Presently living in the worst state in the nation New York. I'm looking for some freedom and about twenty acres. We need some culture such as a occasional restaurant visit ,  theater ,and maybe a Mall and Home Depot.

I can here you guys laughing right now. Also a gun club with a range, hunting, fishing and hiking as well and full carry where ever we  want.

Any advise is appreciated .  This would be for my brother his family of three my family of five and my dad.


Thanks

NC FTW! Greater Charlotte area has all this. Lots of areas to find land still, lots of nice towns with all your normal stores, everything imaginable in Charlotte, lots of ranges in the area, good fishing, esp in the mountains and lakes, (I dont hunt so i cant comment), and NC mountains are less than 2 hours away with great hiking there. Also, our carry laws are now greatly expanded.

Nyet, try the Asheville area, or Boone, in the Charlotte area you might as well just pre-lube and bend over for real estate, plus the climate in the mountains will be more like what your used to, land is reasonable up there unless your picky as hell, cheaper to buy & build in some cases, all good for guns, hunting & fishing, city stuff isn't too far.

Sorry, we reached the quota for Yankee transplants for the year. Perhaps Ohio?

Yeap we have enough......  Try SC. I heard the weather is nice this time of year.

Don't bother coming to Boone unless you're trying to driving at least 45 minutes to a public range. But the greater Raleigh area is a good location. I'm from Harnett County which is the county adjacent to Wake (Where Raleigh is) and there are a few pretty good ranges out there. Since that area is so close to FT Bragg (Home of a majority of US Army Special Forces) they have a lot of former special forces instructors at almost every single one of the ranges in that area with great training opportunities. Depending on where you end up in Harnett county, you're about an average of 20 mins to a range in just about every direction and can even be as close as 15 min to Raleigh for work. Not a bad commute at all. Although a forewarning, the schools in Harnett County are atrocious. Wake county schools are not much better but if you're willing to make that kind of sacrifice to move all the way to NC you should maybe think about a private school for your children.


ETA: Took a closer look at your requirements, plenty of land decently priced in Harnett County, but there are no malls in the country itself. But like I mentioned before, you're not very far from Raleigh. If I were to suggest a specific area, it'd be Lillington, NC. Dead center of Harnett County, about 15 mintues from Dunn which has a Super Walmart and a Lowe's along with a bunch of chain restaurants while you're out. Lillington has a couple of small mom and pop restaurants and the normal Fast Foot places. It's also located about 20ish minutes from Fayetteville, NC which is a metropolitan area of about 300k people. If Raleigh is too big for your liking, Fayetteville would be a good way to go, although ALWAYS carry in Fayetteville. There are plenty of Rich, upper class areas of the city, but just as many areas that you wouldn't want to venture and if you're new to the area, you'll likely find your way into one of the not so nice areas like I did. They have a good mall, lowe's, home depot, dick's, Gander mountain, best buy, etc. Now I'm not saying this is the best place in NC for you and your family, but i'm speaking from experience and I know the Area very well.

Also, Raleigh is the fastest growing city in the country, the research triangle is there and was just Ranked the #1 city in America by Business Week. I don't know what sort of Job/Career you are in, but I guarantee Raleigh was it. Plus, Harnett County's Sheriff is very gun friendly!!

OP, what part of NY? My parents are in Syracuse, but plan on retiring to either the Asheville area or around Roanoke, VA.

Containment Area for Relocated Yankees

Cary for your probationary period.

First off ya hafta go purchase the complete DVD collection of the black & white Andy Griffith Shows (color Andy's don't count!). After watching those several times you can apply via questionnaire to help place you inna compatible area.
Since yer breakin the usual timeline and skipping the "Florida First" Prerequisite and all.

Sorta seriously tho', if ya like the "everything-all-the-time" life then yeah, head to Charlotte or Raleigh. Me personally, I friggin hat'em both. Two blemishes on an otherwise beautiful state. If something a l'il smaller would do ya, check out Statesville, Hickory or Greensboro (my old hometown) areas if ya like hills. Wilmington or New Bern/Greeneville if ya like the flat. These meet your criteria best as I can tell from livin here the majority of my 50 years.  
Come down to Southport and stay here at the Bed & Boathouse when you're ready for a break from it all.  d:^)  Schneeks..

Hell come to Lee County.  We don't have enough Yankees yet.

Before you get your ass down here you will see the STARS AND BARS displayed, it ain't hate.  If you have a wife with an opinion, leave her ass at home.  We enjoy not being over regulated.  Seems to be a hard thing to avoid these days.  Remember we have the same healthcare you guys got in NY now.

If you come down, abide by the rules, don't try to change them. Fit in, be nice, and get along. We'll be friendly. Act like you're not from here and you'll not fit in. Try to make things better. We've had a big influx of Yankees trying to make things like a warmer NY / NJ/ CT, and we're just now getting around to fixing some of the crap they screwed up.