re: Considering leaving the sun belt, who has did it and how has it been

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They had a poster on here that was saying how nice of a place Costa Rica was. I fancy I might try to end up there by the end of the year.

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all those places like CR and Belize:

The cities are all hellholes that make Memphis look like the Riviera

There are bandits working the roads between cities

If you leave your house unattended you will probably be robbed

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What's the smallest population of a city you would deem acceptable?

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1

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Living somewhere full time that is very expensive and doesn’t allow cars that pretty much shuts down during their brutal winters

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Someone has to do it.

And I pay $350 (no joke ) a month for a two bedroom townhouse my employer owns with all utilities included. As a single guy it works out great for me. And I actually like to walk. Sometimes I even do it for fun.

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VT has bat shite crazy politics. Great to visit, way too liberal to live there in my opinion.

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I think at a certain point in life, this doesn’t matter. If you’re retired, a state like Vermont offers enough seclusion to where you aren’t surrounded by blue hairs on the reg. Plenty of places are liberal only because of the cities. There are some strong conservative places in states that are blue.

Very good description.

Annapolis - it is a cool town but it’s like living in New England. Puritans

Boise - probably a solid city but it is getting woke at a fast rate

Colorado Springs - sort of a soulless suburb and also getting more woke. Plus Colorado state laws are garbage

Portland - New England. But idk much about this place. Could be cool

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I think at a certain point in life, this doesn’t matter. If you’re retired, a state like Vermont offers enough seclusion to where you aren’t surrounded by blue hairs on the reg. Plenty of places are liberal only because of the cities

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I think the point where you are retired, and potentially on a fixed income, is EXACTLY when the politics of the state matter. The policies that affect how much of your money you can keep and the value you get when spending it are determined at the state level. There's a reason people move to Florida when they retire and not California.

Is Grand Rapids too far south? I can get some more opinions

Maybe so, but Vermont is literally the hippie capitol of the world.

Honestly I would completely avoid that state, as well as Minnesota.

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Is Grand Rapids too far south? I can get some more opinions

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Grand Rapids is a great town. Close to the Lake Michigan coast, world class breweries and great food, big enough to offer a lot but not big city problems, on the west side of the state that leans more red....lots to like about GR.

ETA: Fact checking myself, so perhaps I was a bit off on them not having big city problems

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Grand Rapids has one of the higher crime rates among US cities, with a 1-in-30 chance of becoming a victim of violent or property crime, according to 2026 reports. It is considered more dangerous than 95% of Michigan communities, with a crime rate of 33 per 1,000 residents. Property crimes, such as theft and vehicle break-ins, are the most frequent, while violent crimes occur more often than in cities of similar size

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