Lifestyle and Leisure
Reasons to move: Scenery
When respondents to the Emigrate America readers’ survey 2007 were asked what they’d miss about the UK when they emigrate, the most common answer given was ‘the countryside’.
The UK's 'green and pleasant land' has inspired many songwriters and poets to compose a patriotic ditty about the British Isles and there is no arguing that our lush countryside is attractive. However, Brits should not be too concerned as the US has countryside that mirrors the UK in appearance and which can therefore remind them of 'home', while it also offers spectacular scenery that the British Isles simply cannot contend with.
For those who want to emigrate, but who also want some familiarity in their new surroundings, the New England states may be the place to move to. The region is green and lush, with rolling hills, mountains, and a jagged coastline. The area also experiences four distinct seasons in a similar way to the UK (even though it may not have felt like it this summer): there is snow in the winter, an abundance of daffodils and other blooms in spring, it is sunny in the summer months from June, and New England's fall foliage is legendary.
The area also boasts history dating back to the earliest European settlers of the American continent – a virtue few other states can claim. So if you like 'chocolate box' buildings in your countryside scenery, the New England states – namely Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont – may be the place where you are most likely to feel at home.
Elsewhere, the geography of the US is very diverse, ranging from prairies to mountain ranges and desert to rugged coastline. If you are of the view that you will miss the picturesque UK countryside because you can't imagine anything else comparing, you may not have witnessed the spectacular scenery on show in many of the unspoilt American states.
Arkansas is a state of mountains, valleys, thick woodland and fertile plains. From the Ozarks mountain range to lakes, streams and abundant wildlife, it is no surprise that tourism is one of the state's most important industries. In fact, its natural assets have earned Arkansas the nickname the 'Natural State'. So if the Lake District, Snowdonia or the Scottish Highlands scenery are what you'd miss most about the UK then this state may well appeal.
Alternatively, if you are of the mind of other respondents to our last reader survey and would not be too fused about leaving the UK countryside behind, there will be plenty to impress you when you emigrate to the US.
In California, there is Sequoia National Park, home to the largest living organisms on earth (the Giant Redwood), while Yosemite National Park's attractions are well known; Wyoming has Yellowstone National Park, with its incredible waterfalls, geysers and lakes; Nevada has the Grand Canyon; and Colorado is home to some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the US.
Nobody has ever complained of being starved of stunning scenery when they have emigrated to the US, so you could actually add 'the countryside' to the reasons you have for leaving the UK.
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