LIVING in the Owens Valley/Sierra East?

[Barko1]

I understand the cost of living in Trona is very reasonable.

Is there Walmart Supercenter?

Here is a ranking of total tax burden by state. Depends on your personal circumstances as well. Certainly living out of town saves on property tax, I have a few acres bordering federal land and pay a whopping $700 per year
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/State-Local Tax Burdens, Calendar Year 2005
Rank State State/Local taxes as
% of per capita income
U.S. average 10.10%
1 Maine 13.00%
2 New York 12.00%
3 Hawaii 11.50%
4 Rhode Island 11.40%
5 Wisconsin 11.40%
6 Vermont 11.10%
7 Ohio 11.00%
8 Nebraska 10.90%
9 Utah 10.90%
10 Minnesota 10.70%
11 Arkansas 10.50%
12 Connecticut 10.50%
13 West Virginia 10.50%
14 New Jersey 10.40%
15 Kansas 10.40%
16 Louisiana 10.40%
17 Maryland 10.30%
18 Indiana 10.30%
19 Kentucky 10.30%
20 California 10.30%
21 Arizona 10.20%
22 Michigan 10.10%
23 Wyoming 10.10%
24 Washington 10.00%
25 Iowa 10.00%
26 Mississippi 10.00%
27 Idaho 10.00%
28 North Carolina 10.00%
29 New Mexico 9.90%
30 Illinois 9.80%
31 Georgia 9.80%
32 Massachusetts 9.80%
33 South Carolina 9.70%
34 Virginia 9.70%
35 Pennsylvania 9.70%
36 Oregon 9.60%
37 Colorado 9.50%
38 Nevada 9.50%
39 Montana 9.50%
40 Oklahoma 9.40%
41 Missouri 9.40%
42 North Dakota 9.40%
43 Texas 9.30%
44 Florida 9.20%
45 South Dakota 8.80%
46 Alabama 8.70%
47 Tennessee 8.30%
48 Delaware 8.00%
49 New Hampshire 7.40%
50 Alaska 6.40%
District of Columbia 12.20%
Source: Tax Foundation, 2005


More tax info: Big city tax burdens »
Tax rankings: Income, sales, property

 

[MarkBC]

Is there Walmart Supercenter?

Here is a ranking of total tax burden by state. Depends on your personal circumstances as well. Certainly living out of town saves on property tax, I have a few acres bordering federal land and pay a whopping $700 per year
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/State-Local Tax Burdens, Calendar Year 2005
Rank State State/Local taxes as
% of per capita income
U.S. average 10.10%
Source: Tax Foundation, 2005


Hmmm....I'm surprised there's not a bigger spread. Nearly all are within 1% of 10%...and what conservatives call "Taxachusetts" is actually a little lower than average. I think the difference must be in the details. For example, Oregon (where I live) has no sales tax -- which is a huge benefit for residents buying a vehicle or other big-ticket items...but public purposes still need to be funded, so that means higher income taxes -- highest in the nation (tied with Hawaii).

(Now watch this thread become a tax thread... )

 

[craig333]

I'm definitely considering it myself when I retire. A bit cold in the winter though.

I don't think you could pay me enough to live in Trona.

 

[jcbrandon]

I've lived in the Carson Valley, in Nevada, for about eight years now. I really like the Eastern Sierra, spend a fair amount of time exploring the back roads off the US 395 corridor, and head to Death Valley as often as possible.

But I live here because, for me, it is a lot more livable. The tax issues are one factor, as are firearms laws, and a few other things. My wife and I run a small company from our home. It's a full-on C corporation. Nevada has no corporate income tax, allows for a very strong corporate veil, and, in my county, we're not even required to have a business license.

I like Bishop and the Owens Valley area. But it really feels far away from civilization. As my neighbor pstoy mentioned, we're less than an hour from Reno. Not exactly New York City or San Francisco, but it does have an international airport. And a small, easy-to-navigate airport it is. I've checked documents and bags at Reno for through travel to New Zealand and Sri Lanka and it's always been a breeze.

Good internet access can be an issue in small, rural areas. In my neighborhood, the choices are Charter Cable, or nothing. There is no DSL and no other option. So rates are not competitive. And when the cable goes out, you're disconnected. I use a smartphone with a 3G data plan. But again, there is only one choice for that and my back property line is about the limit for reliable 3G service.

Since the southern end of the Sierra is higher elevation than the north, there are no year-round passes over the mountains. If you want to get to populated areas in California, you have to go around the mountains. Up here on the north end of the Sierra, most of the passes are open most of the time. I can drive to San Francisco in just over four hours. Bishop is about the same distance from LA. Given the choice, I would much rather visit San Francisco.

Do you ever tow a trailer? In California, the speed limit for trailers is 55 mph.

I don't want to sound like I'm bashing California. I lived there for many, many years and my kids still live there. Now I live just eight miles from the state line, on the Nevada side.

 

[ntsqd]

I've been thinking that I need a place just a little North-East of Benton Springs.....

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I've been thinking that I need a place just a little North-East of Benton Springs.....


Good choice, Thom!

 

[ntsqd]

Thank you!
Now, can you help me convince SWMBO?

 

[Barko1]

Here is another ranking of retirement taxes. In this one California is the worst, Colorado and Wyo look pretty good.
http://portal.kiplinger.com/tools/slideshows/slideshow_pop.html?nm=TaxUnfriendlyStatesRetirees
CALIFORNIA
State Income Tax: 1.25% - 10.55%
State Sales Tax: 8.25%
Inheritance Tax: No

The Golden State is a retiree's tax nightmare. Although Social Security benefits are exempt from state income taxes, all other forms of retirement income are fully taxed. Californians pay some of the highest income taxes in the U.S. State and local sales taxes can reach 10.5% in some cities and towns, although food and prescription drugs are exempt. Real estate is assessed at 100% of cash value, but taxes are capped at 1% of value.

 

[BSS]

what jcbrandon said.

I live a few minutes north of Topaz Lake, and the majority of my recreating is done on the east side. But for tax and other creature comfort reasons, I live just over the border in NV. Being uber-rural is cool (for a minute) but when you realize you have to drive three hours one way for simple things like an injector pump or a pair of Carhartts that don't cost $60, it quickly loses it luster. I too am relegated to AT&T service wwhere I live. No 3G, and no other cell provides reach here, although we recently got cable internet, a nice upgrade from dial up.

Interestingly enough, we're also planning on buying a vacation/retirement/seasonal home up your way in central Oregon.

IMO home prices in Bishop, Mammoth, Long/Owens Valleys and the whole eastside in general are still (artificially) very high.

 

[Darryla]

An idea to consider: To make a long story short, many years ago I met an older gentleman that told me if you are ever considering moving to somewhere else after living (owning a home) somewhere for a long period of time (in my case California), don't sell your house. Rent it out, go to the place you are intending to go and rent there for about a year or so to make sure you really like it. That way, if you do not like it, you can go back to where you came from without a big hassle. In his case, financially. He moved to the southern part of the US from California. He found he did not like it, but could not afford to come back and own in California.

Just a thought.

Darryl

 

[MarkBC]

Those reasons for living up north along 395 in NV are reasonable considerations, but they're not deciding factors for me.
I'm not a corporation or a business, so laws -- or lack of -- that are good for business aren't an advantage for me (I wouldn't move to Bishop unless I could live without a job or at least independent of the local economy). And I don't own firearms or plan to. Actually, Nevada's lack of land-use laws are one thing I don't like about the state and what I do like about more-regulated, less anything-goes states like Oregon. Not a fan of unregulated sprawl...
I'm a tax-and-spend liberal who likes government, you see.

I realize that others have different views...

Shopping opportunities are somewhat of a consideration -- I do sometimes buy stuff at the local Home Depot and Lowes and REI in Bend. But probably 95% of my purchases (other than food) are orders over the Internet, so as long as where I live has daily UPS and FedEx delivery I'm fine. (With Amazon Prime I get free 2-day shipping on anything they sell...last year I bought a Hi-Lift jack from Amazon -- free shipping

) And Bishop has a nice big Vons for food.

I did say that I'd consider living in NV for tax reasons...but only if it could be somewhere near the Owens Valley, like over the border via highway 6, less than an hour away. But I guess there's not much out there...

Honestly, though, I haven't figured out yet when I can retire (I need to decide how much I really need/want to live on)...and don't want to do anything impulsive just 'cause I'm tired of working!

Thanks for everybody's feedback/suggestions.