Moving to the US and buying a business

[CrazyCaper]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

I wouldn't consider anything in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Water is a big problem for all of them. Arizona and Nevada are front and center to the crisis facing the Lower Colorado Water Basin. Municipalities in both states are already initiating their crisis plans for conserving water. Utah faces an ecological timebomb as the Great Salt Lake dries out and exposes arsenic in the soil and the dust becomes toxic. The SW is really hurting right now and more and more people keep moving here putting even more pressure on resources we are short on. It also doesn't help that Saudi Arabia is draining our aquafers to grow alfalfa. The southwest is seriously ####ed.

Will definitely take that into consideration. Appreciate the insight. Hadn't really considered possible water shortages.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Mickey76

I hope you post updates on how things go for you. I’m curious how you’ll find living/working down there. My wife is American and we’ve talked about moving to Tennessee or Illinois but a little too settled here I guess.

The gun violence thing is interesting as it is so exaggerated by the Canadian press. Tragic and more dangerous then Canada for sure, but US homicides by firearms were higher yearly from 1970 to around 2000 then they are now. 1974 was a far more dangerous time to live or visit the US.

The people are great too. There is an odd superiority Canadian exhibit towards Americans as if they are all stupid. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Anyways I wish you well.

Not true, in fact both murders by gun and suicides have more than doubled since then according to pew.

Spoiler!

I guess if you watch Foxnews for your US news all day you would think the Canadian press were the only ones reporting gun problems in the US but every other news in the US reports it far more than we do.

Fact, no other nation in the world has their leading cause of death to school age children from guns, no other nation in the world has anything near the mass shootings and no other nation in the world have anything near the amount of guns on their streets. the USA is a nightmare.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

Not true, in fact both murders by gun and suicides have more than doubled since then according to pew.

Spoiler!

I guess if you watch Foxnews for your US news all day you would think the Canadian press were the only ones reporting gun problems in the US but every other news in the US reports it far more than we do.

Fact, no other nation in the world has their leading cause of death to school age children from guns, no other nation in the world has anything near the mass shootings and no other nation in the world have anything near the amount of guns on their streets. the USA is a nightmare.

Murder rates by population are still significantly down since the 70s and 90s, even though they have spiked in the last couple years. The murder rate in the county I live in (~400,000 population) in Virginia is a little higher than Calgary and a little lower than Edmonton, so not really something that crosses my mind a whole lot.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Murder rates by population are still significantly down since the 70s and 90s, even though they have spiked in the last couple years. The murder rate in the county I live in (~400,000 population) in Virginia is a little higher than Calgary and a little lower than Edmonton, so not really something that crosses my mind a whole lot.

The murder rate in the US is almost 3x Canada's. It's around 5x most of Europe.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

The murder rate in the US is almost 3x Canada's. It's around 5x most of Europe.

Not disagreeing, just saying it is down from its peak and varies significantly by locality. If you don't have a gun in your house, and live in a similar type neighborhood in the US as you would in Calgary or Edmonton, the odds aren't significantly different of getting shot.

[tripin_billie]

I moved to the States in 2006 and there have definitely been pros and cons. Take my input as you will. I know it's politically biased. It's just how I feel as someone coming up on living 20 years in the States.

Pros - tl:dr: it's a great place to be a consumer and some of the material quality of life things are way better

- Depending on region, better weather
- Unparalleled country to be a consumer in
- Depending on region, higher salaries than Canadian equivalents
- Met amazing people and have great friends down here
- Cheaper domestic air travel
- 30 year fixed rate mortgages (absolutely insane to lock in low rates for the entirety of the mortgage)

Cons - tl:dr: Everything in the States seems more extreme and buyer beware.

- healthcare - It's a disaster. I have excellent insurance and still it's a pain of forms, copays, random statements that may or may not be bills, having to select doctors based on whether they take your insurance, etc. etc. And this all still comes with wait times for anything other than a routine office visit. The "system" is so disjointed that it feels like you are starting fresh with every practitioner. It's untenable, collapsing, and truly something I consider a disaster.

- healthcare (as a small business owner) - I am not a small business owner, but I would recommend you fully investigate what requirements you'll have as a business owner for providing health insurance for your employees.

- education (primary and secondary) - it's a total crapshoot down here. You can pay a lot to live in a specific neighborhood that has amazing schools or you could be in a district with schools so bad that you just can't send kids to them. And even if you move into a place with high financial investments into the schools, you could still have to deal with science classes that don't teach evolution, books being banned fro you library, and history classes so white washed that they should just be open about the courses being white-supremacist indoctrination.

- education (post-secondary) - depending on state, even in-state tuition is excessive (UVA for example is just under $20,000) and will leave you in debt for decades. Luckily, I moved after finishing my undergrad in Canada, but I have many friends that were saddled with thousands of dollars of debt for questionable quality educations. I say questionable quality educations because outside of the top private and top state schools, there is an overabundance of mediocre schools. You can absolutely get the best education in the world here, but it's way easier to also get duped in comparison to Canada where pretty much any of the major public universities have a high quality of education.

- housing costs - this one is similar to Canada, but if you are looking to move to major metro areas in the US, be prepared to drop about $1 million or more for a home.

- guns - I'm not going to lie, I'm contemplating bailing from the US over this issue. It has been getting worse and worse and the pandemic seems to have put the whole thing into overdrive. I live in a nice but not 100% wealthy neighborhood. Prior to this year, I heard gunshots in the neighborhood maybe twice in 10 years. This year, I've heard about 4 shootings in a 2 month period including one that was clearly a drive by since I also heard the screeching tires. And this isn't even the mass-shooting kind of gun crime that has also exploded. I absolutely hate the idea of kids having to do mass shooter drills. We started having to do them at work prior to the pandemic and it's one of the reasons I'm happy to stay remote. The big thing is, there just doesn't seem to be a path forward on this issue. It's too entrenched in the culture and constitution.

- politics/ governance - Independent of your political persuasion, politics in the USA is completely a death sport. The polarization is extreme and the general structure of US governance is showing its weaknesses. Federally, elections are not run by the Federal government and states and local governments have gerrymandered the living daylights out of everything. On top of this is wide open land mass in Wyoming and the Dakotas having more voting power in the Senate than people in NY, California, New Jersey, etc. It's another untenable scenario that leaves governance in gridlock and means that we are still fighting over issues in the US that Canada resolved by the 1980s. Add in the insane electoral college, Citizens United ruling, and super PACs, and the 2 year midterm cycle and the US is constantly in a campaign. It's exhausting. And beyond the partisanship, clear and demonstrable corruption is left unchecked at high levels such as Supreme Court justices having sugar daddies. I could go on for days on how broken US governance is, but for a Canadian looking to move down here, I would say that there is a strong impact on founding principles between the two countries. Live, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness does not equal Peace, Order, and Good Government.

- sexism - American women are literally losing rights in this country.

- racism - Structural racism is real and you can see its effects in almost everything in the US.



As much as I'm complaining here, it's because I see the promise in the US and wish it could live up to its own ideals! I love living in DC, I love the people I've met down here, and don't regret moving. That said, I don't know if I see myself living here forever, and there are wide swaths of the country where I would refuse to live.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by tripin_billie

I moved to the States in 2006 and there have definitely been pros and cons. Take my input as you will. I know it's politically biased. It's just how I feel as someone coming up on living 20 years in the States.

Pros - tl:dr: it's a great place to be a consumer and some of the material quality of life things are way better

- Depending on region, better weather
- Unparalleled country to be a consumer in
- Depending on region, higher salaries than Canadian equivalents
- Met amazing people and have great friends down here
- Cheaper domestic air travel
- 30 year fixed rate mortgages (absolutely insane to lock in low rates for the entirety of the mortgage)

Cons - tl:dr: Everything in the States seems more extreme and buyer beware.

- healthcare - It's a disaster. I have excellent insurance and still it's a pain of forms, copays, random statements that may or may not be bills, having to select doctors based on whether they take your insurance, etc. etc. And this all still comes with wait times for anything other than a routine office visit. The "system" is so disjointed that it feels like you are starting fresh with every practitioner. It's untenable, collapsing, and truly something I consider a disaster.

- healthcare (as a small business owner) - I am not a small business owner, but I would recommend you fully investigate what requirements you'll have as a business owner for providing health insurance for your employees.

- education (primary and secondary) - it's a total crapshoot down here. You can pay a lot to live in a specific neighborhood that has amazing schools or you could be in a district with schools so bad that you just can't send kids to them. And even if you move into a place with high financial investments into the schools, you could still have to deal with science classes that don't teach evolution, books being banned fro you library, and history classes so white washed that they should just be open about the courses being white-supremacist indoctrination.

- education (post-secondary) - depending on state, even in-state tuition is excessive (UVA for example is just under $20,000) and will leave you in debt for decades. Luckily, I moved after finishing my undergrad in Canada, but I have many friends that were saddled with thousands of dollars of debt for questionable quality educations. I say questionable quality educations because outside of the top private and top state schools, there is an overabundance of mediocre schools. You can absolutely get the best education in the world here, but it's way easier to also get duped in comparison to Canada where pretty much any of the major public universities have a high quality of education.

- housing costs - this one is similar to Canada, but if you are looking to move to major metro areas in the US, be prepared to drop about $1 million or more for a home.

- guns - I'm not going to lie, I'm contemplating bailing from the US over this issue. It has been getting worse and worse and the pandemic seems to have put the whole thing into overdrive. I live in a nice but not 100% wealthy neighborhood. Prior to this year, I heard gunshots in the neighborhood maybe twice in 10 years. This year, I've heard about 4 shootings in a 2 month period including one that was clearly a drive by since I also heard the screeching tires. And this isn't even the mass-shooting kind of gun crime that has also exploded. I absolutely hate the idea of kids having to do mass shooter drills. We started having to do them at work prior to the pandemic and it's one of the reasons I'm happy to stay remote. The big thing is, there just doesn't seem to be a path forward on this issue. It's too entrenched in the culture and constitution.

- politics/ governance - Independent of your political persuasion, politics in the USA is completely a death sport. The polarization is extreme and the general structure of US governance is showing its weaknesses. Federally, elections are not run by the Federal government and states and local governments have gerrymandered the living daylights out of everything. On top of this is wide open land mass in Wyoming and the Dakotas having more voting power in the Senate than people in NY, California, New Jersey, etc. It's another untenable scenario that leaves governance in gridlock and means that we are still fighting over issues in the US that Canada resolved by the 1980s. Add in the insane electoral college, Citizens United ruling, and super PACs, and the 2 year midterm cycle and the US is constantly in a campaign. It's exhausting. And beyond the partisanship, clear and demonstrable corruption is left unchecked at high levels such as Supreme Court justices having sugar daddies. I could go on for days on how broken US governance is, but for a Canadian looking to move down here, I would say that there is a strong impact on founding principles between the two countries. Live, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness does not equal Peace, Order, and Good Government.

- sexism - American women are literally losing rights in this country.

- racism - Structural racism is real and you can see its effects in almost everything in the US.



As much as I'm complaining here, it's because I see the promise in the US and wish it could live up to its own ideals! I love living in DC, I love the people I've met down here, and don't regret moving. That said, I don't know if I see myself living here forever, and there are wide swaths of the country where I would refuse to live.

I can agree with a lot of those things. There are differences in your experience in a bigger city vs mine in the suburbs of a smaller city (Richmond).

Housing is signicantly cheaper here, where you can get a large (4,000 sq ft) house on a half acre lot in a very good school district in the 600k range even after the post covid real estate boom.

My kids are 9th and 11th grade, and have been pretty pleased with their public education experience, with the older one having an opportunity to take 11 AP/DE classes by the time he graduates. The salary:cost of living ratio in a smaller US city is better than most anywhere.

I can echo your sentiments about health care being way too much administrative work, but access to good specialists has been top notch in my experience (again probably due to being in a smaller city).

UVA is on the pricier side of public schools, and the sticker price is rarely what ends up getting charged. Yeah, it's pricey, but kids at home are pricey too, especially when they have expensive sports and hobbies. Heck, pre-school is about the same as Virginia Tech in state tuition.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Murder rates by population are still significantly down since the 70s and 90s, even though they have spiked in the last couple years.

I don't think I'd say "significantly". The per 100K firearms homicide rate is only about 7% below the 1970s peak and is right in line with the '90s peak:

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by opendoor

I don't think I'd say "significantly". The per 100K firearms homicide rate is only about 7% below the 1970s peak and is right in line with the '90s peak:

Overall homicide rates seems to be more significantly down. I guess Americans have decided that guns work best for murdering people somewhere along the way.

In the context of this conversation about living in the US, the risks of dying by firearm can me mitigated to a similar risk of living in a Canadian city.

Simply not having a gun in your house cuts that risk in half. There are a handful of states with a lower homicide rate than Alberta and about 18 states with a lower rate than Saskatchewan. There are plenty of counties and states in the US where risks are just not significantly different enough to spend much time worrying about.

I'm not a gun guy at all, and would be perfectly happy if they were confiscated and destroyed en masse, but I also don't spend too much time worrying about them.

[Slava]

I was in the US last week and I think the sheer proliferation of guns is what makes it a little unnerving. Everywhere I went there are signs for firearms checks and metal detectors. Then even at Art Galleries and museums you have security guards (numerous) with guns. Like statistically things might be better or worse, but psychologically it’s just plain weird. Things felt both very safe and unsafe at the same time, because while the good guys have guns is rather not be in places where they need to have guns!

I’m not saying I’ll never have a place in the US, because for a few months of the year it would be great. But I do think that the gun issue would be an ongoing one for me.

[Bill Bumface]

I know we're probably just a few years behind, but the other thing is just the in your face politics everywhere.

You cross the border from BC into Idaho, and suddenly there are massive proper billboards and private signs all over the place that are just plain aggressive in letting you know that if you don't agree, you aren't welcome. I found it really uncomfortable.

The same crap is definitely creeping in here, and now political bumper stickers etc. are all over the place, and I wish it would go away. It's ok for neighbours to have different views, we don't have to align on teams and arbitrarily hate each other.

[Fuzz]

https://www.latimes.com/business/sto...t-our-problems

Maybe aim for somewhere in the dark blue?


Also, that's a pretty staggering difference.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by CrazyCaper

After 25yrs in Calgary, my wife and I are considering a move down to the US through a E2/L1 visa. Does anyone have any experience with this process and what kind of experience did you have? Seems like our best option is to purchase a franchised business but would welcome feedback.
P.S. Have already been in contact with an immigration lawyer and several different franchises.

Username checks out - Armour up, mon amis. Armour up.

[CroFlames]

I've lived in the USA for several years and loved it. Would agree almost everything Trippin Billie wrote. Met some great people and made friends there. Many parts of America would put the Canadian stereotype of "niceness" to shame. Large swathes of America are awesome, especially the cultural diversity of places like the SW vs NE vs Texas vs South vs PNW, etc.

The "bad" side of America is just so much worse than Canada's bad side though. The two things that rattled me quite a bit down there is the institutional and ingrained racism, and the selfishness of individuals (sorry to say, mostly conservatives). For example, I've had lengthy conversations with people about the problem of foreigners etc, and when I finally admit I'm Canadian, they say "well that's different". But what they mean is I am a white foreigner, so it's OK.

The example of selfishness is the guns and healthcare debate. A lot of people do not give a single #### about people who will die because they can't afford healthcare, nor consider gun reform because of their rights. It can be a bizarre place at times.

[Rutuu]

I'd be a supporter of a emigration mega thread. Lots of fallacies to dispel, and lots of great tips to share.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.latimes.com/business/sto...t-our-problems

Maybe aim for somewhere in the dark blue?


Also, that's a pretty staggering difference.

You need to overlay wealth as it removes a lot of the disparity. Being poor casues early death. Also being rich only gets you on par with other nations.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by GGG

You need to overlay wealth as it removes a lot of the disparity. Being poor casues early death. Also being rich only gets you on par with other nations.

I've gotta assume that dark red in South Dakota is a reservation, right?

*Fuzz consults a map*
Uhm, yup. But ya, if you read the link I provided they go into all sorts of factors that contribute to this, poverty being one of them.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by CrazyCaper

We're looking at more service-based franchise opportunities, ie. Home renovation etc. Think we've narrowed it down to either greater Phoenix area, Nashville area and Vegas metro. Had considered parts of Texas but that's unlikely at this time. I'd definitely consider North and South Carolina but my wife is concerned about the distance from her parents, who would likely remain in Calgary.

Have you considered Columbus? I hear it’s a great place to live and close to family but not too close if you know what I mean.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Slava

I was in the US last week and I think the sheer proliferation of guns is what makes it a little unnerving. Everywhere I went there are signs for firearms checks and metal detectors. Then even at Art Galleries and museums you have security guards (numerous) with guns. Like statistically things might be better or worse, but psychologically it’s just plain weird. Things felt both very safe and unsafe at the same time, because while the good guys have guns is rather not be in places where they need to have guns!

I’m not saying I’ll never have a place in the US, because for a few months of the year it would be great. But I do think that the gun issue would be an ongoing one for me.

I don't mind guns. I just don't really like how a lot of people handle them. I've never fired one, but I think I'd probably love to go to a range one day and just try out a few. Deal with them that way, it's fine. Be careless with them (as many people are) that's not OK IMO. I'd be aware of the possibility, but not afraid of guns.

I was in the States last year and someone had left several in the rental vehicle. No case, nothing. Just a his and hers sitting on top of the spare tire compartment (probably why it was missed in previous cleans).

My wife freaked the #### out. I stayed chill. Friends we were traveling with wanted to pick it up and investigate them (almost like it was a toy) and I said no. Car rental company was kinda like, "Are you sure? That shouldn't happen..." at first, but once they sent a guy to confirm there were indeed firearms left in the car, I had like 3 managers calling to apologize and they upgrade my vehicle plus comped the whole thing.

Like, people hear about guns and their brains shut off and it's polarizing. But similar to that in terms of danger IMO, is fireworks. Just be aware and don't be a moron and have no safety plan playing with those things. That's the issue I have with both in the states. I'm not paranoid of the existence of them, but the moment I see that you have a bunch of idiots in the vicinity with guns or fireworks, I'm getting far away from them.

[Fuzz]

Found guns are to be immediately disposed of in the nearest body of water, preferably tossed out a window as you go over a bridge(if movies are to be trusted). Don't worry, they won't be lonely down there.