Great Faces. Great Places

This is our new license plate. Look closely.

Yes, South Dakota.

We have our mail sent to America's Mailbox in Box Elder, SD and they send it on to us at intervals and locations we select. The folks there are quite entrepreneurial. They have mail service, an RV repair, RV park, small motel. They are also very helpful in assisting full time RV'ers become South Dakota residents.

Are they trying to build the population of their state? I doubt it, since most of their recruits only visit the state every few years to renew their driver's license.

When you live on the road, you can choose your state of residence, as long as you comply with their requirements.

Why South Dakota?

Well, for one thing, the folks at America's Mailbox are very helpful and do their best to make it easy to become SD residents. They handled (for a fee) registering the car and sending us the plates and registration.

But mostly, it makes good financial sense.

There's no state income tax.

The sales tax is 4% vs. nearly 8% in Ohio. By registering the car there, we saved half on the sales tax. If we'd been prepared and registered the MH there when we bought it, we would have saved a couple thousand dollars in tax and fees.

We aren't officially SD residents yet. We need to go there and spend a night and then go and get our driver's licenses. After that, we'll be official South Dakotans.

It's more than a little weird to have an address and car registered in a state that I haven't been to in 40 years. I did go to Mount Rushmore when I was in high school, but that's it.

The other day I was doing some business over the phone and the person I was talking to asked for my address. When I told him he said "Wow. What's the weather like there?" I suppose I could pretend that I know, but I explained that we are currently in the Carolinas though I didn't go into the whole thing.

I save that stuff for the blog.

Today I called and made appointments for Chris and I for massages (stay tuned for a report on that) and when I gave the girl on the phone our address she paused and said "Are you sure you want to come here?" I explained that we are just a few miles away and will certainly be there.

So the next time you see a big motor home or fifth wheel out on the road, check their plates. If they say South Dakota, chances are those folks are full timers.