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Well, it depends on what kind of weather you want to put up with, we have it all. Cold and snowy in the north, tornados in the midwest, hurricanes in the southeast, Atlantic storms in the Northeast, hot and dry in the southwest. Rainy and crappy in the Northwest. What kind of population are you coming from? 300 people a day are moving to Phoenix, Arizona, but its a bitch to drive to work. Do you want to live in the desert, the woods, the plains? We have them all. I guess we need to know more about you...
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Welcome, my Grandmother was from Karelia, Lots of Finns in the midwest. As for NJ, run away un very far, unless thoose of us in South Jersey finally break away.
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I'm a happy Finn in New Hampshire, where gun laws are very easy to own and carry, despite the last election going to Democrats in the state. There are big pockets of Finns in Minnesota and Michigan, though they are more Liberal states, so gun laws are tougher.
Arizona and Utah both have very easy gun laws, and though I wouldn't recommend southern Arizona, as it gets very hot and dry, once you get up around Flagstaff, Arizona, the altitude is higher, and so it is cooler, and ther are plenty of thick pine forests. It's a very pretty part of the country. You have to look at jobs as well. There are some really pretty places to live, but jobs are lower paying and may not be what you are good at doing for a career. New Hampshire has lots of work, especially in the high tech field, and Massachusetts, just to the south, has even more, though their gun laws are horrible. |
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Well bud, I've lived in seven states. The one thing I learned is you will miss certain things that you enjoy so its best to identfy those if you have a choice and seek them out. I like the outdoors and put a high priority on mountains and water.
Here's a reacent post I did on this topic. I live in E. TN in a valley surrounded on three sides by mountains. Most of the rivers here were dammed decades ago giving us ample water and a nice extra of 80% of our electric power giving us the lowest utility rates in the US. The winters are mild with the occasional snow but no hard feezing so one can keep their boat in the water year round without enduring harsh summers. If I miss the snow, I go into the mountians, see it, and then leave it. The unemployment is about 3% or considered transient. A "Right to Work" state, new business is moving in all the time. The pay scale is low compared to much of the US but then so is the cost of living and you aren't paying $400,000 for home. You can still get a 3,000 sq/ft brick home here for under $200K and a 1,800 sq/ft brand new home for under $150,000. Now when you consider those mild winters mean you can heat your home with a heat pump that's an additional couple hundred dollars a month you aren't forking over. There are no state income taxes (add 6% to your usable cash) and property taxes are some of the lowest in the US. Things I don't miss anymore are traffic jams, high crime rates, racial strife, and stupid gun laws. Things I enjoy that I once missed are outdoor activities such as boating 9 months out of the year instead of three (I lived in both the frozen north as well as the burn you to death deep south), shooting off my front porch, legally carrying a firearm, and most importantly people who are genously friendly and polite. Its quite different knowing ones neighbors. Things I have vowed to avoid at all costs as a place to live are: Any of the blue states. No matter how tolerant they are now, they eventually won't be. Freedom is a special thing that we have fought for and our ancestors fought for and to live somewhere that signs it over taking from millions to keep from one (end justifies the means) to me is criminal. I have low tolearance for sheep, welfare recipients, and soccer moms who live in their ideal worlds while wearing blinders to reality. I will fight for my freedoms so I'd be pretty damned stupid to moves somewhere giving them up. Anywhere that you can only swim three months of the year. A harsh winter is simply not contusive to survival. When the rule of threes becomes the rule of threes and one being die of cold in three minutes, that isn't a good idea. Its like taking a boat out in a storm. Hey you have the boat but what if you don't? Anywhere you have to cut your grass at night. Its the exact opposite of the other one. When you can take an egg and bust it on a car to cook it, well that's your brain. Besides I like the sun. Anywhere the sun doesn't shine for weeks on end. It depresses people. Anywhere that you spend more time in your car every day than you do eating meals. Nothing is more miserable than the drudgery of a two hour commute and a half hour lunch break. Life is too short to spend it in a box. Anywhere there isn't trees (forest). Of all of God's creations, the tree is the most wonderous. Besides its intricate beauty, it provides homes for animal and man. It provides wood for fuel. It provides a fast escape from people. It provides shade from the sun in summer and shelter from the harsh winter winds. It provides food. Try eating a rock sometime. I can't imagine life without trees. Anywhere the assholes outnumber the mannered people. Most people who live in these areas, don't even know it. They know no better. Life has enough strife without having others add to yours I hope this helps you some. Tj |
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Lots of you Finlanders in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. From what I hear, the terrain and climate is a lot like your homeland.
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Florida.
You can shoot, fish, play golf, enjoy the sights at the beaches, and pursue other outdoor interests year-round. The gun laws are as good as any in the States. Granted it gets balls-hot and humid in the summer months, but the benefits far outweigh the downsides There are many Euros here now, and more coming all the time |
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Yes you would fit in well there. Lots of nordic folk. The bad thing is Dirtroit calls the shots in MI Go with MONTANA!!! |
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Upper New Hampshire is nice. Year round for all your sports needs (from swimming in summer to skiing in winter). Eventhough we are a blue state still very gun friendly and we are trying to live by the motto "Lie Free or Die". We are the Free State Project:
The Free State Project is an agreement among 20,000 pro-liberty activists to move to New Hampshire, where they will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property. The success of the Project would likely entail reductions in taxation and regulation, reforms at all levels of government to expand individual rights and free markets, and a restoration of constitutional federalism, demonstrating the benefits of liberty to the rest of the nation and the world. Dont know how that is going but lets hope it goes well :D |
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That’s what we think about the French. (And even then I figure the average Frenchman is about as connected with that culture as I am with the Hollywood culture.) East Tennessee is nice and so is North Alabama. I used to drive a truck (delivering freight) and have been all over the Eastern half of America. There’re a lot of really nice places to live, filled with some really good people. But I honestly haven’t found any place that suits me better than where I am at now (Huntsville, AL). |
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don't know where you got that map from....VA needs to be much greener. |
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How about Idaho? Our winters are similar to yours and the summers are the best in the whole U.S. It rarely gets above 92 in this part of the state. Guns are encouraged here.
Besides, I personally know people who have their own saunas! |
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South Dakota
Warm summers Open spaces Firearm friendly Snow when you want it Black Hills for skiing and you Cross-country ski almost anywhere Opportunities for growth |
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Terve,
If you can afford it, California is the most beautiful state IMO. I'd recommend the Bay Area, beautiful surroundings, nice people, great art, great outdoor activities, etc... Despite how some people might make it sound, you can own a variety of semi-auto rifles in California. Bush apologists who probably have never been more than a gas tank's ride from where they were born will likely jump all over this though. My ex-girlfriend was from Finland and she liked NY the best. It's a great city but I wouldn't want to raise a family there. Florida is good all-round. No state income tax, liberal gun laws, great beaches, lively cities, etc... |
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You will be most at home in Minnesota. But I'd recommend any of the states of the Old Confederacy except for Louisiana.
GunLvr |
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Why do you want to come to USA? I thought you can get alot of nice guns and supressors in Finland?
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As a Finn who doesn't mind crap weather, consider Alaska. No taxes, do-what-you-want attitude, and the state has $35 billion in the bank from which each resident draws a yearly check from the proceeds of the investment fund.
I was watching Conan O'Brien's visit to Finland there, and was surprised how your Lap landers or whatever have such similar culture to our native Alaska eskimos. The drums at least. They're exactly the same. The only other states I'd ever consider living in are Oregon, or northern New Mexico if I could swing it (it's a very poor state, but beautiful country and cool unique culture). |
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www.exploreminnesota.com
Yes it is a blue state, however we have concealed carry and our gun laws are not that bad. Just stay out of Murderapolis..err little chicago...err Mogadishu...err I meant Minneapolis. LOTS of Finns in Minnesota ...you will have no trouble finding a proper SAUNA...pronounced the correct way of course. |
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Don't discount Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. While (technically) blue states, they have very nice gun laws and New Hampshire has some of the lowest taxes in the nation. Lots of beautiful country too.
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FLORIDA The Gunshine State
Its pretty warm but your blood will thin out, very gun friendly with few exceptions |
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Florida is always a good choice, just don't move to the most heavily populated areas. Summers will be hot, but that's why we have air conditioning.
Cost of living is not the highest, but not the lowest, either. You'll never see snow except on the TV. Cj |
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Hey now Oregon should be blue. We're a class III state with a Shall issue CCW, a preemption law and Open Carry. We were the first state to have instant back ground checks and its written in our ORS that state police can not keep records of these. So we're not too bad. |
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New Hampshire is great:
1) All four seasons with warm summers and skiing/ice-fishing winters. 2) Among the top states in the country as far as fewest gun restrictions. 3) No state income tax and no sales tax. 4) Low crime rates and nice to raise a family. 5) Good job market in many fields. I am currently building a semi-auto Suomi M31 (Link) from a parts kit: Neat rifle. And they sell 71 round drums of 9mm Finnish goodness to go with them: |
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The answer depends on what you do for a living. If you don't need to work, your options are limitless.
Colorado has plenty of mountains and snow to make a Finn feel at home. It also has enough sunshine and warm weather to keep any Chinese girlfriend happy. I travel all around the US, and can recommend it. Better get here quick though, before we reach max capacity. |
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Stay out of North Dakota. We've already got too many scandinavians here...
I ended up even marrying one. |
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Idaho isn't that crowded. Warm summers, not too cold of winters. Low humidity, plenty of outdoor opportunities. Good gun laws.
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Most of the places listed above are great but missing an important feature.........they are not Texas. |
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Although I am in LA, I reccomend Florida or Texas.
Pick a redstate and a Brady F state then consider proprty value, weather, and state taxes. Taxes here come in fees too like drivers and hunting licenses also most states pay for schools with property taxes(annually). Are tax system stateside is FUBAR but you likely know that already I suspect you may even pay less taxes. |
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I have lived in upsate NY and it is beautiful, but the liberals make it smell bad.
My first choice would be KY. I like the terrain, The economy is good in Louisville where I was looking to go and housing prices were good. Best gun laws inthe state and lots of outdoor things to do. You have 4 seasons but the winters are mild compared to NY. We just visited a few weeks ago and it was spring in KY but late winter in NY. I live in FL right now. 9 months out of the year it is paradise. Houses are over priced, but the market looks likeit is cooling a little. Not alot, but alittle which is a good thing IMHO. No state taxes, LOTS to do. Beaches are nice. I live near Cocoa Beach, which is 45min east from Orlando. The culture is much more laid back than what i am used to in NY. This is my 2nd favorite state in the east. The North East is very liberal and the big cities dominate state politics, which pisses off anyone who doesn't live in one of those cities. They call FL the GUNSHINE state for good reason. With the exception of not being a open carry state we have some of the fewest restrictions of any state in regards to fire arms. The biggest thing I don't like is the flatness of the terrain. I like hills valleys and mountains. But the ocean makes up for it. This is my 2nd choice state after KY. |
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If you have a good paying job lined up. There are jobs here, but the pay is half what you will get in other parts of the country. |
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I reccomend Texas.
Texas has a surprising number of Finns, especially in the D/FW area. I can think of a few that we are rather fond of. Jere Lehtinen(Espoo), Jussi Jokinen(Kalajoki), Niko Kapanen(Hattula), Antti Miettinen(Hameenlinna), Niklas Hagman(Espoo), Janne Niinimaa(Raahe). What other NHL hockey team are you going to find 6 Finns? All of which were on Finlands hockey team in the Olympics. Dallas Stars. Seriously though, Texas has its cold spells. Every few years we get a decent snow storm. We get some of the most wicked, yet beautiful thunderstorms. True, it does get hot 90-103 range in the summer time, but we have central air. The Texas summers are overated, bu that may be because I'm a Texan and I'm used to it. A rather substantial majority of our days in Texas are bright and sunny. Texas hospitality is second to none. You wont find friendlier people anywhere. As for the gun laws, come on, this is Texas we are talking about! You'd love it here. |
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I would say: Arizona.
It's Warm (you can have snow if you want to live in Payson...) You can own all kinds of firearms. Of course if you're into Hunting...Alaska is hard to beat. |
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A little hot for someone used to snow though. VA. |
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1.Tennessee
2.Alabama 3.Florida(North Florida) or Pan Handle 4. Carolinas 5.Mississippi Just about anywhere in the south or Arizona, Texas (North Texas) just my two cents from experience. |
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The crime! The old drivers! |
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It kills me whenever I see a perfectly good gun cut up, then sold for $39.97 I wish they could just skip the cutting part, and allow us some vintage full auto goodness legally. |
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One of my Finnish customers travels to Florida quite a bit. I wouldn't go further south than Tampa, and would definitely avoid Palm/Broward/Dade, which is becoming entirely too overpopulated. I'd also look at Richmond, VA, Charlotte, NC, and Nashville, TN. |
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Mo |
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i like how they graded the great lakes. move to montana--the last of the wild country in the 48. |
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How about southern Calif area Los Angeles-San Diego, Calif? If you live in the flat lands rather than in the mountains, you can go to the snow, and visit the beaches, or play in the desert all on the same day. Everything is within a 2-3 hour drive. If you pick the area right, you can have mild summers and winter 365 days out of the year. Humidity is pretty good, not so oppressive as that found in the southern USA. At my house, I really don't need air conditioning, but the wife insists on it so.....
The big problems are high taxes, high housing costs, high gasoline prices, extreme amount of traffic, oppressive gun laws(but you can still buy a Ruger Mini-14 or a Springfield Armory M1A), no >10 rd magazines. |
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