Riddle: where is my next place (travel, opinion, tax, costs)

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

Anyone have the experience that whenever you think you're settled on your next place to move, your mind wanders...to someplace else? Is there a name for this disease (other than wanderlust)? Any treatment?

I have lived in 7 states, but that was mostly in my younger years. I have long suffered from wanderlust but satisfy it by traveling. Moving is for the birds, in my book. With any luck, I have only two moves left: 1) Assisted living when I start drooling, and 2) The great beyond!

[MsLamar]

I too have wanderlust. I'm lucky to have so many options that I have difficulty choosing where to move. I've started telling myself "The perfect is the enemy of the good." In other words, just pick some place for crying out loud!

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by MsLamar

I too have wanderlust. I'm lucky to have so many options that I have difficulty choosing where to move. I've started telling myself "The perfect is the enemy of the good." In other words, just pick some place for crying out loud!

So where is your next place??

[MsLamar]

If only I knew!! I'm ready to throw a dart at a map!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by MsLamar

If only I knew!! I'm ready to throw a dart at a map!

After reading here for quite some time, I think a lot of people will have to use that approach. Too many choices and variables and a lot of over-thinking, in my opinion. It's like armchair quarterbacking.

I guess we were fortunate in that we'd both lived in a variety of states and, for me, three other countries. When the time came we had a general area in mind and winnowing it down to a final choice, after careful research, was relatively easy. One trip decided it for us and voila, here we are with no regrets.

[livecontent]

I have just read this whole thread and given it much thought. There is that need that we want to live where we can more interact with people, so that we feel we are more a part of a community.

A poster, has, suggested extensively, that we should look at the small towns of Western New York. He is right they are very nice towns. I grew up in Western New York and I also feel that this area of New York as been much overlooked as places to live. Others have suggested other small towns. However, It does not necessarily follow that small towns and village will offer more friendship, interaction and a sense of community than larger cities. Many of these small towns are very car dependent and housing can be much farther away from a small city center, being much more spread out, so the interaction with others will be minimal.The exception would be in small towns that have a good meeting point and attractions of a vibrant main street where people would gather from the neighboring area. Yet, many of these small town main streets are dying or already expired.

It is suggested that a place that is very walkable offers the ability to interact with others because you are walking, talking and on your feet. Again, we cannot make assumptions because even if a neighborhood is walkable, it does not necessarily follow that people do walk in these areas from the surrounding blocks or that they desire to interact with people. I live in a very walkable neighborhood but most residents in the streets around are car focused and will drive one block, get what they want and drive home. Taking a bus for them is very rare or even use of the coming commuter rail would not be part of their mentality because they can afford cars and will use them extensively, even if their are other alternatives that are less costly; walking is not part of their idea of living.

I think for a area or neighborhood in a city or small town that is receptive to interaction to others, then it will be more in area where people must walk to stores because that is their means of transit and/or have intentionally chosen a walkable lifestyle. To me, that is the main incubator for interaction with each other.

Saying that, I do agree with the suggestion that many college towns that surround and border a college are an interactive experience for many. That is because the students must walk and also the liberal mindset is to accept the walkable lifestyle as a better quality of life. I went to colleges and universities that were more isolated and did not have that interactive sense of community. I have lived in a college town that did surround a large university and that gave me more interaction with others.

Other areas, that I have lived, that offer more a sense of walkable community, are defined neighborhoods in the denser parts of large cities. I lived in NYC and the neighborhood was had more of a small town experience than authentic small towns. It was because most people did not drive and walked frequently and often. They did interact with their neighbors. Most people were not transients; they and their families have lived in the same neighborhood for generations. That is also very important stimulus of a interacting community where people had established contacts over a long period of time.

You could say that recreational and vacation destinations have many walkable areas with many social interactions. So, you could say that the Strip on Las Vegas is very interactive and very walkable. A beach community can also offer these qualities. Many people do choose to live close to these amusement areas, permanently, and do get much social interaction from the coming and goings of tourist and of course there are many permanent residents year round.

I did have some excellent experiences in the Army. I was stationed at The Presidio of Monterey for Language School. That small elite Army Fort was very walkable in Monterey and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula. I had much social interaction with the residents and of course my fellow students in military "indentured servitude". I have been to Santa Cruz and I think it is great area to have a similar quality of life. Latter I was assigned to West Berlin as part of the Occupation and my military residence was in a dense area of the city. That situation was very socially interactive as I lived a a civilian in the city and was prohibited from wearing a uniform, outside of any military site.

I am satisfied with the very walkable nature of my neighborhood but not the negative social interaction in my neighborhood. I want more quality of relationships with others in my neighborhood. My next move, if possible, would be a denser part of Denver which is attracting the liberal intelligent people who value a more vibrant interactive of quality of life. It would also be a neighborhood of the common working man who must walk to stores; do talk to their neighbors. I would even look around a walkable vibrant University community in the area, though the idea of being around too many students again, make me pause and think if I can tolerate their youthful gushing fresh hormones. Of course, they would have to tolerate my grumpy disregard for their arrogant group thinking and "take no prisoners" liberal ideas.

Livecontent

[xz2y]

I've enjoyed reading this thread and appreciate the time that livecontent has taken to respond with her take on finding the "right" place to live as one ages. I wanted to add a few comments:

Re: western NY. While there are some nice areas, and I have looked at Ithaca, I learned through my research that NYS may allow fracking in the near future, including areas in the Finger Lakes region, which would change life there dramatically. One needs only to see what has happened in Pennsylvania with the fracking industry to understand the devastation to the environment and land. At any rate, I've put Ithaca on hold for the time being for my search for a retirement "home." There is more information on the fracking debate in NYS on the NY forum.

Livecontent, I enjoyed your analysis of what makes a place friendly and how social interactions and walkability interact. I live in a university town in SE Michigan, and I will tell you that it is not walkable beyond a few downtown blocks. There are a few lofts downtown, which are very expensive, but there are no essentials for day to day living such as grocery stores, etc. The downtown here has been transformed into restaurants, bars and a few boutiques, all geared to students. It's also increasingly more expensive. When I lived closer to the downtown area 10 years ago, it was fun to walk around on a Friday night, but you weren't interacting with anyone in particular, nor anyone you would see more than once. The interactions were in commercial settings, with baristas in a coffee shop or a sales clerk in a book store (most were students), not anyone you are going to see on a regular basis. Additionally, there is high turnover in these college areas; shops and restaurants come and go as rents keep increasing, forcing out the little fun places with charm.

I think in order for walkability to work, the area has to have a certain density, and as livecontent mentioned, there has to be a reason for walking, such as going to work close-by or buying groceries. Anyway, I, too, would like to find a walkable city for retirement, or at least one that has reasonable transportation, but there are a lot of variables to consider in relocating, in terms of taxes, cost of rent (I'm a renter, not a homeowner), climate, cost of supplemental Medicare plans which vary greatly state to state, and the cost of utilities, which also vary greatly. Food and internet costs are not as variable around the country. I'd love to ditch my car in retirement, but it's going to be tough to find a place that's affordable, safe and potentially car-free. I'm not a golfer and would not be happy in a planned community, most likely. Most areas of the US are car-centric, unlike Europe, for example. I think I would be very happy in western England, but good luck retiring to an EU country as a US citizen.

Anyway, back to reality, I wouldn't rule out moving to another college town, and usually there are amenities that make up for some of the drawbacks, but the arrogance can get old (maybe some college towns are better than others in that regard), and I'd prefer to live in a city/town with a greater cross section of humanity.

A couple other issues to consider: here in SE Michigan, the budget cutbacks have hit the road maintenance and snow removal budgets. There is little salting and plowing in town unless it's a big storm, and the roads are crumbling all around the city. I find myself not driving at all on many days in the winter, though this year has been mild with little snow. But in a normal winter, the lack of salting and plowing creates very hazardous conditions for driving and causes many unnecessary car crashes. Something to think about in looking for a retirement location. I don't know if other states are experiencing these kinds of budget issues with snow plowing. I like 4 seasons, but driving here as one ages is not practical and increasingly dangerous.

Once again, I appreciated reading all the posts in this thread and will be following along to see how the discussion progresses!

[livecontent]

xz2y,

Thank you for your response. I also enjoyed reading your comments. I do think it is very important that a good walkable neighborhood includes a basic grocery store and basic shopping. I do not find that areas with all overpriced stores and shops that cater only to money are enough and develop the type of relationship I want in a neighborhood. I want a mix neighborhood that is perhaps partly gentrified that has the intelligent, the creative, the progressive and most importantly seniors, the working middle class and I do appreciate new immigrants that add color and variety to the neighborhood.

I agree, University communities do have an tendency to develop an arrogance of "we know it all". That is why I would never again live in a city that is totally dominate by a large University, such as Ithaca or Boulder. My idea of a University community would be a neighborhood near a large University but in a larger city that will temper and moderate the influence of the University. So, that I can have the benefits and amenities of the University but the wider more diverse benefits of a larger city.

You made a good point that a walkable neighborhood is best served when the people have the need to walk to stores, to work or to transit. I like neighborhoods that are built around transit points or rail stations but not necessarily those who are developed to be these new urban communities. They tend to attract too much of the overpriced fluff stores and segregate the less wealthy away.

This area has an excellent and growing public transportation system so living without a car would be doable. I would never again own a house. I would rent. There are many new senior only rentals being built in the area and may be be perfect for my situation.Denver is a relatively safe city. Denver is one of the prime cities at this time and is attracting new population and wealth. It is not in the same situation as the deteriorating Great Lake Cities. For now, I will sit back and wait. I have a house, paid and, a good walkable neighborhood with the transit station coming, down the block. I want to see how that will work and also the station when completed, in 2016, will add appreciation to my house.

Livecontent

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by livecontent

.... My idea of a University community would be a neighborhood near a large University but in a larger city ... Denver is one of the prime cities at this time and is attracting new population and wealth. It is not in the same situation as the deteriorating Great Lake Cities.

For those looking west; the following cities I have visited / searched have this feel / neighborhoods / draw for senior living.

OR (high INCOME taxes in OR very low tax thresh-hold, no sales tax)
Portland, Lots of colleges (10) within the city and decent neighborhoods / transit. Eugene / Corvallis / K Falls / LaGrande, and Bend

WA (High Property taxes, no income tax)
Bellingham, Olympia, Walla Walla, Spokane, Ellensburg (Seattle too, has lots of choices of in-town colleges and communities, but pretty BUSY / Spendy)

CA, (high everything)
I have looked to and enjoyed time in Chico and Davis, but it has many places too. Just returned from SLO and Santa Barbara, very nice.

ID, (moderate taxes)
Boise and Moscow each quite nice

MT, (no Sales tax, no building codes, good for DIY)
I could do Missoula or Bozeman

UT
I prefer Logan, not sure I could survive old age in UT

WY, (No Income tax, no / limited public transit)
Powell, Sheridan (VA), or Laramie (UW)

SD (No Income tax, no public transit except RC)
Spearfish and Sturgis (no transit, but VA medical is close, nice 'caring' communities)

CO (moderate taxes)
My choice is Ft Col, or Colo Springs.


Personally I have this crazy need for good CHEAP, small airport with direct international access, so some of these places (ID, WY, SD, MT) will not work for me.

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

For those looking west; the following cities I have visited / searched have this feel / neighborhoods / draw for senior living.

OR (high INCOME taxes in OR very low tax thresh-hold, no sales tax)
Portland, Lots of colleges (10) within the city and decent neighborhoods / transit. Eugene / Corvallis / K Falls / LaGrande, and Bend

WA (High Property taxes, no income tax)
Bellingham, Olympia, Walla Walla, Spokane, Ellensburg (Seattle too, has lots of choices of in-town colleges and communities, but pretty BUSY / Spendy)

CA, (high everything)
I have looked to and enjoyed time in Chico and Davis, but it has many places too. Just returned from SLO and Santa Barbara, very nice.

ID, (moderate taxes)
Boise and Moscow each quite nice

MT, (no Sales tax, no building codes, good for DIY)
I could do Missoula or Bozeman

UT
I prefer Logan, not sure I could survive old age in UT

WY, (No Income tax, no / limited public transit)
Powell, Sheridan (VA), or Laramie (UW)

SD (No Income tax, no public transit except RC)
Spearfish and Sturgis (no transit, but VA medical is close, nice 'caring' communities)

CO (moderate taxes)
My choice is Ft Col, or Colo Springs.


Personally I have this crazy need for good CHEAP, small airport with direct international access, so some of these places (ID, WY, SD, MT) will not work for me.

Thanks for the info on these cities. I would add that fracking (drilling for the underground natural gas reserves using huge amounts of water and chemicals) is escalating in many western states. I did read recently that in Wyoming, a primary water source (an aquifer, I believe) has been contaminated by the fracking process. Wyoming is touted as a good state for retirees for their tax structure, but this drilling around the country using fracking is creating havoc in some areas. Youngstown OH recently determined that a series of earthquakes were caused by the fracking drilling in the area. The state of PA has many formerly beautiful areas that have been contaminated and polluted by the fracking process. The companies doing the fracking are not subject to the Clean Water Act, thanks to Mr Cheney back in 2003. Some states are now passing legislation that fracking companies must reveal the chemicals they are using, but it's not a federal law, and not all states are doing it yet. Personally, I'd like to move to a place where I can drink the water.

I also read recently that SD is changing dramatically with the oil and gas drilling, and in some areas, housing costs have quadrupled. That may be an extreme example in the country, but a formerly low cost state is rapidly changing in that regard. Lots to consider in a move in a fast changing environment all around.