Live in USA, different taxes...

[Gaël]

I think I understand a lot of things with your explanations, thank you again,

I have to look for a land where I Like but not far compared that I thought...

As you wrote SARGE/AF, it depends of tourist area... and yes of course, Texas is a good destination too (my Airstream comes from here), I can tell about the Wyoming I like too because I like mountain and wild life...
USA is very big...

@ msmoto : your picture makes me dream...

[SARGE/AF]

[QUOTE=Gaël;1560609]I like mountain and wild life...USA is very big...

Yes it is, but if you like the mountains as well as the flat lands, then maybe a little further east but staying in the south, such as states like Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina upstate, has vast mountains and then with a short drive you can be in the lowlands or valleys.
Google them and you will see what I mean, and the Cost Of Living is much lower here in the more rural areas, and even then you are that far from the cities.
I live in what is called East Tennessee, the home of Country Music, the area of East Tennessee starts at Knoxville and goes to Bristol at the Virginia state line, from the state line at the north to the state line at the south which you can drive from one to the other N to S in an hour, Knoxville to Bristol in 2 hours. Oh by the way we have Bristol Motor Speedway too.

[Gaël]

Hi Sarge,

Yes, you're right, Tennessee is the country music's home ! Nashville, I saw the film : "Walk the Line" and we can see that Nashville is the cradle of the country music, where many people began their careers...

We can see beautiful landscapes throughout the USA from the east to west...

Thank you for the precision and it will be very difficult to choose the next destination for holidays in USA...

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Gaël

Quote:
Originally Posted by richw46
When I lived in Florida they used to say 'Land of sunshine, but it's not free sunshine'.

Why ?

Because you must pay to live there. When I lived there, store owners said people come from the north during winter. They would complain about the high prices and the store owners' reply would be 'Land of sunshine, but it's not free'. Like most tourist areas, they must charge enough during the busy season to cover the not busy season (off-season).

Living near the coast is more expensive. I lived in central Florida and it was comparable to where I had lived in Kentucky. Kentucky is retiree friendly for income from pensions and social security. I'm not sure about foreign income. Our sales tax is 6% with most groceries and medicine exempt. We have lots of horse farms, caves, mountains, parks, lakes and other open areas.

[SARGE/AF]

[QUOTE=Gaël;1565975]Hi Sarge,

Yes, you're right, Tennessee is the country music's home ! Nashville, I saw the film : "Walk the Line" and we can see that Nashville is the cradle of the country music, where many people began their careers...

That's the rub that most do not learn until they visit Tennessee, Country music actually got its start in Bristol Tennessee area, South West Virginia, Southern KY as well as the opposite side of the state Memphis TN, West Memphis Ark, Tupelo MO.
The music from east Tennessee is a mix of the mountain music that became more mainstream. The music from West TN is a mix of the blues that started being sung by whites during the era of slavery.
In the 40's it all graduated to Nashville as it is the capitol of Tennessee and the hub of the state, hence the opening of Ryman Auditorium, then later in the 60's the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame.
So as you can see this state is steeped in deep country traditions, and stayed that way until about 20 years ago when people from up north began flocking to this area because of the low cost of living. This is where the North/South argument usually gets started, me having been born in Michigan went to school there, but was also raised in Texas as we traveled back and forth, so I can see both sides of the argument.

[Foiled Again]

Dear Gael,

Did you know that there are several Airstream Only campgrounds in the USA? Most are condos - shared ownership with one Airstream owner per lot. In Virginia it's Virginia Highland Haven which has about 40 campsites overlooking a beautiful mountain scene with great sunsets. The two nearest towns are about 20 miles away and the camp is in the heart of the wine growing region of Virginia. This campground closes in the winter - the Appalachia mountains get a lot of snow in winter! In Texas they're open year around, and many of the sites are "improved" with a shelter home so you can store your Airstream and tow vehicle when you're in France.

There are also two in Texas, one in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey that I know of right off hand. All of them allow casual campers to come in and use spaces that are empty because the owners are traveling. The per night fees are very reasonable.

So we can solve all of your problems. Come over here and find a second Airstream or Argosy and a good used tow vehicle, then visit some of these campgrounds to find one where you want to purchase a share. That gives you a place to "snowbird" or stay the winter as well as the freedom to travel through parts of the country whenever you want.

Here is a link to the parks listed in the forum. I note that some of the reviews are quite old, so the information may be out of date. With luck this link will lead you to find the websites for the various parks and more up to date information.

http://www.airforums.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=33

Paula

[Gaël]

Hi Richw46, Sarge/af and Paula,

Thank you very much for yours advices, all your answers are very interresting

Yes, we saw (several times) the film "Walk the Line", very good actors and history... ! Great resume for the Johnny Cash's life !

I didn't know about this system of campgrounds, it seems a good alternative and when I'm watching the campgrounds's pictures, for example this one :



A dream... mountain scenes... sunsets... a simple life for us... and that's all.

Many many dreams in my mind and many wishes... !

Thank you again for all and for sharing, you very help me in order to think about many things, many possibilities...

[Foiled Again]

Airstream Campgrounds are a good source for locating well loved older Airstreams. People who buy into these are usually retired and spend months at a time on the campground, or even live there full-time (often with a "villa" that covers the camper and adds a couple of rooms, a washing machine, or whatever else you want.) Here's a link from Texas Airstream Harbor that shows all levels of shelters

Texas Airstream Harbor, Inc.

Because many of the owners are older and retired - age or medical problems often bring an end to ownership of the trailer and the lot at the park. You do have to be approved to buy into the parks, but it's not oppressive. Questions asked: "Will you be a camp host for two weeks, or pay someone else to do your time, will you help with chores and be a quiet peaceful neighbor, can you cook?) The one time I visited Penn Woods there were three nice big trailers for sale.

Paula

[SARGE/AF]

Yes, we saw (several times) the film "Walk the Line", very good actors and history... ! Great resume for the Johnny Cash's life !
I didn't know about this system of campgrounds, it seems a good alternative and when I'm watching the campgrounds's pictures, for example this one :
A dream... mountain scenes... sunsets... a simple life for us... and that's all.
Many many dreams in my mind and many wishes... !
Thank you again for all and for sharing, you very help me in order to think about many things, many possibilities...[/QUOTE]

Everything always starts with a dream or thought, then it becomes reality, funny you should mention Johnny Cash, his wife and country music legend June Carter Cash is from this area, the homestead still exists today and much of it is occupied by family members. The Carters played a major roll in county music from a time before when it was mountain music through and including today. The homestead is known as Carter Family Fold, the store is still there and operational and has been in the same place for nearly 100 years, and is the place where all the picking goes on. A stage was added to the store for locals to perform on as well as aspiring singers, June and Johnny sang and visited this on a regular basis and was the only place they could go and not be swamped by fans and media, everybody just treated them as normal people when they came in including many visitors who was told that if they showed to be respectful. In all my years of living here though I have never heard of one time that June and Johnny did not talk with the "new comers" or "visitors". Although I never got the chance to actually meet them, I do know some of the family personally and even with all their fame they stayed down to earth and good people, not snobbish, or better than you attitude, just regular everyday people.
I better stop rambling now,
Sarge
Johnny and June had a house there as well

[geekgrrrl]

Also a lot of zillow listings are typos, where the $30,000 is really $3,000 rent per month instead of a purchase price. ... or a manufactured home/mobilehome. I found many were rentals instead of purchases when I was looking previously.

just my .02 cents