Which state has the best car culture?

[tom999w]

I'm considering moving to another state (from New York) to start a new chapter in life, and would like a place that has car enthusiasts as enthusiastic as me. Does anyone know of a place that has a big car culture? Not cars & coffees (never liked them), I'm talking about big car shows (and small car shows), swap meets, show nationals, racing events, Concours de Elegance, etc... I do have cars that were in magazines, and others that have won first place in national events, but also like the informal small town car shows too. I did find one state that has a big car culture and lived there for 17 years (most of my cars are still there packed away in garages, haven't lived there in many years); but it's time to find a new place and get all the cars in one location instead of spread around the U.S., and go have fun with the cars and like-minded people.

 

[RustyRatRod]

These are some of the clubs in our area. Look at their pages and you can get an idea of how busy the north and middle Georgia area is. There's always something going on somewhere.

North Georgia Mopar Club | Facebook

Chrysler Car collectors.

www.facebook.com

Lake Country Classic Cruisers | Facebook

Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee, GA cruising with our classic cars.

www.facebook.com

Old Capital Car Club | Facebook

THIS GROUP IS OPEN TO ALL WHO WANT TO JOIN. You do not have to be a member of the car club to participate in the group. We are trying to build the car...

www.facebook.com

Jones County Cruisers

Jones County Cruisers. 1,286 likes · 90 talking about this. classic car club

www.facebook.com

 

[ProjectBazza]

My initial thought is California, but I’ve been there enough to know I don’t want to live there. Nothing against it, but as a Midwesterner, it’s just not for me,

Have some good friends in Pennsylvania who swear that Hershey is good. Never been to the big swap meet/show, but the pictures look impressive.

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

I love Southern California's car culture, but that said, I would never live there because they are to much like New York when it comes to rules and taxes.

Anywhere here in the Midwest is great car culture. Southeast Michigan (way to cold in the winter for me), Indiana (Avon, Brownsburg, Greenwood, and Indianapolis).

Ohio is a great state as well, especially in the Northern half of the state and the Southwestern part of the state. Columbus, Ohio has a lot of great shows throughout the year.

Evansville, Indiana has several great car shows every year and is the warmest town in Indiana on average.

Really a very subjective choice on where you might want to live, but anything close to Indianapolis, Indiana is hard to beat for car culture. "The Motorsports Capital of the World"

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

My initial thought is California, but I’ve been there enough to know I don’t want to live there. Nothing against it, but as a Midwesterner, it’s just not for me,

Have some good friends in Pennsylvania who swear that Hershey is good. Never been to the big swap meet/show, but the pictures look impressive.

Hershey is awesome and Carlisle, PA is a mecca for car guys with 80 acres of showgrounds that offer a variety of 10 shows a year.

However neither is my kind of weather 7-months out of the year. LOL

Tom

 

[Kern Dog]

Out here in California, the weather allows car shows all year round.
Despite the land mass, the main population is in the SF Bay area, Sacramento and the lower third of the state. There are lots of enthusiasts peppered throughout the state. The biggest Mopar show in the state is Spring Fling in Southern CA, Van Nuys specifically. It pales in comparison to the "Nationals". 35 million people in this state and somehow, Pennsylvania draws more cars and more spectators than 4 years of the Spring Fling show.

 

[33IMP]

If you like drag racing, don't come to the LA area. My nearest track is over a hundred miles away. 15 million people in LA county, no dragstrips, $5.50 gasoline, insane housing prices (a friend is looking at a $7000/month bill to buy his mothers house), and taxes up the wazoo (11% sales here, for example)
Imo, the weather doesn't make up for the rest.

 

[Cuda416]

Colorado for all its faults had an awesome car culture when I lived there 8 years ago. There are two mopar specific clubs in the Denver area, one for show stuff and one for Go stuff. I was in both and they were good people. I'm seeing that the Bandimere family is moving forward with building a new facility on the East side as well. As far as swaps etc, the best one in my opinion was at Bandimere but for the time being that's gone, they also have a tri state swap ever year that's good but not much mopar stuff at that one. All in all, awesome car scene.

 

[hemi71x]

As others have mentioned, California has a great car culture.
But DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT MOVING OUT HERE.
This state has been run into the ground since i got here in the Air Force, back in 1976.

 

[Unconventional]

You would think Arizona might be a good place, they do have some issues though. The frickin' smog rules for classic cars in Maricopa County/Phoenix are worse than the Calif. smog rules. They forced a dirt track on the east side of Phx to close because of future development. There wasn't a housing or industrial building within 10 miles of the place. To my knowledge there has been no development there yet. . My granbrat at that track before they closed it

 

[DartGTDan]

I may be biased, but metro-Detroit has a lot to offer (March thru November).

 

[mbaird]

California. No matter what you think about everything else.

 

[33IMP]

I live in Arizona and where I'm at, smog rules are non-existent. I think I would take anyplace in AZ except Phoenix. Farther away from Phoenix the better. I'm near the river. The boating culture is bigger than the car culture, but we do have a couple small shows a year, and the Vegas strip is not out of reach (about two hours).

 

[1MeanA]

The only US c state that I have experience with as far as cars go is Arizona and it’s great.

 

[Unconventional]

I live in Arizona and where I'm at, smog rules are non-existent. I think I would take anyplace in AZ except Phoenix. Farther away from Phoenix the better. I'm near the river. The boating culture is bigger than the car culture, but we do have a couple small shows a year, and the Vegas strip is not out of reach (about two hours).

Bullhead City? Mohave Valley? Done some time in those areas myself .

 

[Turbo440Dart]

Bullhead City? Mohave Valley? Done some time in those areas myself .

Bullhead has a bigger tweaker culture than anywhere I think.

 

[Unconventional]

Bullhead has a bigger tweaker culture than anywhere I think.

My Dad retired in early 80s and built a place in Bullhead. Even then it was kinda sketchy . We was desert rats anyway, I was born and raised in Barstow. Needles and the river was vacation time .

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

When I was a kid Indiana had annual auto inspections, but they did away with them in 80's.

Today, Lake & Porter counties (next to Chicago) have a minor smog testing, but I can't imagine anyone would want to move from New York to either of those two counties.

Tom

 

[33IMP]

Bullhead City? Mohave Valley? Done some time in those areas myself .

Yep.

 

[nutz]

My initial thought is California, but I’ve been there enough to know I don’t want to live there. Nothing against it, but as a Midwesterner, it’s just not for me,

Have some good friends in Pennsylvania who swear that Hershey is good. Never been to the big swap meet/show, but the pictures look impressive.

i'm about 2hrs from hershey very cool town lots of car stuff very clean well kept town not far from carslie
was saing last time i was there if i was to leave nj that is a top choice

 

[33IMP]

Bullhead has a bigger tweaker culture than anywhere I think.

The tweakers stay away from my place. My shepherds would eat them, and survivors would be shot.

 

[33IMP]

My Dad retired in early 80s and built a place in Bullhead. Even then it was kinda sketchy . We was desert rats anyway, I was born and raised in Barstow. Needles and the river was vacation time .

Needless gasoline is $6.25. Three miles into Arizona (away from I-40) its under three bucks.

 

[fishmens67]

Out here in California, the weather allows car shows all year round.

and the women are hot, don't tell the wife I said that.
There is no better place than Cali for car culture or a beautiful cruise down the coast.

 

[Jeremiah (jd)]

The PNW is worth looking at.

 

[nutz]

i'm still a green grass ,4 seasons guy......a couple of snow storms...flowering trees in spring...fall hard wood trees changing color...summers that aren't 110 deg +