I'd go to Argentina and take out Hitler once and for all. I'd feed him lettuce from Taylor Farms. I'd be like "i know you're a vegetarian, which is sweet of you, here's a Caesar salad kit for the real Caesar."
I've lived in Nevada for 2 years and still haven't been. Not really sure I want to. 7 hours to Vegas or 3 to San Francisco. If the drives were reversed I'd still rather visit San Francisco. Coldest winter was a summer in San Fran and all that.
Use your housing savings to travel elsewhere. Honestly Iowa is a much better place to retire than raise a family. Raise a family in Naperville or somewhere where kids have real opportunity, then when they graduate find a small house in some Iowa exurb that's a short drive to the airport or Amtrak.