Looking to relocate to the Country and Mountains

Hello everyone;
Please forgive me if I start to ramble on,I am new to this site.I am a 33 yr old midwestern lady who is on the brink of a divorce.I am trying to save up some cash to get out of a verbal and emotional relaionship of 15 yrs.We have no kids living with us I just have 2 dogs.
I spent most of my life in IL but was born in Northern Wis.I love going to Las Vegas and the outskirts but think I'd miss the woods too much and the four seasons.
So I am looking to maybe move to either Tennessee or North Carolna near the Smoky Mountains or close by..
Here's alittle about me and what I'd like- a place in the country where I can have some chickens and horses..or a view of a lake.
I would like to have a vegetable and flower gardens.And a place to feed the birds.I love to enjoy nature and go camping.Love to cook and would like to learn dutch oven cooking.I love traveling and hitting garage sales,flea markets and antique shops and used bookstores and the amish areas.Summer time I like going to farmer's markets and buying fresh from the farmers.
Well I hope I haven't bored you all. And hope to make lots of new friends and get some great tips from you
CountryBound

Hi, and welcome to Daves! I recently moved to western NY after living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for most of my life. Life is much slower here and I love it!
Good luck on your search! Darius would be a wealth of info on the NC mountains!
Jen

Welcome CB,
I am a female construction worker who has worked up and down the east coast and west to the Mississippi.
I suggest the Tennessee Mts as there is no state income taxes there and I believe they still have reasonable land and some rivers anyhow.
What kind of career do you have? That sometime makes a difference.
Sidney

I have a friend from England who lived all over the United States and finally settled down in Chattanooga because it's where people made her feel most welcome. She's always trying to talk me into moving to Lookout Mountain. Housing costs there are quite low (by California standards, at any rate), there's no state tax in Tennessee, the weather's good, the natural surroundings are awesome, and the people there must be quite wonderful.

and don't forget central florida. we have been here a year and have four seasons, lakes everywhere, country people and a wealth of natural beauty. good luck and welcome to dave's. debi

That's two votes for Tennessee.
Sidney

I thought I had posted...TN! I guess you have another thread some where...

Crossville, TN...small town, very friendly....Jo

http://www.crossvilleonline.com/Businesses/Lodging/index.shtml

My old hometown (Sparta) is close to Crossville but I love East TN, West NC, and North GA for the mountains. Southwest VA is nice as well.

I LOVE Tennessee. Lived in Tellico Plains, Vonore, Sweetwater, Madisonville, Dayton, Spring City, Maryville and Knoxville. It's SO PRETTY.

But I think you should come to NM!!! lol. It's really pretty here, too. Carlsbad is a very nice small town with land available. Not many trees, that's true. But we have the seasons and lots of bodies of water.... Brantley Lake, Lake Avalon, Pecos River


Jo

Kentucky has it all. In eastern Ky. mountains, Central Ky, lush bluegrass and thoroughbred horse farms, and Western Ky, the delta and Mississipi River. Many natural lakes, trees and friendly people from state line to state line. We have big cities, medium sized, small, very small, and rural. We are close to the arts and theatre. I am 5 hours from the Smoky Mts in Tn, and vacation there every year. Live about an hour from major cities and good shopping, but have the rural life. We have a 30 acre mini farm, where we have a variety of animals, and plenty of space to garden. Come on down!!

Ranking the states of TN and NC by their tax burden, TN is 47th and NC is 28th.
Here's a link that can help you compare all states by looking at the state and local tax burdens as a % of income :
http://www.retirementliving.com/RLtaxburdens.html

You can also review each state by starting at this webpage: http://www.retirementliving.com/RLtaxes.html

When I was your exact age, I did the same thing...moved to the country about 80 miles away. I moved with my family from a crowded suburban area of Maryland into the countryside in the northern Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Well, now, this area is growing more crowded and we are looking to make one final move OUT of the encroaching metro-zone. (I speak of the Washington DC area which is about 1 hour away.)

So at this time, we are comparing the above tax burdens, the cost-of-living w/ respect to land costs, and job possibilities and salaries. This fall, we will take an extended RV trip through MO, AR, and northern TX en route to our destination of AZ and UT. Part of the trip is to do a 'preview' of those areas to see if the geographical areas are pleasing to us. We are wanting a Zone 7ish climate since we are avid gardeners, plus we also love the seasons. Otherwise, we would relocate in the arid western area because, well, it is just magnificent there!

For us, our countryside is rapidly changing and there is nothing that can be done to halt "progress". We own property and are content here at our home. But to venture "out", we find crowds, traffic jams, and developments cropping up everywhere. And a "day trip" anywhere in this vicinity means a crowd. Oh sure, we can drive 11 miles away and be at the head of Skyline Drive....but we're there with a whole bunch of people escaping the 'burbs. LOL....

Here, now, a Virginia-owned large lake just 4 miles away is now being developed for a 2,760 unit gated "lakeside" community. And that's just one of the developments!! There are smaller developments cropping up on all of the farmland and orchards here in this part of the Shenandoah Valley. Sadly, land is at a premium in this region so farmers are unable to justify farming. Their land is worth millions and although some farms have been passed down through the family-lines, the current owners are unable to farm economically. Apples, peaches, and other farm crops are all imported now. Cattle and pigs do not provide enough profit to provide an income from farming any longer. The majority of area orchardists have sold out to developers, and ironically, some of the developers have opted to allow some of the fruit trees to remain standing, almost as a reminder of what once was....It's a good thing that there are several National Forests close by, otherwise the mountains would become sites for luxury homes.

Last year, we vacationed in the Smokey Mountains, not far from Cades Cove. While I would not choose to live there (too much tourism and cost of land is too expensive, imo), it was beautiful.

Here's a 'treat' for you to dream with! I captured a Smokey Mountain sunrise one morning!

Great thread to read and I hope there is alot more dialogue here.

Lynn, you share my experience and sentiments exactly.

Wonderful photo!

Darius;
Thanks for the PM:))
Been working alot of OT so haven't been posting alot.
Thank you to all that have replied..
I have been doing alot of searching and have found some reasonable home for sale but the move is still aways off yet..
I think that before I move I should have the divorce finalized..So it may take up to a year depending on how much of a jerk he wants to be.
Well I will try and keep a closer eye on my threads:)
if anyone care to chat on yahoo messanger you can get me at countrybound72