Move to South East Asia instead. Burgeoning tech scene, some incredible nature, dating is considerably easier, both with locals and other expats, health care is first-rate and a couple of orders of magnitude cheaper ... "a rural state" sounds like all the worst bits of living in the US.
> I don't have the level of contempt for my fellow Americans that you have
I was going to ignore this as an obvious troll, but I'll take a stab at it. Rural Americans aren't the problem, America is the problem, but some of that is made up for by the cities.
Rural America has the same terrible public transit, the same grotesque healthcare problems, generally appalling internet and cellphone, the same incredible incarceration rate, the same terrible problem with opioids, the same terrifyingly divisive politics, the same endemic racial divide, the same problem with gun violence as the rest of the US, except that some of the cities have made some headway with these problems.
If y'all lost New York, LA and the Bay Area, GDP would fall by ~25%, and you'd be just another upper-middle-income country. America's greatness comes from the cities.
Ah so because someone else like a non-American place, he is having contempt for his fellow Americans?
That's so polarising and typically what gives Americans such a bad name abroad.
I'm from a rural state and while I've been to I've been to over 12 countries and lived in 3 US states, my rural home state is the best kept secret in the world.
My wife is from Latin America, and while it's cheaper down there, none of those countries are as good of a deal as the rural US. More developed, safer, better public services. Can be nearby a major city for work.
I do like southeast Asia, my cousin's wife is from Thailand and I have a lot of connections there through her, they own a chain of hotels there. But I would prefer Latin America. It's a western culture for the most part, which if you're from Europe or the Americas, is less jarring in more ways than people realize. There's some indigenous elements, which actually enhances the culture, they're very cooperative and team players. I love Latin America, at least as much as I love Anglo America.
Just wanted to add two more cents in there, because there's good things about every place. Everything in life is a trade off!
I've visited a few countries in SE Asia and could never see the appeal of living there longterm, at least in the metropolitan areas. The food and living costs are cheap but in return you get terrible air quality and lack of clean tap water.
You don't have to live in the cities. A luxury villa in e.g. Phuket with views of the ocean and water purification system and other international-standard amenities can be bought for what you'd pay for a small condo in SF or Palo Alto.
I'm strongly thinking of doing this with the family when I retire as well.
