We will retire in 5-8 years. I am 57, wife 54. living in California. The state has been good to us in many ways, but it will be time to go. Why?: high taxes, congestion, liberal politics,etc. We have scouted out various spots in western US. Two areas of interest were Oregon and Utah. We decided on Utah. Why?: moderate taxes, fairly clean air, still very "rural" feeling in parts, relatively affordable real estate, good fishing, and beautiful scenery (in certain parts). And no, I haven't been paid for the recommendation!!! It may not be for everyone. The politics are the exact opposite of California...maybe a bit too far right. Yes, there are a ton of Mormons. But they didn't appear to want to eat us. The ones we met and dealt with seemed to be friendly and fair, and nothing was pushed on us. The most liberal area seems to be Salt Lake itself. We bought property in two places, in a small mountain town called Midway, near Redford's Ski Resort. We purchased an acre with a view for $89,000. Elevation there about 6,000 feet.To hedge our bet, we also purchased a lot in the south part of the state, St. George. It is a low desert town.The winters are mild there and real estate was a bit pricier. Maybe we will build on both and live in the mountains in the summer and in the valley in the winter. Oregon also is very appealing, but property values seems to have had a tremendous "run-up" there lately.