Portland/Forbes Best Place to Retire?? (Green: real estate, low crime, neighborhood)

[370z]

I just read that Forbes states that Portland is one of the best places to retire. Mainly because of "low crime & climate". Does anyone agree with this?

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by 370z

I just read that Forbes states that Portland is one of the best places to retire. Mainly because of "low crime & climate". Does anyone agree with this?

No. You have to make that decision yourself.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I would never ever consider retiring in Portland proper or Multnomah County.
I know of several retirees in my neighborhood that had to move because the cost of living in Portland outpaced their fixed budgets.
High taxes and the real estate prices are not attractive to the average retiree.
But I guess if you've got money to burn, it's not an entirely bad place to live.
"Low Crime and Climate" isn't enough.
There are plenty of other places with low crime and decent climates.

The Portland "area" encompasses several counties and two states.
All of which are probably cheaper to live in than Portland and Multnomah County.
I have done research for myself, and when my time comes to retire, I'm going to have to move out of Portland.

[370z]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

I would never ever consider retiring in Portland proper or Multnomah County.
I know of several retirees in my neighborhood that had to move because the cost of living in Portland outpaced their fixed budgets.
High taxes and the real estate prices are not attractive to the average retiree.
But I guess if you've got money to burn, it's not an entirely bad place to live.
"Low Crime and Climate" isn't enough.
There are plenty of other places with low crime and decent climates.

The Portland "area" encompasses several counties and two states.
All of which are probably cheaper to live in than Portland and Multnomah County.
I have done research for myself, and when my time comes to retire, I'm going to have to move out of Portland.

That's what I thought, just wanted to see what others had to say. I've been researching where to relocate to in a year or so. So where do you think you may go? I'm thinking maybe TN, then OR came to mind because I have always liked it there, but don't think that looks like too good of an idea! Thanks

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

I would never ever consider retiring in Portland proper or Multnomah County.
I know of several retirees in my neighborhood that had to move because the cost of living in Portland outpaced their fixed budgets.
High taxes and the real estate prices are not attractive to the average retiree.
But I guess if you've got money to burn, it's not an entirely bad place to live.
"Low Crime and Climate" isn't enough.
There are plenty of other places with low crime and decent climates.

The Portland "area" encompasses several counties and two states.
All of which are probably cheaper to live in than Portland and Multnomah County.
I have done research for myself, and when my time comes to retire, I'm going to have to move out of Portland.

You also know one more person: me. I have to live in a city for its amenities but on a fixed income and even with a part time job to supplement I can no longer afford to live in Portland.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by 370z

I just read that Forbes states that Portland is one of the best places to retire. Mainly because of "low crime & climate". Does anyone agree with this?

Certainly. Of course, no place is perfect, and everyone has to decide for themselves what things are most important in choosing where to live.

Because the weather does not reach extremes, that is an attractive thing to retirees. Relative safety is as well.

Smaller towns certainly are more affordable. But with those, you have the problems of reduced services (like medical, transportation, etc.) that we all become more dependent on as we age.

Affordability, too, is a relative thing. What's affordable to you may not be to me, and vice versa. And what was affordable when someone is 40 and bringing in a higher salary may not be affordable when they're 65 and living on a fixed income. They probably need to lower their standard of living, something a lot of people don't seem willing to do.

[Deezus]

Wasn't Forbes the same magazine---that just last year, ranked Portland, "the most depressing city in the US?"

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

Certainly. Of course, no place is perfect, and everyone has to decide for themselves what things are most important in choosing where to live.

Because the weather does not reach extremes, that is an attractive thing to retirees. Relative safety is as well.

Smaller towns certainly are more affordable. But with those, you have the problems of reduced services (like medical, transportation, etc.) that we all become more dependent on as we age.

Affordability, too, is a relative thing. What's affordable to you may not be to me, and vice versa. And what was affordable when someone is 40 and bringing in a higher salary may not be affordable when they're 65 and living on a fixed income. They probably need to lower their standard of living, something a lot of people don't seem willing to do.

For some that may be true. But with the COL becoming higher and higher this becomes much more difficult on a fixed income rather than being unwilling to lower their standard of living. Anyone who is thinking of retiring to Portland and can afford it now should think of the future and whether or not their budgets can afford it a few years down the line with the ever-increasing price hikes in just about everything.

[Dual Citizen CA-OR]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

...Because the weather does not reach extremes, that is an attractive thing to retirees...

I have to dispute your claim, for many if not most average Americans, not seeing the sun or walking on dry ground for 9 months of the year is quite extreme.

[Urbanlover85]

Portland is where young people go to retire