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Yeah. I do remember it being 95 with high teens, low 20's humidity thinking, man, this is pretty nice. Beats the hell out of 8590 degrees and 7585% humidity back in Michigan. Even 50 or 60% humidity is uncomfortably sticky. I did miss the greenery and being 10 minutes from a lake pretty much anywhere in the state. But if i'm laid up in bed 4 or 5 days a week, all that wonderful wildlife isn't doing me any good anyway so might as well go where I can at least feel good enough to get out, eh? So, how bad is crime in the great southwest U.S.? Being waaayy out of the loop here in Michigan, all you hear is the bad or negative. I'm sure crime stats vary, like anywhere else. Is, say Reno "safer" than Vegas? What is Arizona like, crime wise? I don't really remember what Albuquerque's crime was like. I believe it was kind of high. Southern UtahColorado? Now, I've been told by several people to "be careful, crime is really high because of the illegal immigrant problem out there". "the closer you get to the border, the worse it is." So, what's the scoop? Is it that big of a problem or are things blown out of proportion? What areas are higher crime? lesser? I've been browsing Craigslist looking for housing. There seems to be ample housing available, pretty much all over. And thanks to all of your information. Making a serious life change later in life (60) and it's all appreciated.
Give Cottonwood, Arizona a look. There is a large hospital in town. Several supermarkets. Population still low enough to be tolerable. Housing prices are an issue though, as prices have crept up to point many have had to relocate. Many retirees have opted for doublewide homes on lease lots. The lot lease fees are not cheap. Ideal time to have bought would have been 2-3 years after housing bubble burst. Many profited handsomely from right place, right time. Wish I had been among them, but I was one of the losers in that mess.
Places not far from Cottonwood: Sedona and Prescott/Prescott Valley. Sedona not a place that's affordable nor desirable as place to reside (to me anyway). Nice place to sight see, hike and winters are good time to visit after tourists have left. Prescott Valley/Prescott: Place to shop. Costco, Target and Trader Joes are popular. The Veterans Hospital is in Prescott. A pleasant drive from Cottonwood over Mingus Mountain. Crime in Cottonwood is not bad at all. Drug, domestic abuse and property crimes common enough all over US make up most of the criminal activity. Most crimes are criminals perpetrated against criminals. Cottonwood still has a neighborly way about it. A must for those without a vehicle, or who sometimes cannot drive: Cottonwood (and surrounding area) have decent public transportation system of shuttles to get one around for reasonable fee. There is a shuttle to the Veterans Hospital in Prescott as well. Cottonwood has a nice recreation center (use of facilities for a fee), a good public library and a small old town strip of shops and restaurants to take visiting relatives for a treat. The Copper Museum in nearby Clarkdale is popular with visitors.
Other than several months of really hot summers and aforementioned housing cost (currently limited inventory of affordable housing), Cottonwood a good place to retire. Have spent enough time in parts of New Mexico to know I would never consider retiring there. There is more visible poverty and property crime in New Mexico than what I see in Central Arizona. Many people I've known from New Mexico have had their personal experiences with property crime. Investigated retirement communities in Las Vegas, NV. Not for me. Investigated retirement living in Boise, but it has grown too much and gotten too expensive. Cottonwood will continue to grow as more Boomers and others move there. Now's a good time to consider a place like Cottonwood to retire, as fewer places like it are left for affordable living (albeit housing cost). End note - no I am not associated with Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce, nor do I know anyone associated with the local government.
Last edited by trouillot; 06-08-2019 at 07:02 AM..
I'm more interested in a drier, less humid climate with less low barometric pressure for now. If I can find a "friendly" climate and begin to feel better, then perhaps I can broaden my search and venture out some. but in Michigan we get hit with one low pressure system after another. I(used to) love it here when I was younger but, I'm tired of being laid-up 3, 4 or more days a week waiting for better weather.
Check out the St George-Cedar City-Kanab area in southern Utah.
We all know California has the best weather in the US but it is simply unaffordable for most people.
So I started to think, when I eventually retire, where would I want to live?
Somewhere with mild temperatures, no humidity, and no gloomy winters. Somewhere with a
decent population to warrant the usual amenities yet small enough not to have bad traffic.
Taking a wild guess I figure a population of about 100,000 would ensure most creature comforts
without paying the price with traffic. For mild temperatures, I figured summers that stayed under
90 degrees on average.
I nixed:
Boulder CO because houses are unaffordable. (700k for detached houses)
Boise and Billings because they average 90+ in the summer.
Smaller cities around Seattle or Portland because they are extremely gloomy for 8 months of the year.
Anywhere east of Rapid City/Fort Collins/Colorado Springs because of humid summers.
So far my list includes:
Colorado Springs, CO
Fort Collins, CO
Rapid City, SD
Spokane, WA
For this list of 4, it would seem that Colorado Springs and Fort Collins would
have the mildest temperatures with Spokane and Rapid City having significantly
colder winters.
So what do you think? Did I miss any affordable/smallish/mild weather cities?
And if so, would they beat Colorado Springs and Fort Collins for mild weather?
California includes Death Valley, Palm Springs, the Central Valley, and the Mojave Desert -- all areas with brutally hot summers.
California also houses places like Truckee (one of the snowiest cities in the U.S) as well as rainy/gloomy weather areas such as Eureka and Crescent City. Plus, the foggy, windy, cool San Francisco Bay.
In reality, the "California has the best weather" only applies to a very narrow strip running down the Southern and Central California coast. Huge swaths of California have fairly inhospitable climates!
Oh, I don't know about Texas. Whats the humidity like there? Seems to me I,ve heard it does get humid down there. Beside, the few Cowboys fans up here in Michigan are bad enough to have to be around. I can't imagine what it's like being in Texas and dealing with em. (joking of course, but does it matter?)
Honestly though, I'm in the same boat. I'm actually in Albuquerque (born and raised) and beyond good weather, I have no idea why people keep recommending NM. We rank the top in many categories of crime. Education is very poor. My uncle and a friend died in car accidents involving a drunk driver (dinking is big on the many indian reservations here). I just can't wait to get out.
I've narrowed it down to
Boise - winter colder but maybe I can endure
Payson, AZ - pretty small but maybe I can endure
Prescott, AZ - Growing rapidly.. but maybe I can endure
Mililani, HI - Frekin expensive, can't endure with 3 kids.
Tri-cities Oregon - Seems kinda lonely
Asheville, SC - Why are all the good places becoming overpopulated?
Cheyenne, WY - No idea why I would do this
Maybe I'll move to Perth after all.
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