Ugh:
In the race for U.S. Senate, Gov. Jim Justice has a strong advantage over Congressman Alex Mooney in the Republican primary and an edge over incumbent Joe Manchin in a possible General Election matchup.
And new polling shows that in the Republican race for governor, Delegate Moore Capito is leading a field that also includes Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, businessman Chris Miller and Secretary of State Mac Warner.
All of them are bad, with Manchin being the least bad in either race.
I think my time in West Virginia is coming to a close. I don’t think I can do it any more.
War for Ukraine Day 555: Existential Warfare
hueyplong
Join us in the Ridge Runner Diaspora.
SpaceUnit
Clearly it’s time to pack up your banjo and move to Kentucky.
MomSense
The pine tree state would love to have you! We are the foodie capital of the US and big enough that you don’t have to see people if you don’t want to.
CaseyL
I often see West Virginia getting talked up as a place to relocate to, for its natural beauty and relative affordability. But there’s a reason for that latter attribute: W VA is cheap because no one in their right mind would move there. The state ranks in the bottom 10% for nearly every quality of life measurement, and the current residents seem to like it that way.
Even so, I’m gobsmacked. I knew you loathed West Virginia politics, but thought you were devoted to Bethany, where so many friends and family members live. I know, too, you’ve had a very rough time the last few months, because you’ve told us.
I’m very hesitant to ask, because it’s none of my business, but what has been going on?
What can we do to help?
geg6
I don’t blame you a bit, John. What is happening in your state is a disgrace. What is happening at WVU is horrific. A great university sent down the drain by that hack Gee. The clueless residents. It’s terrible. Such a beautiful place and such a fucking mess. Arizona must be looking pretty good in comparison. At least it’s purple, so there are sane people in sufficient numbers.
Ohio Mom
@CaseyL: What I would have said and asked if I could have found the words.
Changing locations also requires changing jobs, which can be a challenge. Not impossible but usually a slog.
Jackie
John, you leave WV, you gotta take Dad and Mom Cole with you. You all are a package deal! JK, but I know it’s tough – politics-wise.
BUT it’s only Sept ‘23. A whole lot of craziness can and WILL happen between now and Nov ‘24.
bbleh
OTOH the weather’s really good right now! And we don’t have to worry about earthquakes or hurricanes or wildfires (too much water) or running out of water (ditto).
And c’mon, Justice was always a shoo-in, cuz he’s a R and cuz Mooney is kinda young, kinda looney, and a carpetbagger from Murrelan. I still think there’s a good chance Manchin won’t even bother with the Senate and instead maybe try for Gov again.
Also moving is a gigantic pain in the @ss. I know; I’ve done it a few dozen times.
hells littlest angel
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia can all use more progressives. (Although Ohio doesn’t offer much in return.)
OlFroth
You are welcome here in SWPA. Emsworth is a nice neighborhood.
John Cole
@CaseyL: Well I am getting married and the missus lives in Tempe. My long term goal is to move there, sell my house and use the equity to buy a place in Michigan and spend April/May- October there
WV Blondie
I’ve almost got my husband convinced to move to Massachusetts (my personal preference), though he’d prefer Virginia, near his family. But yeah, I really want out of this state.
CaseyL
@hells littlest angel: I think (hope) Virginia can turn blue again, and Cole relocating there would be at least one more for-sure Democratic vote. I think Virginia is also the most like W VA (obviously) in terms of scenery and weather.
Not sure about PA, though the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg areas look promising. Just stay away from the middle of the state, which is too much like what he’s trying to get away from!
Ohio: Ugh. No. It’s like W VA only without the natural beauty.
Dinah
(Sigh) I moved back to Tennessee after many years, because my brother said it was the “New South.” Well, there’s very little new in Knoxville. I am back in deep blue territory where I will remain. Some nostalgia, but not enough, not nearly enough.
schrodingers_cat
@John Cole: Move to New England. Yankees mind their own business and will leave you alone and our fall is lovely.
schrodingers_cat
@MomSense: I was in Maine last week!
moops
You have had bad politicians for a long time, how does this change anything for you?
Ohio Mom
@hells littlest angel: I was going to feel insulted but then realized you are probably right.
There are some interesting and charming aspects to this state but not more than most places.
We appear to be well-situated for global climate change (being on a Great Lake is an asset), and who knows, maybe one day we will get redistricting right and turn back to purple.
CaseyL
@John Cole:
(Ran out of time to add this to my previous comment):
I am beyond relieved to hear you are, in fact, getting married. You’ve been so despairing I worried something had gone wrong with that plan.
Arizona isn’t awful, though I personally could not take the heat there. I think its water problems, though serious, aren’t as serious as in, say, New Mexico or Nevada. And buying a place in Michigan is absolutely a great idea – I thought about doing that myself. If you don’t mind the more rural areas you can find wonderful properties, some right on the water, that won’t cost you every arm and every leg. Though winter will be a hideous shock to you :)
schrodingers_cat
I has a couple of OT questions which I asked in the dead thread.
BJ Hive mind: What is the best inking app for Windows. I am using Journal which lets me ink on pdfs.
Also does anyone have any experience with WP forms? Thanks.
Spanky
Bethany’s literally 2 miles from the PA border. Rent a place in Washington County and rent out the Bethany house until the big move west.
Spanky
@WV Blondie: Have you spent a winter in New England?
Nukular Biskits
Normally, John, I’d recommend coming to MS (for a variety of reasons).
But … there is a good possibility we just might have a Democratic governor next year. And, if FSM smiles upon us, a Democratic AG as well.
Of course, the regressive asshats will still control the MS Legislature.
Nukular Biskits
@Nukular Biskits:
Edit:
…
I’d recommend…… I’d NOT recommend …
frosty
@CaseyL: If someone is moving from WV to PA, stay west of the Alleghenies, it will feel a lot more like home. Harrisburg, no. Philly and east of the Susquehanna, God no!!!
frosty
Welcome to PA … well, at least we got half of the lege back for awhile.
frosty
@Nukular Biskits: Heh, I was wondering about that. Three VERY IMPORTANT little letters.
satby
@CaseyL: He’s not planning on being there in the winter, he said April/May to October. Which is gorgeous usually, as long as Canada isn’t sending smoke our way.
smith
Another WV escapee here. I landed in Chicago, where I feel right at home, but if you’re not a fan of living big cities it probably wouldn’t do for you. I do want to note that, with the exception of the odd polar vortex, the winters in the Great Lakes region are getting noticeably milder, so Michigan may be ready for you as soon as you are ready for it.
CaseyL
@satby: I was thinking ahead: If Arizona can’t figure out its water issues, they will get more serious, and John and Joelle may wind up heading North on a full time basis.
@frosty: I can understand not wanting to go East – the summers are getting really bad there. But what’s wrong with Harrisburg?
frosty
@satby: Way back when I read a John D. MacDonald Travis McGee novel where one character said about Florida: “It’s beautiful in May and October. Reply:
“Everywhere in North America is beautiful in May and October.”
(Michigan is still good in the months in between).
Nukular Biskits
@frosty:
I foresee Republicans holding on to control of both houses of the MS Legislature for at least 10 more years.
At least until we can get ballot initiatives passed, such as restoring voting rights to felons and getting more POC and yutes to vote.
But, given the brain-drain (lotsa folks are leaving this state and, quite frankly, I don’t blame them), I’m not sure about that.
Priest
I have friends that live in Tulsa, and are dealing with similar awful shit from state politicians. And my 94-year old mother is still in the house in Tallahassee that we moved to in 1968. She follows news and politics and is beside herself at what the clowns downtown are doing, the Mom’s For Liberty, etc. etc. It’s a rough time.
Nukular Biskits
@frosty:
Drunk posting …
It’ll get you every time.
Alison Rose
@John Cole: She must be one bad bitch* to convince you to willingly subject yourself to even a portion of summer in Arizona, which from my understanding lasts from approximately late February to Thanksgiving.
(*From me, this is a compliment of the highest order.)
satby
@frosty: one of my favorite writers, and he was spot on.
WaterGirl
@Dinah: Welcome!
SpaceUnit
I’d recommend Colorado, but the cost of housing has become prohibitive.
CaseyL
@Priest:
What Charlie Pierce calls the”GOP prion disease” has overtaken every state GOP organization in the country, even where there used to be “moderates.” They’re all balls-to-the-wall crazy now, and any state where they dominate the legislature is a lost cause.
geg6
@CaseyL:
Nothing wrong with Harrisburg but WPA is very similar and very close to Bethany. If he wants to feel at home, this is as close as it gets.
Old Dan and Little Ann
@schrodingers_cat: I went to Maine for the 1st time a few weeks ago. Bar Harbor, whale watch, Acadia National Park. Amazing.
Nukular Biskits
@Old Dan and Little Ann:
Maine is beautiful this time of year.
And September is best, IMHO: Fall colors, cool nights, warm days.
January/February there sucks, though, for native Southerner.
Ksmiami
@John Cole: look up Torch Lake
SpaceUnit
@Nukular Biskits:
Maine in late summer is heaven.
Starfish
@Nukular Biskits: What?! Could this be? I gave money to the AG candidate because Lynn Finch is the worst.
sdhays
@Nukular Biskits:
Are things really looking that up?
Seefleur
@MomSense: What MomSense said!! Seriously – we need more folk like the blogmaster here.
MomSense
@schrodingers_cat:
I love Stonington!
Nukular Biskits
@SpaceUnit:
Been up there many a time, in every season.
And, in all honesty, I used to think that winter in Maine was cold (most of my trips were to the Portland/Bath area, not “The County”).
Until I spent January/February in Marinette, WI.
Never been that damned cold in my life. Before or since.
TS
@CaseyL:
Charlie sure has a way with words & he is not wrong. It is unbelievable (except it has happened) what trump & McConnell have done to the GOP in so many ways – they got what they asked for from the SCOTUS and now want more & more & more until the dictatorship exists in every state – then they may discover the tiger bites of their faces as well.
The person who counts the votes – runs the democracy – trump learned that one very early – and he really tried in Georgia to take it home.
frosty
@CaseyL:
Central PA is just as bad politically as WV. Plus, Hburg just seems pretty dull to me. What can I say?
ETA Not fond of anyplace due south of Hburg either, even though I live there. Northern Baltimore County can be pretty Trumpy, too. Gotta get inside the Beltway. And even when I was there some of my neighbors were iffy.
In its defense, the Piedmont is some of the prettiest landscape in the country IMHO.
Nukular Biskits
@Starfish:
She’s running around the country right now filing amicus briefs to fellow wingnut lawsuits, asserting, for example, the “right” of the MS to access the healthcare records of Missisippians who go to other states for healthcare.
Not to mention waxing poetic about “baby drop boxes”.
And, of course, making a lot of political hay for suing China.
She is the worst. And she needs to go.
Nukular Biskits
@sdhays:
Right now, Brandon Presley’s internal polls show a tie with Tate Reeves, the incumbent.
Personally, I don’t know anyone who actually supports Tate Reeves … but I never met anyone who professed to support my previous GOP congressman, Steven “No-Show” Palazzo, but he kept winning reelection (until last year).
Old Dan and Little Ann
@Nukular Biskits: I loved every second of it. I’m in western NY so I love cool weather.
guachi
Having spent 9 years stationed in Georgia until last year and now in Delaware and Michigan the past 12 months i can definitely say DE and MI are far better. Great places to live.
frosty
@schrodingers_cat: @MomSense: We were in Maine in early August. Damariscotta Lake, Bar Harbor, and Acadia. A great time to be there!
Old Dan and Little Ann
@frosty: I heard that Bar Harbor is basically a ghost town in the winter. Must be a creepy place to be if so.
Nukular Biskits
@Old Dan and Little Ann:
Did you go visit “The Great Desert of Maine”?
CaseyL
@frosty:
I don’t know anything about Hburg other than it’s the state capital. I took note of it back in 2020 when I thought I’d have to retire early and was looking for any nice-ish town in a Blue city/Blue state that I could afford to buy in. Harrisburg was one of those places.
(I did not have to retire: the temp job I had became a permanent one and I’m still working. At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m staying in Seattle, expensive though it is. If for whatever reason I do relocate, Michigan is on the lookie list.)
RSA
Or Pennsyltucky in the opposite direction. So many choices.
Old Dan and Little Ann
@Nukular Biskits: No. I had to Google that one. Wow. If and when we go back it looks pretty damn cool.
Steeplejack
@Alison Rose:
I assume you were snarking. The hot summer is not that long.
Tempe is somewhat similar to Las Vegas, where I have family and friends. The weather is very nice except for the four or five hot months. In Tempe the average high temps by month: Jan, 65°; Feb, 71°; Mar, 74°; Apr, 83°; May, 93° (but average low 57°); Jun, 103°; Jul, 105°; Aug, 103°; Sep, 99°; Oct, 87° (low 54°); Nov, 74°; Dec, 67°.
Nukular Biskits
@Old Dan and Little Ann:
TBH, it’s a tourist trap. It’s what us Southern boys would call a “sand pit”.
The actual story/book where I first read about it is long since lost to time, but I read a story about “The Great Desert of Maine” back when I was probably 7 or 8 years old (approximately 50+ years ago). For whatever reason, that stayed in my head.
My first trip to Maine, I sought it out and spent a few hours there. To me, the coolest thing was the little gift shop/museum they had there, where folks had sent little bottles of sand from all over the world.
To me, it’s a bucket list thing to recommend to folks, like taking a ride on the stupid “Pineapple Express” at the Dole Plantation on Oahu, HI.
Almost Retired
@John Cole: Excellent plan. Michigan in the Summer is glorious, and Arizona is wonderful in the winter (I have family in both places). And they’re politically trending in the right direction.
Alison Rose
@Steeplejack: I was exaggerating based on what I know of Arizona weather, and based on being a person who wishes the temperature never got above about 85.
Stuart Frasier
@Nukular Biskits: Tate Reeves is a bit on the nose for a guy that looks like an ambulatory potato.
sdhays
@Nukular Biskits: Well, I’m certainly pulling for you folks.
Nukular Biskits
@Stuart Frasier:
You should have seen all the jokes about when it was revealed he had a “personal trainer”.
Nukular Biskits
@sdhays:
As a native Mississippian, I sometimes waffle on whether this state is worth saving, so to speak.
But, I recommend the young folks leave for better opportunities and environments that are less hostile to anyone other than white conservative evangelicals (especially) males.
Old Dan and Little Ann
My little one would enjoy it. She loves a good mini-golf hole-in-one. Lol….
Suzanne
I will just note that I got married in Tempe, in December, and I wore a sleeveless dress. Even winter is hot.
Miss Bianca
@schrodingers_cat:
@MomSense: My parents owned a house in Deer Isle. More than once I have found myself wishing that I had chosen to move up there myself.
piratedan
I will say that Arizona has its charms…. Norteno Mexican food is awesome, if the heat gets bad, many folks escape to the Mogollon Rim country which runs 20-30 degrees cooler. It’s a big ass state, but it has the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Painted Desert/Petrified Forest, Montezuma’s Village, Saguaro National Monument East/West and a boatload of cool state parks. If you’re into the arts and entertainment, everything comes thru Phoenix and they have Arizona State University and anytime you have a big time college, you got cool stuff going on.
It isn’t perfect, yeah the heat sucks in the summer, but the winters can be well nigh glorious. The beauty of the land and of the cultures of the native peoples can truly humble you.
You could do worse.
Suzanne
@piratedan:
Lord, I miss it so much.
Jackie
Sorry, off topic, but what a bunch of bullshit!
“Gov. Ron DeSantis does not plan on meeting with President Joe Biden when the man he’s hoping to challenge in the 2024 electionvisits Florida on Saturday to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia.”
““We don’t have any plans for the Governor to meet with the President tomorrow,” Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for the Florida governor’s office, said in a statement to NBC News on Friday.”
““In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts,” he added.”
“That may come as news to the White House.”
Biden announced plans to meet with DeStupid in Florida while speaking in the ‘Rose Garden’ today.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/desantis-no-plans-meet-biden-florida-visit-rcna103081
I sincerely hope this bites Pudd’n Boots in his ass HARD! Those in FL whose lives got turned upside down will be grateful for FEMA and Biden’s reassurance they’ll be taken care of.
patrick II
@John Cole:
I like your plan. I live in Northern Indiana and many friends have summer cottages on the small lakes or on Lake Michigan itself on the Western side of the state. It is pretty country and will be getting warmer over the next 20 years.
Suzanne
@piratedan: Tucson is prolly better to live in than the Valley at this point. The Valley now has all of the worst parts of Southern California (traffic and sprawl especially) without the good parts (ocean, breeze). And the heat island effect is freaking batshit crazy.
wjca
The well-known-to-natives secret to surviving in Arizona: avoid the Valley of the Sun. The whole state gets hot. But combine being the hottest part of the state with Phoenix’ urban heat island and ….
brendancalling
You’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania.
Ksmiami
@frosty: “He’s a Legacy… from Harrisburg.”
Brachiator
@Jackie:
A level of pettiness that seems just like DeSantis and the modern GOP, if these reports are accurate.
Long time reader
I think Michigan is the correct move, tbh. I’m thinking of moving there as it’s further north and has water and Democrats
dnfree
My mom grew up in West Virginia, met my dad during World War II, and wound up in northern Illinois. She said she never stopped missing the mountains.
piratedan
@Suzanne: well you know that I am in the Old Pueblo and a good many of us here have followed the tradition of the locals and staying the hell out of the heat in the middle of the day. At night, the temps in the low 100’s and upper 90s make it awesome to be outside, especially so if you have access to a pool or spa.
I would gladly ship you some Filibertos but have no idea on how well it would travel or what burrito(s) you want (and which color salsa, red or green).
I would agree that Phoenix is a big metro area, Tucson is less so (the common anecdote is that Tucson is the biggest city with a small city vibe) because I believe that the Old Pueblo revolves around the University, while ASU is an important part of Phoenix metro, but its not got the cultural pull across the metro area.
I think Tucson is prettier because of the mountain ranges surrounding the city, but that’s purely a ymmv kind of sentiment.
twbrandt
@John Cole: We’d love to have you here in Michigan!
Suzanne
@piratedan: Like, I have gotten soft, living here. It was 85 today when I went to the grocery store, and I was like, “EHHHHH, I am ready for crunchy leaves and PSLs and hand warmers and beanies”.
persistentillusion
@SpaceUnit: Nah, move to Nucla, or Grand Junction.
Steeplejack
@Suzanne:
My RWNJ brother used to live in Tucson and occasionally talks about moving back there. He would want to get a place in the surrounding hills, with the, what, 10° temp differential?
frosty
@piratedan: I second the boatload of state parks. In 2020 when we set out to see a bunch of National Parks, we got as far as the Colorado River when COVID shut California down. We spent the month of April in Catalina, Lost Dutchman, Picacho Peak, Fool Hollow, Homolovi, Lyman Lake, and Buckskin Mountain State Parks since Arizona was the only southwestern state that kept their parks open. We saw more of AZ than we ever expected, and it was all good. Loved Fool Hollow!
Mike in NC
Only time we visited WV was on our honeymoon in 1994. Enjoyed the Bavarian Inn, Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, and Sheperdstown.
MichiganderGail
@John Cole: OMG! Michigan would be proud to have you! We have our share of crazy (Michigan Militia, Betsy DeVos….) but the sane & good make up for it. Is it your goal to be a Yooper or a Troll?
Ruckus
I retired in SoCal. 2 yrs ago.
And one of the main reasons I could was when I was looking to move near where I was working – and retired from and found an apt complex with one unit available. Turns out this is a federal program complex where the rent is fixed and low. Have to be over 55 to rent, as I’ve said here before the oldest neighbor I know of is 97. I lucked into this place. Very reasonable rent, very nice apt and MOST of the neighbors are great. One or two not so much. Oh well such is life. I have no idea if this is the last place I’ll live, I’m the only one left in my family, oldest of all the cousins, most of whom are retired or close to it and so far this is where I’ve ended up
BTW I used to work about 100 miles up the interstate from WV and have been through it a few times. It is beautiful, but really, once coal was no longer much of an option, there is little to offer a lot of business to locate. It could be a nice place to live. But I think there is better.
Cliosfanboy
Come on over to Virginia. The original one. The western DC burbs have the mountains, but the living expenses are still reasonable and the areas are increasingly purple.
piratedan
@frosty:I remember those conversations. I gotta say that the State Parks here in the state run a great gamut from the capture of the entire town of Jerome and making it a state park to capture the old mining boom to the natural bridge just north of Payson, a blend of historical places from Indigenous tribes thru the Old West to places of natural beauty and other just pure recreational destinations.
A lot of folks just think of Arizona and think of deserts and cacti (which it certainly has) but there’s a fair bit that is above 4k feet and we have canyons, mountains, skiing, rivers, lakes etc… AZ doesn’t tend to promote that as much and the same is true how the tribal cultures are somewhat different and unique in how they lived off the land.
RaflW
@Jackie: Dunno what sort of house (and neighborhood – or lack thereof) John could find, and of course commuting back to Bethany to teach and see his parents would mean he’d spend more time in W.V. that might seem ideal, but he could literally just move to a house in PA. Might be as little as 5-10 minutes away, depending on what he could find. At least he’d then have two Dem US Senators and a Dem Governor. And could be one more Dem vote in a pretty swing-y state.
frosty
@piratedan: Skiing! You have the southernmost ski resort in the US: Mt Lemmon. We drove up to it when we were at Catalina. Who knew you needed to bring some warm clothes?
MomSense
@Miss Bianca:
It’s not too late!
RaflW
@wjca: I visited Albuquerque several times in high summer. It’s a picnic compared to the one late-June trip I took to Phoenix (it was a UU conference, and, well, it included a 9pm protest at Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jail — that late to make the heat just barely manageable).
I suspect Colorado may be our longer-term retirement state, but New Mexico has appeal too. For now, though, Minnesota is our primary residence. And I couldn’t be more proud of how we’ve said “Yes, absolutely, we’ll welcome trans and other refugees.” So glad the MN GOP can’t find it’s ass with both hands right now.
Doc Sardonic
I am in the same boat as Cole. I’m thinking it’s time to the leave Florida, but don’t know where I would go. North, I’d freeze to death, southwest, don’t want snakes in my house. Actually, guess I’m stuck here.
RaflW
@Doc Sardonic: Move to Georgia. Help tip the state just that little bit further purply-blue. (It may have snakes, but so does FL!)
kindness
Solid plans John. Tempe is a good place. Michigan in the summer is great. I’m sorry about leaving your folks. I’m thinking that’s the hardest part
And if none of that works, you’d love California. It’s a big place. Lots of different stuff here.
MGB
What, like 17 year lurker here. Born and raised in Detroit, moved to Chicago after college. Now been in Chicago for 23 years and owning my mom’s house back in Detroit, gotta Stan for Michigan here. I love Chicago, but I see myself moving back to Detroit in the next decade. My goal would be to own a cottage in the Keeweenaw Peninsula in the UP for the summer and stay in Detroit for the winter. It’s been getting noticeably warmer in the Great Lakes over the past 20 winters and honestly SE Lower Michigan has better winters than Chicago.
That’s my 50 cents there!
rikyrah
You would leave Mama and Papa Cole?😳😞
rikyrah
Michigan?
Country Michigan or Urban Michigan?
If you aren’t against Urban, I would say Detroit.
rikyrah
@Doc Sardonic:
Maryland or Virginia?
Kent
Seven years ago when we left Texas we were basically free to move anywhere we wanted in the country. We picked Washington. Never once looked back or regretted our choice. But then we have roots and family nearby.
My mental health is so much better now that I’m on the winning side of at least some political issues.
devore
Portland Oregon area looks appealing. Nice summers, but wet winters. Good politics. And not too expensive for a west coast town.
NotMax
Can’t spell temperature without Tempe. ;)
Also too, Michigan? Gonna become a Yooper? (Plus an opportunity to bring up a favorite oft mentioned character from old time radio whose moniker never fails to elicit a grin: Rishigan Fishigan of Sishigan, Michigan.
gwangung
@devore: Just remember Portland is very progressive…anything outside the urban area and in the rural part of Oregon is…not.
Ruckus
@Doc Sardonic:
I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the southern east coast, also lived in OH for 11 yrs. I’ve been back in SoCal a while, born here a rather long time ago. Yes it’s crowded. Yes it is a bit more expensive than some other areas.
It’s worth it. Good weather. Decent roads. (full of cars a lot of the time…) I think better politics than many places. I’ve lived in several different states, I’ve traveled extensively in this country and in other countries. I’m staying here in CA. I think it’s a better life
Cole, you are welcome too……
Gretchen
@John Cole: where in Michigan?
Kent
We are in the Portland metro, across the river in Camas WA.
The Portland area will be shockingly expensive for anyone relocating from West Virginia. That’s a fact. Muck as I like this area, in Cole’s shoes I’d probably move across the state line to PA or keep going to upstate NY. If you are spending WV dollars to buy a new place they won’t go very far anywhere on the west coast. If money is not a factor then yes.
karen marie
@Steeplejack: Those numbers are an absolute lie. It’s over 100 mid May to mid September, beginning of October. It’s over 110 for all of July and August.
Today we finally got relief – rain spitting on and off today in Mesa, east of Tempe. It only got to the low 90s. By mid week it will be back to 105.
This place is an utter shit hole. Access to Mexican groceries is the only positive. There are no bakeries.
karen marie
@Almost Retired: “Wonderful” is a gross exaggeration. It’s fucking cold December through February.
karen marie
@piratedan: i recently discovered fish burritos. Fish tacos? Get out of here. The nearest Filiberto’s is at a gas station with an attached liquor store where they sell baby Coronitas to go with my fish burrito. Sweet
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
I find it hard to believe that anyone sane is planning on moving to AZ (or anywhere in the SW, actually) both because of the heat (Phoenix at 110 for MONTHS straight), and the lack of water. The entire SW is running out of water. Cadillac desert, indeed. Parts of California have also run out of water. Rich places like Santa Barbara, and wells in a lot of the San Joaquin Valley have gone dry. The aquifers have been grossly overpumped. The huge rainfall we got this winter was wonderful (apologies to those who got flooded), but we all know the climate trend.
My favorite part of the flooding in the Valley was the re-emergence of Lake Tulare, which I had never heard of, since it hadn’t existed for decades. Historically it was the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi. Anyway, it is at the lowest part of the Valley, so that’s where all the excess flood water ended up.
Joey Maloney
There’s always Hawaii Island. Sure the cost of living is horrendous, but it gets cheaper, the more risk of having your home eaten by lava you’re willing to accept. I think the climate on the wet side of the island is ideal – never gets much below 65 or above 80, and it rains five times a day for, like, 20 minutes each. The “big city” is Hilo and sure, it’s only like 40,000 people but due to tourism it punches above its weight, urban-entertainment-wise.
The biggest problem for retirement-age folks is, there’s a shortage of doctors especially specialists. (When the cost of living is too high for doctors, you know you have a problem.) And the shortage is even more dire for other medical jobs that don’t make doctor money: nurses, PAs, home-health aides, etc.
piratedan
@A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan): I won’t disagree that water will be a damn big deal out in AZ, especially in the Phoenix Area, other places that are not tied to the Colorado River basin for their water are not in as bad a shape. It will mean a dramatic shift from cheap agriculture that the nation has enjoyed (multiple growing seasons because of the temps) and a change to an energy economy (all that sunlight and solar farms seem like a natural fit) but that will take time to make it a reality.
As I mentioned before, while low basins and farmland are a reality (thinking about the Colorado River corridor and the land surrounding the Phoenix metro area) that depends on the Colorado River Project to supply their water, Phoenix has to meet the reality that growth/sprawl can’t continue and that xeroscaping and water retention have to be engaged like it is in Tucson (which has been greener and ahead of Phoenix in understanding the realities of the desert).
There’s a climate change reckoning coming, the key will be Dems taking over the State Lege to allow meaningful change to take place while they also hold the higher offices… but the gerrymandered GOP majority in the lege is slow on the uptake since they’re still peddling culture war bullshit, although inroads have been made.
divF
Way late to the party but this thread made me think of the Utah Phillips’ song “Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia”.
Emmylou Harris’ 1978 recording is probably the best known version, but I first heard it when it was a regular part of Rosalie Sorrels’ performances in the 1970s.
WV Blondie
@Spanky: I grew up in New England and I like winter. (I know, I’m an oddball.) It’s my husband’s concerns about winter that keeps Virginia on our shortlist.
satby
@MGB: The black flies in Youper country keep me away from there, pretty as it can be. I hate flies, and SW MI is only a couple of hours from Chicago. That’s why I moved there originally.
Geminid
@piratedan: Sometimes demographic change plus political shifts will break down gerrymanders. This happened in Virginia in the 2017 election, when the House of Delegates went from 65-35 Republican to 51-49 (a coin flip deciding a tied race went the Republican’s way, or it would have been a 50-50 tie). That was enough for Governor Northam to push through Medicaid expansion.
Like the Arizona Republicans have in recent years, Virginia Republicans had shifted to the far right, and suburban voters rejected them. Democrats gained 6 more seats in 2019, enough to push through a $15/hr mininimum wage and 6 “common sense” gun safety bills.
A small “Youngkin wave” in 2021 restored a 52-48 Republican majority in the House of Delegates, but we were still using the Republican-drawn map from 2011. The new map seems fairly neutral, and Democrats have a good shot at regaining the House in November.
Like Virginia, Arizona is has a lot of new residents. Perhaps a more important change has been increased participation by its Hispanic citizens. My understanding is that they have lagged behind their Anglo counterparts in voter participation but have been closing the gap in recent years. Now, with Adrian Fontes Secretatary of State and Ruben Gallego running for Senate, Arizona’s Hispanics have visible representation at the highest levels, and that should help with registration and GOTV efforts.
All that is to say that the Republican gerrymander of the state legislature may not hold up this decade. If the state’s Republican Party keeps on its radical path it seems to me that the gerrymander will likely not hold up.
Geminid
@Doc Sardonic: The North Carolina Piedmont has a good climate and a plenty of room. The cities including Charlotte, Greensboro and the “Research Triangle” are prospering. If I was relocating from Florida, I’d give that area a look. Winston-Salem seems like a good place with a lot of civic assets and a fairly temperate climate.
I’d look at Roanoke, Virginia too. And there is always the greater Atlanta area.
Wvng
I’ve lived in WV for 40 of my 70 years, and share your distress. But I’m also aware that wherever I am, I want it to be rural, and the entire state of WV is pretty much like the rest of rural America is now. Just deep red. That’s just where we are as a country now.
Nancy
@Kent:
@Old Dan and Little Ann:
I moved to western NY to go to one of the highly regarded state universities. I thought I’d leave after graduation but I’m still here 40+ years later. Nowhere is perfect, but this part of the world is beautiful and the politics are less worse than other places.
I’ve been happy here.
HeartlandLiberal
John Cole, I hear you and understand. Me and my wife grew up in Alabama, met in High School in 1963. We moved away to grad school after college (plug for Birmingham-Southern College, best liberal arts college in the state, but it is verging on bankruptcy, sadly) in 1969. We have lived in Illinois, Germany, Tennessee, and have been in Indiana for nearly 40 years, but in Bloomington, the residential campus of Indiana University, which is a liberal college town which always elects Democrats locally. We have been over the years back to visit friends and family, but not in the past ten years. We owe friends a visit. But when asked why we don’t retire back to Alabama, we just shrug and say it’s obvious when you think about it.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@SpaceUnit: I’m shooting for Whitehall/Montague or thereabouts. Right on White Lake and Lake Michigan and about 20 minutes from the hospital in Muskegon. 40 minutes from the best health care in the Western half of the State in Grand Rapids.
Or, honestly, Muskegon itself is right on Lake Michigan. And housing is cheap there. It used to smell bad due to the papermills but I think those are gone or better at containing the pollution. People also think it’s undesirable because there’s a higher proportion of black and brown people than other Lakeshore communities hence the lower prices for housing. Has a nice little art museum downtown. Saw an excellent Edward Sheriff Curtis photography exhibit there a few years back. Muskegon State Park has beautiful beaches and great XC skiing in the winter.
RevRick
@MomSense: The Mrs. and I will be visiting Maine for ten days on the 13th. We’ll be spending time with her sister and husband, who is recuperating from foot surgery. We love the state, since we honeymooned there at the Ocean Point Inn. (And went back for our 50th).
Mark Stevenson
Move to Michigan! We made the jump from CA 8 years ago to a spacious home on a sizeable wooded lot for the cost of a garage in CA. Water, woods and wilds in plenty, full D control of state government and among the lowest risk places for climate disaster. More progressive Michiganders are always welcome!
Searcher
The Hudson Valley has a pretty good mix. It’s not as blue as NYC, but still blue enough to elect Democrats. It’s rural enough to own acreage. There are hospitals, even if you end up going to Vassar or Westchester for anything complicated. You can live next to a donkey farm and still take a day trip (or commute, if need be) to NYC. It’s mountain adjacent, although if you come from a real mountain state you’ll probably scoff at our little mountains. We get winters, but not the monsters they get in Buffalo and Rochester. Climate-wise it’s going to be fine for the next 50-100 years at least.
My biggest complaint, coming from the Midwest, is that I don’t have *horizons*. To really look out to the horizon, or at least the next best thing, you have to climb up to a mountain that has enough of a view to see the next mountain over, or drive down to the ocean.
Tim C.
@devore:
Almost heaven….
East Multnomah County…
Cascade Mountains, Columbia Riv-er…
There really should be a whole version of the John Denver song for us all to sing here too. Like from the hobos to the drag queens to the 50,000 weed store owners, the naked bike riders, the Rosarians in the white suits, and all of us in between.
Also, fun fact. Portland is where mid-tier chain restaurants can barely hang on thanks to the best food-carts in the flipping world!
Chief Oshkosh
@Old Dan and Little Ann: I used to have business colleagues in Bar Harbor and went there a few times in winter. I didn’t find it a ghost town, but then, I was with locals who knew where to go and what to do 12 months of the year.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Ohio Mom: I have relatives in the Cleveland area who have a summer cottage in Lakeside (the nation’s first Chautauqua! Celebrating 150 years this year). The Marblehead Peninsula has it’s scenic charms.
Honus
@Geminid: here’s how badly that 2011 republican gerrymandering in Virginia was: Bob McDonnell in 2009 (along with LG Bolling and AG Ken Cuccinelli) were the only republicans to win a statewide race in Virginia for twelve years until youngkin narrowly won in 2021. Virginia has voted handily for democratic presidential candidates the last four times, Obama twice, Hilary in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Virginia was the only southern state to go for Hilary Nonetheless, the state had a 9-2 republican congressional delegation until 2018 and a republican general assembly for many of those years. Even with the old gerrymandered maps the congressional delegation switched to 6-5 democratic in 2018 in reaction to TIFG.
Honus
@Tim C.: it’s not a John Denver song. Washington DC’s Bill and Taffy Danoff (Afternoon Delight) wrote Country Roads, and sang backup on Denvers version.
Miss Bianca
@MGB: You sound like me! Grew up outside Detroit, then after school at UM went to Chicago, lived there for ten years. Have now been a quarter-century in Colorado, but Michigan definitely still has a pull. Love the UP. And I love Detroit too, dammit!
@MomSense: :)
SW
Come to Colorado brother! It saved my life 40 years ago.
EriktheRed
Illinois’ pretty blah, but at least it’s a nice, dark blue.
You’d also likely like Colorado.
Sherparick
@John Cole: I have several friends near Traverse City. Although the overall state is relatively sane, rural Michigan is filled with loons, & not just of the bird variety.
Skippy-san
Move out West.
tybee
@Old Dan and Little Ann:
But Bar Harbor is great in the summer. was there this year in the middle of July. If it wasn’t for snow and winter, I’d consider it…