texas every year that are not far to travel to. I have meet a few people this year on our lake that were from Calif. and they just love it here. I know one guy I meet don't think there were very many jetboats here in Texas , until he meet a bunch of us from this area. The thing is there are a lot of Jetboats in Texas just so many lakes to choose from to boat on. Just a thought, we like and would not trade for anywhere else. Lots of luck on your Decision. TTUL Bill"cookiem

[100mbs]

The wife and I are are also belong to a group of real estate investors. We just purchased our first new rental home a month ago. We are looking to build another one and another and another. :D
That is my goal as well to some day "screw off during the day". No, would like to be able to not have to work that hard and just let my investments do what they are supposed to do for me.
Currently I work in the Information Technology arena.
Hows the humidity out there?

[NashvilleBound]

The wife and I are are also belong to a group of real estate investors. We just purchased our first new rental home a month ago. We are looking to build another one and another and another. :D
That is my goal as well to some day "screw off during the day". No, would like to be able to not have to work that hard and just let my investments do what they are supposed to do for me.
Currently I work in the Information Technology arena.
Hows the humidity out there?
For the last few weeks our weathers been better than San Diego. But today we have a thunderstorm move through. Humidity is WAY less than Texas or about 10% of New Orleans. There might be 2-3 weeks a year its not friendly out. It doesn't bother me and i've been in CA my whole life. The IT arena eh? I am sure I could place you....what do you REALLY want to do tho....
Did i mention car reg is just $65 a YEAR? Lakes are FREE...nobody cares what you do or how loud you are as long as its safe. For that matter I was doing about 75 Sunday when a ranger pulled out of a cove and was hauling ass towards me. I throttled down and he did a u-turn and bailed. Good humor. Like I mentioned if your seriously going to move i can send you some of those free magazines for info...If you know what your looking for my wife can do a CMA for you on available homes. New homes are running from $85 a sf to $110 for the top of the line granite....hardwood...crown molding everywhere. We have a train of Crowdedfornians moving here over the next few years..... $218 round trip ... www.iflyswa.com :D :D :D :D :D
I dont miss driving through Escondido everyday going to and from work....its turning into little TJ.

[Hotcrusader76]

If Jaime and I were to relocate somewhere other than the Hill Country it would be TN...hands down. I agree with Jeff on alot his points to the better life...
this one being the best "nobody cares what you do or how loud you are as long as its safe.".....
If I can walk out my front door and squeeze a round off in the air and nobody gives a damn than I am in heaven.:D That's the way it should be everywhere...but when you live in a shoebox governed by the closet than your bound to be limited on your rights or libertys.
~Ty

[JET-O-VATOR]

ive been debating moving out of california but there are so many other things here in ca that i love... the river is only 3 hours away i have glamis in the winter which would be the hardest thing to leave for me... and then theres the freinds i have been hanging out with the same freinds forever and dont think i could leave em... but im sick of smog, traffic,assholes and seadoos (even tho i think seadoos are everywhere) and once i heard and saw the video for the country song tennessee river run i really wanted to visit that state and run my boat up there.... but even tho i hate ca i will prolly never leave unless its to arizona or nevada.. :eat:

[Sweet Addiction]

I would have to agree with Tommy. In Texas there are lakes glaore. Your only like short hours from any lake. Travis is our favorite down here.

[73kona455]

south central arkansas.. lots of really pretty lakes and rivers...cost of living isnt real high.. and the lake nazi's dont bother anyone.. climates not too bad.. hot and humid summers.. mild winters.. you can boat from feb till november easily.. sometimes even more.. this is late november last year in this picture...

[Hotcrusader76]

I agree with Texas lakes...I just hope I don't have to resort to adding mufflers to my OT headers...
~Ty

[OMEGA_BUBBLE_JET]

I agree with Texas lakes...I just hope I don't have to resort to adding mufflers to my OT headers...
~Ty
word to the wise. ALWAYS carry a set in your boat around Texas. I run without mine alot of times but they are in when I launch and I scope out the lake for the rangers before popping them out. It seems like big holiday weekends are when they really are looking.
Omega

[Greaser]

Omega is right about Holiday weekends. I have been out at Somerville all season, have sat around and B.S.ed with the Game warrdens, and the only time they have ever asked me about baffles is on the Holiday weekends.

[Hotcrusader76]

Same thing out here as well. I always carry a set with me, it's just that I was a little concerned about the Texas rules.

[OMEGA_BUBBLE_JET]

no noise reg's to worry about, as long as you are making an attempt to decrease the sound you are in compliance. no dB levels to comply with though.
Omega

[oldbuck40]

hey omega wait till you get back from whitney next weekend and give this guy your whole nickel's worth! :hammerhea

[Rock-it man]

:clover: Greetings from a West Coast jet boater. I have $200,000 worth of equity in my house and am seriously contemplating, selling it, and moving to Alabama (or a similar state). Plus, I am sick and tired of California and all of the $hitbags there (minus the awesome boaters of course).
I am looking for a cool area where I can take my family to a great lake or a choice of lakes where loud, obnoxious, jet boats owners, with bbq's, nice families, and plenty of beer are welcomed with open arms. I am not looking for a vacation lake where 18 year olds hang out. I am looking for a down to earth area where I can just hang out where English is not the second language and people actually wave (not their middle finger). I am looking for a community with good schools and where the police actually take care of the non-desirables and not the tax payers. I don’t actually have to live in the area, but a 30 – 60 minute drive would be OK.
If any of you know have found this utopian place let me know OR if you have a suggestion, please let me know.
What kink of work !!! I'm in Grants Pass oregon and always in need of Framers,trimout ,etc. I build 10-30 homes a year and the construction bussiness is booming up here. Its all those RICH !!!! californians coming up here.Our new homes start at $ 225,000.00 Check out Grants Pass on the net. and pm me if interested. I have work for at least the next three years
Redwood Property Investments,LLC aka ROCKIT MAN

[SHAKE-YO-AZZ]

hate to see you go, but have fun