I have to move south due to health issues. I may go back to Louisiana (probably will at least for a while) but the doctors keep pushing me towards they Southwest. They say LA is better than northern Minnesota, but the humidity will be rough on me.

So, I am thinking of taking a tour of the Southwest this year and checking things out. I have been over much of the US, but never the SW. I need to live in good hunting areas with unrestrictive gun laws. I need to live in a rural place, but within semi-close driving distance of major hospitals.

Do you have any suggestions of places I should see and visit when I make this trip?

Thanks!

New Mexico northern part and Arizona if you stay away from the trendy places in NM you can find a place to live that is quite reasonable.
Been lookin out there myself.

Michael J

Taking a tour would be a great idea. I would also look at southwest Colorado and maybe southern Idaho, if it is not too cold there for you.

Also get the Fish and Game hunting rules for all of those states and read them.

If it's dry you need rather than warm, look at Wyoming. Unrestrictive gun laws, lots of hunting opportunities, not very many people (my favorite thing about the state), and if you pick somewhere in the southern part of the state, you wouldn't be terribly far from Denver, CO, which certainly has all the medical care you would require.

After that, and I hate to say it because we don't need any more people here , is New Mexico. Pretty decent gun laws (you can open carry pretty much anywhere and CC licenses aren't difficult to obtain) and hunting (when you can draw a tag).

Don't forget Texas, which has all of the above too, plus lots of strange exotic critters that you can hunt all year round.

I have always liked Prescott Arizona, it sits close to 6000 feet keeping the air a little cooler and is not too far from the Phoenix metroplex. The area is also forested so dust is not a problem like in Phoenix. There is alot of National Forest land in the area along with state trust and BLM {Bureau of Land Management} land availlable for hunting. If you like gold prospecting there are many opportunities but be aware of the many claims.
Another really nice place is Cloudcroft New Mexico but it does get cold here. It is also forested here and is not too far from services in El Paso or Las Cruces. Silver City NM is very nice also surrounded by National Forest and other public lands and Las Cruces for major medical services. Probably better hunting in New Mexico.
Central Texas is also very nice with dry weather and good hospitals in Austin, San Antonio, and Kerrville. Not so much the public lands in Texas for hunting but there are excellent opportunities.
Rodney.

Texas is a nice place, especially around Austin/San Antonio in the Hill Country. Great medical care nearby, lots of outdoorsmen, lots of gun-owners. Very friendly. Close to airports if needed. Nice weather.

Thanks for the info!

Heat is a definite requirement. I moved back to northeast MN because I always fel tbest when living in extreme cold-here, NW Ontario, and Scandanavia have always been best for me, but things changed.

Is the Hill Country more arid? I know it gets drier as you go west in TX. Most of my TX experience was East TX and NE TX, where it was as wet as LA. I have not been past Ft. Worth in TX and do not know where the climate zones are. Had not thougth about moving to TX but may have to really think about that one. I will swing through the cities mentioned on the trip

A local friend reccomended Prescott. he travelled there several times for busienss in the past and said he loved it. I may have to put that on my travel itenerary.

WY and ID are a little too cold fo rmy needs, but they are places I would love to live if things were different.

A reasonable answer depends on how hi-tech and how close your hospital/medical need/ requirements are.....if you need a major medical center type situation reasonably close then there are really only a few areas that fit that requirement in the hot SW, the Mesa/Phoenix area, possibly Tucson, and Las Vegas. Add Albuquerque if you can stand more cold and El Paso if you can stand being that close to Mexico. So, you would then need to decide the maximum distance you want to be from the centers. As mentioned Prescott and surrounds is very nice but can be somewhat high above sea level and is fairly far from Phoenix. Prescott does have a hospital(s) but not a medical center.

Since I spent a lot of time in Tucson, I always recommend AZ.

There is nothing wrong with some of the other recommendations but they do not all meet what I think your requirements are, which will rule out WY, some of TX, and CO.

I had a visit from a patient today that moved to Phoenix upon my recommendation. She was born and raised here in Ohio and said the move to AZ was the best life changing experience she's ever had. She is 62 and moved there just last year.

I would move to the outskirts of Tucson or Phoenix. Both have plenty of hospitals but Phoenix may be best. You will love it I guarantee! Major airports, big cities, excellent hunting!! Some of the biggest elk and mulies in the country! Coues whitetail! mountain lion! Desert piggies! Wild turkey! Black bears! Some of the largest pronghorns on earth! Hot, dry, good winters. Coyote calling works very well....bobcats plentiful!

You can't go wrong. Let me know when you move there. I'll book a flight and we can hunt noodle head quail in the desert and I'll show you some killer Coues spots where I tagged out 3 years in a row opening day. Of course, I'll be staying in your home while on my hunting trip, so make sure you get a house with a spare bedroom.

I met a guy there in Tucson that I hunted with who came from MN also. Odd. He went to visit on vacation. Loved it so much, he went home, packed his bags, quit his job, and moved to Tucson and opened up a tittie bar. Doing very well financially.

No the Hill country tends to be hot and somewhat humid in the summer.

I'll tell you if you dont like heat look at northern AZ, or NM not Texas. We would love to have you but it is pretty damn hot, not like southern AZ but damn hot!

If I were you I would REALLY look hard into the area of Texas outlined by these 4 cities: San Antonio, Austin, San Angelo, Del Rio. There is absolutely WONDERFUL hunting in this area and close to good medical care. Low humidity.....usually pretty hot. Summer time will usually have highs between 85-95 and lows around 70-80. Although, don't get me wrong I've been out in the heat over 100 degrees many times. The hottest I've ever been in was in Menard County about 8 years ago, 117 degrees measured on a thermometer, but that was extremely rare and horrible.

quote:

Originally posted by 505ED:
No the Hill country tends to be hot and somewhat humid in the summer.

I'll tell you if you dont like heat look at northern AZ, or NM not Texas. We would love to have you but it is pretty damn hot, not like southern AZ but damn hot!

Marc just said that heat was.....quote: "definitely a requirement".

So I think Texas would fit his needs perfectly.

I'd take a look at this - http://www.utah.com/stgeorge/.

That town and area is highly regarded. If I could ever bring myself to leave my section of the country that would be on the list of places to explore.

I was reading through and was ready to point you towards St George, Utah and then I saw Shack's post. I'll second the St George area as a fine place to live. Lots of housing availible right now and it has very good medical facilities. Hunting within 2 hours can be very good, but deer tags can be a year or 2 wait. Some great fishing within a couple hours also. Then Vegas is 2 hours South. Just a thought.

I have thought about it this a great deal. My current girlfriend and probably wife says Alaska won't work for her and her 80 dexter cows and 40 exotic sheep.

I am going to look in West Texas, probably near Alpine. I recon that I can have a decent deer lease there, she can have her medical practice, and I can teach at the University or for the High School.

Wyoming doesn't turn her on, as she is pretty frail in the cold. But I am working on her.

quote:

Originally posted by Shack:
I'd take a look at this - http://www.utah.com/stgeorge/.

That town and area is highly regarded. If I could ever bring myself to leave my section of the country that would be on the list of places to explore.

I have driven through there several times, it is becoming a zoo. If your in your 80s and you want to live around a bunch of people in their 80s you might like St George. If not,..... well.

I have driven through St. George sweveral times going from SLC to LA and back.

It does look like dry country.

Marc,

Andy Manson, gunsmith, moved from the Detroit area about 20 years ago to Chama, NM. It's just a stone's throw from the Colorado border along the Elk migration route.
You might give Andy a call and discuss your move with him.
Andy's brother Dave is the reamer maker here in Michigan. Andy just put together a Martini Cadet in 218 BEE for me. He's one of the good guys.
Andy's business is Mountaindog Gunsmithing, Chama.

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Marc_Stokeld:

So, I am thinking of taking a tour of the Southwest this year and checking things out. I have been over much of the US, but never the SW. I need to live in good hunting areas with unrestrictive gun laws. I need to live in a rural place, but within semi-close driving distance of major hospitals.

Prescott is set in a really nice stretch of mountains, but it was jammed ten years ago and is probably overrun by now. Camp Verde is nice if you like airplanes; there's a bunch of homebuilt guys there. I'd think twice before going to a casino town, but they do seem to have inexpensive breakfast menus in the diners.

The best thing might be to take some time off and drive around a little with a sleeping bag. I try not to take freeways the whole distance these days, and have a look at the back-road country on the trips. I've seen some really nice places along the way, wouldn't blabber too many of them in public, as benign neglect adds to their charms...

Not knowing the specifics on your condition but seeing the southwest and low humidity mentioned; I am led to suspect pulmonary and or cardiac issues.

If either or both or the case you need to be thoughtful of altitude in your decision.

Being quite familiar with NE Texas , Louisiana and South and Central Texas, west of Ft. Worth may be a reasonable choice.

Though I generally am against further migration to Texas, methinks you are the type we should welcome.

The humidity you and I know in east texas is not the case in areas such as Weatherford, Brekenridge ,Graham etc. unless you wish to live in a larger city,then Ft. Worth.

The hill country(towns already noted) and or central Texas are also an option : Lampasas, Brady etc.

As to hunting and firearm friendly Texas is among the top locations, as to medical care also very good and as to the people; well Nuff said.