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I read (and contribute somewhat) to these retirement forums as DH is retired but I am still working- I take it a day at a time. Originally I had always thought I would move south for retirement as I do LOVE the warmer climates and I do really NOT like cold and especially snow.
Due to family etc etc it looks like we will likely at some point move to be closer to grand(s) in Pa. (we are in NJ) once I am retired and we downsize from our large home.
In any case, the climate will be the same. At the present time, I think that-
I might not hate the snow as much when retired as I won't NEED to drive then. (the streets and drives get plowed in time- it's just needing to drive on the ice and snow that I cannot stand).
I think perhaps if we just went away for even one of the bad months january or february for a break to a warm climate with sun- that break might just serve me well. I can deal with cold and or snow if it's not every day and I know the end is in sight.
So my current thought is to see if we can rent for a month someplace and if not, to work with that plan of a month in th edead of winter to remove ourselves.......
We both loved Tennessee and liked Virginia(Roanoke and Charlottesville in particular. I know the weather isnt much different from where we are though and family is too far).
AND the Hall tax is currently being phased out!!! IT will be completely gone is, what, 5 years?
Yes, it is being phased out. Not sure on the timeline, but it's going.
TN is a very low tax state, but also a low level of government service state. I prefer low taxes and low services, and frankly don't feel I receive much less from the government on a day to day basis than I did in Indiana and Iowa, both of which are much higher tax states. The services and things that aren't available are issues with my local area and would likely be solved by moving to a larger metro.
Taxes should only be one part of the retirement picture. Many people get fixated on taxes and cost of living without considering whether they'd like living there or not. I don't hate where I am in Tennessee, but would pay more in taxes to be somewhere I'd rather be.
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Originally Posted by Mayvenne
We both loved Tennessee and liked Virginia(Roanoke and Charlottesville in particular. I know the weather isnt much different from where we are though and family is too far).
Keep in mind that hilly or mountainous places in TN/VA can often be more difficult to deal with in snow that places farther north that are on flatter ground. I've lived in Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee, and metro Boston during the winter months, and it is much easier to get around in Indiana and Iowa when it does snow than here in east Tennessee. That's largely just a function of how flat it is and not having to slip and slide going up or down hills.
If we get heavy snow here, I can't get up the driveway, which is up a steep hill. That never was an issue in the Midwest, though they probably technically get more snow
Maybe, but the snow does not pile up by the yard. The temps don't drop well below zero. The bitter winter weather does not last month after month after month after month after month after month. People don't need to dress in snow pants and parkas and heavy mittens just to dig their cars out to go the store for milk. It is even worse for older people who need to worry about slipping on ice and breaking bones. Then there is the winter long bronchitis due to cold weather and dry inside air. Should I also mention the depression that occurs in March when the dark and cold is still oppressive and there are still a couple more months until decent weather? Should I mention the heating bills? The wear and tear on vehicles?
I still remember being young and stupid and almost dying within sight of my house because I was not wearing decent clothing and the Chicago temps were an actual minus 26 with a nasty wind. At those temps you can literally die within minutes if you are not dressed for the cold.
We rarely get snow measuring in feet here, but what we do get, we're ill-equipped to handle. An inch or two will cause runs on the grocery stores, school cancellations, and a low level panic. Snow plowing here is far less efficient than up north - the government often only has the resources to do main roads only in a reasonable time frame. If you live on a back road, you're on your own. I never had that problem in Indiana or Iowa, even when getting to and from small towns in the winter.
I live at about 1200' and my former office in Virginia was about 2000'. It often rained at the house and they were buried in inches of snow. If the highway up to that office was snow covered, you weren't getting up it without AWD.
I am on TVA power, which helps keep costs down. I don't know anyone on heating oil or heating primarily with anything but gas or a heat pump, and never saw otherwise in the Midwest - frankly, I don't know why heat pumps are not used in northern climates in all but the most extreme conditions, unless electricity is so prohibitively expense that an alternate source makes economic sense. Most modern heat pumps can operate efficiently well below freezing. You may need some sort of auxiliary heat source, but I can't imagine that being worse than the heating oil prices I've seen quoted over the years.
December, January, and February are basically a washout here. Mid-November and March are toss-up months where there can be nice days, but still a lot of bad weather.
Is it better here than the Adirondacks or something? Yes, but is it worth moving from a softer winter location like NJ/NYC to try and escape winter? No.
Well, let's see. No gardening. I don't mind staying in the house with my dogs and books and views and wood stove. My major volunteer activity and outdoor interest (horseback riding) is largely a summer thing. I do hope to return to cross-country skiing.
I hear the snow where I'm going is very dry and powdery and often melts quite quickly in the high altitude sun. So I won't go out during the snowing but it shouldn't present a problem for weeks the way it does in New England.
To each his own, eh? I cannot take the sticky grey of the New England summer any more.
It is currently 19 degrees in Montrose with a predicted nighttime low of 3 degrees.
Sure we are all different, but you have been asking so here is my prediction. Sitting around the fireplace with some books and dogs will get old in a hurry. Even the beautiful scenery will become commonplace. The inconveniences of remote living will grow with time. Once you have read your books, you will might want to visit a library. You can wait for the bookmobile or visit the regional library. I suspect you will not be impressed. The deciding blow will be healthcare. When we are young we think of that as a visit or two to a doctor or dentist. My wife and I are healthy for our ages, but even so we have had a few midnight ER visits. I have had two surgeries that required month long recoveries and numerous follow up visits.
Beyond that there is another major factor. I am a loner and introvert, but even so social interactions are important to me. I also have goals and things I want to do, to learn and to accomplish. Those go way beyond sitting around the fireplace watching the snow fall. There are also issues of physical and mental health. Sitting around the fireplace does not work well for either.
...... frankly, I don't know why heat pumps are not used in northern climates in all but the most extreme conditions, unless electricity is so prohibitively expense that an alternate source makes economic sense. Most modern heat pumps can operate efficiently well below freezing. .......
"Well below freezing" would not cut it even for where I live on Long Island. I had one when I lived in Arizona. It froze up the one time the temps dropped below about 30 degrees.
You also are living in an area with dirt cheap electricity, way below the national average. In much of the northeast rates are several times the national average. Trying to heat with electricity, even a heat pump, would cost many, many thousands of dollars each winter. When I lived in Chicago, the night temps dropped as low as minus 26 degrees. It seems like you are trying to compare plus 26 with minus 26. There is a world of difference.
"Well below freezing" would not cut it even for where I live on Long Island. I had one when I lived in Arizona. It froze up the one time the temps dropped below about 30 degrees.
You also are living in an area with dirt cheap electricity, way below the national average. In much of the northeast rates are several times the national average. Trying to heat with electricity, even a heat pump, would cost many, many thousands of dollars each winter. When I lived in Chicago, the night temps dropped as low as minus 26 degrees. It seems like you are trying to compare plus 26 with minus 26. There is a world of difference.
I've never had a heat pump "freeze up" at shortly below 30 degrees in Indiana, Iowa, or here in Tennessee. Even the older heat pump my parents had installed in 1998 after they got the house never "froze up" even during cold spells growing up. Lows below 30 here are common. The heat pumps have always been usable to my knowledge. We're supposed to have lows of 20, 18, and 25 over the next few days, with one day's high not getting above 30.
I'll let you know if it locks up.
-26 can happen and you have to be equipped to cope with it, which is I mentioned you probably do need an auxiliary source of heat, but it's certainly not commonplace.
The bottom line is that unless you are in Florida, maybe some parts of the Gulf Coast, parts of Texas, and coastal California, winter is going to suck anywhere in this country - it's just how long and how hard.
The inconveniences of remote living will grow with time. Once you have read your books, you will might want to visit a library. You can wait for the bookmobile or visit the regional library. I suspect you will not be impressed.
The deciding blow will be healthcare. When we are young we think of that as a visit or two to a doctor or dentist. My wife and I are healthy for our ages, but even so we have had a few midnight ER visits. I have had two surgeries that required month long recoveries and numerous follow up visits.
Beyond that there is another major factor. I am a loner and introvert, but even so social interactions are important to me. I also have goals and things I want to do, to learn and to accomplish. Those go way beyond sitting around the fireplace watching the snow fall. There are also issues of physical and mental health. Sitting around the fireplace does not work well for either.
A major reason I chose to live right in town,not outside of town. I have investigated what kind of transport options there are to the hospital (24 miles) and yes, it's a community hospital/cancer center. Oh, and the town library is one block away and is actually quite nice- I've checked it out when visiting. Twice in the past I bought and sold property out of town and realized I am a town person.
Having lived in major metro areas most of my life (Philly, Pittsburgh,Boston, although am 30 miles from Boston in a town) I don't have big plans that require the metro areas. Of course I hope to make friends but I am viewing it more almost like a semi-monastic life of animal rescue and quiet home and, I hope, a member of an interesting community. I also expect to be able to hire transportation if ill or injured. I just can't see staying where I am because there's a senior van to the community hospital or a referral to the big hospitals downtown.
Certainly I have considered these things. Obsessed about them, one might say.
.... I have investigated what kind of transport options there are to the hospital (24 miles) and yes, it's a community hospital/cancer center. .......
My sister is currently recovering from two major surgeries that came on suddenly. She lives in the suburbs of a fair sized city, Winston-Salem. The local hospitals are large with extensive services but the specialists she needed work at Duke, 2 hours away. She had a tough time with the distance and transportation and numerous doctor visits. Her kids used their vacation time and borrowed time to help. Her son's girlfriend donated 6 weeks of time. She barely got by. I could not help because my wife had a repeat attack of diverticulitis. She needed hospitalization, IV antibiotics, CAT scans, and might have needed surgery, actually two surgeries. Compared with your situation, my sister lives in the equivalent of Grand Junction and had to go to Denver for her tertiary care.
It does not take much to be called a "cancer center". For most cancers I would not settle for less than top rated specialists. I had my Di Vinci prostate surgery at an NYC area hospital with services on a par with Sloan Kettering. I had my cardiac evaluations at a Mayo partner hospital, ranked #2 in the nation for cardiac care. I went to the specialists at Hospital or Special Surgery due to the presence of an internationally known expert on my autoimmune disease.
When it comes to healthcare it costs no more to go the experts who really know what they are doing. I would rather not be one of the 90,000 patients killed each year due to medical incompetence and treatment errors. With expert care, my health issues and those of my wife have been cured or at least well managed.
But I am not willing to stay in the Boston area because of the medical care. I am done with a major metro area. If I have to move to one again, we'll see. Longevity is not my priority.
A friend in her 50s is in remission from Stage4 lymphoma from the Montrose Cancer Center.
Is the poster saying that we should all huddle around top-notch urban healthcare to get another ten years out of this life? I'm sure for some that would be a yes. For me, after a lifetime of working, metro areas and loneliness, I want a last hurrah of making a life in Ridgway.
But I am not willing to stay in the Boston area because of the medical care. I am done with a major metro area. If I have to move to one again, we'll see. Longevity is not my priority.
A friend in her 50s is in remission from Stage4 lymphoma from the Montrose Cancer Center.
Is the poster saying that we should all huddle around top-notch urban healthcare to get another ten years out of this life? I'm sure for some that would be a yes. For me, after a lifetime of working, metro areas and loneliness, I want a last hurrah of making a life in Ridgway.
There are plenty of places with great medical care outside of Boston. You do need to be within reach of a major urban area.
I am not saying we need to "huddle" around major healthcare facilities just to buy some time. With proper care, we do not just gain time, we can see major improvements in the quality of life.
I had no idea you were talking about Ridgway. That is completely different. It is currently a balmy 5 degrees and going down to minus 2 tonight. You don't need to worry about huddling in an urban area, you just need to huddle close to the fireplace. Three or four cords of wood a winter should help.
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