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NEG, I'm north of Nashville. If you'd like a nice town, I'd take a look at White House, TN. I live close to here and go there regularly for food shopping, vet, restaurants (not big fancy ones), etc. When I want to go to a place that feels like Long Island with lots of stores, restuarants, etc., I go down to Hendersonville which is just south of White House.
What did I find in TN: lower property taxes, lower housing costs, very friendly people, all kinds of food to eat (even ones I thought I wouldn't find from living in the northeast), and made good friends down here. I forgot to say that we don't miss the constant "rushing" up north and the crazy drivers on the roads. It's a slower pace, not that slow, but it gives you time to enjoy what life is all about.
I would definitely take a trip down and see for yourself. If you're in my area, let me know. I'd love to show you around.
Nice post 46Barb, and hello to a fellow Tennessean
Just to clarify, when I posted about comparing VA to SoCal I was speaking about Northern Virginia....they are very similar. I would say NoVa and SoCal compare very well to each other cost wise and in many other ways. I checked and I am definitely in my right mind about moving out of SoCal because I have my own personal and financial reasons, as does everybody who is looking to relocate ...you sure don't hear about a mass migration of retirees moving into California, quite the opposite. Of course parts of San Diego are beautiful (and parts of SD are very ghetto too just like any other big city) and has great weather but as one ages, other factors come into play, at least for me. I just personally can't justify the costs here.
Just to clarify, when I posted about comparing VA to SoCal I was speaking about Northern Virginia....they are very similar. I would say NoVa and SoCal compare very well to each other cost wise and in many other ways. I checked and I am definitely in my right mind about moving out of SoCal because I have my own personal and financial reasons, as does everybody who is looking to relocate ...you sure don't hear about a mass migration of retirees moving into California, quite the opposite. Of course parts of San Diego are beautiful (and parts of SD are very ghetto too just like any other big city) and has great weather but as one ages, other factors come into play, at least for me. I just personally can't justify the costs here.
San Diego is a far cry from South Dakota, sorry I had a brain slip (one of many these days ).
It will be another 2 years...where to, I just don't know. The more I research, the more I wonder if there are any great places left for older people with modest to middle incomes...without having to sweat or freeze for 6 months out of the year. One of my dilemas is...do I live in a place that is more expensive with more ammenities but become "rent poor", or live in a less expensive area that might be more boring but I will have more money to spend, travel a little, etc. I'll just keep coming back to CD for insight!
Just an observation. I was born in the South, but lived away for most of my adult life. I've returned to spend winters in N Ga now and I'm finding the cultural differences greater than I expected. It's a pretty, make that very, conservative place and I'm not a liberal at all. Have to bite my tongue a lot. I also miss amenities like walking and bike trails. I have to drive miles to get to any more than a half mile long. The high school tracks in my town are locked...another difference and one I didn't expect.
I plan to leave if the housing market ever improves enough to sell. I hope to rent for a while when I relocate. Too much driving here for me.
Just an observation. I was born in the South, but lived away for most of my adult life. I've returned to spend winters in N Ga now and I'm finding the cultural differences greater than I expected. It's a pretty, make that very, conservative place and I'm not a liberal at all. Have to bite my tongue a lot. I also miss amenities like walking and bike trails. I have to drive miles to get to any more than a half mile long. The high school tracks in my town are locked...another difference and one I didn't expect.
I plan to leave if the housing market ever improves enough to sell. I hope to rent for a while when I relocate. Too much driving here for me.
Yes that is the problem with most lovely areas away from congested cities and neighborhoods. You have to DRIVE everywhere. Not only the gas costs, but the logistics of driving in old age are something serious to consider. So far, with all my searches from Maine to NC and SC (in areas that do not involve cities), it became clear to me very quickly how fortunate I am to live in a small town with everything at my fingertips and a bus (at a bus stop at the bottom of my street) that goes to several nearby towns. I still drive, but the more I do on roads full of distracted drivers, the less I want to. The last thing I want at my age is to end up in hospital or dead from a car crash. What a sad way to go.
Hi all! I'm leaving this beautiful San Diego County weather to live in a cooler clime in the pacific northwest.
You can now find very cheap houses in the quaint community of Fallbrook, Ca. It's about 45 miles north of San Diego and it's known for it's Avacado orchards and gourd festivals each year. It was on the list of top one hundred places to retire in 2006. After the housing bust, homes that were selling for $375000 to $425000 and more on a half semi-rural acre are now going for $130,000 to $160,000 (older 2 bedrooms, one bath single family homes, no HOA) within walking distance to the quaint downtown area. I kid you not! Fallbrook Recently Sold Homes and Recently Sold Homes in Fallbrook CA - Zillow
I listed my home, priced it right and it sold in one month for cash! I'm leaving because I've lived here 19 years and I want a change of scenery to stimulate the senses! I'm not worried about regretting my decision because my new home is bigger, nicer, newer, even more rural and the scenery is spectacular! That being said, my new home cost quite a bit more than my Fallbrook home in Southern California. That's where my savings account comes into play. After all, I can't take it with me and my daughter doesn't need any money. Moving has given me the opportunity to get rid of twenty years worth of "stuff"! Now my daughter won't be burdoned with getting rid of it when I pass on.
When my parents passed away of old age, my siblings and I were tasked with getting rid of 50 years worth of "stuff"! Most of it was not worth keeping or selling. My dad was a packrat. He even washed out old one gallon milk jugs and saved them in his garage. The garage floor was covered in empty milk containers two feet deep! The garage door wouldn't even close. Under the milk jugs and other assorted trash was layers of dried up Opossum feces. Yuck! We spent 4 months and $50,000.00 dollars getting their home fit for market. It was beautiful when we finished and sold for a decent price. I will never do that to my daughter!
This move has forced me to take a close look at my living habits. There's a lot of my dad in me and I have to fight the urge not to collect stuff and file it away in some cubby, never to be seen again! I had five tubs of spackle, three were still good. When I needed to patch a small hole in the drywall, I'd just go buy another, never realizing I had five tubs of the stuff stashed away behind other stuff. I had enough hardware supplies to open up my own store! If I was moving accross town, the urge to transport a lot of my stuff might have been overwhelming because of the ease in doing so. The scene changes when the move is more 1200 miles away and gas is well over $3.00 a gallon! The local thrift stores are getting to know me on a first name basis at the donation door. It sure feels good to lighten my load!
Hi all! I'm leaving this beautiful San Diego County weather to live in a cooler clime in the pacific northwest.
You'll get "cool" alright, along with a couple of feet of snow!
I was just catching up on the twin snowstorms in the PNW.
PNW gals, I hope you're staying safe! If you don't know how to drive in snow (or aren't sure), don't go out. A lot of cars slide sideways, esp those without radials or four-wheel drive. If your tires are old or balding, stay home. If you do find yourself on a slippery patch of road, or worse, black ice, don't slam on your brakes! Lightly feather the brake and try to get off the road.
Since the Halloween storm, we have had no snow. I've been thinking for some time that the Northeast is trading weather patterns with the PNW. Wonder if it's true.
It's because of the earth wobble! Maybe it's "Polar shift"! I was rather surprised to see ripe blackberries and almost ripe berries on my vines in San Diego County yesterday. Blackberries are supposed to ripen at the end of summer. They're not even supposed to blossum until spring which used to be in March and April. It was over 80 degrees in December and early January, then it suddenly became winter. It's 43 degrees right now and we had a cold rain yesterday. The plants are really confused!
Think I'll postpone my trip to PNW for a couple of weeks! I don't feel like hauling a trailer over the mountain passes in the snow! I used to live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming so I've had lots of driving on snow and black ice experience. It's nerve-wracking! When driving thru snow country, I always carry a down sleeping bag rated to minus 10 degrees, an insulated pad, water, food, flashlight, snow chains, shovel, communication device, battery jumper, ice scraper, tow line and tarp. I've only needed them once in Wyoming on a hwy at night. That down sleeping bag saved my life! Since then, I watch the weather and plan my trips accordingly!
It's because of the earth wobble! Maybe it's "Polar shift"! I was rather surprised to see ripe blackberries and almost ripe berries on my vines in San Diego County yesterday. Blackberries are supposed to ripen at the end of summer. They're not even supposed to blossum until spring which used to be in March and April. It was over 80 degrees in December and early January, then it suddenly became winter. It's 43 degrees right now and we had a cold rain yesterday. The plants are really confused!
Think I'll postpone my trip to PNW for a couple of weeks! I don't feel like hauling a trailer over the mountain passes in the snow! I used to live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming so I've had lots of driving on snow and black ice experience. It's nerve-wracking! When driving thru snow country, I always carry a down sleeping bag rated to minus 10 degrees, an insulated pad, water, food, flashlight, snow chains, shovel, communication device, battery jumper, ice scraper, tow line and tarp. I've only needed them once in Wyoming on a hwy at night. That down sleeping bag saved my life! Since then, I watch the weather and plan my trips accordingly!
INTERESTING post and wise decision to postpone your drive to the PNW for a couple of weeks!
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Out of my mind! Leaving San Diego area!
We spent 4 months and $50,000.00 dollars getting their home fit for market. It was beautiful when we finished and sold for a decent price. I will never do that to my daughter!
If I was moving accross town, the urge to transport a lot of my stuff might have been overwhelming because of the ease in doing so. The scene changes when the move is more 1200 miles away and gas is well over $3.00 a gallon! The local thrift stores are getting to know me on a first name basis at the donation door. 
Maybe it's "Polar shift"!