Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (social security, depression)

[ConeyIsBabe]

WOW..... we should have a One-Year-Cyber-Anniversary-Party

On another forum I hang out, someone came up with the idea of retired singles all living on some sort of a compound for social support; they were favoring Florida; it was a fun discussion and not outrageous in its concept.

Anyway, I'm stuck in s/Oregon for "who knows?" so I have decided to be happy and enjoy it! Except, you will hear me whining in the winter when I look out my window at the snow and I'm stuck on the computer all day..... and that's OK as long as the power doesn't fail..... then.....

[nancy thereader]

But, Coney. You have that gorgeous yard.

[ConeyIsBabe]

Ah yes, Nancy; this would be hard to replace:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/membe...t-100-x-50.jpg

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by ConeyIsBabe

Ah yes, Nancy; this would be hard to replace:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/membe...t-100-x-50.jpg

Wow - that is so pretty!

[karibear]

I started reading this thread and kept getting sidetracked. I was forcibly retired with SSDI, not so much health-related as what I prefer to call structural disintegration. Since I first started reading it, DH died and I made my final move - at least I hope it's final! I did a lot of research on the web, looking for a place with mild winters and four seasons [I thought I should at least get that much after 30+ years in Alaska], a place that's friendly, small town, high enough elevation to not be threatened by global warming, far away from potential volcanoes, no nuclear reactors upwind, etc. What I finally picked was a small town in eastern OK. The people are friendly, I have great neighbors, it's small enough that I can walk just about anywhere I need to go, and it's small enough to be pet-friendly. I can't think of any other place where I'd be able to keep a horse in my back yard!

The COL is much lower than where I lived in WA, I can actually afford to go to a grocery store and buy things that look interesting, instead of picking up whatever happens to be on sale. I can afford a mortgage, it's lower than the space rent we paid in a mobile home park. My choice probably wouldn't suit anyone who is accustomed to the amenities of urban life, but I like small and I like space around me.

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by karibear

I started reading this thread and kept getting sidetracked. I was forcibly retired with SSDI, not so much health-related as what I prefer to call structural disintegration. Since I first started reading it, DH died and I made my final move - at least I hope it's final! I did a lot of research on the web, looking for a place with mild winters and four seasons [I thought I should at least get that much after 30+ years in Alaska], a place that's friendly, small town, high enough elevation to not be threatened by global warming, far away from potential volcanoes, no nuclear reactors upwind, etc. What I finally picked was a small town in eastern OK. The people are friendly, I have great neighbors, it's small enough that I can walk just about anywhere I need to go, and it's small enough to be pet-friendly. I can't think of any other place where I'd be able to keep a horse in my back yard!

The COL is much lower than where I lived in WA, I can actually afford to go to a grocery store and buy things that look interesting, instead of picking up whatever happens to be on sale. I can afford a mortgage, it's lower than the space rent we paid in a mobile home park. My choice probably wouldn't suit anyone who is accustomed to the amenities of urban life, but I like small and I like space around me.

How did you come to choose this location? Did you have a previous connection to this area? I am so in awe of people who have the guts to just take off and start a new life somewhere. I have never been a risk-taker.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by janetvj

How did you come to choose this location? Did you have a previous connection to this area? I am so in awe of people who have the guts to just take off and start a new life somewhere. I have never been a risk-taker.

I grew up in St Louis, and considered the Ozarks, but I wanted to be a bit further away from my family. Also, MO has some odd [from my POV] laws and ordinances. I considered the whole southeast, from West Virginia to Florida back westward to Texas, but the weather and some other things didn't appeal to me. Some of the places I found for sale would have suited me perfectly, except I would have been the community's token white. I'm not predjudiced, but while I lived in AK, I had quite a bit of interaction with southern Blacks, and I didn't want to risk becoming a victim of their prejudices. I like ethnic diversity - especially the cooking! - so I looked for somewhat of a mix of ethnic origins. I checked into the COL and tax rates, and that eliminated some more states right off the bat.

I think it's normal, for me, anyway, to just take off for a new place. I went to Alaska kind of on the spur of the moment, thinking it would be just for one summer, but I ended up staying a whole lot longer. It would be nice to think I could go back, but it's just too expensive to live there now. We wouldn't have left in the first place if he hadn't gotten sick, then life just happened. As for OK in particular, one of the things that made me look at it was that my father's family came from here, and my last uncle died and left a small inheritance. I used that and what I got from the sale of our place in WA [not a lot, I took the first cash offer I got, which was well below what it was worth and a lot more than we'd paid for it], and left as soon as possible. Another thing was the CD Oklahoma forum - so many people were both helpful and encouraging. It was totally the opposite of where I was living, it was like night and day. I lurked for awhile on the Arkansas forum, but nearly everything I read was complaining or whining, and I thought "I don't want any of those people for neighbors!"

So here I am.

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by karibear

I grew up in St Louis, and considered the Ozarks, but I wanted to be a bit further away from my family. Also, MO has some odd [from my POV] laws and ordinances. I considered the whole southeast, from West Virginia to Florida back westward to Texas, but the weather and some other things didn't appeal to me. Some of the places I found for sale would have suited me perfectly, except I would have been the community's token white. I'm not predjudiced, but while I lived in AK, I had quite a bit of interaction with southern Blacks, and I didn't want to risk becoming a victim of their prejudices. I like ethnic diversity - especially the cooking! - so I looked for somewhat of a mix of ethnic origins. I checked into the COL and tax rates, and that eliminated some more states right off the bat.

I think it's normal, for me, anyway, to just take off for a new place. I went to Alaska kind of on the spur of the moment, thinking it would be just for one summer, but I ended up staying a whole lot longer. It would be nice to think I could go back, but it's just too expensive to live there now. We wouldn't have left in the first place if he hadn't gotten sick, then life just happened. As for OK in particular, one of the things that made me look at it was that my father's family came from here, and my last uncle died and left a small inheritance. I used that and what I got from the sale of our place in WA [not a lot, I took the first cash offer I got, which was well below what it was worth and a lot more than we'd paid for it], and left as soon as possible. Another thing was the CD Oklahoma forum - so many people were both helpful and encouraging. It was totally the opposite of where I was living, it was like night and day. I lurked for awhile on the Arkansas forum, but nearly everything I read was complaining or whining, and I thought "I don't want any of those people for neighbors!"

So here I am.

Well I hope it works out for you. It sounds like a wonderful location.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your spouse.

[Jammie]

Kari, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's passing. We've communicated quite frequently on the forum and I didn't realize that.

IMHO you made a wise choice. Eastern Ok is beautiful. It's one of those gems that a lot of people aren't aware of.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Kari, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's passing. We've communicated quite frequently on the forum and I didn't realize that.

IMHO you made a wise choice. Eastern Ok is beautiful. It's one of those gems that a lot of people aren't aware of.

It wasn't a secret or anything. That was in some of my earlier posts. In fact, once I knew he wasn't going to recover the last time, I started researching other places, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay there and stay sane. So looking for the right place was one of my few escapes the last year when he was bedridden.

So far, I like where I am very much. People have been so friendly and helpful - I still can't decide whether they really are so outstanding, or whether they are normal, and it's only in comparison with the place I left that they seem so friendly. That was the coldest, most socially insular place I've ever been.