Photo by Luis Fernandes, Pexels.com
A recent article I came across included a poll that indicated “Americans Increasingly Want to Move to Another Country.”
While the article itself discusses the role of politics as to why people might want to live elsewhere, I thought it would be interesting to take my own poll and ask readers …
If you had the resources (and the energy), would you move out of the U.S.? If so, where would you like to settle? And why?
Now I realize that family ties and/or financial costs have a direct influence on whether a person would actually choose to move/live elsewhere, but for the time being, let’s discard such concerns and use your imagination. What country beckons you?
OR …
Let’s say you cannot see yourself ever leaving the United States, but you would like to live somewhere else … perhaps in another city … or even another state.
What location draws you … and, more importantly, why that particular place?
Speaking for myself, for the most part, I enjoy where I currently live. However, if I was younger and had my “druthers,” I would like to live in Australia. I visited there several years ago and it just “felt good.” I liked the people … I liked the environment … I liked the aesthetic appeal. Of course, things do change (look at the U.S.!), but based on that visit, it would be my residence of choice.
Nan's Notebook 
If money were no object I would love to move to New Zealand and live among the Hobbits 😎
Or British Columbia, close enough to the US to visit, far enough away to be insulated against Republican batshittery.
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Restricting it to the US, though, it would be just over the border from BC: in the Northwest…Olympic Peninsula or Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, or further south along the coast in Washington or Oregon. We have vacationed there three times and we both love love the region.
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Having travelled a bit over the years I’m fairly sure that I’m living in the right country for me, though I would certainly live in America in preference to a lot of places. Mrs Richmond has it in her head to move to Italy for about six months and there seems to be an expectation that I will go with her for that. But whatever the case, we will always come back here.
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My preference would be London. I’ve been a couple of times, and just love the place. But I don’t have the money or energy to move there.
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Yes … both are rather important considerations. 😄
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When was the last time you were there?
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2019, we took the family over for a bit over a week. I could have spent so much longer, I only saw a tiny fraction of what I wanted to see.
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Is the city becoming as ‘Islamic’ as it is sometimes portrayed in the media?
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Only if you believe the same people who mutter darkly about “ replacement strategy”
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For me, the obvious place to move would be Australia, since that’s where I grew up. But, with the effects of climate change, I’m not so sure that would be a good idea.
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Hmm. Interesting remark about climate change. Would not have considered that. But you’re right. It could very well play an important role.
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FWIW relative to climate change, Melbourne, Australia is at about 37 degrees south latitude. For comparison, Cairo, Illinois; Bowling Green, Kentucky; and Newport News, and Hampton, Virginia are at about 37 degrees north latitude. Sydney, Australia is at about 33 degrees south. San Diego, Phoenix, and Dallas are at about 33 degrees north.
Even with climate change, the distance from the Equator is still the major determinant for heat.
Of course, Sydney is only 20 feet above sea level, but Melbourne’s elevation is 120 feet. (Be wary of Florida. The most populated cities average 12 feet above the ocean,)
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If, the big if, of time, money and energy. I would love to be living in another country again. Lived in Perth a few years, early 70’s. Then Japan for a few years in the 80’s’ and 90’s. Both countries are safe, peaceful and there is no tipping. I’d like to live in Japan. There’s lots to see and it is easy to get around. But, moving would be a serious effort. A nice thing about living abroad is that the US news is filtered out a bit. GROG
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Japan seems to have a special appeal to many folks that I’ve talked to over the years. Of course, moving there –or anywhere– is beyond consideration for many of us. Between $$$$ resources and age, we can only dream. **Sigh**
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Australia and New Zealand sound really nice, given their distance from the US. Good old Soviet Canuckistan doesn’t seem far enough away at the moment, given that I’m only a few hundred miles from the US border.
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A few people said they would move to my country NZ 😉. Our country is beautiful but living here has become increasingly expensive, and buying a house is out of reach for most people now, also the weather changes every 5 minutes haha. Being isolated is both good and bad. If I were to move I might go to Australia, which is similar to NZ in many respects but with much more opportunities and better pay. Japan also seems tempting too.
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In the trip I made to Australia (those oh-so-many-years-ago!), we also toured both islands of New Zealand. Beautiful country … and friendly people. But, as you noted, times change — and sometimes the appeal wears thin.
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My first choice would be Nova Scotia, since my roots are there; second would be Scotland, which has always seemed such a fascinating place to be in.
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Portugal would be my go to alternate.
It still might turn out to be our retirement place, but with the exchange rate sitting at 20 – 1 this will more than a little difficult!
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Any special reason why you like Portugal? It’s not often mentioned as a wish-for destination so I’m interested in its appeal.
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I have family there for one thing. Very low crime, weather is pretty good.
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Portugal would be mine also. But if the Atlantic currents “shut down”, it might be very dicey.
Architecture, the language is pretty if challenging. Current climate and landscape. Wine. Cycling infrastructure Music.
plus, they make it easy. New Zealand is almost impossible. Any place that lets that fascist weird Peter Thiel in is sketchy in my book! Plus NZ just kicked out their excellent PM, so no place is free of the modern version of the Bronze Age Collapse we are now experiencing.
I also feel that 40 years under Estado Novo rule in Portugal might slightly inoculate them against the worst of Republican style fascism?
i just moved after decades actually. Only 30 miles. But Sacramento, despite its serious serious issues, is so much more interesting than Vacaville. Or the land if 5 Cs: Church, Children, Chain Stores, Caucasians, and Cops. Despite the media drumbeat I have no realistic desire to leave California. The Northwest is nice, but the gloom and drizzle??? And that Cascadian Zone fault is scarier than anything in California!!
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I was born in Los Angeles, California, was raised and spent many years in Bakersfield — and have many fond memories of my life there. (VERY hot and dusty climate, however.)
I eventually moved to the East Bay area (worked in San Francisco), and loved living there. So much to do! Such great weather! Regrettably, however, after retiring, I just didn’t have the resources to stay so I migrated to So. Oregon.
I do like it here — and where I live the rain isn’t all that bad. As for the Cascadian fault, we’re more inland so it shouldn’t hit us too severely … but if the “reading” is as high as predicted, I think it will be widely felt throughout the Western states!
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I’d pick New Zealand…beautiful country, not the political upheaval ( at least doesn’t seem to be). Doesn’t seem to have lunatic religion and racism and gun problems we have so much of here.
I’d also think about some of the Scandinavian countries, but too cold and they are too close to Russia, and Europe could be problematic in the future with the growing authoritarianism and closer proximity to nuclear weapons. Canada is too close to the US and too cold.
But I’m too old now and will just stay put. Hope my remaining years don’t see the worst of it yet to come.
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I think age enters into the decision for many of us, Mary. But it’s still fun to dream and imagine the ways that life would be different.
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Yep. 61 in May. Also detest cold winters and conversely, could never live in a place like Arizona where it is 91 degrees at 3 am
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For me it would be Australia (if only they’d let me in!)
But how about Denmark? The standard of living is very high, with minimal poverty, the climate is temperate, but nice in the summer, it isn’t too crowded, has lovely coast, attractive architecture, and the Danes are perhaps the happiest and most satisfied people in any country in the world. Problems? The language – although pretty much everyone speaks English (and many companies insist on English being spoken at work). And the cost of living is about twice that in the UK (and US). Wages are much higher too, so okay if you’re just starting out, but retiring there would be a stretch.
Andalucia, would be another favourite option (so long as you’re well away from the Costa Del Sol).
Ah, we can all dream…
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Yes we can … and in the crazy world many of us are living in at the moment, dreams help keep us sane!
Thanks for the info on Denmark. It’s a place I would never have considered.
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Living in England, it is hard to imagine living anywhere else. But I was entranced by Singapore. It was warm, (too warm, but I got used to it) felt safe, and had a real ethnic/racial mix that seemed to work. But I still struggle to see myself living there every day for the rest of my life.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’m staying here no matter what. The first of my paternal family moved her in 1731. My maternal many times great-grandfather arrived in 1620. The upper half of the east coast of the the U.S. is my ancestral home.
I believe that the country will recover from the lingering socio-economic effects of the pandemic. If not, the forces who want to reset history to the 1950s will extend their polices … or send their thugs … to kill me. I am not going to change my loyalty to and blogging about the ideals that started this country. (Who knows, the Yellowstone Caldera could explode and kill us all. 😨 )
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Australia is a great place to live, however if a global war started I would likely hightail it back to NZ as it is off the radar in global military power terms. Religious influence is a minor problem in both countries, guns are rigidly controlled and there is not so much hate and lies in politics, however there are a few extremists and the odd conspiracist who do not last long.
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Your remarks about these two countries just makes me wish I were younger so I could high-tail it out of this place. I know that, overall, the U.S. is a great country — and people still want to come here to live. But for those of us who are living in the thick of things right now … well, it’s awfully tempting to want to run away.
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Any white or pink-sanded beach with the clearest water and palm trees! I don’t care where, just must meet these specs. lol
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Sweden. I speak the language, I know their culture and appriciate it. Theirs is a lot like ours, only better. Same goes for the weather and landscape. For now I prefer Finland. For hundreds of years these two were the same country, Finland was just a nother duchy of Sweden, only behind a body of water – the Baltic sea. That is why we still call it the “Eastern Sea” even though it is west from us, as this name is a loan from them. The old name (that hardly anyone knows anymore) in Finnish is “Salt Sea”, wich is kind of ironic too, because there is precious little salt in the Baltic sea.
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