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Old 08-10-2014, 10:27 PM
 
Location: Out there somewhere...a traveling man.
44,593 posts, read 61,419,964 times
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OP...There is no ideal retirement area. If there was one everyone retiring would live there and then it wouldn't be ideal anymore.
I would suggest you make a list of your wants and needs then go into this City Data's website, the City/States threads and post in the areas you are thinking of and see what the locals have to say. For an example you could go into Arizona, and then Phoenix or Sun City and ask your questions. Then you'll receive local opinions and suggestions. If a city is not listed start your own thread in that state.
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Old 08-10-2014, 11:43 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,386,974 times
Reputation: 38573
You might find these articles helpful:

Best Places to Live, Retire - Top Affordable Cities, Senior Living, Livable Communities - AARP


I moved from the SF Bay Area to Redding, CA, because I could afford to quit my job and rent a subsidized senior apt here. Couldn't find one cheap enough in the SF Bay Area.

I actually really like a lot about Redding. And if it wasn't so frickin' hot here in the summer, I'd stay forever.

So, I'm here to tell you that weather definitely can make or break how happy you will be somewhere.

For me, I hate that I only have a comfortable window of time in the mornings to be outside right now. Really from around 10am on into the late evening, it's miserable for me to be outside. I feel trapped in my apt.

Once it cools down again, I'll love it here again. There are so many great places to enjoy outside with my dog.

But, this hot weather started in May this year. Granted that's early. But, it's normal for it to be over 100 degrees from June through September, and even into October. Too many months to be trapped in my apt from 10am on.

So, now I know. I need to move again to be happy somewhere long-term. I'm on waiting lists for subsidized senior apts in Sonoma County, wine country, and I think that's where I'll probably land as soon as my number comes up. It's much, much cooler there, yet still very sunny.

Just saying, really take the weather into consideration. I think others have good advice to keep in mind the idea of being a snowbird. If I could afford to live in Redding in the winter and closer to the coast in summer, that would be ideal for me. Redding has sunshine most days of the year, and I love my sunshine. But, I can't take the summers here.

For me, my list was fairly short. I needed subsidized housing, wanted it to be in northern CA, somewhere dog friendly, somewhere not too cloudy. And now I know I want somewhere also not too hot in summer. Weather is key to my happiness. Good luck finding the right place for you.
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Old 08-11-2014, 08:59 AM
 
Location: Long Island, NY
1,962 posts, read 2,698,944 times
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Being that a retirement area is being considered, I would also look for access to good medical care - for the later years.
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Old 08-11-2014, 09:44 AM
 
Location: middle tennessee
2,159 posts, read 1,656,842 times
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I think climate/weather may be one of the most important.

Like NoMoreSnowForMe, I have a few hours of morning this time of year that are bearable outdoors. One of the draws of the residence I chose are that utilities are included, so I plan my days around being indoors in the heat of the day, and I sleep cool at night without having to worry about the utility bill.

Without the ac, I would be miserable 4 monthes out of the year and less than comfortable for at least 6.
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Old 08-11-2014, 10:29 AM
 
Location: Center City
7,528 posts, read 10,224,755 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fracmeister View Post
I am fortunate that I have saved a bit and can probably retire anywhere I would like (save Manhattan, Tokyo, etc)
WHile the location of my children and grandchildren is important, I have a whole list of things I'd like to satisfy for that "last move" and I can even rank them fairly well....
Regarding your bolded comment, why don't you spell them out and rank them for us? I suspect if you did so, you'd get more advice than you could handle. Do you have short list of places yet?
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Old 08-11-2014, 11:25 AM
 
11,558 posts, read 12,023,335 times
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Not sure what type of health insurance you have, and what your medical needs are.

I have an Advantage Plan; and as far as medical, I need certain medical professionals to be within 10 miles of where I live.

As far as the insurance, Medicare's webpage will give you a list of providers, cost, etc., that is defined by zip code: https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan...ookieSupport=1

There have been several areas I could financially afford to move to; however, the majority were out in the boonies and the choices for insurance were very slim; plus the monthly premium cost was out of reach for my budget. And too, the medical resources I require were in most cases over 50 miles away.

So...aside from proximity to relatives/friends; climate; shopping; cultural avenues, etc., my biggest priorities are as stated above.
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Old 08-11-2014, 12:14 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,447,648 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fracmeister View Post
I am fortunate that I have saved a bit and can probably retire anywhere I would like (save Manhattan, Tokyo, etc)
WHile the location of my children and grandchildren is important, I have a whole list of things I'd like to satisfy for that "last move" and I can even rank them fairly well....

SURELY somebody has done a really good job of taking that input and finding the best spots... I tried a couple online ones but they were pretty weak and certainly didn't give me the flexibility I would like.

I would appreciate any input here..

Thanks

fracmeister
There are studies that come out monthly it seems, listing the best places for retirement and they are based on many things. The problem that list changes like the weather. I would suggest you pay attention to the lists for awhile, find out which cities or regions would work best for you and start doing some on line research. Then, after you have narrowed down your choices to about 5 or 6 places start the in person visits. City Data can be a great help as well. You can simply ask people, living in the states you are interested in what they like and dislike about their state or location. I will add, when you get to that stage, visit your top 3 more than once.

We did just that and still made a mistake the first retirement choice state. Now we are completely satisfied. Remember what works for one will not work for the next person and there is no utopia. And you have to weigh the pros and cons as they apply to you. Here is just one example: AR happens to have a high tax rate: it almost caused us to take it off our list: then we researched more and found out, some of the tax burdens didn't apply to or affect us: 1-property taxes are frozen for seniors except of course local taxes like schools and we happen to fall into an income bracket that keeps us at a lower rate than people still working and earning a 6 digit figure. Another thing, yes sales taxes are high, but seniors do not buy the way families do. Utilities are lower here as well. When it comes to climate, only a person retiring can decide what type of climate fits them. People living here from say, Minn. and we have a lot of them, love our winters. People from the deep south or so west hate the winters. Medical facilities: again, are you a vet, do you want to be close to a VA hospital (OK a touchy subject right now)? Do you like to golf, fish, do cultural activities and are profession sports teams important to you. Do you need to be near a major airport? Only you can answer these questions

Last edited by nmnita; 08-11-2014 at 12:23 PM..
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Old 08-11-2014, 01:06 PM
 
Location: East Coast
671 posts, read 688,823 times
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Question Utopia????

Quote:
Originally Posted by fracmeister View Post
I am fortunate that I have saved a bit and can probably retire anywhere I would like (save Manhattan, Tokyo, etc)
WHile the location of my children and grandchildren is important, I have a whole list of things I'd like to satisfy for that "last move" and I can even rank them fairly well....

SURELY somebody has done a really good job of taking that input and finding the best spots... I tried a couple online ones but they were pretty weak and certainly didn't give me the flexibility I would like.

I would appreciate any input here..

Thanks

fracmeister


Believe me, DH and I have been going through this process for a few years now, in anticipation of his retirement from the AF in (Yikes!!!) TWO weeks!

We're still having to work, so, our "semi-retirement" move will have to include where we can find jobs. However, we're still trying to obtain these jobs somewhere near our "top 5" ideal places to live.

Having said that, I think you have to consider so many other things than prior posters have mentioned. Sure, there are the typical desires for the ideal climate (depending on your outdoor pursuits), cultural wants/needs (symphony, museums, college-town or not, etc.), cost of living, crime rate, etc.

But then there are the intangibles...like proximity to family, friends, and the "familiar". Or, does that not matter?

What about living within or outside the US? We considered that, too. Until we lived overseas for over 10 years, and experienced the availability (mostly lack thereof...) of good/excellent health care, and the high cost of living.

Or, the instability (or potential instability) of a government, for example. Many years ago, I was intrigued with all of these home shows on cable TV where people moved to a variety of different foreign countries. Beautiful turquois waters, affordable beachfront properties and the like.

So, I've got countless friends, too, who were similarly and so intrigued, they either bought time shares, or moved to these countries...only to now find they're trying to leave asap because of high crime, gangs, cartels, and even just resentment against the imagined "rich American", who has scrimped and saved all of their lives to go to live somewhere exotic!!!

You've probably guessed that some of these countries include Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and others of their ilk.

OK, let's move on to Europe. I can't tell you just how many places I'd love to live...Firenze (Florence) for example. It's beautiful, historic, scenic, and full of art...I could stare at the Baptistery doors all day admiring Ghiberti's ground-breaking work bringing the concept of dimension to the art world.

Or, marvel at all of the different marble brought in all over Italy to create the façade of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Strolling around the market over the centuries-old cobbled streets while reveling in the various culinary aromas wafting through the air.

It's a great cultural center, convenient to so many other places in Italy and Europe, etc.
I could go on and on with countless places in Europe.

The same goes for Great Britain (would LOVE to live in Oxford or Stratford-upon Avon), Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria (especially Salzburg!), Sicicly (Taormina!) and on and on.

The downside? Higher cost of living - probably prohibitive inside the various historic city centers....then you're relegated to living in the equivalent of the 'burbs, which for many European cities, results in block after block of mundane, even dilapidated high-rises on a train line (if you're lucky). Even then, you pay quite a bit for a minimum of square footage. In some places, like 20 miles outside of Vienna where my cousin lives, it's expensive to rent or own a 600 sq.ft-1000 sq.ft apartment. Many are "walk ups", too.
What does one do if one becomes infirmed? You're pretty much stuck upstairs in the apartment!

Then, there's the issue of healthcare. Each country has different laws regarding foreigners' accessibility to health care. You may find either you'll have to pay cash (quite expensive) for medical care. Or, if you ARE allowed to use their different variations of socialized medicine, you may be on a waiting list for over a year or longer.

This happened to a couple of neighbors of mine in England. One died waiting for her cardiac catheterization (in her 8th month of "waiting" for this "emergency" procedure). Another man went in for what should have been a relatively common surgery on his prostate, only to die from septicemia at age 54.
This was in the late '90s...at that time, the rate of septicemia deaths in that part of England was unacceptably high. It shouldn't have happened.

As a physician, I still cringe when I think about the procedures, equipment, and environment I observed in a variety of clinics and hospitals, especially in Italy and the UK. Their cleanliness and sterilization processes, not to mention glass hypos and thermometers, were, and in some places, still are questionable.
Countless times, my DH had to send veterans (who had married German nationals) back to Walter Reed or somewhere else stateside, for many medical reasons. Including, but not limited to the procedures not being available in Germany or Europe in general, certain IV meds for cancers not being available in the country or Europe, or because of the long waiting lists.

Then, of course, there can be absolutely crazy laws in each country. Crime. Corrupt governments. Unbelievable taxes, VAT, etc.

The list goes on and on.

So, unless we have some idea of what you like to do, if you want to stay within or move outside of the US, your health, age, along with many other bits of info, I think the CD world would be hard-pressed to advise you!

Now, I can share with you various places I've found that would be "ideal" for my DHubby and me, but that would take pages of writing and explaining reasons...futile for you, as your criteria may be completely different from ours.

As other posters have advised, start making your lists of "must haves" "would likes" and "absolutely don't want!!!" and start whittling down from there. Then, compare it with lists and info from a variety of retirement magazines and websites, along with the wonderful data here on CD. Post specific questions in specific forum locales.
Make your short list, research, research, research, and visit, visit, VISIT!!! Ask questions of the "locals". Rent for awhile. Try out the restaurants, health care, and local culture.

Finally, when you find "Utopia", share it with me and post it here!!! By the way, I had found a post here somewhere on CD in part, called "finding Utopia" or something similar. I'll try to find it and re-post it here for you.

BTW, could you post what resources you have used, as well as your "top 10" or "top 5" and why? I'd be interested in seeing what you've come up with, and why....and it would also give us an idea of what you're looking for! I'd be happy to help, if I can.

In the meantime, happy hunting!

Regards,

~Dandiday

Last edited by CaseyB; 08-14-2014 at 08:02 AM.. Reason: competitor site
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Old 08-11-2014, 01:21 PM
 
Location: East Coast
671 posts, read 688,823 times
Reputation: 648
Found it!!!
The thread title is "American Nomads in search of Utopia" by doctorjef.

It's in the Texas thread, however, the OP asked for thoughts of where to live either for people moving to Texas or from Texas. I just thought it was a unique way to find out people's thoughts and approaches about where to live.

It provided some interesting insight, and I enjoyed reading it...maybe you will, too!

***Don't forget to post your lists for us! I'll also go through my 'net "favs" list for "finding Utopia" sites...
~Dandiday
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Old 08-13-2014, 04:42 PM
 
Location: Tampa Bay Area
232 posts, read 347,109 times
Reputation: 435
Men and Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why?
The above thread is years old and still continues with others looking for Utopia. It is not just for those retiring alone and covers many many nice areas worth considering.
After a week of nightly reading, I read the whole post. My Utopia turns out to be where I currently live, Florida. Although I hope to be a snowbird some day when my family obligations here become less.
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