Reasons For Choosing A New Location (separate, accidents, payment, travel)

[newenglandgirl]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

I live in SoCal and will need to leave because of the cost of living here, I've lived here a long time, and also want a change of environment. I have a few close friends here, who I would miss greatly, and love my church, but honestly, how many times do I really actually see my friends (mostly email and phone)...maybe every couple of months, if even that much. So alot of the time I would be entertaining myself anyway. I do agree, it's aways ideal to have somebody you know wherever one moves to, but it's not always possible. When I was younger I did alot of moving around and didn't know anyone there beforehand. But that was then, and this is now...I know it would be more difficult now, but I might not have a choice. I still have a few more years (God willing) before I have to make any decision so I'll just keep researching and keep learning from you all!

LoveAutumn,
If you are in a beautiful sunny place in SoCal and have lived there a very long time you may well have a shock relocating to another area that may not have kind winters or the beaches and sun you're used to--many "cool" places in New England may be, by California standards, a "dump." My California sister would never come east, she's used to the beauty of CA. That's not to say there are not gorgeous areas in New England -- there are--but if you live in a town or city due to being older, you may live in a mill town for example, with older businesses and older downtowns. Are you ready for this? In other words, if lovely environments are what you're used to, could you accept another kind of environment?

[loveautumn]

I hear ya, NE Girl, there's so much to consider but financially it just isn't going to be possible to stay here. I do want to live in a place with natural beauty, that is important to me...and I probably won't end up in NE because of the winters, but I am and was never really a SoCal type of person. Although I am blessed with many things living here, I also have alot of bad memories too. And I am absolutely not a beach person, never have been. But I have to live around water..prefer lakes, ponds, mountains much more. I know I will never match SoCal weather, and that is something I really need to consider, so I will probably end up in a milder climate than NE. Yes, it will be a culture shock because we get used to what we know and have lived with and around for so many years. But when I visit areas back east (NE, Upstate NY, Virginia), I don't long to get back to California at all. But, still, so much to be considered...

[ExNooYawk]

I enjoyed reading this thread. It has given me some food for thought.
My DH and I moved to our part of Oregon a few years ago after he retired from SoCal. Prior to that, I grew up in NY and he grew up in London. Our eldest has moved to our town with her husband, little boy (second one due in three weeks). It is nice being near them. I adore my grandson and will surely adore the next one. But.
It is dang expensive here. The DH was still working in SoCal when we purchased the house and we took out a mortgage. Each month we feel the pinch and it is time for us to buy a house outright. But.
We don't really want to stay here in this town. I'm fed up to here with the winters. Although they aren't bitter cold, they are gloomy enough for a long enough time to make me dream of warmer climes.
We have another daughter who lives in Tucson. I LOVE that part of AZ. But. DH hates it.
My DH is pretty happy here, being a Brit. His ideal place to go is Portland, OR. It's a great city, but won't solve my SAD. Our youngest daughter goes to college at U of Portland and would love it if we moved there. But.
I doubt we'd save any money in Portland, OR. Then there is the problem of long, rainy winters.
The basic problem is that he is a gloomy-weather person and I'm a sunny-weather person. He doesn't mind being in the house for weeks on end due to inclement weather. I want to swim in a pool or sit outside with a book in nice weather. I love the ocean and he couldn't care less about the ocean. Still, moving to Florida where it is warm and lovely (and has a beach) means moving really REALLY far away from our west-coast oriented family. Plus the DH hates Florida (minor detail).
So that's my sad little feeling-sorry-for-myself missive. It's just as well we probably couldn't sell our house anyway due to this miserable housing market because we can't reach a decision about where to go, if anywhere.

One more feeling-sorry-for-myself item: I don't want to worry about mortgage payments. I want to make plans to visit places. It doesn't have to be extravagant. I insisted we buy an Airstream a few years ago which helps preserve my sanity. We don't go out in it often enough, imho. WHY are we sitting in the house today, looking out at the gray skies, when we could be in Arizona? We went for two weeks but DH couldn't wait to get back here. Go figure.

So, here I am, complaining and trying to figure out what to do. Life is good, we are healthy, our family is wonderful and we are making ends meet, more or less. In that sense we are extremely blessed, which only makes me feel a bit more guilty. (We ex-Catholics will always be guilty about something, right?)

[loveautumn]

why did you move to Oregon?

[ConeyIsBabe]

Originally Posted by ExNooYawk

I enjoyed reading this thread. It has given me some food for thought.
My DH and I moved to our part of Oregon a few years ago after he retired from SoCal. Prior to that, I grew up in NY and he grew up in London. Our eldest has moved to our town with her husband, little boy (second one due in three weeks). It is nice being near them. I adore my grandson and will surely adore the next one. But.
It is dang expensive here. The DH was still working in SoCal when we purchased the house and we took out a mortgage. Each month we feel the pinch and it is time for us to buy a house outright. But.
We don't really want to stay here in this town. I'm fed up to here with the winters. Although they aren't bitter cold, they are gloomy enough for a long enough time to make me dream of warmer climes.
We have another daughter who lives in Tucson. I LOVE that part of AZ. But. DH hates it.
My DH is pretty happy here, being a Brit. His ideal place to go is Portland, OR. It's a great city, but won't solve my SAD. Our youngest daughter goes to college at U of Portland and would love it if we moved there. But.
I doubt we'd save any money in Portland, OR. Then there is the problem of long, rainy winters.
The basic problem is that he is a gloomy-weather person and I'm a sunny-weather person. He doesn't mind being in the house for weeks on end due to inclement weather. I want to swim in a pool or sit outside with a book in nice weather. I love the ocean and he couldn't care less about the ocean. Still, moving to Florida where it is warm and lovely (and has a beach) means moving really REALLY far away from our west-coast oriented family. Plus the DH hates Florida (minor detail).
So that's my sad little feeling-sorry-for-myself missive. It's just as well we probably couldn't sell our house anyway due to this miserable housing market because we can't reach a decision about where to go, if anywhere.

One more feeling-sorry-for-myself item: I don't want to worry about mortgage payments. I want to make plans to visit places. It doesn't have to be extravagant. I insisted we buy an Airstream a few years ago which helps preserve my sanity. We don't go out in it often enough, imho. WHY are we sitting in the house today, looking out at the gray skies, when we could be in Arizona? We went for two weeks but DH couldn't wait to get back here. Go figure.

So, here I am, complaining and trying to figure out what to do. Life is good, we are healthy, our family is wonderful and we are making ends meet, more or less. In that sense we are extremely blessed, which only makes me feel a bit more guilty. (We ex-Catholics will always be guilty about something, right?)

WOW ~ this post of yours just screams.... "ME TOO" !! Only, I'm single and older than you BUT the gloomy winter (and other stuff) is getting me down !

Your neighbor in Rogue River

[newt]

I can identify with much of ExNooYawk's post as well. We've been in Oregon for about 6 years now. The town we live in is very expensive (and not worth it, IMO). I like much about the area when it's sunny, but am burning out on the winters. I sometimes imagine a snowbird arrangement where we buy a base house in an inexpensive region (midwest somewhere?) then skeedadle to warmer climes during the winter, but can't seem to take it to the next level. That would take commitment/decisiveness on my part, and we'll have none of that

[Escort Rider]

[quote=loveautumn;18302411]I live in SoCal and will need to leave because of the cost of living here,...[quote]

California is a large and diverse state and as such there is quite a range in the admittedly high cost of living. You might be able to find a smaller community with much lower housing costs once you don't have to worry about where the job is located. After all, housing costs are the main reason it's expensive to live in California. The secondary reason is high taxes, which are harder to escape. Paradoxically though, California does not tax Social Security income, and if your retirement income outside of Soc. Sec. is going to be modest, that takes the bite out of the state income tax. We can't escape the high sales tax, but at least food is exempt. So there may be ways to live reasonably, just not in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or chi-chi places like Santa Barbara and similar.

[newenglandgirl]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

I hear ya, NE Girl, there's so much to consider but financially it just isn't going to be possible to stay here. I do want to live in a place with natural beauty, that is important to me...and I probably won't end up in NE because of the winters, but I am and was never really a SoCal type of person. Although I am blessed with many things living here, I also have alot of bad memories too. And I am absolutely not a beach person, never have been. But I have to live around water..prefer lakes, ponds, mountains much more. I know I will never match SoCal weather, and that is something I really need to consider, so I will probably end up in a milder climate than NE. Yes, it will be a culture shock because we get used to what we know and have lived with and around for so many years. But when I visit areas back east (NE, Upstate NY, Virginia), I don't long to get back to California at all. But, still, so much to be considered...

Personally, I'd move where I know someone, anyone at all. It's a starting place for other relationships. I have to really admire those seniors who have moved alone to completely new area of the country without knowing a soul. That takes some guts. Starting over with friends is easy for some, much much harder for others.

[newenglandgirl]

Originally Posted by ExNooYawk

I enjoyed reading this thread. It has given me some food for thought.
My DH and I moved to our part of Oregon a few years ago after he retired from SoCal. Prior to that, I grew up in NY and he grew up in London. Our eldest has moved to our town with her husband, little boy (second one due in three weeks). It is nice being near them. I adore my grandson and will surely adore the next one. But.
It is dang expensive here. The DH was still working in SoCal when we purchased the house and we took out a mortgage. Each month we feel the pinch and it is time for us to buy a house outright. But.
We don't really want to stay here in this town. I'm fed up to here with the winters. Although they aren't bitter cold, they are gloomy enough for a long enough time to make me dream of warmer climes.
We have another daughter who lives in Tucson. I LOVE that part of AZ. But. DH hates it.
My DH is pretty happy here, being a Brit. His ideal place to go is Portland, OR. It's a great city, but won't solve my SAD. Our youngest daughter goes to college at U of Portland and would love it if we moved there. But.
I doubt we'd save any money in Portland, OR. Then there is the problem of long, rainy winters.
The basic problem is that he is a gloomy-weather person and I'm a sunny-weather person. He doesn't mind being in the house for weeks on end due to inclement weather. I want to swim in a pool or sit outside with a book in nice weather. I love the ocean and he couldn't care less about the ocean. Still, moving to Florida where it is warm and lovely (and has a beach) means moving really REALLY far away from our west-coast oriented family. Plus the DH hates Florida (minor detail).
So that's my sad little feeling-sorry-for-myself missive. It's just as well we probably couldn't sell our house anyway due to this miserable housing market because we can't reach a decision about where to go, if anywhere.

One more feeling-sorry-for-myself item: I don't want to worry about mortgage payments. I want to make plans to visit places. It doesn't have to be extravagant. I insisted we buy an Airstream a few years ago which helps preserve my sanity. We don't go out in it often enough, imho. WHY are we sitting in the house today, looking out at the gray skies, when we could be in Arizona? We went for two weeks but DH couldn't wait to get back here. Go figure.

So, here I am, complaining and trying to figure out what to do. Life is good, we are healthy, our family is wonderful and we are making ends meet, more or less. In that sense we are extremely blessed, which only makes me feel a bit more guilty. (We ex-Catholics will always be guilty about something, right?)

Can you afford a condo in two places --AZ and where you are now?

Sounds like you won't make any move at all if you're both not on the same page. I remember my fourth (?) grade teacher, teaching us about the use of commas, saying "When in doubt leave it out." Maybe this applies?

[xz2y]

One big consideration in a move later in life is transportation. At some point, many if not all of us won't be able to drive. Is that an issue people are thinking about when considering moves for retirement? If so, where are people going or considering in light of our car-oriented country and lifestyle?