Men and Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (55, beach)

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by meo92953

I might end up staying here unless the winter is too harsh. I can get 1 meal a day from meals on wheels. Paying is voluntary but suggestion is $4 per meal. I had to quit because I was/am trying to figure out what I should & shouldn't eat.

I think I already mentioned here (or on chat) that my grandparents settled here & a lot of people here either went to school with my mom or know my family from church. So, it was like an instant in. I do know from the previous winters here that I have to stock up for emergencies prior to winter, but that's the midwest. Minnesota has a lot going for it actuall. Where I am is surrounded by lakes & has great fishing. I caught a wonderful Northern last summer. My nephew has some sort of magic going for him & when he goes out the fish practically jump onto his line. I was thrilled with my northern, lol.

And my Dr today. She did not mess around. I'll have the ct scan tomorrow. She is so wonderful. Don't know if i can find someone so caring anywhere else. I just don't know.

Knoxgarten really got me interested in Tennessee & that is pulling my heart strings too. We'll see what happens.

I'm glad you have a good doctor who is on the ball. Hopefully they'll find out real quick what the problem is and get you on the road to improving. If it's Diverticulitis (sp?), my ex MIL had it too and it made a big difference in how she ate. I remember that she was really unhappy that she couldn't eat salads anymore. Something about the lettuce? She was always way overweight and didn't lose any weight because of it though.

The more I read about where you are the more I think it's probably the best place for you to be. It seems to have everything you need and the only bugaboo is the weather/winter. There HAS to be a way that you can stay where you are, where you're happy, have good medical care and family and still escape the worst part of winter. I think I'd probably concentrate on that more than a big move. I wish you the best no matter what you decide to do.

[meo92953]

Thanks AZ. It's so easy to love Minnesota the other 3 seasons. We do normally have 1 week in the summer that has high, uncomfortable heat but it usually lasts less than a week. Otherwise it's really comfortable.

Winter though is another story. I had the back operation March 2014 & last winter was still living with my sister who did all the shopping, etc. Moved into town in April so. The upcoming winter will be the real test. It's not even the shopping that I worry about but last winter my back ached so much. If it's ok this winter, I may stay.

[brava4]

Originally Posted by NYgal2NC

I'm currently involved with trying to get something done with Amazon with people who have terrible accents, don't know what their jobs are, transfer me to another company (probably because they don't know what else to do with me), and that other company person with another miserable accent.

No wonder USA is going to heck in a hand-basket. Let's outsource some more jobs!!!! Grrr

When I get this other problem resolved, I will P.M. you, OverItAll.

What is the purpose for repeating the same thing in multiple threads???

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by meo92953

Thanks AZ. It's so easy to love Minnesota the other 3 seasons. We do normally have 1 week in the summer that has high, uncomfortable heat but it usually lasts less than a week. Otherwise it's really comfortable.

Winter though is another story. I had the back operation March 2014 & last winter was still living with my sister who did all the shopping, etc. Moved into town in April so. The upcoming winter will be the real test. It's not even the shopping that I worry about but last winter my back ached so much. If it's ok this winter, I may stay.

I lived in Minnesota for 43 years, 21 years in Rochester, 22 in Minneapolis, and a cabin near Pine City for 10 years as a getaway.

I've become so addicted to low humidity (as low as 3% in June here in Las Vegas) that I won't even risk a trip to Minnesota in the summertime anymore, no more July family reunions. The risk I'm not willing to take: just my luck the week I'm up there I'll collide with heat and humidity, and you'll find me crashing to the sidewalk! The longer you live in the desert, the more sensitive your body becomes to humidity. I've become such a humidity wimp, I even stay away from San Diego in the summer time! And, it's too dry even for flies, mosquito's, woodticks, gnats. I freak out today if I encounter a mosquito! Well, a better description for mosquito's are terrorists!

I first moved to Phoenix, 3 years there, and it's interesting the reversal of complaints I heard: The very, very last summer I'll ever spend in Phoenix! In Minnesota: The very, very last winter I'll ever spend in Minnesota. And, very few, if any, carry thru with their promises!

One thing nice about AZ, is the altitude relief. With my upcoming move to Tucson (2550 feet), for some relief, I can merely go the short distance to Bisbee (5200 feet) or even to Nogales (3885 feet), and a longer drive to Flagstaff at around 7000 feet.

Even here in Las Vegas, one can take the 35 miles drive, from downtown, to the Mt. Charleston Lodge at 7775 feet, and cool off for the day. Or, as so many seniors do, they hike from there up to the Meadows at 11,000 feet, but be sure to bring a jacket along!

With Florida, there's no altitude relief whatsoever!

[loveautumn]

I really appreciated your comments about how our energy rises and falls when making decisions, especially ones as big as moving as we get older. I have experienced it myself many times, but you've described it very well. When I've made decisions that I know are the right ones, even though there may be challenges to overcome, it just feels more peaceful and I don't second-guess myself. When I've made the wrong decisions, well....that's a different story. Sometimes I have to practice making small decisions and sticking with them just to build up more confidence.

[NYgal1542]

We are having extremely heavy rains past few days with flooding in places it never happened before. One man was sucked into an open man hole while trying to help two others.

This weather always makes me tired and I don't usually have a positive attitude till the sun comes back out. I've been reading everyone's comments about moving, the struggles they encounter, etc. I'm starting to wonder is moving really worth it (for me)? I've made about six local moves in the past 20 years. Certainly not as many times as a lot of others have made, but it's exhausting. I do all of the packing/unpacking, getting the boxes/breaking down the boxes for recycle, all the arranging, etc., and it is so expensive (part of the reason for credit card debt).

I also have some good friends here. I've pared the list down quite a bit when I realized quantity was not quality. I have always felt I made new friends easily, probably still can, but do I want to? A few of the quality friends I've known for about 40 years. Truthfully at 73 I am not sure I have the energy it takes.

I'm working (slowly) at getting out of debt. Many good suggestions read here, going to talk to legal aid. I think that is the best first step. Moving is quite expensive. I know from experience when I move to a new area and I don't know anyone, etc., I tend to spend more money (credit) on entertaining myself.

So yes, there are many reasons why re-locating sounds attractive to me but it doesn't feel realistic. If I can reduce spending, get out of debt, have a bit more spending money for play, I can visit these nice places and enjoy them without the moving costs. After reading so many wise people's posts, I realize there things I have right around me that can keep me happy. There is a wonderful library a little over one block from me. An expensive restaurant a few blocks away. Grocery stores all around. Other conveniences, too. I think my mindset has been the grass is always greener somewhere else.

So that is my story for today. Guess I'll stick with it, at least for now.

[tijlover]

My first relocation out of Minneapolis, at age 43, stemmed from SADD, and I was living too close to the Mississippi, making it too tempting to jump into the river after a long spell of cloudy days. Secondly, I was developing arthritis in my shoulders, wrists, elbows, from having done massage full-time for 5 years, and I was fearful my days of doing massage were coming to an end.

I can still get depressed here, even with the 300 days of sunshine, but never as depressed as I got back in MN! And, my arthritis was arrested soon after I moved to the desert. I was able to resume doing massage about 6 months after arriving in Phoenix, in 1993, and have been doing it, off and on, eversince, with no joint problems. My arthritic cousin, in Minneapolis, retired in Sun Lakes, AZ, and couldn't believe the difference it made.

If it weren't for SADD, a possible recurrence of arthritis, Oh Lord, the choices there'd be for retirement!
Top choices: Pittsburgh or Charleston, WV! But I googled Cloudiest Cities In The U.S., and Pittsburgh and Charleston was right up there with Seattle for cloudy days. And I'm guessing Central NY isn't much better, particularly in the Fall and Winter.

And then there's the unpredictable, unenviable American Healthcare System, which also keeps me in the Southwest, proximity to Mexico. Sampling medical tourism has made me a convert. When I go through some head-scratching frustration with a Doctor in Tucson, and being so impatient, I'll merely go the 60 miles to Nogales and go to the International Red Cross Clinic there and cough up the $5 to see a Dr. there for a 2nd opinion.

So, in many ways, I feel like I've become a prisoner here in the Southwest and wish I had more options besides the Southwest. Since the cold and snow were never factors in my relocation, oh boy, I'd even consider retiring in Duluth, MN, considered to be the poor-man's San Francisco!

[meo92953]

I also have saad, & then my Dr ordered a vitamin D deficiency test & I was very low. She ordered high dosage vit d, that was in January. I'm certain it helped, but hard to know how much as the stomach problems began. It was kind cute as there was an intern following her that day & he suggested the lamp for saad people & my Dr said it was too late in the season. She left the room for a moment & he said, I'd still get that lamp. I didn't but probably should have. Certainly will for this next winter.

I know what you mean about feeling like a prisioner. Right before I lost my house to foreclosure, there was a huge increase in home burglaries. I couldn't leave (or felt I couldn't) until the bank took over the house. Didn't dare leave the house until it was out of my name. But it was scary, living alone with crime rising, knowing the probability of the house getting trashed, when it was still in my name, kept me there.

[meo92953]

Actually, this whole thread has helped me tremendously. Looking at the folks in my apartment complex, one who has lived here 30 years & just celebrated her 90th birthday, seriously makes me think. She was a friend of my mom's & is just a sweetheart. The woman across from me was also friends with my mother & partly due to those two, I have been accepted. I'm sure I would have been anyway, after all, this IS Minnesota nice, but sure didn't hurt that those two helped me so much.

[meo92953]

By the way, I almost did move to Duluth, but the expense was ridiculous, even way back when. Also, it remained cold for a much longer time than the rest of the state. But, I will agree, it is beautiful.