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My husband and I will be retiring soon and can now focus on places where we don’t need to worry about jobs or schools. In the past here on CD, we’ve made other posts looking for a place to live, but that was when it depended on job availability.
Here’s our must haves:
Low housing prices (under $300k)
Zoo in town (not in a nearby town)
Low snowfall (less than 3” per month)
Medical facilities
Average to below average crime
Nice to have but not a deal breaker:
Farmers markets
Art scene
Golf
Shooting range
Decent selection of restaurants
Access to nature
We get along with everyone regardless of race, lifestyle choices, political and religious leanings, etc. and we know when to keep our mouths shut. We currently live where it gets very hot (110+F) so heat is no issue, though it would be nice to find someplace a bit cooler. Family is scattered across the country, so no particular region is out of the realm of possibility.
West Columbia SC, home of the Riverbanks Zoo. The average home price in West Columbia is just under 160K and offers access to everything on your list in town, or in bordering Columbia (SC state capital and home to the U of South Carolina). The crime numbers sit at average with a low violent crime rate. The climate is made up of four equal seasons with mild winters, warm summers and spectacular spring and falls. Geographically it's ideal, in the center of the state with easy access to the mountains or coast, and 90 minutes to a major airport (Charlotte).
Added to my list. Thanks! City data didn't show crime rates for Louisville, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle19125
West Columbia SC, home of the Riverbanks Zoo. The average home price in West Columbia is just under 160K and offers access to everything on your list in town, or in bordering Columbia (SC state capital and home to the U of South Carolina). The crime numbers sit at average with a low violent crime rate. The climate is made up of four equal seasons with mild winters, warm summers and spectacular spring and falls. Geographically it's ideal, in the center of the state with easy access to the mountains or coast, and 90 minutes to a major airport (Charlotte).
My husband has a fear of hurricanes, so being that close to the coast is a no from him, though I'd love it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc
Try these cities--
Birmingham, AL
Memphis, TN
smaller city but tons to do and great quality of life-
Chattanooga, TN
All of those have what appears to be very high violent crime rates. That's what's so hard doing this from so far away. I don't know if it's localized like in some towns, or more widespread. My husband is 11 years older, so statistically I'll end up being alone, which is why we're trying to be careful about crime rates. I lived in Las Vegas for a large portion of my life and it's way up there with violent crime but I never felt unsafe there, so it's hard to know by looking at statistics whether it'd be similar to my experiences in Vegas or whether there's a general unease throughout the city.
Oops, I missed your post. I've added it to the list. Thank you so much!
You all are so helpful and I really appreciate the time you've put in to answering me. My husband currently only gets one week of vacation a year, so we have to be very careful with where we want to go searching for this year's vacation/retirement home search.
If crime not too high, then make it Oklahoma City. It has a better than average zoo. NW OKC is the coolest area to live there. The zoo is in NE Oklahoma City, so wouldn't be a far drive away.
Suburban Edmond, not very far away from the zoo, is a popular suburb to live in with a very low crime rate. Norman is too, especially if more college sports oriented, rather than zoo oriented. Anyway, the crime rate is low in OKC's suburbs. And it certainly won't get clear up to 110 in OKC every summer.
For nearest access to an impressive natural area, the Wichita Mountains is a little over an hour's drive away. You can hike or drive to the top of rocky Mt. Scott.
Overall, Oklahoma City really has nearly everything you want.
Last edited by Kenworthy53; 01-17-2023 at 11:46 PM..
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