Fires and the mountain west go together. Last year here in Montana was a very bad fire season, lots of people lost their homes, both full time and vacation homes. I am guessing most have either rebuilt or will rebuild. As men continue to develop more and more land, the loss of man made structures will become worse I think. In recorded history here in the west, there have been some terrific fires, huge, they are just the natural selection of things, and as I am sure all know, actually needed for natures sake. We just purchased a home on the outskirts of a small Montana town last month, it has 16 acres and live water and pond on the place, but we will still be very cautious of fire danger with the pasture. There are steps a person can take to help safe guard against fires, but nothing totally protects. With this property we are lucky, it has a good ground well, along with a hydrant in the pond and a good irrigation system to keep things moist. Lot's of folks build homes where they have a cistern and have no access to water other then that, we did not consider that option when looking for a second home. As for states, I am biased, Montana is home we live in a very rural area, with critical access hospital, 4 hour road trip to major medical facility, but I travel with my own personal physician....My Wife, LOL. Have you thought about the Black Hills of SD, no state income tax, good medical facilities, if you can put up with the tourist in July and August, be a great place to call home. Wyoming would be another good choice, low tax, rural, I wouldn't be to quick to rule out a very rural area, lot's of benefits actually. Northern Idaho would be a decent choice also, great hunting, fishing, close to the west coast and Canada.