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

[miruca]

Oh my. I am here in Marin county ca and the weather is gorgeous. Everytime I get to the lower 48 I feel the pull of living in warm dry weather.

Wisteria. I would be open to the rental option. I rent now and I have a roommate. I love not dealing with or paying for maintenance. Having a roommate makes living this way very affordable.

I guess the writing project is dead? No one responded to my two previous two posts on it.

Someone posted about Sequim Wa. Is in what is called the sunbelt. Many Alaskans retire to there.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by miruca

Someone posted about Sequim Wa. Is in what is called the sunbelt. Many Alaskans retire to there.

yes, between Port Townsend and Port Angeles, very nice... BUT not necessarily "sunbelt", more accurately LESS RAIN (10" vs 40" for Seattle). (note orange spec on tip of peninsula... that is Sequim... ONLY orange on west side of cascades)... I'm dark violet
Precipitation Map for Washington
It is still quite overcast and often gray in Sequim. Being on the peninsula, it has some accessibility issues, especially if the airport is something you need. Remember the Narrows Bridge is now toll, and traffic is a bear in the southern loop (Tacoma / Seattle). There are Hospitals in Port Angeles and small one in Sequim. Serious stuff and 'treatments' may be a long trip to Seattle (ferry). Sequim is nice, due to; water access and CLOSE to very nice mtns, Crescent lake, rainforest, Victoria BC & being 'semi-rural'. Harrison Hospital in Bremerton is superb

[Donnie LeBlanc]

I will remember the meatloaf bribe HA! In 1988 I was a non-traditional student and talked to several sets of parents of out of town students. I surprised some of the kids with birthday cakes brought to their dorms and had friends for life. ( I had to learn how to use computer that year and had great teachers thanks to Betty Crocker)

I fell in love with the West during vacation and have been there four times. Sedona, AZ is my happy place. I have been researching this and Cottonwood or other little surrounding towns of the area are less expensive to live but still be close to Sedona by 15 minutes. In this particular area you can experience the four seasons each year. Also, this is mainly a retirement community so you will find many friends from all walks of life. All you need do is join a hiking group and they will introduce you to others.

I live down in south Louisiana now between LSU and Southeastern. I am not retiring here as the weather is too steamy hot.

[Dancingearth]

Originally Posted by janb

yes, between Port Townsend and Port Angeles, very nice... BUT not necessarily "sunbelt", more accurately LESS RAIN (10" vs 40" for Seattle). (note orange spec on tip of peninsula... that is Sequim... ONLY orange on west side of cascades)... I'm dark violet
Precipitation Map for Washington
It is still quite overcast and often gray in Sequim. Being on the peninsula, it has some accessibility issues, especially if the airport is something you need. Remember the Narrows Bridge is now toll, and traffic is a bear in the southern loop (Tacoma / Seattle). There are Hospitals in Port Angeles and small one in Sequim. Serious stuff and 'treatments' may be a long trip to Seattle (ferry). Sequim is nice, due to; water access and CLOSE to very nice mtns, Crescent lake, rainforest, Victoria BC & being 'semi-rural'. Harrison Hospital in Bremerton is superb

It's called the Olympic Rain Shadow What Is The Olympic Rain Shadow? | KOMO News - Seattle, Washington | F.A.Q. I love the peninsula and considered living in Port Townsend when I was moving to WA in 2003. It is a very cute artsy community on the water but the closest college was in Port Angeles and at the time I wanted to get my degree. If I were to move to the PNW I would look closer at that area because it doesn't rain so much and tons of outdoor activities. Definitely a trek to the airport.

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

As some of you know from following my posts, I am planning on retiring alone, but in a different area from where I am now (California) due to the costs.

I am curious if there are other single/divorced/widowed women out there considering relocating to another area by themselves, and if so to where, and why that location?

I am very torn about where to go. I love the sunshine and dry weather -- factors in my choices. I also want a social network, and am an eastcoaster, originally, and am wondering if I should reconsider the eastcoast because it seems more social. It will also just be my retirement income (it's just me!), and so lower costs, rather than higher, are important.

I'm not really old enough for the senior centers, as I've noticed they seem to be more filled with the 70 and over crowd. Therefore, since I am still lively and young at heart, I am looking for a place where older singles still mingle. I am searching out places that may work for a single retired woman. (I am 59 right now, but plan to try to stick it out here a few more years, if possible.)

I have diverse interests, moderate politics (Independent), and write, play a little piano for myself, draw, and teach art. I'm a social worker by trade, but would like to be involved in more activities and volunteering that would be "fun" oriented. I love hiking -- that is one of my favorite pursuits. I also adore cooking. I have a dog and three cats. I am also not religious, although I guess the term "Spiritual" would apply. My daughter will be in college, but also studying abroad, so she and I will not be in the same city.

I'd love to hear what others think about this situation. Thanks!
Wisteria

Oh, thank you so much for starting this thread. This is exactly why I have been spending untold hours on this site, researching areas. I just was not able to express my needs/wants like you have here.

I am now so looking forward to learning what others have to say. Thanks again!

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by knoxgarden

I'm on my own and very happy in Knoxville, TN. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and spent my working life in Washington, D.C. and some in south Georgia.
Knoxville has great people, agreeable climate, beautiful mountain setting and the University of Tennessee. I'm active in several volunteer groups and I'm thinking about getting a masters degree. UT has special fees for those 65+ -- $7 a credit hour and a maximum of $75 a semester and you can work toward a graduate degree. I've loved the courses I've taken. No pressure, no worry about utility in earning a living, just learning to learn. Wonderful.
I would recommend looking at towns around large universities or state colleges. They'll be more diverse and they seem to have more older single women. Medical services are usually excellent and there's more going on.
Asheville, N.C. might be a good fit for you. Athens, GA, is nice, too.
An added benefit of a college town is that there are probably college-aged males living nearby who can be bribed with food to do things like haul trash, help with heavy lifting, etc. It's amazing what you can get for a meatloaf!

Oh my goodness...you are right! At age 57, I do know how these young fellows are willing to help, and for food, yet! This is great information...thanks to you, too.

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by TerryC11

Has anyone looked into buying a house in one of the former mining towns in the West? Some of them had company housing, well built in the first half of the 20th century, and now available cheap. A friend of mine got an 800 sq ft updated house in Nevada for about $25,000 three years ago. For me, it's way too far away from medical services, but I'm wondering if there might be some that aren't quite so isolated, and how to go about finding them.

Hi TerryC11. Where I am, there are many nice enough homes at this price range. People are nice, decent shopping for immediate needs, excellent medical services. Gorgeous mountainous area with farmland and cities with airports and work all within about an hour. Really low taxes and other costs, too. Northeastern Pa. Within an hour to hour and a half....Harrisburg, Allentown, Reading, Wilkes Barre, Poconos.

However, cold and gray 6 months. There is the problem. I haven't left the house in 2 days. Just too cold for me.

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by ConeyIsBabe

When I lived all those 30+ years in Miami Florida, it was within a short walking distance to the downtown section of my city, with its City Hall, upscale restaurants, many stores, businesses, etc. For most of those years, it was wonderful to walk to EVERYTHING, even work Well, like all places do..... it all changed.... and I moved out west

BUT, my point is....... I'm looking for something similar to that style of location..... very nice town, friendly people, low crime, no freezing winter, - where I can walk to everything within 8 blocks! Is that too much to ask for ?

Hi ConeyIsBabe.....and anyone else out there....does anyone know of anywhere like that....perfect.... Please respond if anyone has any idea at all. Thanks to all and especially Wisteria for starting this wonderful adventure. I sure would like to join a community where folks would look out for each other, and have fun doing all sorts of outdoor, especially, activities. No tornadoes, please. Not too crazy about earthquakes, either. Two of those were enough for me. Regards to all!

[miruca]

Dancing Earth - Port Townsend is a great little town! I have visited there and many Alaskan's also favor that it as a retirement or second home location. I guess Alaskan's are easily pleased once they leave here - everywhere is sunny, warm and dry to us! Washington and Oregon have the "feel" of Alaska without the weather issues, I think. I've heard people refer to Portland winters as similar to Juneau summer's.

Returned from San Francisco/San Rafael visit - still think Northern Ca is the most fabulous location except for affordability.

[popcorn247]

I've heard that Dayton, Washington, near Walla Walla, is a really nice community. I've never had the pleasure of visiting the PNW.