# Tell Me About Where You Live and Why You Love/Hate It



## gomma (Apr 28, 2020)

Hi! Hahaha I can't tell you much about the places you asked for since I've never even been in the US. I live in Italy, in a northern region called piedmont. The place where I live is very green and with wonderful mountains (the alps are amazing and when the weather is nice the sight is so nice!)
I love this place for various reasons, even tho it's not so easy to live here. I'm about 1h far away from the city of Turin and in my town there's not much to do, even tho it looks extremely nice. As for the rodeos and barrel I actually have no idea since I always practiced English horse riding and show jumping, but one of my ex teachers is a raining champion and a qh breeder. Also i am from one of the places that produce the best wine ever! Just a few miles from my town there is the wonderful town of barolo, that produces the same called wine. 
Here are some pictures of the view and the town I live in.
I know it's not that helpful but it's always nice to introduce people to different realities [emoji178][emoji4]









Inviato dal mio JSN-L21 utilizzando Tapatalk


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I live in Seattle, or near to it. Washington State is really a marvel. We have everything. Literally. We have mountains, deserts, wheatfields, wine and apple orchards, big rivers, fjords, vast ocean beaches, and a vibrant big city. AND, a lot of people! (well, in Seattle).


Washington is basically divided into two very different halves; the West of the Cascades is wet, green, forested and has many more people and industry. It is predominantly progressive, politically, sometimes to a frustrating degree (in Seattle proper). It is focussed on the future, with many biotech industries, and huge business success stories such as Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, and Amazon all getting their start here. There are a lot of young techie folks. But there are also west side cities that are conservative, that never recovered from the huge reduction in the logging industry, and where opioid addiction is a problem, and jobs are scarce.


On the East side of the mountains, the weather is much drier and warmer. There are large desert-like areas, and huge areas that are fertile due to irrigation. There are also wonderful mountainous areas in teh NE that are still wild enough to harbor lynx, and wolves and moose. and cattle.


As you can immagine, the west side is less horse oriented, though there are lots of horse activities in the SW part of the state. But, for long open areas to ride, you want to go over the mountains. Around Ellensburg, or Yakima, or Spokane are many wonderful wildlands to ride, hunt, hike, fish . 

Cle Elum is an up and coming place, with, in my opinion, the Teanaway valley as one of the most gorgeous places ever.
Ellensburg is famous for growing some of the best hay in the country, a great deal of which is exported to Japan.


wind generators are becoming more common there. Moses Lake is another small town that while it's a bit boring, has gorgeous country not far away (the Potholes).


Wenatchee is another up and coming place and Cashmere. next to the mountains, near the Columbia and miles of open Natrional forest land. Oh, and Winthrop and Twisp. too cute to resist.


Not Washington, but Pendleton Oregon is a really sweet city, and very horse/rodeo oriented.


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## 281187 (Sep 19, 2019)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> Tell me about where you live (doesn't have to be specifically your exact town if you're not comfortable, just general area.)


I currently live near Lexington, Kentucky. 



Phantomcolt18 said:


> What do you love about it? If you don't love it, why?


I absolutely hate it here. The people are overly-friendly, nosy and all up in your business. It's muggy in the summer, icy in the winter. Most social life seems to revolve around which church you go to.... rather awkward for an Atheist like myself. 

Basically, being stuck in the South and the Bible Belt doesn't suit me. But I don't hate everything about the area.

The countryside is pretty. The area has a lot of history, some of it nice, some of it not so nice. If you like hills, you'll love it here. Theirs no crime in my neighborhood, which is reassuring. 



Phantomcolt18 said:


> What's the horse life like?


Very active, lots of Thoroughbred breeding farms around. The Kentucky Horse Park hosts a wide variety of horse shows. Their are opportunities to volunteer with horses if one knows where to look.



Phantomcolt18 said:


> Abundance of barrel racing/rodeo competitions around the area?


Lol, *NO*. It's _English_ or nothing here in my experience.



Phantomcolt18 said:


> What are some of the best and worst things about the location?


Worst things:- Everyone smokes. Generally people marry young and have larger families. The education is.... lackluster compared to other places where I've lived. Most people aren't very "worldly", many have never even left the state, let alone the country. 

Best things:- You a fan of Abraham Lincoln? Cool, you can go see the place he was born at. Interested in Shakers? Nice, go see the village that they have nearby. Like I said, theirs a lot of natural beauty and history in Kentucky.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I live in Austin Texas and had never even heard of Aubrey, so I looked it up. It's well north of Dallas, but in an area that is growing like wildfire. You might move there now and have it be a certain way, and in two years your taxes will have doubled and there won't be any more rural areas left. 

I grew up not TOO far from there, and I can tell you that it's shockingly hot in the summer (but it's a dry heat, which is better than where I live now) and, well, to me it was "cold" in the winter, but it might be helpful to tell us where you live now, for comparison. North Texas, I think, has a decent amount of western riding, but again as DFW spreads north, you're going to be living in an exurb, not the country, if it's not already just an exurb.

Have you considered more west Texas, or Oklahoma?

Aubrey seems to be right north of Denton, which is a fairly liberal college town, or at least it used to be. There are two universities there, which are disproportionately large compared to the town itself. Do you like college students?

Small towns in Texas can be pretty conservative and even racist, xenophobic, homophobic, etc., if that sort of thing bothers you. If you are white, Christian, and very patriotic you will fit right in. But I'm not sure if the proximity to Denton might cancel that out. I guess you'd have to visit to know. Oh, and tornadoes. How do you feel about tornadoes? And lots of thunderstorms. And drought in the summer. But that might cut down on the flies?

On the plus side, it's probably not that expensive, for now. But with DFW growing all the time, I doubt it would stay cheap for long. Also there are nice sunsets. And being near DFW (although the traffic is terrible now) means you can get cheap flights to all over the world, that famous Dallas shopping (if you have the money and the desire), and lots of interesting places to eat.

Fort Worth has a lot of western events, if I recall correctly. And the Fort Worth area isn't as expensive, nor is it growing as quickly. You might find something to the west of Fort Worth that might be worth looking into. North and West of Fort Worth is pretty country, in my opinion. And definitely not as expensive.

I agree with @tinyliny that Seattle has everything. Seattle is awesome, if you can handle the winters. We lived there for almost two years and will be moving back in a few years, hopefully.


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> In the next year and a half/ two years I am looking to do a zip code change (New adventure, so exciting!)
> 
> I already have a few places in mind that I have been to (week long visits) and have fallen in love with but I know there is more out there. I love wide open spaces, rolling hills, possible mountains, basically the complete opposite of what I have where I live now in the northeast. My job allows me to live wherever in the US so the possibilities are endless.
> 
> ...


You want to be in the general area between Stephenville, Lipan, Millsap, Weatherford and Decatur in North Texas. 

This is Rodeo Country USA, and there will be jackpots, clinics, and and every form of Rodeo from church series to PRCA going year round. Most of the World Champions live or practice in this area for a reason.

I'm from the Aubrey/Pilot Point TX area and can tell you a few things about it.

- It is "Horse Country USA", and beautiful on top of that.
- Lake Ray Roberts is one of the best lakes in Texas for recreation. 
- Some of the best equine facilities and professionals in the USA are in the immediate area.
- Due to popularity and famous horse people, it is getting expensive. 250K barely buys you something you can keep a horse on. 
- Reining is king! There is far more barrel racing and rodeo in the corridor I mentioned above, a whole lot more. The immediate area is heavily focused on the Reining industry top to bottom. Most of the famous Reiners and breeders live around there and that shapes the horse industry a lot.

- The weather is some of the most severe in Texas. From an area NE of Decatur to the Red River the weather can be quite severe. What is a normal Thunderstorm for most of the greater DFW area can become "spinners", Tornados, flash floods and severe hail quite easily as it passes through the corridor between Ponder/Denton and the Red River at the Oklahoma border along 377. Replacing a roof every couple years to storm damage is normal in that area. 

Ask if you have questions.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

jgnmoose said:


> Replacing a roof every couple years to storm damage is normal in that area.


Yes! We have some rental properties in Dallas proper and one of them we've had the roof replaced twice in four years. The insurance company actually offered for a third time, but we didn't think there was that much damage so we turned them down.

Word to the wise: Decatur is (or at least was) a major speed trap!


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## Fuddyduddy1952 (Jun 26, 2019)

Your first on list was Lexington or Roanoke Virginia. We live about 40 miles South of Lexington and 40 miles East of Roanoke in Forest. Wife and I born 15M from here in Lynchburg.
Lots of horse people around here (+). Liberty university has taken over Lynchburg, it's changed a lot.
Most people are nice, everything you need is within 10-15 minute drive. Miles of horse trails from home. Downside are people moving in making changes. Liberty Aeronautics training flights, kids on dirt bikes occasionally but nuisance.








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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

Definitely, and so is Boyd which is a bit south of Decatur along 287. I'm on my best behavior going through there lol. 

The drive along FM 51 and 287 with a trailer isn't bad at all and saves time just watch the speed.


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

It is super interesting to read about these places - I have not traveled into the US a lot (aside from Vegas, Montana and a bit into Oregon). Love hearing the pluses and minuses! 

Italy is gorgeous - I want to go there so badly (I am also a wine-o). Beautiful photos @gomma!

Not that it is relevant, but I live in Alberta, Canada. For the most part I LOVE it here. I live in the foothills, and less than an hours drive and I"m right in the Rockies. We have a few lakes within about 30 minutes and unlimited amounts of crown land for riding, quadding and hiking on. 

I live about 90 minutes from Calgary, so close enough I can go do some shopping and get my dose of 'city life'. 

The people are pretty friendly and accepting, but not nosy or pushy. 

Downside - the weather! Our weather can change so drastically it can be difficult to make plans. We can get snow 8-9 months of the year and it typically does not get super hot here (Which can also be a plus I guess). Winters are harsh, although we do get the chinook winds come through that cause huge swings in temperature. We can go from -30 one day to +5 the next (celsius). 

Our area can also be prone to really bad hail storms - they will destroy vehicles, roofs, and wipe out crops. 

Horse activities are super prevalent in this area - and in fact, all over the province. There is a strong rodeo following, with tons of rodeos held in nearly every small town throughout the spring/summer months. 

I find the part of the province i live in is very blue-collar - lots of oilfield workers (and VERY conservative politically).


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Anywhere you choose will have weather. You just have to know what you're dealing with and if you are comfortable handling the extremes for where ever you choose.


I'll second what has been said about Tx as I have lived in several of the mentioned areas there. I also like Atlanta, Tx , anywhere in the hill country, Medina, Tx, Mineral Wells and Granbury are great. Durrant, Ok and some of the places I worked on landscapes in that area were really nice, small town atmosphere and big on horses. Spent a lot of time in Waco and that wasn't my favorite but they aren't short on horses. 



I currently live on the gulf coast. That was were I was raised so very familiar. Have to be able to deal with heat, humidity and mosquitoes. Flies too. If you have good management practices you can lower the numbers but you won't ever get away from them completely. Mississippi - especially the Poplarville area has barrel racing and lost of western horse going ons. Alabama is a mix as is the panhandle of Florida.


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> Tell me about where you live (doesn't have to be specifically your exact town if you're not comfortable, just general area.) What do you love about it? If you don't love it, why? What's the horse life like? Abundance of barrel racing/rodeo competitions around the area? What are some of the best and worst things about the location? Bonus points for photos. Double bonus points if you can tell me more about the areas I mentioned.


I live in Michigan, and have lived in both the upper and lower peninsulas.

In the upper peninsula I lived in Houghton. I loved the access to outdoor adventures, including hiking, backpacking, kayaking, waterfalls, and more. The downside is the long winter, lasting typically from November to late March, or even later. Not many barns have indoor arenas, and the options for boarding are slim. I had the option of one barn or no horses (and there was no indoor). The horse shows are pretty small, and there are usually more speed shows than pleasure. Depending on who would come, they could be rather competitive. You have the option to travel to Ontonogan (2 hours away) and Escanaba (2+ hours away) for more competitions. Escanaba holds the UP State Horse Show, and then Iron Mountain (1.5 hours away) holds the UP State Fair, which are larger shows and more competitive. 

Pros of living in the UP? Cheap housing. Most expensive electricity in MI. Cheap board if you can find it. Beautiful trails and scenery. Quiet. Friendly neighbors.
Cons? Snow, snow, snow. Everything is far and few between. One tiny tack store. Few above minimum wage paying jobs. Very little political view-point variety. No riding instructors.

Now, in the lower peninsula I am living in Lansing, the capitol. So far, I don't like it. I grew up in rural areas and now am living in a city. My neighbors love staying up until 3 am, sitting in their car, listening to loud music. The roads suck. There is trash everywhere. However, with respect to horses, in Lansing there is the MSU Pavilion that hosts some pretty nice horse shows. There are lots of boarding options at many different price points, but much more expensive that compared to the UP. There are actually people that teach lessons. There is many disciplines, including speed, eventing, pleasure...You name it, you can probably find it. Also, indoor arenas are much more common, and I get to board at a facility that has one!

Pros of living in Lansing? Lots of food options. Lots of boarding options. Lots of options for everything. Many opportunities for jobs that pay above minimum wage. Lots of political variety.
Cons? Anything that comes with living in a city. Higher housing costs, higher costs of living, an annoying amount of annoying people. City taxes! Lots of neighbors I don't want to talk to.

I'd imagine once I get to be more active with horses while living in Lansing I will grow to like it a bit more, but constantly being at home watching my annoying neighbors sit in their car all evening and throw trash out the window hasn't helped. Notice that I'm not a big fan of my neighbors? Anyways, I'm optimistic that once I start riding often, getting lessons, and getting out competing, I will feel much better.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Not even close to any of your cities. I live in NW IL. Very close to the IA and WI borders. We have a ton of state parks to ride in and since we are North the terrain is not always all flat.

Pros: the weather is fairly temperate. Not too much snow, not too much ice, humid in the summer but sprinkled with many nice days

Cons: IL is an extremely poorly run state. Our property taxes will shock you, our state tax is high, the entire state runs around what Chicago wants or needs with very little concern for the remainder of the state. Politically - please refer to last comment. Chicago runs our state. Jobs are OK to find but nothing pays over the top wages, we are not much of a western or rodeo state but there are quite a few boarding barns etc. Pricing is all of the place depending on where you live. If you want to rodeo IL is probably not the best state to reside in.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

@carshon's post reminds me of one more pro about Texas, in general, which is that we don't have a state income tax, and in general taxes are low. The flip side of that, of course, is that education isn't great, there isn't as much of a social safety net, and in general social services are not well funded.

I agree that the area around Stephenville, Weatherford, and Mineral Wells is really nice, in terms of horseyness and natural beauty. There's still some severe weather, although maybe not as much as around Aubrey. You would need to be happy living somewhere with no big-city amenities (shopping, dining options, etc.), which might be just fine with you. I expect the cost of living would be less than in Aubrey. Although you also might have a harder time finding a job, depending on what you do for a living.


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## Jolien (Aug 19, 2019)

I live in Europe  I am happy here. I got the chanche to go to university rather cheap (we don't have study debts here), lately I have been finding work more easily (fingers crossed), I love our culture and food, like all my friends here, love the nature and really appreciate this place. It's a democracy with rights for women and gay people. You can express your opinion freely and they don't throw you in jail. Our government has done very good during the covid-crisis. As a kid I travelled alot and this made me realise I am lucky to be where I am...  Of course you can always find a downside to everything but I am sure nice people are to be found everywhere.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

gomma said:


> Hi! Hahaha I can't tell you much about the places you asked for since I've never even been in the US. I live in Italy, in a northern region called piedmont. The place where I live is very green and with wonderful mountains (the alps are amazing and when the weather is nice the sight is so nice!)
> I love this place for various reasons, even tho it's not so easy to live here. I'm about 1h far away from the city of Turin and in my town there's not much to do, even tho it looks extremely nice. As for the rodeos and barrel I actually have no idea since I always practiced English horse riding and show jumping, but one of my ex teachers is a raining champion and a qh breeder. Also i am from one of the places that produce the best wine ever! Just a few miles from my town there is the wonderful town of barolo, that produces the same called wine.
> Here are some pictures of the view and the town I live in.
> I know it's not that helpful but it's always nice to introduce people to different realities [emoji178][emoji4]
> ...


Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing! I wish I could hop countries but sadly that is not an option. I will keep your area in mind for traveling though! Italy is on my list of places to visit! 

Thank you for sharing! 



tinyliny said:


> I live in Seattle, or near to it. Washington State is really a marvel. We have everything. Literally. We have mountains, deserts, wheatfields, wine and apple orchards, big rivers, fjords, vast ocean beaches, and a vibrant big city. AND, a lot of people! (well, in Seattle).
> 
> 
> Washington is basically divided into two very different halves; the West of the Cascades is wet, green, forested and has many more people and industry. It is predominantly progressive, politically, sometimes to a frustrating degree (in Seattle proper). It is focussed on the future, with many biotech industries, and huge business success stories such as Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, and Amazon all getting their start here. There are a lot of young techie folks. But there are also west side cities that are conservative, that never recovered from the huge reduction in the logging industry, and where opioid addiction is a problem, and jobs are scarce.
> ...


I always thought of Washington as being wet 95% of the time. The eastern side sounds absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, I don't think I would be able to handle the cold winters though haha.

Thank you so much for sharing! 



281187 said:


> I currently live near Lexington, Kentucky.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for your honest opinion that's exactly what I wanted! I figured Kentucky was very English/Race prominent for obvious reasons. It was beautiful when I visited but maybe it is not for me, natural beauty can only bring so much. Definitely looking for more western based areas. 



ACinATX said:


> I live in Austin Texas and had never even heard of Aubrey, so I looked it up. It's well north of Dallas, but in an area that is growing like wildfire. You might move there now and have it be a certain way, and in two years your taxes will have doubled and there won't be any more rural areas left.
> 
> I grew up not TOO far from there, and I can tell you that it's shockingly hot in the summer (but it's a dry heat, which is better than where I live now) and, well, to me it was "cold" in the winter, but it might be helpful to tell us where you live now, for comparison. North Texas, I think, has a decent amount of western riding, but again as DFW spreads north, you're going to be living in an exurb, not the country, if it's not already just an exurb.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I had never heard of it either we were just passing through and stayed around the area and I really enjoyed it. I am from NJ so I would LOVE a dry heat, the heat doesn't get to me so much as the cold does. Under 35 degrees and I'd rather stay inside haha. Our winters are wet and sloppy and even though I am a winter baby I never really learned to love the cold. 

Thunderstorms do not bother me one bit, tornadoes are a bit worrisome but not something that would turn me off of something good if I found what I want. I have been to Oklahoma and I loved it so not ruling it out. Shopping is not something I love to do so being close to malls and whatnot is not important. 

I will definitely look into the Fort Worth area, might even make a trip out there next fall to hang around and see what's up. 

Thank you so much! 



jgnmoose said:


> You want to be in the general area between Stephenville, Lipan, Millsap, Weatherford and Decatur in North Texas.
> 
> This is Rodeo Country USA, and there will be jackpots, clinics, and and every form of Rodeo from church series to PRCA going year round. Most of the World Champions live or practice in this area for a reason.
> 
> ...


Thank you, thank you! This was super helpful! While the severe weather is worrisome it is not a turn off as I figured it's common in some of the areas I've been looking at. Sounds like my kind of place, jackpots are far and few between here and I'm wanting to run more in the near future. Where I am located you have to travel a good bit just to get to a $300 added race. 



Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> Your first on list was Lexington or Roanoke Virginia. We live about 40 miles South of Lexington and 40 miles East of Roanoke in Forest. Wife and I born 15M from here in Lynchburg.
> Lots of horse people around here (+). Liberty university has taken over Lynchburg, it's changed a lot.
> Most people are nice, everything you need is within 10-15 minute drive. Miles of horse trails from home. Downside are people moving in making changes. Liberty Aeronautics training flights, kids on dirt bikes occasionally but nuisance.
> View attachment 1008487
> ...


I absolutely love Virginia and that was the first place I started actually looking up real estate. I have been through and stayed multiple times with the horses and just love it more each time. We have people with dirt bikes here as well, but you get stuff like that everywhere I'm guessing. 

Thank you so much for sharing. 




cbar said:


> It is super interesting to read about these places - I have not traveled into the US a lot (aside from Vegas, Montana and a bit into Oregon). Love hearing the pluses and minuses!
> 
> Italy is gorgeous - I want to go there so badly (I am also a wine-o). Beautiful photos @gomma!
> 
> ...


Thank you, Canada is on my list of places to visit! Love the strong rodeo following! I definitely do not think I could handle the cold and snow though haha. We get a few inches of snow here and I'm grumpy haha. 



QtrBel said:


> Anywhere you choose will have weather. You just have to know what you're dealing with and if you are comfortable handling the extremes for where ever you choose.
> 
> 
> I'll second what has been said about Tx as I have lived in several of the mentioned areas there. I also like Atlanta, Tx , anywhere in the hill country, Medina, Tx, Mineral Wells and Granbury are great. Durrant, Ok and some of the places I worked on landscapes in that area were really nice, small town atmosphere and big on horses. Spent a lot of time in Waco and that wasn't my favorite but they aren't short on horses.
> ...


Thank you! You are completely right, you'll get weather wherever you go. While the weather patterns can be worrisome, it is not a complete deal breaker for me. We have a mass amount of humidity, flies (the biting kind ouch!), and mosquitoes here in NJ so that's nothing new for me. I just, as you said, practice good field management and we do pretty well. 

Definitely gave me a few more places to look into! 



ClearDonkey said:


> I live in Michigan, and have lived in both the upper and lower peninsulas.
> 
> In the upper peninsula I lived in Houghton. I loved the access to outdoor adventures, including hiking, backpacking, kayaking, waterfalls, and more. The downside is the long winter, lasting typically from November to late March, or even later. Not many barns have indoor arenas, and the options for boarding are slim. I had the option of one barn or no horses (and there was no indoor). The horse shows are pretty small, and there are usually more speed shows than pleasure. Depending on who would come, they could be rather competitive. You have the option to travel to Ontonogan (2 hours away) and Escanaba (2+ hours away) for more competitions. Escanaba holds the UP State Horse Show, and then Iron Mountain (1.5 hours away) holds the UP State Fair, which are larger shows and more competitive.
> 
> ...


Thank you! Unfortunately, I do not think Michigan would be for me due to the cold and snow! I am a winter baby who has grown tired of winter and ours aren't even that bad haha. 

I love the many indoor arenas, they are pretty had to find in my neck of the woods! 



carshon said:


> Not even close to any of your cities. I live in NW IL. Very close to the IA and WI borders. We have a ton of state parks to ride in and since we are North the terrain is not always all flat.
> 
> Pros: the weather is fairly temperate. Not too much snow, not too much ice, humid in the summer but sprinkled with many nice days
> 
> Cons: IL is an extremely poorly run state. Our property taxes will shock you, our state tax is high, the entire state runs around what Chicago wants or needs with very little concern for the remainder of the state. Politically - please refer to last comment. Chicago runs our state. Jobs are OK to find but nothing pays over the top wages, we are not much of a western or rodeo state but there are quite a few boarding barns etc. Pricing is all of the place depending on where you live. If you want to rodeo IL is probably not the best state to reside in.



Thank you! That's a shame about the state being poorly run, I thought NJ was bad. Definitely looking into more rodeo-ish territory. (This girl wants to compete haha!) The weather sounds nice and moderate though which is a plus.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

ACinATX said:


> @carshon's post reminds me of one more pro about Texas, in general, which is that we don't have a state income tax, and in general taxes are low. The flip side of that, of course, is that education isn't great, there isn't as much of a social safety net, and in general social services are not well funded.
> 
> I agree that the area around Stephenville, Weatherford, and Mineral Wells is really nice, in terms of horseyness and natural beauty. There's still some severe weather, although maybe not as much as around Aubrey. You would need to be happy living somewhere with no big-city amenities (shopping, dining options, etc.), which might be just fine with you. I expect the cost of living would be less than in Aubrey. Although you also might have a harder time finding a job, depending on what you do for a living.


Thank you again! The low taxes are a definite plus as NJ's taxes are ridiculous and getting any type of farmland assessment requires jumping through hoops and each town has their own rules on horse ownership and if you live on the border of two towns be prepared for a headache haha. 

Most DEFINITELY happy living without the big city amenities as I have little to no desire for city-life. I like to visit once in a blue blue moon for museums and such but I love the slowed down type of life on the regular. 

Certain parts of Texas are definitely piquing my interest a little more now. 



Jolien said:


> I live in Europe  I am happy here. I got the chanche to go to university rather cheap (we don't have study debts here), lately I have been finding work more easily (fingers crossed), I love our culture and food, like all my friends here, love the nature and really appreciate this place. It's a democracy with rights for women and gay people. You can express your opinion freely and they don't throw you in jail. Our government has done very good during the covid-crisis. As a kid I travelled alot and this made me realise I am lucky to be where I am...  Of course you can always find a downside to everything but I am sure nice people are to be found everywhere.


You are super lucky that University is cheap! I still have student debt to pay off haha. I will one day visit Europe, a few countries are on my list over there. 

Thank you so much for sharing and I love that you love where you live so much, you are extremely lucky!


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

I hope I responded to everyone so far! 

Thank you so much for the responses and keep them coming! They are giving me some really good points to think about and consider; Even if it is not a place I would consider moving to something you say may make me realize that that is something I should look for when choosing my new zip code.


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## Jolien (Aug 19, 2019)

@Phantomcolt18 I think everywhere where people have the right to live their lives as they would want to is a fine place... I would like to visit America one day...  I am lucky that I don't have student debt, but I got a pretty useless degree (as it turns out)...  I don't mind though. I loved every day of my study and I learned so much. It enriched my life and me as a person. Due to the financial crisis it was difficult to find a steady job (I am still on temporary contract without security), but maybe I will be lucky this time (empl;oyer told me they actually want to try and keep me). Actually it doesn't matter as long as you have a roof over your head, food and family... Our concerns seem so little when we take into consideration the misery of millions leading a difficult life and struggling...


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

@jgnmoose _* it is getting expensive. 250K barely buys you something you can keep a horse on. 
*_


I had to laugh a bit at that. In my area, $250K would not buy you a studio condominium. You might be able to buy a quarter acre of undeveloped land, way out from the city, but that's it. Here, average houses near Seattle are in the $500K's or MORE. One to two million$ homes are very common.

that is why Federal income limits that are ok for one state, aren't accurate for here. for example, or things like taxes (poverty level, or applications for medicaid, etc) and stimulus checks, etc the Fed limits are ridiculous. Around here, $30K a year IS poverty, and $65K annual income for one person is just ok, but it won't be enough to buy a property


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

tinyliny said:


> @jgnmoose _* it is getting expensive. 250K barely buys you something you can keep a horse on.
> *_
> 
> 
> ...


In our province, especially in my area, our prices are quite inflated as well. If you have $600k + then you could get yourself into a pretty decent acreage - either one with a nice house and very little land, or more land and a mobile or modular home. Prices in the city are way worse. 

There is a 3 acre acreage with a run down mobile up for sale - no shop, no fencing, nothing. Just land and a mobile that is in REALLY bad shape - and they are asking $330k. And the housing market is NOT good right now.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I really like Wyoming. I live very near mountains and on the edge of the plains.

Pros include: low population density, dry climate, good for cows and horses.

Cons include: winter can last eight months. I've worked in snow in every month of the year, it's expensive (many work more than one job), not much water. 

Many people complain about lack of restaurants, the wind, only two malls in the whole state, the wind, only one escalator in the whole state, the wind.

There's a saying about "New, and gone in two (years)." Many newcomers leave after two winters. But July and August are usually nice times to visit.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I think North Georgia would be very nice. I would consider Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina as well... Anywhere not as hot as Florida. 6 months of unrelenting brutal heat and worrying over my horses and myself getting heat stroke.


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

@tinyliny yeah I would say $250K would even be hard to find any more, and would be a project far from town. Something a typical person would consider to be a hose property and a reasonable commute into DFW is going to be a lot more.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

To my surprise, Tennessee does have IBRA sanctioned events.

Cancelled shows are no doubt thanks to Covid19.

https://ibra.us/shows/US-TN-EAST/approvedShows.php

https://ibra.us/shows/US-TN-WEST/approvedShows.php

Tennessee is technically divided into three sections that are:

West Tennessee - mostly flat, and in the path of more violent tornadoes (generally speaking) than the rest of the state. It’s also home to the New Madrid Fault line which violently erupted in the ,ate 1800’s and caused the Mississippi River to flow backward. It will erupt again, one of these days.

Middle Tennessee - where I live with my Walking Horses. My county is the literal “Cradle of the Tennessee Walker” but there are small Quarter Horse events here and there. My guess would be anything noteworthy would be at MTSU’s coliseum (Middle Tennessee State University).

Real estate here is not cheap - not even now. I live in an Ag county and our RE prices have more than recouped since the 2008 financial debacle.

We do,however, have St. Thomas hospital system in Murfreesboro and Vanderbilt in Nashville, in terms of great medical care for extreme situations - like DH’s heart attack and his prostate cancer surgery.

Middle Tennessee is “The Basin” or as one vet calls it, “allergy purgatory”.. allergies are exacerbated here, if you already have issues. One of my horses developed environmental issues after we moved here.

We have been seeing more than our share of life taking tornadoes the last few years.

Here, with the number of horses and your interests, you might want to consider looking at ex Walking Horse training barn facilities. Most have some sort of on site living quarters. The Walking Horse industry is down on its knees and a lot facilities now sit empty or are for rent or sale.

Franklin (Williamson County), borders Nashville and is home to some expensive Hunter/Jumper barns. I know of a great QH trainer between Franklin and Nashville but I think whatever events he might hold at his facility are more local stuff.

We Have been retired here, on 24+ acres since 2003. Except for the awful increase in humidity & dew point during the summer, I’m not coming off this hill for anything, lol

East Tennessee - cooler weather up on the Cumberland Plateau. More apt to see more of four seasons up there, without a lot of snow, however.

Cocke County is a huge no-no. My understanding is that County is exceptionally over run with drugs and crime.

Roane County is home to a severe coal ash spill at a TVA plant some years back. No way would I put my horses BELOW that spill and have them grazing and drinking water from the waters involved in that spill. Every once in awhile that spill still makes the our news because the land is still damaged.

****
It’s great you can work from home as the highest paying jobs are in the metro areas. Any land within driving distance of a metro job would likely not be feasible to buy since you need plenty of land to support five horses.

For example, the 40+ acre custom built horse & cattle farm, two farms west of me sold for 465K last year. We are a very Ag county, between Nashville and Chattanooga but too far to drive daily when taking the heavy traffic into consideration.

In Tennessee one also has to look at rural hospital availability. Over a dozen have closed in the last few years, putting folks with major health issues or in an accident in serious jeopardy.

Tennessee does not have state income tax. 

We do have sink holes, lush land, high humidity, bugs, snapping turtles, box turtles, three types of venomous snakes, Black Widows, Brown Recluse, a few varieties of ticks, and the usual suspects of other fowl and wild four-legged critters

We personally live high and dry, plus we have five occupied Purple Martin Houses and other birds who eat flying bugs <—- we rarely see a mosquito We keep our acreage well maintained and have Black Snakes, Hawks, and feral cats <—- knock-on-wood I have never seen a viper snake on our property but we also don’t have a water source unless it rains a frog strangler and the neighbor’s pond overflows onto our bottomland.


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## RegalCharm (Jul 24, 2008)

@walkinthewalk black snakes will also eat other snakes along with lots of small mammals. And they are the main predator of Purple Martin nests.

They are different names for the black snake like pilot black snake as they share the winter dens with other snakes some venomous. Old legends say the snake leads the other snakes to the dens. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantherophis_obsoletus


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

RegalCharm said:


> @walkinthewalk black snakes will also eat other snakes along with lots of small mammals. And they are the main predator of Purple Martin nests.
> 
> They are different names for the black snake like pilot black snake as they share the winter dens with other snakes some venomous. Old legends say the snake leads the other snakes to the dens.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantherophis_obsoletus


Well — that — is — interesting — and — a — bit — unsettling:shock::shock:

The poles our Purple Martin houses are on, are no-climb poles. So far, in 16 seasons, we have been fortunate to not lose anyone to snakes. They are located in a high activity part of the yard, plus I can see them from my Feng Shui window, if they were to get unwanted visitors


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

4horses said:


> I think North Georgia would be very nice. I would consider Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina as well... Anywhere not as hot as Florida. 6 months of unrelenting brutal heat and worrying over my horses and myself getting heat stroke.



Some of is nice. You have to pick and choose wisely in Georgia. Because as a whole sate wise it's America's stinkpot.


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## Willrider (Oct 25, 2018)

I live in Oregon and it’s a wonderful place! Out East it’s very dry and deserty, then there are the beautiful cascade mountains, the green willamette valley, the coastal mountains and the ocean. It’s very diverse and there are plenty of horse things, English and western.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I grew up about an hour south of Roanoke, Virginia, in Henry County. I left in ‘74 and the local economy was going down then. It has never really recovered. It is still the most economically depressed area in the state. Basically, all the industry, textiles, furniture, chemical processing, was sold to China. 

You say your income is independent of the local economy. In that case, you may be able to take advantage of low real estate prices. 

A friend of mine recently bought a farm there. Plenty of acreage, a barn, and a farmhouse dating to the 1850’s. I don’t ask what he paid for it. 

I believe he works remotely and travels to the job sites. 

All of the places you listed are in the Bible Belt. That permeates every aspect of the culture. You’re from up north, so I’m not sure how you’ll get along with that. 

I’m able to keep it at arms length when I visit. But as an example:

Our son taught social studies at a Henry County high school for a year. 

When his class studied the Middle Ages, some parents complained that he was trying to convert their kids to Catholicism. With the help of the principal, he explained that you can’t understand medieval Europe without understanding the role of the Church in the politics and culture of the time. 

When they studied the Middle East, the same parents complained that he was trying to convert their kids to Islam. 

Again with the principal, you can’t learn about the Middle East without understanding the role of Islam in the politics and culture of the region. 

The kicker was when he got to the Protestant Reformation. The same parents complained that he was trying to convert their kids to Protestantism. 

The puzzled principal asked what their religion was. They answered “Baptist”. 

Our son and the principal had to gently explain to them that, if they were Christian, and not Catholic, their denomination fell under the broad category of Protestant. 

Horse wise, when I lived there, we enjoyed a wide mix of western, gaited, and engilish disciplines. Not sure what you’ll find there now.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

boots said:


> I really like Wyoming. I live very near mountains and on the edge of the plains.
> 
> Pros include: low population density, dry climate, good for cows and horses.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I've thought of Wyoming as well but since I had never been I kept it off of my radar. The long winter is probably the kicker for me due to me and the cold not getting along too well haha. I currently live in the middle of an open field and we like to say that if the winds say 30mph gusts expect 60+ because we get those horrible straight line winds that just rip things apart. The barn doors got blown out perpendicular to the barn the other day during a windstorm; So the wind doesn't bother me too much, but the cold... eh. 

There's really only one escalator in the entire state? That's so interesting! 



4horses said:


> I think North Georgia would be very nice. I would consider Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina as well... Anywhere not as hot as Florida. 6 months of unrelenting brutal heat and worrying over my horses and myself getting heat stroke.


Thank you! I've been to Florida quite a few times and the only reason it is not on my current radar is the constant humidity. I don't mind the heat when it's a dryer heat. I'm still looking into a few places in North Carolina that I can go visit. 



walkinthewalk said:


> To my surprise, Tennessee does have IBRA sanctioned events.
> 
> Cancelled shows are no doubt thanks to Covid19.
> 
> ...


A lot of states have IBRA I have noticed (new member, used to just to NBHA) but most of them are Texas, Oklahoma, and the like, VERY few in my area as it were just some small local things. 

I never thought of looking into older TWH farms, that is a very good idea thank you! I passed through Tennessee and laid over at Roane College with my horse (worse lay over experience EVER) I liked Tennessee it was just never on my radar due to me only passing through and not actually hanging out and exploring. I love your mention of the wildlife though! 





aubie said:


> Some of is nice. You have to pick and choose wisely in Georgia. Because as a whole sate wise it's America's stinkpot.


Really? How so? People tell me that the country says that about NJ haha, my state is the "armpit" of the country. 



Willrider said:


> I live in Oregon and it’s a wonderful place! Out East it’s very dry and deserty, then there are the beautiful cascade mountains, the green willamette valley, the coastal mountains and the ocean. It’s very diverse and there are plenty of horse things, English and western.


Thank you! Oregon might be a bit too far north for me because I'm not a huge fan of the cold but I am not opposed to visiting though because those mountains sound beautiful! 



Cordillera Cowboy said:


> I grew up about an hour south of Roanoke, Virginia, in Henry County. I left in ‘74 and the local economy was going down then. It has never really recovered. It is still the most economically depressed area in the state. Basically, all the industry, textiles, furniture, chemical processing, was sold to China.
> 
> You say your income is independent of the local economy. In that case, you may be able to take advantage of low real estate prices.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! 

Really? That's a shame about the economy, I was unaware but that explains the lower real estate. I loved the real estate prices and taxes when I started looking up homes in the areas I mentioned, that was a nice perk. I wouldn't even mind a fixer upper if it was the right price. 

As for the bible belt, I'm pretty tolerant when it comes to issues like that. When you're from an area where your neighbors are rude just to be rude you learn to be fairly tolerant of a lot of things. I know when someone from the north goes elsewhere those people tend to have a lot of preconceived notions. I met some people out in Oklahoma and when they found out I was from NJ they said I didn't "sound or act like someone from NJ." I told them I was more southern than they think haha. 

Oh guys this is great you are giving me a lot to think about and I love it! I definitely have a big lean going towards the Fort Worth area of Texas now after a little more research. I am hoping to visit a few places once COVID settles down. 

Keep them coming if you'd like, I'm loving learning about these places from the perspectives of people who live (or have lived) there!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I spent my whole life in California before I retired and moved to Massachusetts.

California is a very very large and long state, it is a lot like several completely different states under one name. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Monterey Bay Area. 

Good things about CA: the weather, in most of it. Liberal politics (if you are a liberal). Scenery: no state more varied and dramatic. Beaches. 
Bad things about CA: everything else. In my opinion. If what you want is people people people and more people, in cars, then that would be your state. They do have a lot of horses though, every type of discipline is out there. 
It was a lovely place about 50 years ago, even nicer 100 years ago I imagine. Not now. 

I moved to western Massachusetts to the area called the Hill Towns -- small very old (for America) towns in hilly forested country, on the western slopes of the Connecticut River Valley, also called The Knowledge Corridor for all the colleges and universities there. At least as liberal as CA but a different flavor. We bought an old (like 1760) farm with run down pastures. I adore it here. February and March can be trying though; the winters are long and snowy. New Englanders feel these build character. Not sure they aren't wrong. But even late winter is beautiful; there is not a day goes by that I don't stop and catch my breath at the intimate ever-changing beauty of this farm. 

Although it's only two hours to Boston, it feels very distant; much like Illinois and Chicago, there is one city and it sucks all the attention and energy to itself. That's okay with me though. Here there is a sense that one is living in the aftermath of a civilization. Everywhere there are cellar holes, abandoned mills, and a vast network of stone walls bordering roads that no longer go much of anywhere and were never even graveled much less paved, all gone back to forest for 150 years or more. I can ride from my farm for many miles along these roads, sometimes dead-ending where a beaver pond has drowned the way through, or where a bridge once was. The only people who maintain these roads at all are snowmobile clubs. it is very rural, but is low on the rural yahoos quotient; there's a lot of retired university workers, young farmers growing for the farmers' markets -- lots of local organic produce and meat and dairy. 

Horse wise? ... trail riding is popular, and so are hunter/jumper/dressage barns. Western sports are not everywhere like they are in CA, but they exist. If you keep your horse at home you won't ride much in the winter because you really need an indoor, which only boarding barns are likely to have. Everything is pretty small scale except Equine Affaire. Being closer to Europe, I see more imported breeds than I saw in the West -- British native pony breeds, for example. Also Canadian Horses. 

It suits me down to the ground but unless you like snow you won't be real happy here.


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## RegalCharm (Jul 24, 2008)

Ohio if you would like to buy a farm here is a good example of the bargains available if you take time to search for them. Look at all the extra pictures that show the house and barn .

https://www.landandfarm.com/property/Beautiful_Pike_County_Farm-10072632/


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I believe in visiting every place at its worst, if you're thinking about moving there. So, if it were me, visiting the DFW area, I'd go in mid-August (scorching heat). Spend a few days travelling around to various small towns. Like people mentioned, Stephenville, Mineral Wells. Decatur, although last time I was there a few years ago I got the impression Decatur was growing pretty quickly. Which could be good or bad. I wouldn't look at Denton.

If you want a somewhat bigger city, then go take a look at Wichita Falls. I grew up there, so I could answer questions. It's a city of about 100k, but acts a lot smaller, FWIW. The population has been steady for probably forty years now. They have a mall ("THE mall" since it's the only one). They have a mixed economy, but ranching is a big part of the culture, if not the actual economy. 

While you're there, maybe take a trip up north to Lawton, OK. I don't know much about the culture up there (some native American) but take a day trip to the Wichita mountains! You will be surprised to find them right in the middle of Oklahoma! They have herds of buffalo, elk, antelope, etc. Beautiful trails. Although I don't know if they allow horses.

People in these towns will think of you as a Yankee and a carpetbagger until you prove yourself to them. You sound like a level-headed and easy-going person, so it shouldn't take you too long (maybe a year?) to do so, especially if you are into horses and western riding.

One other maybe place is Cleburne, which is maybe 30 miles S / SW of Fort Worth. I have only been through there, but it's in the area, so you could check it out if you have time.


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## Fuddyduddy1952 (Jun 26, 2019)

If I thought of moving I'd want to rent a place once we found an area of interest. Test the water before making a commitment. Talk to the locals. There are nice places at a good price but in not so good area. Just 20 miles from there can make a huge difference.

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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> If I thought of moving I'd want to rent a place once we found an area of interest. Test the water before making a commitment. Talk to the locals. There are nice places at a good price but in not so good area. Just 20 miles from there can make a huge difference.


That is a really good idea. Especially in these smaller rural places, it might be hard to sell quickly if you decided you didn't like the place. Although... with horses, it might be difficult to find a place to rent.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Avna said:


> I spent my whole life in California before I retired and moved to Massachusetts.
> 
> California is a very very large and long state, it is a lot like several completely different states under one name. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Monterey Bay Area.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I never really thought of California to be completely honest. Massachusetts sounds beautiful and it would most definitely be worth a visit in the future but I am not a huge fan of winter time haha so that's why it never crossed my mind. 



RegalCharm said:


> Ohio if you would like to buy a farm here is a good example of the bargains available if you take time to search for them. Look at all the extra pictures that show the house and barn .
> 
> https://www.landandfarm.com/property/Beautiful_Pike_County_Farm-10072632/


Thank you very much! That website might end up being my newest addiction haha. I'm constantly scouring real estate areas to get a feel for it all a bit more. I never really thought about Ohio too much to be honest, probably because I've only been to the very edge only once. 



ACinATX said:


> *I believe in visiting every place at its worst, if you're thinking about moving there. So, if it were me, visiting the DFW area, I'd go in mid-August (scorching heat). Spend a few days travelling around to various small towns. Like people mentioned, Stephenville, Mineral Wells. * Decatur, although last time I was there a few years ago I got the impression Decatur was growing pretty quickly. Which could be good or bad. I wouldn't look at Denton.
> 
> If you want a somewhat bigger city, then go take a look at Wichita Falls. I grew up there, so I could answer questions. It's a city of about 100k, but acts a lot smaller, FWIW. The population has been steady for probably forty years now. They have a mall ("THE mall" since it's the only one). They have a mixed economy, but ranching is a big part of the culture, if not the actual economy.
> 
> ...


Yes! Thank you that is what I was thinking as well, I was trying to figure out when the "worst" time to visit would be. NJ just got set under another 30 day lock so I'm stuck here for a while. I'm hoping I'll actually be able to visit a few places before the year is through. I want to drive around almost as a local rather than a tourist and see the nitty gritty rather than the "flashy" areas. 

Thank you for the list of "go to/don't go to" areas I really appreciate it! I have a note book I've been writing everything in to help me narrow down a few places to see. 

I like to think of myself as a pretty laid back person; I'm very go with the flow rather than kicking dust up (except when I'm racing haha) 




Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> If I thought of moving I'd want to rent a place once we found an area of interest. Test the water before making a commitment. Talk to the locals. There are nice places at a good price but in not so good area. Just 20 miles from there can make a huge difference.
> 
> Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk


I thought of this as well which brings me to @ACinATX 's quote below. 



ACinATX said:


> That is a really good idea. Especially in these smaller rural places, it might be hard to sell quickly if you decided you didn't like the place. Although... with horses, it might be difficult to find a place to rent.


I thought of renting but like you mentioned, finding somewhere in an area I would like for horses might be a bit difficult. Maybe if I were to be able to find something that would allow me a month to month contract, or even 6 month lease rather than a full year. I suppose if I found a good place to rent in an area that I liked I could board the horses for a while, IF there were boarding available around the area. Those are the hassles I would need to consider as well. That's the only reason why buying was what I was leaning toward more. 

I wish teleportation was a thing haha because then I would just go spend as much of my free time as I could in these areas to get a better feel for it all! 

Anything else you guys can think of I would really appreciate it. You guys have been more help than you know and it gives me a lot of different things from different perspectives to think about!


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## Fuddyduddy1952 (Jun 26, 2019)

There are plenty of places to board horses in our area. 
I would think if you called realtor(s) in the places you were thinking about with your requests (rent + board) they could find what you're looking for. Renting all I'd be looking for is a place not far from where you board, even an apartment would be ok.
If I was younger (28 instead of 68) I'd consider renting by month. If I found a good location land would be the priority. House would be secondary or none at all.
I'd put a trailer on it, well, septic, power then build everything to suit (house, barn, etc.).

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## Fuddyduddy1952 (Jun 26, 2019)

I found the answer!








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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> There are plenty of places to board horses in our area.
> I would think if you called realtor(s) in the places you were thinking about with your requests (rent + board) they could find what you're looking for. Renting all I'd be looking for is a place not far from where you board, even an apartment would be ok.
> If I was younger (28 instead of 68) I'd consider renting by month. If I found a good location land would be the priority. House would be secondary or none at all.
> I'd put a trailer on it, well, septic, power then build everything to suit (house, barn, etc.).
> ...





Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> I found the answer!
> View attachment 1008953
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk


I like the way you think! Haha

That's what I thought of too, just buying a plot of land and throwing a trailer on it and throw up some fencing and run-in sheds while I had a house and barn built. I'd much rather purchase than rent but as pointed out before it would be a good idea to find something in the area with possibly a short term/month-to-month lease. I'd rather not board the boys but if I had to for a little while it wouldn't be too terrible. As of right now I only have two horses (haven't updated my barn on here in a while haha) so board wouldn't be too crazy but I love being hands on with them every day. 

I found a few flights out to Dallas in late August for between $95 and $165 round trip depending on how long I stay. I'm going to keep checking the prices and I'm planning on booking a flight into Dallas and renting a car to head out and explore the area. Or I'll just drive out and pick up a new (to me) horse trailer along the way haha (I'm currently in the market, looking to trade mine in or sell outright) 

I am so ridiculously excited for this adventure!


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> I like the way you think! Haha
> 
> That's what I thought of too, just buying a plot of land and throwing a trailer on it and throw up some fencing and run-in sheds while I had a house and barn built. I'd much rather purchase than rent but as pointed out before it would be a good idea to find something in the area with possibly a short term/month-to-month lease. I'd rather not board the boys but if I had to for a little while it wouldn't be too terrible. As of right now I only have two horses (haven't updated my barn on here in a while haha) so board wouldn't be too crazy but I love being hands on with them every day.
> 
> ...



I would recommend you explore mostly on the Fort Worth side and West. 

Things to do:
- Visit the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Always something going on there
RFDTV Headquarters
Restaurants:
- Horseshoe Hill Cafe.
- Joe T. Garcias

- Decatur area
NRS World, enormous tack store and arena, must see
Rodeo/horse property all over.
Restaurants:
- Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes

- Stephenville surrounding area
Lonestar Arena
Twisted J
Clinton Anderson's place Downunder Horsemanship (which is for sale)
Rodeo and horse property all over
Restaurants:
- Hard 8 BBQ
- The Purple Goat 
- Grumps

- Weatherford surrounding area
Cutting horse farms all over
Teskey's tack shop
Restaurants:
- Outlaw BBQ (low rent looking place with excellent BBQ close to Teskey's)
- Mesquite Pit


Places to look from South to North, sorted by what is close together

- Stephenville, Bluff Dale, Lipan, Morgan Mill 
- Weatherford, Millsap, Cool, Garner, Peaster
- Flowermound, Argyle, Justin, Rhome
- Decatur, Alvord, Sunset, Bowie
- Aubrey, Pilot Point, Tioga


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## Fuddyduddy1952 (Jun 26, 2019)

I have questions for Phantom. Please don't answer any or all if inappropriate ... I'm just curious. I'm 68, married, same "honey" 48 years. We actually met as kids, Dad and her Mom worked at same store. We met again as teenagers.
Questions for you. Age?(doesn't have to be exact). Education level? Working now (curious about where you move, a job). Do you have a partner?
Again, I'm not trying to be nosey. My thinking is it may help where you move to, your plans, etc. You could message me privately or just say "none of your business".
To me your plans are adventurous!
As a side note the RV+horse trailer idea ties in with I visited good friends a couple years older who have a nice motor home. They recently returned after gone three months. They planned it out so they worked a few weeks, moved and worked, etc. Interesting idea. They met people, some even late 40s who the RV was their only home!

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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

jgnmoose said:


> I would recommend you explore mostly on the Fort Worth side and West.
> 
> Things to do:
> - Visit the Fort Worth Stockyards.
> ...


Thank you, thank you, thank you! This list is awesome and I really appreciate it! Over the weekend I was talking to someone who lives in Weatherford and they really enjoy it there, so I'm happy to see that on the list. 

Thank you again so much! 



Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> I have questions for Phantom. Please don't answer any or all if inappropriate ... I'm just curious. I'm 68, married, same "honey" 48 years. We actually met as kids, Dad and her Mom worked at same store. We met again as teenagers.
> Questions for you. Age?(doesn't have to be exact). Education level? Working now (curious about where you move, a job). Do you have a partner?
> Again, I'm not trying to be nosey. My thinking is it may help where you move to, your plans, etc. You could message me privately or just say "none of your business".
> To me your plans are adventurous!
> ...


Hey! Mind you own... I'm just kidding haha

No worries! I have nothing to hide. I am 28 years old, BA-Biology, Currently working full time and my job allows me to move anywhere within the US (which is nice!) And I am currently single as a Pringle, which has its benefits and its downsides (Know any eligible bachelors? haha) 

Thank you! I thought it did as well haha, I'm trying to be a bit more adventurous. I've always been pretty "careful" but after traveling a bit more I've got a newfound sense of adventure and I'd just rather not live with regrets if I can help it. I've been changing my wishy-washy response of "Ehh I don't know..." to a confident "Why not!" a lot more lately and I'm loving it!


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## jpenguin (Jun 18, 2015)

About 30min south of the Oregon border, in 96097. About 7 people per sq mile, and about as many cows! Most people are conservative, and listen to the local country station where it's not unheard of to hear about stray livestock


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## RegalCharm (Jul 24, 2008)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> No worries! I have nothing to hide. I am 28 years old, BA-Biology, Currently working full time and my job allows me to move anywhere within the US (which is nice!) And I am currently single as a Pringle, which has its benefits and its downsides* (Know any eligible bachelors? *haha


 @Phantomcolt18 There might be one, @aubie. He is in Georgia.


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## Tazzie (Nov 8, 2011)

I live in Northern Kentucky, kind of close to Cincinnati. But I lived in Lexington MANY years while going to school. Contrary to what the previous poster said about Lexington, I loved it. I didn't so much love the traffic, but the people were mostly friendly. No one cared I don't attend church regularly, and they still don't. The riding in our state is quite diverse. We have horse racing of course, but the next major discipline is saddleseat (not a huge fan, but to each their own). If you know where to look though, there is A LOT out there. I show Dressage myself, and I can pick and choose what shows I want to do. As for barrel racing in particular, they have a circuit that runs throughout the year.

https://ibra.us/shows/US-KY/

You just have to learn to look for it. I have quite a few friends who strictly barrel race, and I've never heard them complain about there not being anything. One of our local fairs has a contesting night as well. While we gripe that saddleseat seems to dominate the show world, there really is a lot that the state offers.

The downsides (there are always some!) is that the clay is awful. When it rains, it's slick. Property is incredibly expensive near the bigger cities, especially if you want horse property. Our area isn't AS expensive, but you also have to deal with larger hills than you would near the cities.

I don't know much about Berea itself, but I love Kentucky. I grew up in Michigan, and it was nice escaping some of the bitterness from the cold up there. But prepare for some seriously muggy weather in the summer. Riding is usually early mornings or evenings during the summer as it's just too hot to do anything otherwise!


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## redbadger (Nov 20, 2017)

I live about 15 minutes outside Boston, Massachusetts. The city itself is good-sized, loosely arranged around a bunch of small commercial districts called villages. We're well-served by major highways, with moderate public transit (commuter and light rail, poor bus service). Not as densely built as some of the exurbs. Strong schools. Not particularly affordable for most folks, but that's an issue with pretty much anything east of I-495. 

The area in general is pretty diverse - many languages, many grocery stores, many restaurants. Large Brazilian, Haitian, Vietnamese communities in Boston and surrounding. I like living in an area where many different people feel safe to speak their languages. Boston has, historically, had HUGE racism issues (and these still persist), but a lot has changed, too. 

The area is also very LGBTQIA-friendly. 

It's not horse country in the way some other areas are, but my goodness did all those old money WASPs love their hunts, and it carries over. There are many barns, even within spitting distance of the city, a ton of undeveloped land under state & town control, and the state goes pretty quickly from suburban to relatively rural (for a small state). Plenty of places to ride, depending on your desires and goals. 

I am located within an hour of the Atlantic ocean and a couple of hours of the Berkshire mountains (small mountains, but beautiful). Boston has some of the best hospitals in the world, a great library, and my town is part of a huge library consortium. Lots of colleges and universities, some really spectacular museums. Hauntings and spooky stuff if you like that. 

Cons: Weather. If you don't like cold weather, snow, humid weather, or a forecast that changes every 10 minutes, this is not the place for you. The South coast and cape cod are prone to damaging ice, and there can be serious coastal flooding. Even our mild winters are wet and drab. Summers can be stiflingly humid - not as bad as DC, but sometimes it's to the point where why bother to shower because you'll sweat all over again when you towel off. (Good thing I like swimming). We get occasional hurricanes, nor'easters, tiny tornadoes. (The problem with tornadoes and significant hurricanes is that they're more recent phenomena and we're not set up to handle them)

If you like Real Mountains or genuinely rural places with lots of arable land, this is also not the place for you. Overall, this is still a pretty developed state. 

The cost of living is a HUGE issue. A 2 bed apartment with a good landlord in an ordinary managed complex can be $3k a month. Subletting a room in a shared apartment in my area can be $700-$900. Housing costs are appalling. Even board costs for a horse, depending on where you go, can be as much as an apartment. (My barn is super basic, and on the very low end at $400/month, but nearby is like $1600/month). It is just not possible to get by on a single full-time minimum wage income. If I didn't live with my dad, even making $17.75/hr at 48hrs a week, I'd be hard pressed to afford my own place, even with a roommate. That's the big thing. Stuff costs a lot here. Housing is rough. 

Public transit could be A LOT better, but I got seriously spoiled after taking a trip to Germany. Nowhere in the US comes close.


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

RegalCharm said:


> @Phantomcolt18 There might be one, @aubie. He is in Georgia.


Yup this is tue, I am.


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## RegalCharm (Jul 24, 2008)

@aubie I didn't think you would mind me throwing your hat into the ring for consideration. LOL

I took myself out of the running because I think she would get tired of introducing me all the time as her Grandpappy . :rofl::rofl::rofl:


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

No I didn't mind my friend. And I should be so lucky to even get a glance of consideration from her.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Also, if you're single and looking, I'll make another pitch for Wichita Falls. The AFB keeps a steady stream of single people coming in.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Tazzie said:


> I live in Northern Kentucky, kind of close to Cincinnati. But I lived in Lexington MANY years while going to school. Contrary to what the previous poster said about Lexington, I loved it. I didn't so much love the traffic, but the people were mostly friendly. No one cared I don't attend church regularly, and they still don't. The riding in our state is quite diverse. We have horse racing of course, but the next major discipline is saddleseat (not a huge fan, but to each their own). If you know where to look though, there is A LOT out there. I show Dressage myself, and I can pick and choose what shows I want to do. As for barrel racing in particular, they have a circuit that runs throughout the year.
> 
> https://ibra.us/shows/US-KY/
> 
> ...


Thank you for the contrasting views! Like you said there are downsides everywhere it's just a matter of what someone would want to put up with. 

I usually ride and in the early mornings/evenings here in the summer as well. It gets fairly muggy as I live about a half hour from the shore. It's good to know about the races and there are quite a few on the IBRA link you posted! 



redbadger said:


> I live about 15 minutes outside Boston, Massachusetts. The city itself is good-sized, loosely arranged around a bunch of small commercial districts called villages. We're well-served by major highways, with moderate public transit (commuter and light rail, poor bus service). Not as densely built as some of the exurbs. Strong schools. Not particularly affordable for most folks, but that's an issue with pretty much anything east of I-495.
> 
> The area in general is pretty diverse - many languages, many grocery stores, many restaurants. Large Brazilian, Haitian, Vietnamese communities in Boston and surrounding. I like living in an area where many different people feel safe to speak their languages. Boston has, historically, had HUGE racism issues (and these still persist), but a lot has changed, too.
> 
> ...


I love the history of Boston but, as you mentioned, the winters would probably turn me off as I would prefer somewhere a little warmer. The cost of living is also a bit of a downer, Massachusetts might be fun to visit but it doesn't draw me enough to want to call it home. My sister and I, however, are planning a Boston trip it was supposed to be this summer but I doubt that is happening now haha 

Thank you! 



RegalCharm said:


> @aubie I didn't think you would mind me throwing your hat into the ring for consideration. LOL
> 
> I took myself out of the running because I think she would get tired of introducing me all the time as her Grandpappy . :rofl::rofl::rofl:


Haha Aww I doubt that! 

Fun story though, my grandparents attend a theatre circuit over the course of the year with their friends and for one of the shows (The Phantom) my grandmother could not attend so my poppop, knowing my love of theatre, invited me to join them. We were all eating dinner at a cute little BYOB restaurant before the show and one of their friends showed up late (that I had never met) patted my poppop on the back and said "Hey, what's your secret?" My poppop was entirely confused and asked him what he meant and the his friend laughed and said "How do you get such beautiful young ladies to hang out with an old guy like you?" My poppop laughed and said that I was his granddaughter and his friend replied "So she's single?" and laughed before saying he was just teasing, we ended up having some great conversation afterwards. 

Way off topic haha. 



aubie said:


> No I didn't mind my friend. And I should be so lucky to even get a glance of consideration from her.


~glances and considers~ Hi Aubie! I don't really know much about you and you don't know much about me but if you want to be friends feel free to shoot me a message! I promise I'm not marish haha 



ACinATX said:


> Also, if you're single and looking, I'll make another pitch for Wichita Falls. The AFB keeps a steady stream of single people coming in.


Single and tentatively looking and to be honest, guys in my area leave a lot to be desired; Either that or I attract guys with no ambition, zero communication skills, and are intimidated by a woman who does not like being a damsel in distress haha 

Guys I'm loving this conversation! I am learning a lot and it is making me more and more excited for the future! I smile every time I see a new reply to this thread! 

Thank you so much for this! Please, feel free to keep it going! Once I narrow down my choices of areas I'll branch off into a new thread.


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain.
If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain.
I'm the lady you've looked for, write to me, and escape.

In all seriousness I can highly recommend the South in general. Great people. Southern hospitality is absolutely for real. Friendly people, good food. I will admit for 4 months out of the year the weather isn't great. And by isn't great, I mean hot.


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

aubie said:


> If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain.
> If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain.
> I'm the lady you've looked for, write to me, and escape.
> 
> In all seriousness I can highly recommend the South in general. Great people. Southern hospitality is absolutely for real. Friendly people, good food. I will admit for 4 months out of the year the weather isn't great. And by isn't great, I mean hot.


Ok I copied and pasted as something funny, didn't see the lady part.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

aubie said:


> If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain.
> If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain.
> I'm the lady you've looked for, write to me, and escape.
> 
> In all seriousness I can highly recommend the South in general. Great people. Southern hospitality is absolutely for real. Friendly people, good food. I will admit for 4 months out of the year the weather isn't great. And by isn't great, I mean hot.


I like pina coladas, not really into yoga, I like to think I have more than half a brain, but I do love the feel of the ocean and the taste of champagne. Do you know of a bar called O'Malley's where escapes can be planned? (haha I love that song)

Every time I have visited Georgia everyone was so nice and welcoming, loved it! Weather and all haha!


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## redbadger (Nov 20, 2017)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> I love the history of Boston but, as you mentioned, the winters would probably turn me off as I would prefer somewhere a little warmer. The cost of living is also a bit of a downer, Massachusetts might be fun to visit but it doesn't draw me enough to want to call it home. My sister and I, however, are planning a Boston trip it was supposed to be this summer but I doubt that is happening now haha
> 
> Thank you!



I totally understanding not wanting to live somewhere with both snow AND a high cost of living. (but our fall foliage is great!)



When everything calms down, please feel welcome to visit! Boston, as a city, is very walkable, and there's more than just Revolutionary history. The Boston area has the first man-made canal in North America, and the textile museum and historic site in Lowell is really fascinating. Out toward Avna's end of the state, there's the Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in the former Sprague Electric plant. Just south of Boston is the Blue Hills Reservation, home to miles of trails, kettle ponds, and the state park mounted unit. Go north, and Salem is a great place to visit (I lived there for several years, too), for spooky stuff and sailing history.


There's even a Museum of Bad Art! (Last seen at the Somerville Theatre, but I think the collection has moved.)


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

All of these places sound so intriguing and really makes me want to travel around!! I love hearing about the places people live! 

I always wanted to go to Boston - I qualified for the Boston Marathon and had thought of going, but decided not to (good thing to, as that was the year of the bombing there!) I know people who have gone there a number of times and have so much to say about the history. My one buddy mentioned a pub he frequented when there that was kind of tucked away in some back alley - and the cobblestone streets and cemeteries. Just sounds so cool. 

Where i live (Western Canada), it is beautiful. And there is history with regards to certain things (I've enjoyed reading books about the first excursions in the rocky mountains and the mining, etc), but there really isn't as much OLD history here. 

There are so many places in the US that intrigue me as they would be so different than where I live.

At any rate, I don't want to derail the thread - I just like reading about all these places so much!


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

redbadger said:


> I totally understanding not wanting to live somewhere with both snow AND a high cost of living. (but our fall foliage is great!)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Most definitely will! I'm a sucker for good history and museums! I've been wanting to visit Salem for YEARS, especially around Halloween time but I'm assuming it is probably mobbed then.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

cbar said:


> *All of these places sound so intriguing and really makes me want to travel around!! I love hearing about the places people live!
> *
> I always wanted to go to Boston - I qualified for the Boston Marathon and had thought of going, but decided not to (good thing to, as that was the year of the bombing there!) I know people who have gone there a number of times and have so much to say about the history. My one buddy mentioned a pub he frequented when there that was kind of tucked away in some back alley - and the cobblestone streets and cemeteries. Just sounds so cool.
> 
> ...


I started this thread to help me figure out a few potential new zip codes for me to plan my move and it has turned into such an amazing thread about where people live and what they love, like, and dislike about it. I bolded your beginning statement because that is what this thread has turned into and I am really, really loving it! It's amazing how different every area is. If you get the chance to travel DO IT! When I started travelling I was amazed at how different certain places could be!


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## redbadger (Nov 20, 2017)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> Most definitely will! I'm a sucker for good history and museums! I've been wanting to visit Salem for YEARS, especially around Halloween time but I'm assuming it is probably mobbed then.



Basically Halloween in Salem begins October 1st and ends sometime on the morning of November 1st. Actual Halloween night? Never went downtown - just too mobbed. But it was fun to observe from a distance!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Kind of like Mardi Gras here @redbadger. More fun to watch than to participate.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

QtrBel said:


> Kind of like Mardi Gras here @redbadger. More fun to watch than to participate.


Oh no! So i guess I should cross Mardi Gras in New Orleans off the bucket list haha? Not that I ever really did anything for Mardi Gras but I feel like I would love to see the sights! 

If anyone would like to add to this thread feel free! It's always fun to read about other places!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Once you have participated then you look for alternate cities where safety and family enjoyment are a priority and one the kids get bored then watching a New Orleans Mardi Gras from a balcony can be entertaining.


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

For living I would prefer Savannah to NO. Food is not quite as good of course, but I really liked my visits to Savannah.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I lived in New Orleans for a year. Mardi Gras is disgusting. Kind of like one ginormous frat party, but with adults. And, to be fair, better music.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Aww, I really disagree that Mardi Gras is disgusting. Sure, Bourbon Street is over run with frat boys nearly any day of the year, but there are so many amazing parades in other parts of the city you’d never need to be anywhere near the French Quarter. South Louisiana more broadly has dozens and dozens of memorable small town Mardi Gras celebrations too, when you venture out of New Orleans. 

I lived in South Louisiana for a few years right after college, and being born and raised in upstate NY, I could never adjust to the heat and humidity-no matter how many people told me I would. If it hadn’t been for the heat (and a guy that broke my heart :wink I would have stayed a lot longer. I love the culture, food, landscape, etc


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Funny you say that about the heat and humidity. Complain though I do; I can live without the heat but if I am somewhere where the humidity is low I feel like a fish out of water that can't breathe and my skin so dry I feel like I could crawl out of it. Drives me batty.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

QtrBel said:


> Funny you say that about the heat and humidity. Complain though I do; I can live without the heat but if I am somewhere where the humidity is low I feel like a fish out of water that can't breathe and my skin so dry I feel like I could crawl out of it. Drives me batty.


Haha @QtrBel, it's definitely all about what you're used to. The corollary for me is sweating out of pores I didn't even know I had when living in really humid places!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Glowing @egrogan Glowing. That is what we here call it.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

QtrBel said:


> Glowing @*egrogan* Glowing. That is what we here call it.



Hahaha, that's totally what it is. You could see my glow from a mile away :rofl:


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

QtrBel said:


> Once you have participated then you look for alternate cities where safety and family enjoyment are a priority and one the kids get bored then watching a New Orleans Mardi Gras from a balcony can be entertaining.





ACinATX said:


> I lived in New Orleans for a year. Mardi Gras is disgusting. Kind of like one ginormous frat party, but with adults. And, to be fair, better music.


Oh that's a shame. I feel like I would enjoy watching the shenanigans from the safety of a balcony though haha



egrogan said:


> Aww, I really disagree that Mardi Gras is disgusting. Sure, Bourbon Street is over run with frat boys nearly any day of the year, but there are so many amazing parades in other parts of the city you’d never need to be anywhere near the French Quarter. South Louisiana more broadly has dozens and dozens of memorable small town Mardi Gras celebrations too, when you venture out of New Orleans.
> 
> I lived in South Louisiana for a few years right after college, and being born and raised in upstate NY, I could never adjust to the heat and humidity-no matter how many people told me I would. If it hadn’t been for the heat (and a guy that broke my heart :wink I would have stayed a lot longer. I love the culture, food, landscape, etc


See I feel as though I do so much better in the heat than I do the colder areas. Humidity doesn't bother me too much except when I try to curl my hair and it goes flatter than a crepe cake. 



QtrBel said:


> Glowing @egrogan Glowing. That is what we here call it.


I am going to use glowing from now on haha Love it!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Then when the sun hits you just right and some one says you've got your shine on they aren't talking about a moonshine drunk.:rofl:


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## aubie (Aug 24, 2013)

Maybe I missed it but are you look for big or small. If thinking small this would be a place to check our. Wouldn't mind living here either.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Definitely a little more of a small town feel. 

My sister and I just booked flights to Dallas for 4 days during the 4th of July weekend! Super excited to go and scope out the area! 

Anything going on in that area horse wise that is a must see? Even not horse wise but I want to check out the local barrel circuits if possible.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Stockyards should be having their Championship rodeo. Barrel racing at Lone Star Arena in Stephenville. They have had all day barrel racing on the weekend in summer but my nephew moved a couple of years ago so not sure what is happening now


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