Crime and cost of living in your area.

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Thanks fellas, I’ve got a bunch of places to look in to now. It’s great to have a few options to check out. Eastern WA and Georgia will be the first two I research.
 
MidnightSwinger said:
Thanks man! I can find FBI crime statistics on most towns in the US. How reliable or realistic the info is I’m not sure. It would be nice to find a rural location where the kids could bus to school.

I just want my wife and kids to feel safe in and around our home. I can’t be there to protect them while I am working. With how hard I work, and how much I pay just to live, I feel like that shouldn’t be much to ask.

I would love to visit Canada with the family. I recently found out I have family in Canada on both sides!
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FBI crime stats are tied to police reporting of crime...

Back in 1994 I was driving on the cross town freeway in Stockton Ca... Minding my own business doing 70 MPH... A bullet came through my windshield & exited the drivers door window.... Scared the crap outta me.. I hit the next offramp & returned to my work.. Called the cops expecting them to actually care... Nope... Wouldn't come out and take a report... 911 operator flat out explained to me "No chance of solving it so it negatively effects the crime statistics..."

Good Luck in your quest, good looking family, I wish you the best...
 
MidnightSwinger said:
Thanks fellas, I’ve got a bunch of places to look in to now. It’s great to have a few options to check out. Eastern WA and Georgia will be the first two I research.
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Also of note, Summit Racing Equipment is less than an hour drive from here. They hire all the time.
 
1WildRT said:
FBI crime stats are tied to police reporting of crime...

Back in 1994 I was driving on the cross town freeway in Stockton Ca... Minding my own business doing 70 MPH... A bullet came through my windshield & exited the drivers door window.... Scared the crap outta me.. I hit the next offramp & returned to my work.. Called the cops expecting them to actually care... Nope... Wouldn't come out and take a report... 911 operator flat out explained to me "No chance of solving it so it negatively effects the crime statistics..."

Good Luck in your quest, good looking family, I wish you the best...
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Yeah, Stockton is definitely worth avoiding for the most part. Thank you, it was a bummer to move all the way up here just to have the wife tell me she doesn’t feel safe. Priority #1 is going somewhere she does feel safe when our lease is up in march.
 
I live in Western NC, not too far from Asheville. I've lived here all of my 65 years and as bad as I hate to say it, I would discourage you from moving here. We have much the same problems you described in your original post. Drugged out Walkers (zombies) at every intersection with their cardboard signs. The NCDOT is constantly playing Whack-A-Mole with them, removing their druggie camps from the far edges of the road right of ways. There are nice areas in E. TN and also N. GA that are more affordable and less crime ridden. I admire you for doing what you have to do to protect that beautiful family of yours and wish you the best of luck.
:thumbsup:
 
MidnightSwinger said:
I agree, and I am not opposed to commuting for work. Right now I’m 10 miles one way to my work. It takes almost 30 mins because of traffic.
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MidnightSwinger said:
I agree, and I am not opposed to commuting for work. Right now I’m 10 miles one way to my work. It takes alost 30 mins because of traffic
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I drove 30 miles one way to work, all high way. Was worth it for the area in which we live. I wish you the best of luck in your search
 
Forget Seattle, it's expensive.
The homeless problem in Seattle is monumental. A girl I work with just moved from there. She had a friend that had homeless people set up camp in their front yard. She called the law and they wouldn't do anything about it !! Other similar stories. In the downtown area there is a long street that if you drive down the right side is all crack dealers, the left is meth dealers. I'm sure this situation is getting much worse as Washington has recently decriminalized small amounts of many drugs. ******, crack, meth etc.
The city has provided a "homeless camp." Very few homeless people use it because there is a 9pm " close the gate" curfew.
 
Look at the midwest, anything east of the left coast,and the south. Beautiful land and nice people are still to be found. 4 seasons exist in northern GA and SC up. Stay away from big cities. Best of luck!
 
We have 4 seasons up here on the Canadian prairies too. You're probably not going to like at least 2 of them :) It keeps the riff raff out for the most part.
 
Lacy is a shithole, just like every other State Capital adjacent town. Like the guys said, eastern WA or even just a little further south of where you are now. Elma, Pe ELL, Centralia, Tenino are nice.
 
Scody21 said:
Lacy is a shithole, just like every other State Capital adjacent town. Like the guys said, eastern WA or even just a little further south of where you are now. Elma, Pe ELL, Centralia, Tenino are nice.
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Eastern Washington is nice, pick a town, any town is the gateway to god's country and outdoor playpen.
 
diymirage said:
Last year i was looking into buying a cabin on some land

I found that new york state was the cheapest by far

Of course that says nothing about the crime and such, but something to consider
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New York State also has very high property taxes. Even Upstate. A friend has been looking at "vacation" properties in the Finger Lakes region, and nearby. He sent me info from "realtor.com" on Elmira real estate. Some free standing homes available in the $110K range. Even a few with a detached garage. City Lots, not terribly big. But yearly property taxes are $5000-$6000 a year. Even up there. Find that outrageous.
 
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rbkt65 said:
what do you do for a living? mechanic, labore,. truck driver? post office is hiring also almost everywhere. i live in probably the worst state in america, illinois. but i am retired, house paid for, grand daughters live next door. what you do for a living might figure in to where you want to move to.
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Post Office is not easy to get into. Most posted "jobs" are temporary (may become permanent if lucky) Part Time (casual) using one's own vehicle perhaps, or seasonal. Highly politicized, especially in a region such as borderland (El Paso County) or all of new mexico. Yes it may be "easier" elsewhere. The Exams seem to have a degree of "trickery" in them, did take two in mid 00's when there were a handful of FT positions opened up in this area (las Cruces NM). Hundreds of Applicants, many with a full Military retirement, for a handful of jobs.
 
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MidnightSwinger said:
Thanks fellas, I’ve got a bunch of places to look in to now. It’s great to have a few options to check out. Eastern WA and Georgia will be the first two I research.
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Spokane (Spokamentro) has MORE than it's share of crime and violence. I'm in Coeur d Alene. Frankly, if had the money, I'd go "a little south" and try to get out of so much winter
 
Scody21 said:
Lacy is a shithole, just like every other State Capital adjacent town. Like the guys said, eastern WA or even just a little further south of where you are now. Elma, Pe ELL, Centralia, Tenino are nice.
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Even Centralia has its bad spots now, you have to live far from the 5. My manager lives there.

I love Elma but the rent is the same as Lacey. I’m still considering it, so it’s not as big of a change for my family. I do like my job as well, the people, but I’m not making enough.
 
MidnightSwinger said:
Even Centralia has its bad spots now, you have to live far from the 5. My manager lives there.

I love Elma but the rent is the same as Lacey. I’m still considering it, so it’s not as big of a change for my family. I do like my job as well, the people, but I’m not making enough.
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Exactly. You need to be away from I-5. And any major freeway. I’m pretty close to I-82. Closer than I want to be.
 
newmexguy said:
Post Office is not easy to get into. Most posted "jobs" are temporary (may become permanent if lucky) Part Time (casual) using one's own vehicle perhaps, or seasonal. Highly politicized, especially in a region such as borderland (El Paso County) or all of new mexico. Yes it may be "easier" elsewhere. The Exams seem to have a degree of "trickery" in them, did take two in mid 00's when there were a handful of FT positions opened up in this area (las Cruces NM). Hundreds of Applicants, many with a full Military retirement, for a handful of jobs.
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I’ve applied to USPS several times in my life, never even a call back.
 
Scody21 said:
Lacy is a shithole, just like every other State Capital adjacent town. Like the guys said, eastern WA or even just a little further south of where you are now. Elma, Pe ELL, Centralia, Tenino are nice.
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My great grandma lived in pe ell , I was just a little kid visiting her with my parents but I remember it was awesome that was probably 1982 or so
 
There is a visible homeless population here now. (las Cruces NM). Most of them appear to be Anglo, and not "immigrants". Believe they come in via Truck, and are dropped off at the two major truckstops on the west side of town. (Pilot and TA). The rescue mission here has become a "city project" and they have (believe with Federal money) built a high zoot facility, have bought adjacent land and are putting up a permanent food warehouse. So there is a "sanctuary city" impression, which may be attracting more migrants. Am guessing many of them have been on, or are still on, Fentanyl.
 
Loading the kids up and getting a burger in McCleary, going to drive around and check it out. It’s about 35 minutes from me now, and it would only be an extra 7 miles on my commute.
 
MidnightSwinger said:
The point of this thread is to help me decide where to move my family. I have no political intentions, and would like to keep politics out of this thread. I understand that is hard for some to do, especially when crime rate is discussed. I would love to hear everyone’s input on this one as I am pretty open.

I would also like to mention that I know that bad things can happen anywhere. I know that small town doesn’t automatically mean safe. I know things everywhere are more expensive now.

Here we go, I am 34 and I am raising a young family. I have 2 boys, and a little girl on the way. I recently moved from Las Vegas NV to Lacey WA in efforts to move my family somewhere safer and family friendly.

It’s beautiful here. I love the weather, and the scenery is awesome. Although Lacey was a great little town when I was younger, it has devolved in recent years.

The average cost of a house in the county I live in is $500,000. I am paying $1500 a month for a somewhat dingy 2 bed room apartment. I do have a secured garage, but it is shared with other tenants. Small yard, and we can hear our neighbors through our shared walls. Not the perfect situation, and very expensive for what it is.

The real issue is what I refer to as The Walking Dead. My neighborhood and the surrounding areas are full of homeless encampments. Drugged out losers wandering around, causing trouble, setting fires and worst of all wandering into my fenced yard where my children play. Right up the street are two giant half way houses. This wasn’t disclosed to me before signing the lease.

Is this just the way of the world now? My wife is a stay at home mom, and I work. I can barely make ends meet. I can’t save, and If I don’t sell parts, I can’t afford this hobby.

How the heck can I afford a half million dollar home if I can’t save for the down payment? I am a non-CDL truck driver. I make a decent hourly wage, but it’s not enough.

I want to move my family somewhere safe, where home ownership is a possibility. I also need to be able to find work, but I’ve noticed that’s pretty easy these days.

Where do you live? What is the average price of a house in your area? How is the crime?

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I lived in Washington most of my life and moved to Morton Washington in 1994 to get away from all the crap and not as bad then as now. Lived on a big hill with forest land around me and lived without power for 5 years trying to stay away from crime as I have 8 kids and trying to keep my family safe. Still had problems so the summer of 1999 moved to North Dakota in the farm land and made a big difference. Never had to lock my house and no traffic and best of all no homeless people running around. I live in a very small town and not much around here but love it even putting up with the very cold winters is better than living in Washington for me. I have family in Gig Harbor and Graham Washington and go visit them once a year so I keep up on what's going on around there.
There is a house next door to me for sale I think it's a 3 bed 2 bath and an attached 2 car garage for sale that needs work but very livable on a big lot for $40,000 Farm land all around and farmers are always looking for help driving and maintaining equipment. Truck driving for farm use you don't need a CDL.
 
newmexguy said:
There is a visible homeless population here now. (las Cruces NM). Most of them appear to be Anglo, and not "immigrants". Believe they come in via Truck, and are dropped off at the two major truckstops on the west side of town. (Pilot and TA). The rescue mission here has become a "city project" and they have (believe with Federal money) built a high zoot facility, have bought adjacent land and are putting up a permanent food warehouse. So there is a "sanctuary city" impression, which may be attracting more migrants. Am guessing many of them have been on, or are still on, Fentanyl.
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It’s every
Fred Scigliano said:
I lived in Washington most of my life and moved to Morton Washington in 1994 to get away from all the crap and not as bad then as now. Lived on a big hill with forest land around me and lived without power for 5 years trying to stay away from crime as I have 8 kids and trying to keep my family safe. Still had problems so the summer of 1999 moved to North Dakota in the farm land and made a big difference. Never had to lock my house and no traffic and best of all no homeless people running around. I live in a very small town and not much around here but love it even putting up with the very cold winters is better than living in Washington for me. I have family in Gig Harbor and Graham Washington and go visit them once a year so I keep up on what's going on around there.
There is a house next door to me for sale I think it's a 3 bed 2 bath and an attached 2 car garage for sale that needs work but very livable on a big lot for $40,000 Farm land all around and farmers are always looking for help driving and maintaining equipment. Truck driving for farm use you don't need a CDL.
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Thank you, your input is very helpful. Sounds like you were in my exact spot.
 
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