Giving some thought to a move to WA

[Jered]

Yep. Way down by Longbranch.

FiL has a knack for picking lemons. He wanted to be in bumfuckistan so he'd be left the hell alone.

Well he achieved the bumfuckistan part, including being down the road from various trailer park type ne'er do wells. And the total lack of local services. Which is a problem when the drug addled burnouts wandering through the woods show up on your property.

But he achieved bumfuckistan in PIERCE County. Where property taxes go up faster than allowed by law.

And the nearest place where you can actually BUY anything is Tacoma, which is a 90 minute drive (and a punitive toll) away. When traffic is good. Which it never is because the roads are shit.

You should see the number of registered sex offenders in Shelton.

It probably doesn't help that the WCCW is right there and then there's another prison in Shelton. It's no wonder ne'er do wells end up there.

[rightisright]

Anyway this puts me in mind of a response to the OP.

Moving from a red area with no voice in a blue state, to a red area with no voice in a blue state that's poorer and has a weaker economy (even if land is cheaper and CoL generally lower, for now) may not be the upgrade you're looking for.

If you're going to uproot everything to relocate, you can do better. Much better.

The only reason I considered the move is the inexpensive price of the very successful established business we could buy. I've never held a job after college working for anyone but myself. In my early 50's, I know there is no way I could ever work for someone else (unless it was for 7 figures and a 20 hour week ). At this point in my life, I am loath to start another business from scratch... but I haven't ruled it out. We will figure it out.