steviesterno Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Hey all, So I'm looking to venture off on my own, I guess, and I'm looking for ideas on where to go. I'm a Chiropractor and a College professor, but I don't think the town I'm in now is the one for me. The good news is I'm single and have a pretty small practice, so I won't be leaving much. I'd really like to find a place where I can practice and teach. Now for my requirements: I need to be able to shoot. I want to not deal with stupid gun laws or mag limits, so places like Cali and MD are out. Has to be not frigid cold or stupid hot, so not too far north. or south I want to be able to drive 30 minutes to a range (If I can't shoot on my land) and not more than 90 minutes for a match. Would really love an area that has a couple of decent matches within driving distance. Has to have outdoorsy stuff besides shooting. I'm not meant to sit in an office building or live in a shoebox... DOES NOT HAVE TO BE IN AMERICA. I'm willing to jump through a lot more shooting hoops if it's to live somewhere awesome like Italy or Prague. Basically, has anyone worked out a map of where you can live and still shoot local matches without too much trouble? Any suggestions? Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dover0020 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Move to KENTUCKY. You can shoot on your land several local matches each month within driving distance and numerous major matches within 8 hours. Great country here in South Central Kentucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick88 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I was going to say the same thing, southren Indiana is good as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 That general area, from West VA and VA to the east to Missouri and Arkansas in the west has a lot to commend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remoandiris Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) If I was in your shoes, I'd head to Utah. Doesn't really matter where either. Moab is effin awesome! With all the mountain bikers, mountain climbers and slick rock drivers, the need for chiropracters could be high. And the scenery and outdoor activities are wild!! St George area would be high on the list, too. There is gorgeous scenery, interesting and fun things to do, and shooting. Edited June 26, 2012 by remoandiris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 That general area, from West VA and VA to the east to Missouri and Arkansas in the west has a lot to commend it. I think he said not stupid hot. Look at the 4 corners and take a 150 mile wide swath north for about 500 miles. Southwestern Wyoming, eastern Utah, western Colorado and the top 2 quadrants of the 4 corners area has some of the best outdoor activites in the country. 14ers, rafting, camping, biking, 4 wheeling, etc. There are some good ranges in many of those areas. If Southern Colorado tickles your fancy, Trinidad is a neat little town and only 30 minutes from the Whittington Center...the absolute best range in the US! Grand Junction, Flagstaff, Durango, St. George, maybe even Idaho Falls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I think he said not stupid hot. All a matter of perspective. Phoenix is stupid hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes, it gets hot in the summer, but not if you drive a few hours north or west. Outdoor life is great. Shooting is superb. They host the Nationals every year. Hawaii is super - drive a half hour up into the mountains, and you can ski Oregon is a good bet, west of the Rockies - fairly good weather. What other languages do you currently speak? You'll have to put up with a lot of cultural differences if you move to the south of France or Italy - at your age it would be worth the try - you may not want to spend the rest of your life there, but I doubt you wouldn't enjoy it. Very expensive to live in Europe - especially the housing ... but FUN If shooting is your overriding consideration, join the army and visit Afghanistan (not sure if I spelled that correctly) - you shoot a LOT and for FREE. Lot of targets and very few "no shoots". Sounds like an exciting decision - good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onagoth Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Canada is out based on your requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviesterno Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Im seeing a lot of people say out west. I'm currently looking for jobs and applying in CO, Utah, and NV as we speak. I think I could manage with the culture shock, since I speak some spanish. I also picked up a lot of italian when I was over there, so being immersed in it should be ok. Shooting isn't the number one factor, but it's in there. I really prefer one way firing lines, so I think the army is out (My deep thanks do go out to all who serve, though). No real desire to be in Canada, that's for sure... Keep them coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 One thing you can do is go to the club finder if USPSA is what you want to shoot (Other sports I am sure have similar resources) and plot out the locations of the various ranges with say a 50 mile radius. Then treat it a bit like a venn diagram. Look at the overlaps and see if any of those areas meet your needs. I started to do this a couple times, but the reality is I'll be where I am for a long time so all I was doing was creating angst. This said, I looked at northern VA, North and South Carolina and there are several places in each that have multiple overlaps. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Praha is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark K Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Just South of Atlanta -- Yes, a touch warmer than you might like in the summer, but Shooting year round is good conditions. You can shoot a high quality USPSA pistol match within about 90 drive every weekend of the year. High quality competition as well. Fare amount of 3-Gun and Steel matches. Good business climate. Can live in nice small town environment, but be close to big cities for Concerts, and the like. Three hour Drive in two direction to the beach. One hour drive to snow, skiing in the winter. Great gun laws. Come on down and give it a try. Based on your posting, if you don't like it, you could just move on. Mark K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theycallmeingot Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 i haven't seen my home state of illinois come up yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSteel Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 So, this would be out then???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aglifter Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Wilmington, NC. Quite a few matches, of an assorted variety around there. (But, I'm from TX, so my definition of stupid hot could be different.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Steve, live in Florida for the winter and in Colorado for the summer. Best of both worlds - find two colleges that will let you teach one semester a year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powder Finger Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) I think he said not stupid hot. All a matter of perspective. Phoenix is stupid hot. that depends.......... today only 110, now tomorrow it's gonna be hot 113+. it's not stupid hot, the hot makes us stupid. Edited June 26, 2012 by Powder Finger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviesterno Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Yeah I went to school in Florida, and I would totally teach down there September-May and then leave. Finding the real job is the hard part at this point :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRBean Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Nashville! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatFender Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Wilmington, NC. Quite a few matches, of an assorted variety around there. (But, I'm from TX, so my definition of stupid hot could be different.) +1 for eastern NC. Several matches of different disciplines within an hour of downtown Raleigh every weekend. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I think he said not stupid hot. All a matter of perspective. Phoenix is stupid hot. As a matter of fact it was 100 in Denver today and only 80 here in SW Ohio! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 We are not exotic or foreign but here in the Cincinnati Area I am 35-40 minutes from three local matches a month. 90 minutes from one of the best local matches around and just over two hours away from two other awesome matches. (one in KY and one in IN). My club hosted one of the largest state matches on record this year and next year looks even better. I might be able to pull some strings and get you into a great club and, hey, we're Ohio. We don't have many restrictions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9X23Guy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 When I was in Texas for Larue we made a few new friends down there. They said you could drive every weekend in central Texas and find some sort of match. Yeah, it can be hot, but man every weekend. I would imagine that's pretty much year around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSHARP2 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Problem iwith texas is the hot part. It was 104 today. Dont get me wrong, I love living in Texas. I am going to mention Atlanta, GA. Three really active outdoor clubs around Atlanta, then a couple more indoor clubs that shoot weekly. Then there a some good clubs that are outside the greater Atlanta area. You can pretty much shoot year round and there are a bunch of great shooters. Big enough population to support another practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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