Moving from Canada to the US. Opinions/tips on where to go?

[cliffy]

19 hours ago, DCarlton said:

We like the Inn on the Cliff.  Stayed there a couple of times.  I'm hoping to fly there this year and check off a landing in UT.  

make sure you land at the new airport east of town. runway no longer next to Inn on the Cliffs  It now an industrial park

[cliffy]

14 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I was thinking of opening a liquor store and strip club just across the AZ border. I could make millions, unless the Mormon mafia took me out…

It would be only about 5 miles out of town by the airport.

They've already beaten you to it

Both St George and Kanab have booze stores just over the line south

in Mesquite and Fredonia  AZ   1st town south of the border

[cliffy]

18 hours ago, Hank said:

Hmmm . . . A Mormon community near Sin City. I didn't realize where St. George is. The whole "no snow" thing is a big plus! But can you get a good cup of coffee in town? Just can't deal with no coffee for breakfast. 

We have so many coffee places it boggles the mind  Many stand alone drive thru coffee stops that seem to always have 8 or 10 cars in line for what? Coffee? Who the heck drinks that much coffee at per gallon prices that go 10 times beyond avgas per gallon?

I'd rather buy avgas  :-)

[N201MKTurbo]

30 minutes ago, cliffy said:

We have so many coffee places it boggles the mind  Many stand alone drive thru coffee stops that seem to always have 8 or 10 cars in line for what? Coffee? Who the heck drinks that much coffee at per gallon prices that go 10 times beyond avgas per gallon?

I'd rather buy avgas  :-)

I just noticed you live in St George, didn’t you used to live in Page?

[cliffy]

Just now, N201MKTurbo said:

I just noticed you live in St George, didn’t you used to live in Page?

YUP   Moved west with the migration  :-)

Glad we did   

Didn't have any coffee houses in Page  :-) :-) Nor doctors!!

Im here until Im drooling in my soup. 

[kortopates]

Me too, i visit St George for its great mountain bike trails. Put our two big MTB’s (29’er and wife’s 27.5”) in the back of the Mooney with rear seats down and off we go. Used to climb out there too but now just MTB as it’s a mecca for outdoor activities as the warmest spot in UT. Also very close to Zion and Bryce and beautiful for its location. There can be a major storm very close in the surrounding mountains with St. George mostly sunny and warm yet probably a bit windy.

Was out there recently for spring break and the FBO was expanding - there used to be only one but now it seems 3. My only complaint is they put the self serve on the wrong side of the field but i expect the locals prefer that.

When i first started visiting UT for the skiing years ago by the Salt Lake area, alcohol was a challenge but these days seems like a non issue. At least i can’t remember a restaurant not serving beer and wine. Not really looking for much more these days.

The Cliffside restaurant up by the old airport is really good, but they have a lot of very good restaurants these days.

It can be a bit of hoot seeing the mormon polygamous camps town a bit east like Hilldale and Colorado City where the “husbands” must own a small apartment complex for a home with each wife in a separate apartment. Or in town seeing some Mormon camp woman in the store dressed in their purple burka like dresses. (purple signifies their single). Of course they’re not part of the true Mormon church anymore but it’s crazy their way of like is still tolerated in AZ despite being illegal. But makes sense when the woman born into that life don’t want to leave. It may never get resolved as long as they can live in near isolation. Anyway it’s crazy for more than alcohol even though these camps are really in AZ, and a bit of an example of why living in rural america has never appealed to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hank]

26 minutes ago, kortopates said:

. . . a bit of an example of why living in rural america has never appealed to me.

Drive across any major metropolis, or walk through "the wrong side of town:" the horrible traffic; trash everywhere, scattered along sidewalks and alleys; homeless crowds and panhandlers; the constant noise of horns, sirens and gunshots; these are a few of the reasons that I avoid№ cities and live way out in the country.

In my yard, it's usually quiet, and at night it's dark. Some nights the frogs in the pond make quite a racket, and the full moon can make me think I left a light on outside. I can tell it's a holiday weekend by listening to the occasional roar of outboard engines from the nearby lake. But some mornings I wake up and realize I forgot to lock the front door the night before, and it's not a problem. 

P.S.--I promise your big city has a large number of weirdos, either you're used to dealing with them, or you aren't in the same parts of town at the same time of day to.notice them.

[MikeOH]

4 hours ago, cliffy said:

make sure you land at the new airport east of town. runway no longer next to Inn on the Cliffs  It now an industrial park

LOL!

I looked at the Inn location, saw the industrial park, and thought, dang, looks like the perfect location for an airport

[kortopates]

Drive across any major metropolis, or walk through "the wrong side of town:" the horrible traffic; trash everywhere, scattered along sidewalks and alleys; homeless crowds and panhandlers; the constant noise of horns, sirens and gunshots; these are a few of the reasons that I avoid№ cities and live way out in the country.
In my yard, it's usually quiet, and at night it's dark. Some nights the frogs in the pond make quite a racket, and the full moon can make me think I left a light on outside. I can tell it's a holiday weekend by listening to the occasional roar of outboard engines from the nearby lake. But some mornings I wake up and realize I forgot to lock the front door the night before, and it's not a problem. 
P.S.--I promise your big city has a large number of weirdos, either you're used to dealing with them, or you aren't in the same parts of town at the same time of day to.notice them.

Living near a major metropolis like I do in SOCAL doesn't mean living in a slum nor below or near train tacks. I won't deny every big city has a poor part of town with a homeless people, many of which are mentally disabled and sadly many of them vets. And I am sure we all know where to find them. But vast majority of people don't live anywhere near these and won't see nor experience what your describing unless the few whose employment takes them by such places.  But the big plus IMO is we have what nearly seems like unlimited neighborhoods to choose among all of varying degrees of cost all free of the inner city issues you describe. This and the fantastic weather is why people pay a premium to live here and consider it worth it. I have the ocean a few minutes away with also mountain and desert very nearby.  
Traffic is the exception with some cities worse than others, but San Diego isn't too bad. 

[kortopates]

32 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

LOL!

I looked at the Inn location, saw the industrial park, and thought, dang, looks like the perfect location for an airport

Indeed it was, but boy did it have a reputation for cross winds!

[Hank]

2 hours ago, kortopates said:

Traffic is the exception with some cities worse than others, but San Diego isn't too bad. 

My brother called me one day while driving in Atlanta. He said traffic wasn't too bad, the interstate was moving about 35 mph. I told him that out here, 20 mph below the speed limit is considered really bad!

Also, when's the last time you walked the good side of San Francisco, from Washington Square to Fishermans Wharf? Those are good neighborhoods, multimillion dollar homes, and good businesses. And homeless camps, excrement on the sidewalks, and no longer an area where I consider it safe for me to walk around alone. It's a shame, but that's what many of our big cities are turning into. And why I avoid them. Their suburbs are cookie cutter homes four feet apart, with little enough backyards that a small child can throw a baseball to his neighbor over the fences. 

No thanks to all of it.

From my home, the Gulf beaches are a Mooney hour, and the Appalachians are a Mooney hour the other way. SEC College sports are a 45-minute drive, with many cows and horses along the way.

[N201MKTurbo]

14 minutes ago, Hank said:

My brother called me one day while driving in Atlanta. He said traffic wasn't too bad, the interstate was moving about 35 mph. I told him that out here, 20 mph below the speed limit is considered really bad!

Also, when's the last time you walked the good side of San Francisco, from Washington Square to Fishermans Wharf? Those are good neighborhoods, multimillion dollar homes, and good businesses. And homeless camps, excrement on the sidewalks, and no longer an area where I consider it safe for me to walk around alone. It's a shame, but that's what many of our big cities are turning into. And why I avoid them. Their suburbs are cookie cutter homes four feet apart, with little enough backyards that a small child can throw a baseball to his neighbor over the fences. 

No thanks to all of it.

From my home, the Gulf beaches are a Mooney hour, and the Appalachians are a Mooney hour the other way. SEC College sports are a 45-minute drive, with many cows and horses along the way.

I did a trade show (Photonics West) last year in SF. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The homeless situation was much better than in San Diego or LA. I was surprised with all the big retail that was closed and boarded up.

[khedrei]

A big thank you for the vibrant discussion and for keeping the suggestions coming.  I've been busy flying, and catching up on my taxes and didn't have a chance to check the board in a few days.  My last work trip took me to Austin, which I have only heard good things about.  Unfortunately we didn't have that much time, but I did drive out to the Mcinney Falls State park near the airport, and it was very nice, and hard to believe we were in a city.  I also took a drive to a few small suburbs south of the city.  Kyle, Buda, and Mountain City.  They seemed nice enough and quite similar to the suburbs I live in around here.

@CCAS Texas is on my list, and I will absolutely be checking out more places there.  Unfortunately I don't know that I will have time on the next trip, but certainly before we make a decision.  I will PM you for details when the time comes.

@Fritz1 I thank you very much for the advice and the kind words.  I definitely need to keep the wife happy.  I still have a long way to go before deciding on a job, but NetJets has over 200 bases accross the country so I could live virtually anywhere in the country apart from Alaska and Hawaii and still be within an hour drive of one of those bases.  That may be a good starting job until I find something better, or possibly even a place to stay at.  I know they pay well, but they work their pilots hard.  I know, because I worked for the canadian version of them.

@cliffy  Interesting you mention St George because before you posted we searched some cities in Utah and came accross St George.  We liked what we read and the weather was one of the things we looked at.  Glad to see it made the list on here.  I liked Utah, and so far have only spent time in SLC but enjoyed my stay none the less.  Also got a PM from a guy in Utah suggesting another town in Northern Utah.  The snow is the issue (not for me as much).  Part of the reason Flagstaff dropped off our list.  I like Arizona too, but Pheonix is WAY too hot, and I was told to check out Flagstaff.  Then I was astonished to hear the average annual snowfall is 8 feet.  I guess it makes sense because it is at 7k feet, but ITS ARAZONA!!  And its only a few hours drive to one of the hottest cities on the planet.  Anyway, NetJet's actually has a base in St George, so its a great option.

@Hank  You are doing a good job of selling AL to me.  By the way, Utah has some of the best coffee aparantly.  I don't drink coffee but in my travels over the past couple years I make a point to grab a bag of local coffee from a local shop from as many towns and cities as I can to bring to my girlfriend.  She's a bit of a connisseur.  The stuff from Utah was one she enjoyed the most (though it might have fallen down the list a bit after I brought her some Blue Mountain from Jamaica).  Aparently roasting coffee at 4400ft does something interesting to the taste...  

My June vacation had to get moved, but I should have some time in July or August and right now we are planning to hit Tenessee (Chattenooga and probably Nashville for fun), North Carolina (Ashville, possibly Greensboro and Winston Salem as suggested), Alabama (Huntsville and area) and possibly Kentucky (Lexington) and South Carolina (Greer and/or Greenville) and possibly a stop in Virginia on the way home.  Any personal comments on Charleston and area?  I will do some reading on it, but personal opinions would be great.  Only so much we can see in a week.

If you have some suggestions on the above visits, I'm happy to take them.  The trip to the west side of the country will likely have to wait until next year. where Utah, Arizon and Texas will be on my list.

Thanks again guys.  I appreciate the discussion.

[MikeOH]

36 minutes ago, khedrei said:

I thank you very much for the advice and the kind words.  I definitely need to keep the wife happy

 

37 minutes ago, khedrei said:

I make a point to grab a bag of local coffee from a local shop from as many towns and cities as I can to bring to my girlfriend.

I'd recommend that you don't mention to either of them that you are posting here...  especially important for keeping the wife happy, I would think

[Justin Schmidt]

1 minute ago, MikeOH said:

 

I'd recommend that you don't mention to either of them that you are posting here...  especially important for keeping the wife happy, I would think

For me wish i did that or i wouldn't be single ha

[Justin Schmidt]

7 minutes ago, Justin Schmidt said:

For me wish i did that or i wouldn't be single ha

Clarification,  wish i had a side piece interested in aviation ha

[hubcap]

On 5/7/2025 at 9:33 PM, khedrei said:

A big thank you for the vibrant discussion and for keeping the suggestions coming.  I've been busy flying, and catching up on my taxes and didn't have a chance to check the board in a few days.  My last work trip took me to Austin, which I have only heard good things about.  Unfortunately we didn't have that much time, but I did drive out to the Mcinney Falls State park near the airport, and it was very nice, and hard to believe we were in a city.  I also took a drive to a few small suburbs south of the city.  Kyle, Buda, and Mountain City.  They seemed nice enough and quite similar to the suburbs I live in around here.

@CCAS Texas is on my list, and I will absolutely be checking out more places there.  Unfortunately I don't know that I will have time on the next trip, but certainly before we make a decision.  I will PM you for details when the time comes.

@Fritz1 I thank you very much for the advice and the kind words.  I definitely need to keep the wife happy.  I still have a long way to go before deciding on a job, but NetJets has over 200 bases accross the country so I could live virtually anywhere in the country apart from Alaska and Hawaii and still be within an hour drive of one of those bases.  That may be a good starting job until I find something better, or possibly even a place to stay at.  I know they pay well, but they work their pilots hard.  I know, because I worked for the canadian version of them.

@cliffy  Interesting you mention St George because before you posted we searched some cities in Utah and came accross St George.  We liked what we read and the weather was one of the things we looked at.  Glad to see it made the list on here.  I liked Utah, and so far have only spent time in SLC but enjoyed my stay none the less.  Also got a PM from a guy in Utah suggesting another town in Northern Utah.  The snow is the issue (not for me as much).  Part of the reason Flagstaff dropped off our list.  I like Arizona too, but Pheonix is WAY too hot, and I was told to check out Flagstaff.  Then I was astonished to hear the average annual snowfall is 8 feet.  I guess it makes sense because it is at 7k feet, but ITS ARAZONA!!  And its only a few hours drive to one of the hottest cities on the planet.  Anyway, NetJet's actually has a base in St George, so its a great option.

@Hank  You are doing a good job of selling AL to me.  By the way, Utah has some of the best coffee aparantly.  I don't drink coffee but in my travels over the past couple years I make a point to grab a bag of local coffee from a local shop from as many towns and cities as I can to bring to my girlfriend.  She's a bit of a connisseur.  The stuff from Utah was one she enjoyed the most (though it might have fallen down the list a bit after I brought her some Blue Mountain from Jamaica).  Aparently roasting coffee at 4400ft does something interesting to the taste...  

My June vacation had to get moved, but I should have some time in July or August and right now we are planning to hit Tenessee (Chattenooga and probably Nashville for fun), North Carolina (Ashville, possibly Greensboro and Winston Salem as suggested), Alabama (Huntsville and area) and possibly Kentucky (Lexington) and South Carolina (Greer and/or Greenville) and possibly a stop in Virginia on the way home.  Any personal comments on Charleston and area?  I will do some reading on it, but personal opinions would be great.  Only so much we can see in a week.

If you have some suggestions on the above visits, I'm happy to take them.  The trip to the west side of the country will likely have to wait until next year. where Utah, Arizon and Texas will be on my list.

Thanks again guys.  I appreciate the discussion.

Do not rule out Oklahoma. It is pretty much the reddest of red states. Tulsa and Oklahoma City both have good airports. The folks are very southwestern, the climate is mild and there is plenty of good food. Centrally located, it gives you great access to a much larger section of the US than either of the coasts.

[KSMooniac]

1 hour ago, hubcap said:

Do not rule out Oklahoma. It is pretty much the reddest of red states. Tulsa and Oklahoma City both have good airports. The folks are very southwestern, the climate is mild and there is plenty of good food. Centrally located, it gives you great access to a much larger section of the US than either of the coasts.

Concur.  Kansas is similar, although the area around my home base of Wichita is not interesting, geographically, but it is a nice place to live with lots to offer except for a California-style climate or mountains.  Lots of aviation infrastructure/support, and everything is easy to reach from here with a Mooney!  We have a few airparks close to Wichita as well.  I'm buying a hangar on one right now, and have a big lot to build a house and hangar as soon as we can get ducks in a row.

I'd also recommend checking out NW Arkansas around Bentonville.  That place is growing nicely and offers some beautiful geography and I believe still reasonable cost of living.  Hills, woods, lakes, great roads for motorsport enthusiasts, and lots of other outdoor activities are easy to find/do there.

[Mooneymite]

 

Regardless of the state/area you choose, I would suggest a fly-in community.  It was a very happy choice for us and it puts a nice aviation "wrapper" around the local environment.

[Echo]

I wish you success in your transition to the United States.  I have really enjoyed this thread.  There are always pros and cons to where you choose to dwell.  I have travelled all over the United States and most areas have a lot to offer, but weather really does make a huge difference in quality of life.  Too hot in summer and too cold in winter make a huge difference in quality of life.  Agree that big cities are not a great place to live because of traffic primarily.  I just flew commercial to Charlotte to pick up a new to me vehicle.  Drove it back home to Iowa in two days.  The geography and beauty of Tennessee are tough to beat in combination with  the fact that summers are not as hot as Florida, Texas, Alabama and winters not as cold as northern states.  Definitely spend some time in Tennessee.  My wife and I have three season cottages (family owned) on a lake that are a two hour Mooney flight away.  Family in North East Arkansas (on a golf course) make falls last longer and spring arrive earlier.  Looking forward to exploring islands for extended stays (Jan-March) next year.

[dkkim73]

On 5/3/2025 at 10:01 AM, CCAS said:

Kerrville may not be able to compete with some of the eastern US college-towns but it might tick a few of your boxes.  Population is around 25K.  Less than an hour to San Antonio.  Agricultural surroundings; people are friendly and down to earth. 

I figured others would weigh in more on Texas (tons of representation here, it's almost like Texas is *bigger* and *better* than everywhere else ). I've only been there for weeks-to-months training stints; but I will say where I was there in 2010, San Antonio was one of the friendliest "big cities" I've experienced.  Hope that's still the same. 

I've also enjoyed the PIREPs on this thread, giving me ideas of where to visit at least. 

A couple points occurred to me: 

• Places change; my own take on a couple areas I know well changed a *lot* over as little as 10 yrs. Some of this is due to governance/politics but also some is due to migration patterns (there's been a lot in some areas, e.g. CA->WA, CA/NY->FL, *->TN, etc). So take recency of reports into account. 
• A bug-or-feature is that some cities and regions are less representative than you would think of the overall state. This is more true of certain states, generally I think where there is more polarization, where big cities almost can evince an "anti-culture" to the state. This can help if you want, say, a more "liberal" social culture but more "conservative" governance. I can give you examples via PM if you like. 
• You get a sense, even reading here, that the GA experience varies a lot by region. It's still very positive and a great thing about America, and often an instant "bro hook up" (I mean that inclusively LOL!) when you meet other pilots. But for practicalities, it sounds like it's more hectic, costly, and maybe fraught with more counter-party risk in some areas. If nothing else, hangar rent sounds ludicrous in some places. This might track cost-of-living in the aggregate as a rough guide, but I think has as much to do with population density. Just more food for thought. 

Hope all this is helpful!

[KSMooniac]

20 minutes ago, dkkim73 said:

If nothing else, hangar rent sounds ludicrous in some places. This might track cost-of-living in the aggregate as a rough guide, but I think has as much to do with population density. Just more food for thought. 

This is a primary factor that helped convince me a few years ago that Wichita is the long-term place for me, even after living here for 25+ years at the time.  I'm from Texas, love Texas, will always claim Texas, but these days there are many places in Texas I would not live, and many I don't even enjoy visiting any longer due to congestion and traffic.  Wichita is just right for me, and most importantly, cost of living allows me to own and enjoy a nice Mooney, which in turn can get me *away* from Wichita whenever I like to visit other places.   

I currently have a pretty nice rental hangar at a great muni airport in town for $358/mo.  I'm in the process of buying my own hangar at an airpark as I mentioned, just to secure my own future storage solution while I prepare to build a home and hangar.  My rental hangar might be $500-$1000 in a "major" metro area with a multi year wait.  I could get a cheaper hangar far away, but as often as I fly and tinker, that degrades quality of life and convenience.  

Back when I still had a wandering eye, my survey of hangar options was depressing, and made me happy with what I have.  For that reason, I'd encourage any Mooney owner looking to relocate to find a hangar solution first. 

[Parker_Woodruff]

I would do Florida, Texas, or New Mexico.

Florida wins for business freedom, potential property tax repeal, and overall warm weather.

Texas is fine...not as conservative or business friendly as people think.  Some things are improving with recent business personal property tax legislation.  But other things are getting worse because these municipalities can't stop participating in socialism lite by paying off businesses to come here in the name of "Jobs".  We have plenty of jobs.  We don't need artificial growth raising the cost of living and doing business....but here we are...   Real Estate property taxes are insane here.  If our families weren't here, I'd be pushing hard to move to FL (lived there a bit).  If choosing Texas, I would probably shoot for Waco, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Tyler, or Longview.

New Mexico is beautiful and the property taxes are apparently very favorable in how much they can increase year over year.

 

Source: I have insurance licenses in 47 states plus DC.  My business is licensed in the same places.  We have other business filings in certain states based on known legal necessity.  I live in Dallas (and pay for it) and it's a complete disaster here.

[LANCECASPER]

On 5/14/2025 at 12:43 PM, dkkim73 said:

I figured others would weigh in more on Texas (tons of representation here, it's almost like Texas is *bigger* and *better* than everywhere else ). I've only been there for weeks-to-months training stints; but I will say where I was there in 2010, San Antonio was one of the friendliest "big cities" I've experienced.  Hope that's still the same. 

I wish that was still the case.  I moved from North Dakota to San Antonio 35 years ago this month. Then it was amazing to me since it was a big city and you could get anywhere you wanted in 15 minutes. Now you can be stuck at a standstill in traffic without moving for 15 minutes in just about any part of San Antonio.

Almost nine years ago I moved an hour or so North of San Antonio up to the Texas Hill Country, to an airpark in between Fredericksburg and Kerrville. For a big city an hour away I still like San Antonio and I still go there a couple times a month, but I plan when I get there and when I leave around traffic. It's quickly becoming a metroplex all of its own. I'm glad I got out while I could. 

[khedrei]

I know it was just a joke, but I wanted to clarify, my "wife" and "girlfriend" are the same person   I'm just not used to using the term...

@Parker_Woodruff  Thanks for these tips.  I love Florida, but I'm not sure I can handle the heat.  Perhaps I need to explore some of the more northern parts to see how I like them.  We dropped a client off in Destin FL a couple years ago.  I didn't get to explore it, but it "seems" like a nice place.  Regarding Texas property taxes, I have been exploring homes and home prices in several states and the high property taxes in Texas were shocking.  The amount of house one can buy for the money is impressive, but the taxes appear to be at least double what they are in Chatenooga TN.  Good to hear some of those points...

@KSMooniac Ive spent over a month in Wichita for a couple training events at FSI.  I really liked the city.  Visited Hutchinson as well.  Super cool city, people, food.  I LOVE how much aviation there is in the area.  But as you say, not exciting geographically.  It reminds me of Saskatchewan in Canada.  All the flat fields aren't super appealing.  I do really like the idea of the fly in communities though.  I may be sending you a PM to inquire more about your situation.  I would love to build a house and hangar on an airport.  It would suit my lifestyle and personality very well.  If hangar space is as tough as you say in other parts of the country, maybe I should reconsider Kansas.  It it certainly nice and central.

@dkkim73  Thanks for the detailed comments, and the PM.  I really appreciate it.  I'm in the process of responding.  I ordered the book after one of your first responses back on page 1 of the thread.  We are in the middle of reading it up at the cottage right now.  He really likes Utah.