I am a transplant Alaskan, married to a Californian and I retire from the military in about 3 years. I am on my last assignment overseas and then that's it, I paid my dues and I am on my way to find a new home.

But where?

Everything is based on what job I land when I retire but here's my goals. I no order.

Fairbanks, Alaska
Valdez, Alaska
Edwards Plateau, Texas
Alpine, Texas
NW Wyoming
Central Wyoming
Western North and South Dakota
Sierra Vista, Arizona

What do you think?

Wyoming and Montana have been home several times, and I consider myself to be from Wyoming since I was born there and lived there about 15 years of my life. I also spent a lot of time in Alaska and New Mexico and Arizona.

I have lived in California, Florida, Washington, Washington DC, Nevada, and Hawaii but don't really want to go back to any of them. Nevada and Washington are nice for hunting, but gun laws are going to eventually suck there.

D99,
I'd say you haven't given enough insight to posters here as to you age, health, occupational abilities, desired lifestyle.

Just in Texas there are striking differences in the Edwards Plateau area and the Alpine Area in regards to geography, population densities, employment opportunities, hunting. Then you also have to consider your spouse. Alpine Tx. ain't like many places in Ca. that I can think of, whereas in Austin Tx. she might feel right at home, being as many here refer to Ca. as "the land of fruits and nuts" (no disrespect to you or you wife). Travis County is probably the bastion of liberalism in Tx.
Best
GWB

Seth,

I retire in 2013. After a lot of consideration my wife and I have pretty much settled on either Alabama or Tennessee. As much as I'd like to return to my native Colorado, it just isn't home anymore. All the displaced Californians have ruined it.

Both Al and Tn have good hunting, the taxes aren't too bad, the cost of living is cheap and jobs are pretty plentiful. And, the weather is better.

One thing to remember, since you are retiring from the military make sure that you're within 100 miles of a base of some sort so you can use all your benefits. Thats one thing good about the South, there are a lot of bases between the Navy, Army and Marines.

Chief Mac

Going to be 40 when I retire, the wife is a school teacher and usually teaches ESL.

California is a big state, damn near as big as texas. And not all of it is LA or SanFran, just like not all of Texas is Dallas.

My job will have to be tied to the base because of my unique qualifications.

I grew up on a ranch and would like my kids to experience that, I was thinking San Angelo would give both. Somplace we could afford to buy 40plus acres (even if I had to drive 35 miles), and somplace I could work in the Military community.

But a lot of places that are not Texas would also fit that bill, and are farther West and in the case of Wyoming more conservative.

Look at Oregon. If you get within 15 miles of the pacific coast, it never gets real hot or real cold. With one of the poorest economys in the US, pricing of good is lower. Oregon also has no sales tax. That means almost everything you buy is 7.5% to 9% cheaper than Texas. The downside to Oregon is home prices but not any worse than Cali. They are high.

I my vote would be for WY,Montana, ID lots of nice places in each of them. SD and ND have lots of places that have very cheap housing.

San Angelo is a very nice town. Except it doesnt have very good airservice. Look in the small areas west of Ft Hood. Lampasas SanSaba that area. Gorgeous country, Close as you want to the base,easy drive to Austin,Dfw and San Antonio, but still small town texas. I love Wyoming,lived in SW Montana for years but it gets colder now than when I was a kid( ) and Bases are few and far between. Good luck and let us know if you want any particular info on an area.

Rancher and hunter

SSR

I might end up teaching too, we could teach in Alaska or back home in Wy,MT, ND, SD and then get a hunting lease in Texas for the holiday school break.

Hell I might end up working for the state dept overseas. Then wait another 20 years to figure this all out.

You've gotten some good advice so far. In Texas, you might look in and around the San Antonio area also. It's got a lot a military presence and it's near some tremendous hunting opportunities. Cost of living is still pretty low though the growth in the last decade has been nothing short of explosive.

As Geedubya noted, Austin is the land of the fruits and nuts. You'll see 50+ year old men in sandals driving Honda Elements holding their little doggie going to Sprouts to buy some organic veggies....

For the culture and people, I love east Texas. It's just a special place. Lots of pigs, varmints, and deer, but the deer aren't very big. No exotics that I am aware of. Some good fishing though.

The Dallas/Fort Worth area used to very popular with retired military personnel but that was back when Carswell was one of the four SAC B52 bases. Carswell is now the Joint Reserve Base but the huge hospital that was valued by the retirees is now a women's prison.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about Texas. I'll try to answer.

LWD

The base in San Angelo, TX and the base in Sierra Vista, Arizona have the jobs I could do.

I am trying to find something similar back home or in Alaska.

quote:

Sierra Vista, Arizona

I have thought about retiring there or nearby Benson. Weather is the driver for me, Texas has always been on the short list to. We haven't been above 12 degrees in a week, 8" of snow and night time lows of -10 or lower. As I get older I detest the snow and cold. Simply because I work out in it every day and some times nights. If I had a desk job, I would probabaly never leave. I guess when it's cold, at least you don't have to deal with the skeeters and ticks!

Angelo has good people and great weather.
The deer,hog and varmit hunting is good-albeit the bucks arent "brush Country" big.

Lots of small towns in the area and like you mentioned small (40-100 acre) places.

Yes they have mule deer leases-junction and Van Horn area. Dont know anything about price structure out there but you can figure mulies are gonna cost more than Whitetail.

SSR

Alaska is the obvious choice. Geez!! We need more guys like you to counter the greenie/preservationist/granola crunchin'/ wannabe's that keep coming up here and watering down the amount of my PFD . You've already been here so ya know what to expect. Dunno if you could get a job in Valdez - economy there of course is based on the oil terminal, fishing & of course, tourism. Lots of snow there too but you know that as well.
As a second choice, I'd pick NW Wyoming. About 15 years ago, I had plans to retire to the Cody/ Powell area. Other things entered my life and I'm still in Ak. No regrets at all on that decision tho. BTW, when I looked at real estate in NW Wyoming, prices were substantially lower in the Powell area. Cody area was/ (is?) quite a bit more expensive. The only thing about real estate in the Powell area is that I'd shy away from land on the north side of town - lottsa alkalai.
I most certainly wouldn't live in Texas. Nuthin' agin 'em but I don't like heat, snakes, scorpions, cactus, lottsa sand, lack of public land for hunting AND, the biggest reason - absolutely NO Dall Sheep.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Bear in Fairbanks

Bear,

I grew up in Wyoming and yes Alkalai is part of life for most of it. But that doesn't mean you couldn't live there.

One thing I always hated about Wyoming was sharing it with everyone from Colorado and Utah. Then someone in Minnesota and Michigan found Wyoming on a map and brought all their friends and relatives and holy shit we have a total change on public land in Wyoming. Non-residents used to be an annomaly when I was a kid, now they are standard operating procedure.

I am still an Alaska resident and will be until I retire, so my New GI Bill free college deal would be there if I choose to go back to school.

I guess it really depends on jobs.

I have a few requirements.

I want to be able to have 50-650 acres.
I want to be able to hunt a variety of species for the most part year round.
I want to be able to trap.
I want to have decent fishing.
I don't mind paying for any of the above.
I want my kids to have a good education.
I don't care how cold it is, hot is kind of an issue for me. I don't like to do anything in hot weather. I have had a lot of skin cancer and I am only 35. I don't need the BS of dealing with the sun full time.
Kind of torn between a lot of things.

I think Alaska sounds like your kind of place. Next would be Wyoming IMO. There is no avoiding the fact that Texas, and particularly the San Antonio area of Texas is either hot or damn hot for a good part of the year. In addition, unless you're going to private school them, I think the education system in Texas is not up to par.

quote:

snakes, scorpions

We got them to!

You, my friend, want to live in South Dakota, probably near Rapid City.

If you can 1) convince the wife, and 2) find a way to make a living, you're golden.

I'd live there in a heartbeat, but fail on the two conditions above

Maybe when I retire... sigh

-nosualc

ps - Thank you for your service!

quote:

I want to be able to have 50-650 acres.
I want to be able to hunt a variety of species for the most part year round.
I want to be able to trap.
I want to have decent fishing.
I don't mind paying for any of the above.
I want my kids to have a good education.
I don't care how cold it is, hot is kind of an issue for me. I don't like to do anything in hot weather. I have had a lot of skin cancer and I am only 35. I don't need the BS of dealing with the sun full time.
Kind of torn between a lot of things.

Come to BC, hunt all year for pretty much free
Just don't forget to add in "all from fifteen minutes from home"

quote:

In addition, unless you're going to private school them, I think the education system in Texas is not up to par.

I agree. Look at where Texas ranks in national studies and surveys---at or near the bottom. There are very few public school systems in Texas that qualify as providing a good education. Most of the urban schools are just managing to keep the lid on the place till the final bell rings. The rural districts don't have the money for facilities and equipment or the quality of teachers to do a good job. You're pretty much left with the affluent suburban districts, and they have some of their own baggage.

If you've had skin cancer be wary of San Antonio. It's kinda the beginning of South Texas. Hot, bright, and windy.

LWD

Have you looked at land prices in western WY latley??? Might not be what you remeber as a kid...

I'd look at central WY or MT, away from he hippie ski crowd. My #1 rule is look for a place thats relatively depressed economically. There you will find the cheapest land, the least tourist pressure, and good hardworking people not free loading trust fund hippies.

quote:

Originally posted by Wayfaring Stranger:
Have you looked at land prices in western WY latley??? Might not be what you remeber as a kid...

Anywhere there is coal-bed methane, you will find high real estate prices. If you're retirement age, keep in mind that working a drill rig is a young man's game, you will end up running a Seven-Eleven or a motel.

My daughter, Miami born and bred, married a wonderful guy from Helena, MT. she loves it. It's a relatively small town, although the capitol, and she has to shoo the mulies out of her tulip beds. They have a house in town and twenty acres in Clancy, 20 minutes away. He's full time medical officer for the Civil Support Team, and they're both living on an Army Captain's salary. They have a house in town and a 20 acre place in Clancy, 20 minutes away from the city. You can drive fifteen minutes out of town and shoot an elk. The California expats have yet to totally destroy the real estate market. No sales tax, but there is a state income tax and some pretty heady vehicle registration fees.

She grew up in the sunshine, but would now not live anywhere else. Check it out. And you're close to Idaho, which is truly God's country.

I spend quite a big of time on the real estate websites trying to find someplace that would be a good deal. Some states have some real gems, and some have some real expensive gems.

This hasn't been displayed on your radar yet, but I'll toss it in here for you to digest. While it seems as though you've already decided..AK 1st choice, WYO 2nd, I have a friend with a big ranch near Tensleep and you couldn't drah him out of WYO. But I also have a friend that retired from 33yrs AK bush pilot and bought a farm here in Western Pa. (155 acres) raising horses and just loves it here. Meets all of your requirements..fair winters,nice summers,good schools,plenty of game for hunting,fishing,traplines,etc. Not flat, not the rockies, but the beautiful Appelacheans (sp). It's a hike to AK tho if you need to get there often. Come here, check us out. We'ld love to have you. Texas for good? no way. PS...we have no bears that want to eat you, just eastern black bear for hunting.

Lakeway or Georgetown Texas. Great places, great schools. Some other options a bit further off the path, but still good: New Braunfels, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Dripping Springs.

And of course San Antonio for the military community - and low cost of living.

East Texas around Tyler is very nice if it fits your "work".

I did like the times I have spent in Anchorage...
I have been a couple of times to Dillingham...
But...
Since I am drinking buddies with several Innuits, male and female, [Eskimos for you lower 48'ers] I could live in Nome no problem...
And there is good hunting there...

I made friends with the Cops there as well...
I liked Nome...

But it is a little spendy to live in AK...

D99, as much as Texas would like to have you as a resident, it definetly may not be the best choice.

If you have been having problems with skin cancer, the Texas environment will probably cause more problems for you.

Best of luck on whatever you decide, and if it is texas, Welcome to our state.

I live in the Black Hills of SD, 50 miles from Rapid City.

Teacher's pay is much better in NW Wyoming. If you want to hunt elk, then WY is better.

SD has better bird hunting and very limited elk hunting.

If you want to go back to school for a teaching degree, Black Hills State University located in Spearfish is a very good program.

If you are tied into military bases, Rapid City would be a good choice.

SDhunter, thje neat thing about where you live, is that it is close to the Pine Ridge management unit in the Nebraska Panhandle, 180,000 plus acres of public hunting ground and reasonable license prices, I love that country.

IDAHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is Pine Ridge area is nice country, but unfortunately, I do not have enough time to hunt everything in my home state. Plenty of public access, you just have to go find it and research it.

If I go out of state, to hunt it is normally for elk, Texas in the winter months, or Alaska.

I know, it's tough making all those decisions and sacrifices.

We have big game seasons that run for about 7 months out of the year.

Don't forget the waterfowl and upland game, and predator hunting. There is also prairie dog shooting and pretty decent fishing.

SD is not a bad place to be for an outdoorsperson. But the economy is pretty much always recessed and that should factor in to any decision to relocate here.

I love to elk hunt, and I usually live vicariously through others that have drawn the limited entry tags.

I do like Idaho in the Elk City, Dixie Orogrande area. And I like Montana in the Troy, Kalispell area...

And in Texas the Edwards Plateau, or in East Texas, the Tyler, Canton, Athens area is a great choice...

I have lived in a number of places and hunted around a bit. To be honest I absolutely love Arizona! SV is a pretty neat place. You can hunt predators and quail like crazy and you are in Coues deer heaven. My vote would be live and work in beautiful AZ weather and take your money and hunt Alaska. That is what I do.

You may want to just stay put.
In another year or two you're going to see state and county taxes all over the place. Look what happened recently in Chicago.
All of these municipalities are broke. I foresee a huge rift in various services and taxes going like crazy.
A good wilderness environment may be the only way to keep your sanity.

An interesting discussion but FWIW the opening poster has, according to him, left AR forevermore.

You mentioned Alpine, TX also. I personally love that area and there is plenty to hunt, but
not much in the way of something to do for a new career.
There's a small university there and thats about it.