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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
  
Location: Arizona | I would love the escape the hot, dry, desert of Arizona someday (hopefully sooner than later). My husband's job allows him to potentially move anywhere listed on this map. I've never even traveled farther than New Mexico so know nothing about anything but the southwest. We almost went to Missouri last year but that didn't end up happening. Pros and cons, sustainability, barrel races/shows, etc.?
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | The areas AROUND Eugene, OR are pretty nice. It is in the middle of the Willamette Valley: super fertile farm ground, lots of livestock (BIG sheep country). And Eugene still has a wetter, more temperate climate - more like the coast. As for races.... It isn't TX that's for sure, but it isn't bad. I live on the coast of Oregon and so my "isn't bad" might be quite different than others'. I think a three hour drive (one way) for a race "isn't bad". But up by Eugene there are some nice races within not too far. There's several associations to run with, my favorites are BRN4D, NW5D, and now there's a new one BSCC - all three put on GREAT races at GREAT facilities and with GREAT ground. I kind of wish I could live closer to Eugene, but with our ranching and logging businesses we will be lifelong coasties :)
Maybe see you at races one day!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | I live in Southern Idaho, lots of races, cheap hay prices (comparatively to the rest of the country) but it does get damn hot and dry and windy |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | I am from Oregon but now live in Utah. There are a ton of barrel races in Utah and right in the Salt Lake area year round. Utah has a thriving economy and a great Governor. It is listed amoung the top states to live. It does get cold in the winter and snows but they are masters at snow removal and the roads are always good. You have a definate 4 seasons here. |
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Mrs. Txdad
Posts: 14084
Location: the fantasy txdad married | You're crazy. You already live in the best place.
;) |
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | 1left2right - 2014-05-23 10:06 PM
You're crazy. You already live in the best place.
;)
Lol I sure didn't feel like it today when my boy's trampoline was blown into the neighbor's yard (full of cactus) by some random huge gust of wind and I managed to get cholla in my ankles, fingers, and shoes while my husband and I tried to retrieve it. That and 18.00 for a bale of hay really gets me sometimes  |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Any state north of texas, new mexico,arizona and so cal would be better in my opinion. And remember the horses get slower and slower as you head north, its a scientific fact... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| Near Ft Worth or Austin, TX. I've I lived in KS, CA, WA, TX, and overseas. TX was best. More jobs, more affordable living, more open spaces, good weather, good people, good horses, lots of races, and central to everything. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | We don't like the cold or snow so down by San Antonio worked for us. The biggest con is high hay prices so you might not care for that and it pretty much mirrors South AZ weather. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | WA isn't bad. A lot of races, considering. Not So. Cal-- to expensive. If you want to amateur rodeo, look at WA, OR or ID. Looks at Pro-West and NPRA and ICA rodeo associations. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of that here in AZ or in Cali from what I've looked into. |
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 Transplant Okie
Posts: 1206
Location: Always on call..... | There are a lot of nice options on that list. As a Kansas native I have to say Wichita or Kansas City.  There actually a lot of barrel races in both those areas and the cost of living is very reasonable in KS. But it can get pretty cold in the winter. North Platte and Omaha are pretty nice, but they get even colder. I migrated from NE Kansas down to Oklahoma for the better winters.
Looking at your list I'd say consider Kansas, Texas or Northern California. I like all three of those places! LOL.
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 Thread Killer
Posts: 7543
| Itsme - 2014-05-24 12:00 AM
Any state north of texas, new mexico,arizona and so cal would be better in my opinion. And remember the horses get slower and slower as you head north, its a scientific fact...
That's right, keep poking that hornet's nest. |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | Itsme - 2014-05-23 11:00 PM Any state north of texas, new mexico,arizona and so cal would be better in my opinion. And remember the horses get slower and slower as you head north, its a scientific fact...
Funny. Especially beings though the one that broke the record on a standard set perviously held by Hotshot hails from Washington. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| If he's in a position to straighten our railroad issues out ;-) Des Moines...our local yard could use a good butt whoopin' some days.
At least by the map I presume he works for the railroad.
I like Iowa personally and find plenty of racing and rodeo opportunities |
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | OhMax - 2014-05-24 9:39 AM
If he's in a position to straighten our railroad issues out ;-) Des Moines...our local yard could use a good butt whoopin' some days.
At least by the map I presume he works for the railroad.
I like Iowa personally and find plenty of racing and rodeo opportunities
Lol yup, he's a railroad man. Works in the yard, and is one of the best switchman we have in our area. I'm just so tired of the rocky, infertile ground, the 110 degree heat, and the desolate landscape. That, and he suffers from kidney stones (bad) and at 30 has already had surgery to remove several of them and has more. The dry, dry, heat and working around all that hot machinery all day I'm sure is a contributing factor. He is from Ohio, and does miss it, I'm from Arizona so if it's below 65 I'm cold lol. If we move I guess I will have to invest in good winter clothing! |
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | Dr. J - 2014-05-24 1:01 AM
There are a lot of nice options on that list. As a Kansas native I have to say Wichita or Kansas City. There actually a lot of barrel races in both those areas and the cost of living is very reasonable in KS. But it can get pretty cold in the winter. North Platte and Omaha are pretty nice, but they get even colder. I migrated from NE Kansas down to Oklahoma for the better winters. Looking at your list I'd say consider Kansas, Texas or Northern California. I like all three of those places! LOL.
I think my biggest fear about Kansas would be tornadoes. I think I would die of a heart attack if I ever saw one! |
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Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | Can I beg him to move to ND then???? We are in need of good quality rail crew up here. :D It's cold and it snows but he ND has a good economy and as long as you stay on the eastern side of the state the housing is reasonable. |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | I would research research each area and then narrow it down to a few areas then go visit multiple times a year and make sure you like it. Tornadoes wouldnt appeal to me at all and neither does the heat year round. Arizona in the winter is awsome, but the summer sucks the life right out of you.If you want more temperate with no extremes either way, then look to the west coast. Be prepared for alot of people though but the surrounding areas are beautifull and you can def. escape the dense population. |
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| HorseMommyFiveO - 2014-05-23 11:38 PM
Near Ft Worth or Austin, TX. I've I lived in KS, CA, WA, TX, and overseas. TX was best. More jobs, more affordable living, more open spaces, good weather, good people, good horses, lots of races, and central to everything.
********************************************************
When looking at Oklahoma and/or Texas use Interstate 35 as a dividing line for green grass and rain to the east and the further west you go from I35 the more desert it becomes and it grows lots of rocks... all the way to Arizona... lol
Texas has been having a 5 year drought from Amarillo all the way to the coast past San Antonio ... that is the reason one poster mentioned $18 per bale hay ... it is hauled from NM, CO or somewhere in east Texas to the SA area ...
When looking at Texas you will see I45 headed north to Dallas from Houston .... this area between I35 and I45 is great horse contry without the humidity of east texas to deal with...
If you lived in the Waco Tx area ... a 30 minute to 3 hour drive would get you to so many barrel races you would never want to go back home ... lol
Also no state income tax in Texas and when buying ... do not buy in a county that has a large city in it ... step over the line and buy in the adjacent counties ... for lower taxes ... Worst winter cold spells last a week ... usually 3 days ... of 25-40 degree weather and a big snow is 3-4 inches ... with a quick melt off...
WELCOME TO TEXAS ... lol ..
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I live in MN and I dream daily about moving south. We have really harsh winters up here. Several feet of snow and -40s - -60s this winter consistently. so not here if I'm giving advice. |
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I am a Freak
Posts: 3326
Location: Nowhere Special | I think you said your husband works for UP? If I didn't confuse you with someone else.. I also work for the RR. Been hunting for somewhere "better" for a long time. South Dakota is beautiful but just to darn cold and the barrel racing well, if I stay here I'll just sell out rather then deal with it.
I went to Fort Worth in Oct last year. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Great people, barrel races galore, so much to see and do, the jobs not bad, not the best, but no place is perfect.. High land prices is the only thing I don't like so far (compared to what I'm use to) I may go deeper into tx and try that out this fall, still not sure how I will handle the heat of summer but the winter was amazing! I'll take three months of miserable over 9 months of miserable anyday.. Ive also thought about KS and MO cheaper living, but colder in the winter and I do not want winter period! |
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | jetgetset - 2014-05-25 2:47 PM
I think you said your husband works for UP? If I didn't confuse you with someone else.. I also work for the RR. Been hunting for somewhere "better" for a long time. South Dakota is beautiful but just to darn cold and the barrel racing well, if I stay here I'll just sell out rather then deal with it.
I went to Fort Worth in Oct last year. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Great people, barrel races galore, so much to see and do, the jobs not bad, not the best, but no place is perfect.. High land prices is the only thing I don't like so far (compared to what I'm use to) I may go deeper into tx and try that out this fall, still not sure how I will handle the heat of summer but the winter was amazing! I'll take three months of miserable over 9 months of miserable anyday.. Ive also thought about KS and MO cheaper living, but colder in the winter and I do not want winter period!
Yup he works for the UP. If you don't want winter period just come here to AZ lol. We literally had ZERO winter this year, so sad. I mean I think it rained maybe...2 days, no ice pack on the mountains, and it wasn't even cold half the time. My friend's strawberries never even died all winter it was so warm! They just continued producing fruit lol! |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | Well, I'm going to say Oklahoma. I've lived here all my life, born and bred in OK.....you can't find any nicer people anywhere IMO. Lots of good races any weekend of the year, and most of the time, you can go every night of the week year round and not have to drive more than two hours. We're close enough to TX that you can hit most of the big races there and we're normally a little cooler in OK than in TX, although we do have 100 degree days in the summer for about a month, and our winters aren't nearly as cold. I live in SE OK, so it's more green with more trees and hills. We have cheap land in comparison with most of the surrounding states and taxes aren't terrible. We do have tornadoes, but very few in the SE part of the state. More of them are in western OK and OkC area. We just bought a storm shelter and I'm 62. Other parts of the country also have natural disasters, so I'm not sure why people are so paranoid about tornadoes. We have the best weather forecasters in the nation here, and they usually let you know in plenty of time to get to safety. My father-in-law worked for UP all his life and is now retired from it. It was a good living for him. |
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | dianeguinn - 2014-05-25 5:47 PM
Well, I'm going to say Oklahoma. I've lived here all my life, born and bred in OK.....you can't find any nicer people anywhere IMO. Lots of good races any weekend of the year, and most of the time, you can go every night of the week year round and not have to drive more than two hours. We're close enough to TX that you can hit most of the big races there and we're normally a little cooler in OK than in TX, although we do have 100 degree days in the summer for about a month, and our winters aren't nearly as cold. I live in SE OK, so it's more green with more trees and hills. We have cheap land in comparison with most of the surrounding states and taxes aren't terrible. We do have tornadoes, but very few in the SE part of the state. More of them are in western OK and OkC area. We just bought a storm shelter and I'm 62. Other parts of the country also have natural disasters, so I'm not sure why people are so paranoid about tornadoes. We have the best weather forecasters in the nation here, and they usually let you know in plenty of time to get to safety. My father-in-law worked for UP all his life and is now retired from it. It was a good living for him.
You forgot to add you have Durant and Westbrook. I would move there for that reason alone  |
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 BHW Jr. Cougar of the Year
Posts: 14957
Location: Heart of Texas | I've live in Texas all but 2 years of my life. Those two years were spent in Missouri. I don't think you can ever be prepared for the cold, wind, ice and snow that seems to never end. I'll never forget it, or do it again. And the heat. It gets way hot in the summer too. I would love to go to Oregon or Northern CA, at least in the summer. I'll keep our winters, even though this one was the winter from frozen hell. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I am born and raised a Texan and Texas is my home till I die.... I love my state  |
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Oklahoma.......wait.....that's ME that wants to move there. We have driven through OK several times and are absolutely in love with the area!
We are in Missouri right now. I would NOT reccomend the immediate area we are in because it's the flipping meth capital of the world......but there's tons of barrel racing and you are within a reasonable distance of some major hubs for barrel racing, OK City, Ft Smith, Lincoln, etc. |
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10D Crack Champion
| missroselee - 2014-05-25 7:50 PM
Oklahoma.......wait.....that's ME that wants to move there. We have driven through OK several times and are absolutely in love with the area!
We are in Missouri right now. I would NOT reccomend the immediate area we are in because it's the flipping meth capital of the world......but there's tons of barrel racing and you are within a reasonable distance of some major hubs for barrel racing, OK City, Ft Smith, Lincoln, etc.
If you want to avoid meth, then Oklahoma isn't your choice either. There are plenty of meth heads in Oklahoma too. |
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Regular
Posts: 61
| Southtxponygirl - 2014-05-25 7:26 PM
I am born and raised a Texan and Texas is my home till I die.... I love my state
Amen. No other state like this if you are into the western lifestyle and/or barrel racing |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | Don't move to Chicago.... I love the city to visit, but I would not choose to live here. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | Itsme - 2014-05-23 11:00 PM Any state north of texas, new mexico,arizona and so cal would be better in my opinion. And remember the horses get slower and slower as you head north, its a scientific fact...
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| MsDuchessGoTe - 2014-05-24 11:44 AM Dr. J - 2014-05-24 1:01 AM There are a lot of nice options on that list. As a Kansas native I have to say Wichita or Kansas City. There actually a lot of barrel races in both those areas and the cost of living is very reasonable in KS. But it can get pretty cold in the winter. North Platte and Omaha are pretty nice, but they get even colder. I migrated from NE Kansas down to Oklahoma for the better winters.
Looking at your list I'd say consider Kansas, Texas or Northern California. I like all three of those places! LOL.
I think my biggest fear about Kansas would be tornadoes. I think I would die of a heart attack if I ever saw one!
I've lived in Kansas for 48 years and I've only seen ONE tornado. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Griz - 2014-05-26 8:04 AM
MsDuchessGoTe - 2014-05-24 11:44 AM Dr. J - 2014-05-24 1:01 AM There are a lot of nice options on that list. As a Kansas native I have to say Wichita or Kansas City. There actually a lot of barrel races in both those areas and the cost of living is very reasonable in KS. But it can get pretty cold in the winter. North Platte and Omaha are pretty nice, but they get even colder. I migrated from NE Kansas down to Oklahoma for the better winters.
Looking at your list I'd say consider Kansas, Texas or Northern California. I like all three of those places! LOL.
I think my biggest fear about Kansas would be tornadoes. I think I would die of a heart attack if I ever saw one!
Within the 1st month of living in KS I seen 3... |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 469
Location: The Next Napa Valley, Oregon | I am from Oregon and love it! Granted, I haven't lived anywhere else, but have visited elsewhere. I live closer to Portland than Eugene, but anywhere in the Willamette Valley is good. I feel like it is one of the "milder" states for weather, not extremely hot in the summer and not extremely cold in the winter. The rain bothers some people during the winter, but there are a lot of indoor arenas around to haul to. It's gorgeous and green here..not desolete. Hay is not as expensive as down where you're from. We have a lot of races to choose from and the BRN4D association is GREAT! There is also OBRA and NW5D. Close to the beach, close to the mountains, close to the valley. I love it! I live in Yamhill-Carlton area which is less than an hour south of Portland, about 2 hours (give or take) north of Eugene, about an hour to the beach and about 2 1/2-3 hours to central oregon (bend-Sisters area)-pretty central location. Yamhill County is huge wine country.
Edited by Clancy0407 2014-05-26 12:35 PM
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 Cyber World Challenged
Posts: 2526
Location: My Own Little World | BARRELHORSE USA - 2014-05-24 6:31 PM HorseMommyFiveO - 2014-05-23 11:38 PM Near Ft Worth or Austin, TX. I've I lived in KS, CA, WA, TX, and overseas. TX was best. More jobs, more affordable living, more open spaces, good weather, good people, good horses, lots of races, and central to everything. ******************************************************** When looking at Oklahoma and/or Texas use Interstate 35 as a dividing line for green grass and rain to the east and the further west you go from I35 the more desert it becomes and it grows lots of rocks... all the way to Arizona... lol Texas has been having a 5 year drought from Amarillo all the way to the coast past San Antonio ... that is the reason one poster mentioned $18 per bale hay ... it is hauled from NM, CO or somewhere in east Texas to the SA area ... When looking at Texas you will see I45 headed north to Dallas from Houston .... this area between I35 and I45 is great horse contry without the humidity of east texas to deal with... If you lived in the Waco Tx area ... a 30 minute to 3 hour drive would get you to so many barrel races you would never want to go back home ... lol Also no state income tax in Texas and when buying ... do not buy in a county that has a large city in it ... step over the line and buy in the adjacent counties ... for lower taxes ... Worst winter cold spells last a week ... usually 3 days ... of 25-40 degree weather and a big snow is 3-4 inches ... with a quick melt off... WELCOME TO TEXAS ... lol ..
I'm totally doing this. I've had a 3 year plan to move to that area and now I'm down to 1 year!!!! Hoping that by this time next year, we will be buying a house :) |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| Itsme - 2014-05-26 9:01 AM Griz - 2014-05-26 8:04 AM MsDuchessGoTe - 2014-05-24 11:44 AM Dr. J - 2014-05-24 1:01 AM There are a lot of nice options on that list. As a Kansas native I have to say Wichita or Kansas City. There actually a lot of barrel races in both those areas and the cost of living is very reasonable in KS. But it can get pretty cold in the winter. North Platte and Omaha are pretty nice, but they get even colder. I migrated from NE Kansas down to Oklahoma for the better winters.
Looking at your list I'd say consider Kansas, Texas or Northern California. I like all three of those places! LOL.
I think my biggest fear about Kansas would be tornadoes. I think I would die of a heart attack if I ever saw one! Within the 1st month of living in KS I seen 3...
Wow - WHERE? |
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