Has anyone retired to a small town that was not part of a Metro area, after living in Cities all your life? (55, weather)
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Now that I am in my 50s, I could sell my home and with my other investments semi retire in a small town out of State where housing prices are low. If I could find a part time job paying me at least $500 a month.
After living in a small town of 30,000 people when I was growing up to age 18, I have lived in a big City all my life. I am tired of full time work and the rat race. I wonder what life in a town under 100,000 would be like after being use to a big metro area like Washington DC for the last 20 years.
Anyone else in their 50s who semi retired early and moved to a small town and tried to find part time work? How did you find small time living?
Good question! I've heard lots of people talking about doing this and I often wonder how they will feel after a year or so. Do they miss the city? Does owning a tractor and sitting on the front porch make up for all the entertainment options of a city?
I am just the opposite. I work in the city but I live in a very rural area. My commute is so fierce that very seldom do I go in to the city unless I have to. My objective is to move in to a city! I've been bored long enough. I want things to do. And warm weather!
Maybe you could rent for a year and see if it's really for you?
My husband and I were city people. When he received a job transfer 20 years ago, we were thrilled to move to a rural suburb. He had an easy 10-mile commute to work. Well, after a year of driving 8 miles to a grocery store, and 10 miles to the nearest mall, the thrill began to chill. Back in the city, I used to walk everywhere -- library, grocery store, fitness club, post office, shopping. Here, one can't walk to anything. The one time I tried to walk to a gas station store a few blocks away, I almost got killed trying to cross the highway. It was 5 years before stores and services began to appear here. After 20 years, we have most of what we need within 4 miles, except for the really good stores -- for those we have to drive at least 10 miles.
You have to decide for yourself if this is for you -- it might be exactly what you are looking for. As for us, we are now checking out retirement places. As I'm compiling my list of potential neighborhoods, I'm also mapping out the nearest supermarkets, post offices, malls, etc. for each neighborhood. You might want to do that also. Also check proximity of doctors, hospitals, etc.
Now, if you live in town, in a city/town of 30,000 - 100,000 people, that is still a pretty good sized town and you probably won't have trouble accessing shopping, etc. If we had moved to the 25000+ town 10 miles from us, we would have been more satisfied.
Good luck to you. It's such an adventure looking for a new place, isn't it? Keep posting and let us know what you decide.
In your post you referenced "a small town out of State where housing prices are low", I see that you are in Virginia. Have you ruled out other parts of our beautiful commonwealth? Also, housing prices being low is relative to your financial status and your perception. In other words to borrow from another expression one man's affordable is another's expensive.
Additionally, I would like to point out that there are any number of ways to earn $500/month part-time. A lot of it comes down to how many hours you really want to work (8 hours/week is part-time just as 25 hours/week is), how much you want to use previously aquired skills or try something new, and/or how much responsibility and stress you want. It sounds like you have an opportunity to set your course, what do you really want to do with it?
There are smaller towns that still have a small town feel but are located closer to urban areas. And then there are small towns that are remote. These potentially can have vastly different feels from each other. What has an appeal to you? mimi2007 has made a great suggestion about mapping out accessibility to the post office, doctor's offices, shopping, etc. Decide what's most important to you and make choices. Very rarely can you have everything you're looking for in one place, but you can find a place that has the best overall combination of factors.
Let me know if I can be of additional assistance to you.
I'll let you know in a year or so - I've lived in the greater Los Angeles area (in several cities) , in Manhattan, and now in Portland, Oregon, and we're moving to a much smaller community, and 30 miles out of town as well. It'll be 10 miles to the nearest gas station, much less a grocery store. We'll see what I think...
My small city (upstate NY at 20,000) is older and is walkable, sidewalks throughout, with a real downtown. Big box stores are on the outskirts. We also have nature/water walkways all along the center of the city which is nice. Large discount mall is an hour away, and other mall shopping 20 minutes. Nothing within town is more than ten minutes away which is great. We have cafes and a health food store...
At this point in your life, you're probably like me and have most of your basic (and beyond) furnture/clothes/etc purchases out of the way so shopping is an ancillary entertainment. I'd suggest a walkable city with a college for entertainment and cultural events that is within an hour of a larger city for addl things. You may have to be creative in the job arena.
Now that I am in my 50s, I could sell my home and with my other investments semi retire in a small town out of State where housing prices are low. If I could find a part time job paying me at least $500 a month.
After living in a small town of 30,000 people when I was growing up to age 18, I have lived in a big City all my life. I am tired of full time work and the rat race. I wonder what life in a town under 100,000 would be like after being use to a big metro area like Washington DC for the last 20 years.
Anyone else in their 50s who semi retired early and moved to a small town and tried to find part time work? How did you find small time living?
While I don't consider 30,000 to be a small town, I say don't do it. My observation is that people, who overcompensate for their problems when they move, are miserable after they move. Example: People sick of overcrowding/overdevelopment/crime and traffic in a big city overcompensate by moving to a small rural mountain town with lots of space, no crime and no traffic and then complain about nothing to do, having to drive everywhere for basic things, lack of retail stores/restaurant variety, isolation and unplowed icy winding mountain roads in winter.
Pick places where you can still do the things you like to do and then eliminate places from the list that have too many of the negatives that the old place had. Go to the new place for what it offers, not just because it doesn't have the problems of the old place.
You live in a city now, just pick a smaller city with less traffic/crime. People who live in suburbia, find another suburban environment in another state maybe with better weather.
You make great points about what may be classified as overreactions.
I've said, "Don't run from something; have something to run to." Your comment "Go to the new place for what it offers," really fits well with this approach.
We live outside a small town(around 3000 people) in NEPA. We built a lovey 2story home for $155,000 in 1995. Dirt cheap compared to many throughout the US. But our Real Estate Taxes on that home are outrageous! We pay almost $6000 a year now. (Taxes assessed on 50% of what we paid for it).
We do not have a grocery store here, 1 gas station but nothing else. We have always had to drive 25-50 miles for any major services(malls,hair dresser,decent places to dine, clothes etc.).
My point is small towns do not mean LOW cost of living. If the area has no jobs the county, town and schools have to find a way to pay for everything which means TAXING Real Estate(their only source of income)!
We are both college educated and well traveled(mostly Europe on Business). We do not fit in with the make of this area or the people who Think Walmart is wonderful! These people also love to make fun of you if your are cultured and better educated. They will go out of their way to belittle, I have experienced this many times here so we no longer bother with anyone.
I have lived here for 35 years-hubby all his life. We have worked our way up the ladder and now are the upper class but the majority are low class, uneducated and narrow minded.
While we are looking for a cheaper place to live- we also want to be grouped with the same class of people.
Hubby is retiring in 3 years. We are looking at Delaware but are not dismissing N.C.
Lived most of my life on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula in California and in Flushing, NY, and a small city in Oregon plus Everett, Washington. Each time I lived somewhere else I would return to Monterey but not this time. In 1996 Hubby and I moved to very small town in Oklahoma with nary a traffic light. Under $50,000 bought 40 acres with a fixer upper house plus another older house where my daughter and family live. they will soon tear that one down and put in a modular.
Hubby got to enjoy a short time of retirement before his diabetes overcame him and he died.
I am only 4 1/2 miles from town where there is several gas stations, a grocery store, clothing and office supply store, many churches, antique mall plus various others. There is a fairly nice restaurant plus a couple of cafe's and a fast food place. Now and then I get really hungry for chinese food and head out 50 miles away and make a day of it going to a book store, thrift stores and Walmart.
I think it depends on what each individual is looking for in their retirement. I've claimed my 2 1/2 acre main yard and that is too much these days even with a riding mower.
Soon there will be a bit of a kitchen redo here with me striving to make life comfy and cozy for myself my dog and several birds.
wishing everyone a happy day :-)
LindaC in OK
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