“Everyone is leaving. No one is coming,” a U-Haul agent told us a few weeks ago.
Illinoisans Leave State in Record Numbers, and So Are We
On January 2, 2020 I announced Illinoisans Leave State in Record Numbers, and So Are We
I am pleased to report we loaded our U-Haul rental yesterday and I am on the road driving to our new home in Utah.
Right now we are just a few hours into the trip, but we have crossed the state line and are now in Iowa.
Goodbye Illinois
On February 12, Wirepoints noted If the wealthy flee, ordinary Illinoisans will be left holding the progressive tax bag.
Yep, and we have had enough.
We were paying about $15,000 a year in property taxes on a home now worth about $380,000 or so. We have a beautiful 1 acre lot, surrounded by 30 white or and burr oak trees 100-200 years old. \
But property values are sinking. We will sell the house for a lot less than we paid for it 20 years ago.
Property taxes are a killer and taxes in general are going to rise in Illinois.
Why Utah?
I discussed Utah in my October 5, 2019 post Escape Illinois: Get The Hell Out Now, We Are
Mish
Knock Illinois all you want. I’ve lived in Utah. You’re not going to like it there either. My wife and I just moved back to Illinois for our retirement. We have been given three permanent tax breaks on our house and Illinois collects no income tax on our Social Security and retirement benefits. We have GREAT healthcare and great police and fire protection. We also currently have a great record with the pandemic due to the actions of our Democratic governor. We’re quite happy now that we have left our old state where we lived for the last 30 years while raising and educating our son. We would have come back to Illinois sooner if not for him.
If you don’t mind me asking, what did you not like about Utah? I’m considering moving (from Florida) and I was thinking of Utah, along with Montana and Idaho.
Question does the $15 k include school taxes ?
Eastern shore of Maryland 2440 sqft house, zillow $380 k on 2 wooded acres, 2 miles from Easton, property & school taxes are $1600 in 2020. Md state tax exempts $31 k of SS , pension or IRA if 65 yo.
Happy for you Mike in escaping hell! 3 weeks seems like not too bad of a price to pay…and for what you lost in appreciation there…you’ll likely gain in Zion in spades….if current trends continue in any sort of flavor and intensity.
…but please go easy on the advertising…
I’ve always felt that police, firefighters, teachers should be paid more than anyone on Wall street who just pushes chips around on the rigged gaming tables in the corrupt casino too generously dubbed the stock “market”.
Why are police unions, public teachers, and firefighters so highly compensated in IL? The only thing that comes to mind is net state migrations leaving a lower tax base, and, perhaps directly, racial segregation. Poor US southerners, mostly black, traveled to IL after the US Civil War and never integrated, and the rest of the population walled themselves off, forming an expensive-to-service ghetto? It’s a hot topic best discussed by some political science major (or maybe not, they might find themselves attacked by the PC crowd). In Washington DC, also largely mixed race (in fact #1 in the country, based on statistics, even more diverse than NYC), the economy has not suffered due to the largess of the Fed government. Otherwise, like arguably Philadelphia, PA, like most of IL, there would be some downsides to lack of integration (the ghetto effect I mention above). My two cents and I’m sticking to it until proved otherwise. Me? I’m a white who lives in three different countries, including the Philippines, where my Filipino girl and I live, and I retired from a high-paying white collar industry in my forties, never having looked back, no regrets. Good luck to you reader, and to Mish too.
It’s true, in that a lot of people get homesick and return back to their sinkhole. Stalin’s exiles who return and are disposed with come to mind. I was surprised how high property taxes were in IL, in northern VA we pay less than that for a house nearly three times higher in value, and it doesn’t look as nice as in Mish’s photos. Speaking as an expat who lives in three different countries, retired in my 40s.
By the way Mish, I read those old posts of yours. It looks like the people that moved to Texas and Florida may be regretting their decision. This will be the lesson of this generation in chasing economic growth, low taxes and low regulations at all cost. It turns out your move to Utah was smarter. Southern Utah and Northern Arizona are hidden gems in the country but they won’t be for long. Texas and Florida have become overpopulated from a population density standpoint and quality of life is headed way down there. I grew up in Texas in the 80s and that was the time to be there Eventually the oil boom will go bust in Texas. Florida is going to get blown away by repeated hurricanes in the coming years and that will make more people question living there. Illinois is toast. California will survive because it is losing population but it is always a destination for Asian money. I see more similarities electorally now between California and Texas going forward. Biden is going to have a legitimate shot in Texas come November.
Thanks for the update Mish. Please let us know how life is in Utah. Best wishes on your new home.
congratulations and welcome to the west. What took you so long?
change is good. enjoy the ride……………
The Democrats plan to bring Illinois to every state.
And the Republicans loves nothing more than to play along. They “have no choice” you see, or “The Syyystem will collapse.”
And an integral part of being well indoctrinated, illiterate idiots; is to be stupid enough to fall for the utter scam that “The Syyyystem” collapsing, is in any way, whatsoever, anything less than the greatest thing which could possibly happen to this dump. Since there exists literally not one single positive attribute of “The System” at all. Not one.
Left that state in 1995. Never looked back what a hell whole nasty place.
You can check out but you can never leave…the federal government will bail them out on a continuing basis once democrats have control.
Sadly, this is true.
Wouldn’t be a proper dystopia, if it wasn’t properly dystopian.
Good luck Mish.
Mish, you aren’t really going to southern Utah are you? Do you know what a Downwinder is? link to historytogo.utah.gov
Some very real effects…but Mish has nearly 70’s years of diminishing half life in his favor….
Where else would a photographer live?
Beware UTAH another libtard is coming your way.
Great move. Warm feelings for Utah, here. Just very nice people, Mormons or not. Wave to Latex Larry for us.
Looking forward to a lot more spectacular pictures over on your photo blog.
Congrats! You actually went and did it! Southern Utah, right?
Mish is gonna be a downwinder?
Yes, I think he said a while back that he was going to St George
Safe travels, Mish. We moved to Abilene, TX a couple years ago. I consider it that we escaped just before it got bad (this was before Pritzger took office).
While we were only renters in the Quad Cities, I could see the writing on the walls. I presume you’re going to be somewhere in the SLC valley? It’s a beautiful area. I’m sure you’ll love it there.
Peace & Prosperity to you and the family.
Mish, congrats for having the courage to act! You’re gonna love the West!
Good call, Mish!
“We were paying about $15,000 a year in property taxes on a home now worth about $380,000 or so.”
That’s robbery, no other way to describe it. I pay $2800 a year for two very nice 2000 sq. ft. homes on 10 acres, assessed at $450,000.
Location, location, location…
That is really low for Michigan. We have one in Macomb County, 2300 sq ft on 1/3 acre w/tax @ $3200 and another at the tip of the thumb 1300 sq ft on 16 acres @ $2800 (no Headlee tax break).
“We will sell the house for a lot less than we paid for it 20 years ago.” Ouch, not many people can say that.
Fantastic that you managed to escape Mish, you will be the better for it!! Look forward to future reports from Utah!
Congrats, Mish. Have a safe trip. Wave as you pass through Nebraska.
Stopped for the night in Lincoln
Waving now
Next stop somewhere near Vail Colorado
That’s where I am. If you want to eat some fast food that is very different, you can try a Runza. It’s ground beef, cabbage, and spices placed into bread dough and then baked. Some like it some don’t, but it’s not like anything you will find anywhere else. I did have something nearly identical baked by a friend’s wife, who was from Michigan, except she used Rutabaga instead of cabbage. Not that you would want one for breakfast, even if they were open, lol.
Have a great rest of the trip.
We ate at Misty’s – excellent food and we sat outside
Outstanding choice! That’s the best restaurant in town, if you like a delicious prime rib or steak, and the rest of their food is excellent, too.
Congratulations Mish! I’m a long time reader of you great blog. At least since 2014 but probably earlier.
I relocated from California to Utah 29 years ago … was a good move, although it was quite a culture shock back then. The outdoor activities were worth it!
You will find St. George is a conservative area, and they will not take kindly to your liberal rants……
Welcome to Utah!
Thanks!
I’m happy that you are able to make a move to an area that you wish to go to.
I’m sad that the circumstances in Illinois have deteriorated so much that you feel you are forced to move. It sounds as if you would have stayed in IL if the state could have run its finances better, instead of loading the burden on the taxpayer’s backs.
Heaven help the IL citizens that do not have the wherewithal to make a move. Their burden will increase until their backs are broken.
Thanks
Actually we wanted to move. Liz retired in June. I can blog from anywhere
Hope you all settle into your new home OK Mish.
Thanks
Call Penske, they are hundreds less than U Haul.
Penske has to compete with U-Haul so I could guess that the price may differ a bit, but how long would you need to wait for a one way contract. U-Haul was a 3 week wait. Obviously, leaving bad memories has a premium not worth haggling over.
When I rented from Penske there was no wait. But then that was Oregon where a lot of people are moving in, all the rental companies had a surplus. Aside from being hundreds lower the Penske gear was newer and cleaner, I have seen way too many U Hauls on the side of the road dead waiting for tow trucks to trust their gear for more than a cross town move. I wonder how they do that, I mean tow a moving truck. They have to get a very large wrecker like the type used to tow semi trucks. And then what about all your stuff in the back? It was not packed to withstand being tipped at a 30% gradient is it?
U Haul also has a fatal flaw, in larger trucks anyway, in that the fuel filler pipe you pump gas into is connected to the tank by a hose not unlike a radiator hose. Thieves know about it, especially the meth subculture I hear, they can just park next to a truck and use a sharp blade to slash that hose and in goes a siphon. Enough gas for 4 cars. I rented such a truck once and when I was done moving went to fill it up, gas went everywhere. U Haul says it is a chronic problem.
It was $2500 for a one way good for 6 days – got a 20-ft truck
Fit damn near everything we wanted to take
Tipped the loaders very well – they packed that truck with far more than we thought would fit in. Gave the loaders $300 each in tips for 4 hours loading in sweltering heat
The rates I think are based on positive/negative net population change. I was moving from Oregon where they had a surplus of trucks they would otherwise have to pay some one to drive deadhead back to places like IL where there is more demand to leave than are coming in. So to get trucks to IL they have to pay people to drive them empty into the state. I had a 20 foot truck reserved at $1,230 for March 29. I hade to change to a 26 footer in early March though when United cancelled the route to fly home to get my car, and needed a larger truck to tow my car along with a car carrier. All in all with the bigger truck and car carrier and about $400 something in their insurance since my insurance did not cover the larger truck or car carrier, my total bill was $2,600.
Mish, your movers are NEVER going to forget you, $30 tip would have been appropriate. If you moved more often like I have you would know they only get tipped about half the time, which I think is bad on the part of those that don’t tip, but I also give them things like pizzas with that cash. I know you are generous and that is good, and I know you can afford it or you would not have tipped that much, so I am not criticizing at all and please don’t think so. I am usually a great tipper just because in the sixties my mother had to work for tips only for several of those years, back when 10% was the norm not 20%, and the bills they were tipping on were a fraction of what is getting tipped at 20% plus now. It was actual poverty those years. But chances are good that those guys were working under the table and drawing state UI along with the $600 per week federal suppliment. Swelter heat and all, that is relative, their job is to work like field beasts in sweltering heat, if it bothered them they would not do it.
Excellent 👌… You’ve been talking about this for a few years, and now the rubber is meeting the road. For the footloose, a great option is virtual residency in South Dakota…a Godsend.
Good for you Mish! Happy to see you’ve escaped that quagmire.
Quagmire is an understatement
all the best with the move, mish!
The story of escaping Illinois to go somewhere else is no story. The story of how you fared 3 years later is the REAL story. 🙂 All the things you predicted happening and all the things you had no idea were gonna happen. I’ve been around since Mish’s first mention on the wrong hyperinflationists in 2008ish. We’ll see in 2023.
Best wishes to you and your family Mish, as you begin your new life in Utah.
IMHO, your timing is pretty good. I am afraid that among those still waiting, there will be many who find they cannot leave (without being foreclosed upon) because real estate values will have dropped to where the homeowners will find themselves deep under water.
yes the price of gas/cigs in S. Illinois..geez Why is it so high?? To pay for Chicago thats why (local saying)!!
Yay! Mish, good for you and the Mrs. I hope you find what you hope to find.
Mish Pliskin