Phoenix ranks at the bottom for retirees? (Mesa: for sale, homeowners insurance)

[scully2010]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

So...interesting story from helping to move them. We were dropping off the UHaul at this little dealership out there. The attendant asked how everything went and I said "2800 miles with no issues". We talked a little bit and told him my parents were retiring there and he asked "Why would they want to retire HERE?" I just responded "Have you seen where you live? It is beautiful out here."

Moral of the story...I think everyone wants change at some point. Hate the winters and rain...move to the desert. Sick of 120° summers and lack of humidity? Move to a coast or back east. The only happy medium I have found is California and then you are paying the price to live there. It is just the desire and perception that you are escaping to somewhere "different".

Totally true. When I moved from Los Angeles to a somewhat rural area in Kentucky many years ago, everyone in California said, "Wow, how awesome, I wish I could move to Kentucky, too!" Meanwhile, everyone in Kentucky asked me, "Why would you move HERE from California? I'd rather live in California!" Funny enough, another young couple from Los Angeles moved in the next year on the very same rural street where we lived. They were thrilled to have a greener, less congested place to live and raise their kids, too.

[Greenvalleyfan]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

So...interesting story from helping to move them. We were dropping off the UHaul at this little dealership out there. The attendant asked how everything went and I said "2800 miles with no issues". We talked a little bit and told him my parents were retiring there and he asked "Why would they want to retire HERE?" I just responded "Have you seen where you live? It is beautiful out here."

Moral of the story...I think everyone wants change at some point. Hate the winters and rain...move to the desert. Sick of 120° summers and lack of humidity? Move to a coast or back east. The only happy medium I have found is California and then you are paying the price to live there. It is just the desire and perception that you are escaping to somewhere "different".

We still get weather...we still get freezes in the winter (normally 1 or 2), Northern AZ gets snow, sometimes we get snow in the lower elevations, we get dust storms, dust devils, flash floods, monsoons...usually nothing catastrophic but the relentless sunny days will get to you eventually.

Anyway...plenty of threads on AZ weather and climate as well as the variability of elevation to that climate. Hope you enjoy it as much as you think you will.

Well, at 64 and a retired firefighter in Baltimore city, lost my wife, found a beautiful nurse a lot younger than me, and throwing caution to the wind..it's already been one hell of an adventure. And, if I don't like it I'll move on. Home is a state of mind, not a place.

[asufan]

This is a good thing. We used to attract the kinds of retirees that would move here for the dirt cheap houses on the fringes of town and just "exist" to get by. They would vote down any sort of tax for schools, roads or parks because they needed every last cent. Addition by subtraction if we can rid ourselves of these types.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

Phoenix has long been stereotyped as being full of retirees despite having a median age lower than the rest of the nation and many cities perceived as younger. Maybe articles like this will finally calibrate image with reality.

One can only hope. I have nothing against retirees (we're all going to be old & retired at some point in our lives), but the Phoenix area seems to have a lingering stereotype of being a haven for seniors puttering around in golf carts or laying out in the sun. In reality, only a small handful of designated areas fit that stereotype, such as the Sun Cities & Sun Lakes.

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Phoenix is too crowded for retirees now. It is nothing like it was back when they put in all those trailer parks in Mesa for retirees. Sun City is now overpriced and out of reach for anyone not coming from a high cost of living area where their home sold for more than they cost here. Crime is rampant everywhere these days.
Outside of Phoenix, though, there are still a few places that might be desirable. Yuma?

Agreed, and many of those trailer parks are now pretty sketchy & ready for the bulldozer anyway. Sun City is still one of the less expensive areas, however. You can get a modest house there for well under $500,000, and it's still just as pristine & low in crime like it has been for many years. Outside of the age restricted communities, Phoenix is no longer a place for retirees like it used to be. Many of them prefer smaller, quieter areas ... so Yuma or just about anywhere else along the Colorado River would probably be a better choice.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by asufan

This is a good thing. We used to attract the kinds of retirees that would move here for the dirt cheap houses on the fringes of town and just "exist" to get by. They would vote down any sort of tax for schools, roads or parks because they needed every last cent. Addition by subtraction if we can rid ourselves of these types.

Agree. Phoenix is growing up before our eyes. It’s for the better.

[grmi66]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Agreed, and many of those trailer parks are now pretty sketchy & ready for the bulldozer anyway. Sun City is still one of the less expensive areas, however. You can get a modest house there for well under $500,000, and it's still just as pristine & low in crime like it has been for many years. Outside of the age restricted communities, Phoenix is no longer a place for retirees like it used to be. Many of them prefer smaller, quieter areas ... so Yuma or just about anywhere else along the Colorado River would probably be a better choice.

I was in the RV industry for a while and hit most of the trailer parks in Mesa & AJ at some point in time the past 10 years. What I saw were a few different demographics, some trailer parks were low income housing for folks one step above living out of their car. Then you had the small, family run trailer parks for retirees that were started back in the 1950's or 60's that the grandkids have inherited and don't want anymore. Developer knocks on their door to purchase the land for condos and the grandkids sell it off. Last are the huge mega-parks that are being snapped up by large corporations and what I see is the trailers are being replaced by park models (the original tiny house). Those parks I could see younger Boomers or Gen-X moving to simply for financial reasons to retire.

[markeg]

If you notice in the actual article from US News https://realestate.usnews.com/places...gh_to_low=true, you can toggle from Best Places To Live, and Best Places to Retire. Phoenix is #40 on Best Places To Live, and 140 on Best Places To Retire. I believe Phoenix dropped 100 points from last year because of real estate prices and perhaps air quality.
Yes, it’s all about what’s important to you. I grew up and spent most of my life in NYC, and wanted to get out of the cold and rat race in 2014. We moved to a suburb of Tampa. Live and learn. We moved there because at the time we could sell our Condo in CT and buy something we could afford in Tampa. For us, it was a mistake. The mosquitoes, the black flies, the love bugs, the humidity, and evacuating our home because of hurricane Irma, taking us 14 hours to get out of the state to Alabama was enough to make us sell the house four years later.
In 2018 we decided on moving to Phoenix. We live in Midtown and love it here. It’s not a NYC, but we have all the amenities that we need. We can walk to the theatre, the museum, some restaurants, and we have made many nice friends. Probably more friends here than in NYC. As we grow older, healthcare is important. I have better doctors and hospitals here than I had in Florida. Banner University Hospital is a mile from here. We have Mayo Clinic too. There’s no price you could put on that.
Every place has its pros and cons. Yes, the summers are hot here, but the rest of the year is beautiful.
I am still working, my husband is retired. I’m pretty sure we will retire here.

[Seguinite]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I am tempted to move to a colder clime myself. I spend my summers on a waterfront property up near the Canadian border now and coming back here, even in October, is thermal and visual shock. Phoenix has much to do for people who are into going to restaurants and such and great medical as poster above finds important. But it is a tough place to live once you get past the active retirement years with traffic and the congestion. Sitting in the rocker staring out the picture window at a frozen lake in winter seems oh so much more peaceful than dealing with a freeway closure.

Left south central Texas after 40 years to retire in south eastern Nebraska. First full winter here coming up. It gets plenty hot in the summer, and honestly, it feels HOTTER at times... but the HOT doesn't go on and on and on. And I'm probably finished mowing grass for the year. That's a big switch.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by markeg

If you notice in the actual article from US News https://realestate.usnews.com/places...gh_to_low=true, you can toggle from Best Places To Live, and Best Places to Retire. Phoenix is #40 on Best Places To Live, and 140 on Best Places To Retire. I believe Phoenix dropped 100 points from last year because of real estate prices and perhaps air quality.
Yes, it’s all about what’s important to you. I grew up and spent most of my life in NYC, and wanted to get out of the cold and rat race in 2014. We moved to a suburb of Tampa. Live and learn. We moved there because at the time we could sell our Condo in CT and buy something we could afford in Tampa. For us, it was a mistake. The mosquitoes, the black flies, the love bugs, the humidity, and evacuating our home because of hurricane Irma, taking us 14 hours to get out of the state to Alabama was enough to make us sell the house four years later.
In 2018 we decided on moving to Phoenix. We live in Midtown and love it here. It’s not a NYC, but we have all the amenities that we need. We can walk to the theatre, the museum, some restaurants, and we have made many nice friends. Probably more friends here than in NYC. As we grow older, healthcare is important. I have better doctors and hospitals here than I had in Florida. Banner University Hospital is a mile from here. We have Mayo Clinic too. There’s no price you could put on that.
Every place has its pros and cons. Yes, the summers are hot here, but the rest of the year is beautiful.
I am still working, my husband is retired. I’m pretty sure we will retire here.

Do you think between now and when you retire. That Phoenix or the state would change so much, that you would decide to retire elsewhere? Your absolutely right the Medical care where we retire is very important. I was surprised just how many don't even consider it.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I am tempted to move to a colder clime myself. I spend my summers on a waterfront property up near the Canadian border now and coming back here, even in October, is thermal and visual shock. Phoenix has much to do for people who are into going to restaurants and such and great medical as poster above finds important. But it is a tough place to live once you get past the active retirement years with traffic and the congestion. Sitting in the rocker staring out the picture window at a frozen lake in winter seems oh so much more peaceful than dealing with a freeway closure.

I'm nowhere near retirement but at this point I can say I'd still rather backup to the beautiful superstitions or even grab a place up on the rim, near Payson. I don't have a desire to be in a climate where lakes freeze and I can still get to plenty of winter weather near Phoenix if I so desire.