Which state in the USA for a small-town lifestyle?

[EleventyTrillion]

I have the opportunity to move to the states, basically anywhere I like. It's something I've always loved the idea of, though I've never actually been there.

First off - guns. I know. I don't have any children and it's just not something I'm particularly worried about. Ditto politics. I know many people would not entertain a move to the states for these reasons, but I still want to go. I'm purely interested in which parts of the country would offer the best quality of life for someone like me.

I've always lived rurally in the UK and am definitely not wanting to live in a city or large town. I just want space - the kind of space you don't get in the UK unless you're very wealthy. Not necessarily a big house, but space around it.

I love the look of the towns in Christmas films. Maybe Vermont or Massachusetts. I don't really like the heat and I do like mountains. Can take or leave the coast. I don't have many hobbies except walking, and am very introverted and not bothered about meeting people really.

So for someone like me, where shall I start looking? I'll only be renting for the first while, but have £400k equity in my UK house which I plan to eventually put towards a home wherever I settle.

Wisconsin is beautiful

The border of Oregon and California.

Denver/Boulder is exactly where you're after

A PP is right that the US is more different from the UK than you might expect, but no more so than say Germany.

Upstate New York has some great small towns (look at ones in range of the college and uni towns) and utterly stunning countryside and landscapes. The summers are relatively hot and the winters reliably fucking freezing.

I am assuming you can drive because you will really struggle if not.

Western or Central Massachusetts. Beautiful and liberal.

My SiL lives in Virginia (chesapeak/Norfolk area) and really likes it. Place where you can walk about rather than having to drive everywhere.

Agree new England would be a great choice though.

New England is cold and depressing in Winter

I would go Texas. (I have been to pretty much every state multiple times and 40 plus times to Boston/Maine)

Not Alaska. The cost of living in Alaska is outrageous. Of the places you mentioned Vermont might be your choice.

Not so sure about the women's rights aspect - speaking as a Scot!

Portland Maine. Lovely town with a great food culture. Lots of local businesses.

Massachusetts would be fine, or Rhode Island. No noticeable gun culture, lovely people (lived in Boston for a year).

Not wanting to derail but purely out of curiosity would love to hear more about the big differences of life in the US, culture shocks etc.

I ask because while I don't want to move there, I spent my whole teenage years dreaming of doing (probably hoping to live a sitcom life ) and so I do have some leftover intrigue about US life.

what climate are you looking for? Are you happy with cold, snowy winters?

Madison, Wisconsin.
State capitol, university town, surrounded by lovely countryside. Wisconsin has great beaches, state parks, hiking, snow sports.

Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan is a state with incredible natural amenities that seems to have flown completely under the radar of tourists. Ann Arbor is a university town, lively and yet a very manageable size.

Asheville, North Carolina.
Lovely, mountain area, maybe a bit touristy, but very liveable.

An older, lakefront suburb of Chicago - Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Highland Park. The 'Home Alone' house is in Winnetka. Cameron's father's house in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' is in Highland Park. You're close enough to Chicago to enjoy all that the city offers but you can truly get away, and Lake Michigan is lovely.

Why would you move to a country you've never even been to?! You see it on those relocation programmes on TV all the time too. I don't get it.

West Virginia for the mountains.

Very much my experience but in reverse. I have lived globally for years, and the most difficult adjustment was (continues to be after a decade) the uk.

if you can work from anywhere why not spend a year Airbnb hopping? Spend a couple of weeks in different small towns to see more of the country and get a sense of whether any of them are right for you.

My cousin lives near Boston and it’s lovely small town. I’d choose Hanover New England, went there on holiday a few years ago and it’s a lovely town, college campus and beautiful scenery.

Ooohhhh

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/112-Shoal-Quay-Chesapeake-VA-23320/61397148_zpid/

Montana?

A state that still has abortion - just in case…

I think I want your life! Would love to have this problem! Can I ask what your area of work is that you can move to the States?

@VivaLaVolvo Umm the OP doesn’t want heat. Texas definitely isn’t the place for her! 😆

I know exactly what you mean, it was how I felt when I visited the US for the first time last year. I definitely felt "European" in comparison, even though I don't speak another European language fluently, so it must just be a cultural thing.

As many have said, you might want to consider the East Coast, especially New England. We live in CA now and It is such a hassle to get to the UK and/or Europe. We love where we are but I lived in New England for many years in a beautiful small town with the prototypical church with the white spire over the water, but it was only 30 minutes to the airport and a six hour flight to Heathrow.

Montana, incredibly beautiful, small population..cold winters though..somewhere like Whitefish or Big Fork.