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Considering moving from California to a Free State. Looking for advice, ideas, books, websites.

Don't bail on california unless you have to. Find a rural community that shares your same values and embrace all the things you're looking for. That's what my wife and I did and we love it. Went from oc in socal the western rural foothills in eldorado county and it's great. Sure you can't open carry but getting ccw through eldorado county is pretty seamless. Got 18 acres with newish built house (2017) and adu that my dad lives in for well under a mill. All four seasons, no humidity in the summer. Have a range on the back half of my property and I go shoot whenever I want. Sure it's still california, but it's easy to forget it is unless you go to sacramento where you're quickly reminded. Not gonna lie, we've wanted to make the move but there are few places in the world that have the weather and beauty we have. Plus we need to good principled people to stay in Cali to try and keep it somewhat balanced. Just gtfo of LA County whatever you do.
This was what my wife and I did as well. We looked OoS then found what we were looking for right here in SoCal.

We’re rural yet close to anything we need, including excellent healthcare. And rural in SoCal doesn’t mean dried-out and brown. The hills stay green year-round, and of course there are all the groves that are irrigated and look beautiful. The ocean influence keeps the weather cool and mild most of the year.

Friends that come to visit always say the same thing when they first get here: ‘I can’t believe this is still California’.

We’re zoned light agriculture, with no lots smaller than 4 acres, no multi-unit, no mobile homes, no retail, no large commercial operations. Also, no mass transit in this area. I didn’t appreciate how important that is to community stability.

Another good thing to look for: This area isn’t a place people drive through to get to somewhere else. If you’re driving through here you generally live or work here. Keeps the traffic way down.

My home range goes to 200 meters. My neighbor across the way has ~30 acres and multiple bays. His rifle bay goes to 300 meters.

People in this area are ‘live-and-let-live’, which is great. And if you need help, they come running.

Again OP, good luck in your search!!
 
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Don't bail on california unless you have to. Find a rural community that shares your same values and embrace all the things you're looking for. That's what my wife and I did and we love it. Went from oc in socal the western rural foothills in eldorado county and it's great. Sure you can't open carry but getting ccw through eldorado county is pretty seamless. Got 18 acres with newish built house (2017) and adu that my dad lives in for well under a mill. All four seasons, no humidity in the summer. Have a range on the back half of my property and I go shoot whenever I want. Sure it's still california, but it's easy to forget it is unless you go to sacramento where you're quickly reminded. Not gonna lie, we've wanted to make the move but there are few places in the world that have the weather and beauty we have. Plus we need to good principled people to stay in Cali to try and keep it somewhat balanced. Just gtfo of LA County whatever you do.
where in eldorado county?
 
This was what my wife and I did as well. We looked OoS then found what we were looking for right here in SoCal.

We’re rural yet close to anything we need, including excellent healthcare. And rural in SoCal doesn’t mean dried-out and brown. The hills stay green year-round, and of course there are all the groves that are irrigated and look beautiful. The ocean influence keeps the weather cool and mild most of the year.

Friends that come to visit always say the same thing when they first get here: ‘I can’t believe this is still California’.

We’re zoned light agriculture, with no lots smaller than 4 acres, no multi-unit, no mobile homes, no retail, no large commercial operations. Also, no mass transit in this area. I didn’t appreciate how important that is to community stability.

Another good thing to look for: This area isn’t a place people drive through to get to somewhere else. If you’re driving through here you generally live or work here. Keeps the traffic way down.

My home range goes to 200 meters. My neighbor across the way has ~30 acres and multiple bays. His rifle bay goes to 300 meters.

People in this area are ‘live-and-let-live’, which is great. And if you need help, they come running.

Again OP, good luck in your search!!
Sounds great. What area are you in?
 
Great post! How is it your property can have a range? Sheer size and/or special zoning? Did you have to build berms, or more likely you created the range around natural barriers?

This is a good idea. The outdoor range where I'm a member is private property technically so it's a similar legal arrangement I'm sure.

AFAIK you can legally open carry on your own property. I could do that where I live.

Thanks!


I live in a small district that is managed by the county. As long as you're safe and respectful it is perfectly legal and acceptable to shoot on your property. Only downfall is summer time. Don't want to start a fire so I go shoot at the indoor range down the hill. You can open, conceal whatever you're in the mood for on your own property.
 
Great post! How is it your property can have a range? Sheer size and/or special zoning? Did you have to build berms, or more likely you created the range around natural barriers?

This is a good idea. The outdoor range where I'm a member is private property technically so it's a similar legal arrangement I'm sure.

AFAIK you can legally open carry on your own property. I could do that where I live.

Thanks!

We're in rolling hills so we just use natural barriers. If you had flat land you would definitely have to build burms
 
Sounds great. What area are you in?
Lots of spots like mine in southwest Riverside County and adjacent northwest San Diego County.

It was total dumb luck that I found this area. For shooting on your land, you need to be careful: unincorporated areas are generally GtG (but not always) and incorporated are generally *not* GtG (but not always, haha!!). And, of course, even where allowed, the same rules apply about shooting near dwellings, across roads, etc.

Being able to shoot on our land wasn’t even on my mind (I just assumed it wasn’t going to be allowed), then during property inspection I heard ‘pow, ding, pow, ding, pow, ding’ from across the way. I asked my agent about it, he said “Of course you can shoot here. Everyone around here does!!”

I was very pleasantly surprised, haha!!
 
Any towns around? For someone who’s not familiar with the area to get an idea?

Plenty of towns! Just have to commute a little.
-90 min to south lake tahoe
-15 min from coloma where the American River has world class fishing, beauty, and white water rapids
-15 min from Cool (holiday market)
-30 min to either placerville or Auburn (main big hospitals and bad ass downtowns)
-35-45 min to eldorado hills or Folsom (where costco and trader joes are) you'd feel right back in LA without the piss, sh@t, needles, and odor
- I'm 8 minutes from a Marval in Georgetown,
4 min from post office and true value hardware and feed and gas station.
I live in Garden Valley. It's called the "gem of the divide" and it doesn't disappoint.
 
Lots of spots like mine in southwest Riverside County and adjacent northwest San Diego County.

It was total dumb luck that I found this area. For shooting on your land, you need to be careful: unincorporated areas are generally GtG (but not always) and incorporated are generally *not* GtG (but not always, haha!!). And, of course, even where allowed, the same rules apply about shooting near dwellings, across roads, etc.

Being able to shoot on our land wasn’t even on my mind (I just assumed it wasn’t going to be allowed), then during property inspection I heard ‘pow, ding, pow, ding, pow, ding’ from across the way. I asked my agent about it, he said “Of course you can shoot here. Everyone around here does!!”

I was very pleasantly surprised, haha!!
Must be near Anza...
 
We're in rolling hills so we just use natural barriers. If you had flat land you would definitely have to build burms
Same here. We're way up on a hill, and my range is down in one of the 'ravines' where our persimmon grove is. No berms needed at all.
 
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