*******Retired, trying to find small, peaceful city to retire to..please help (relative, years)

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

Bear in mind that when you leave WA you are leaving a no income tax state. That makes a difference, even to retirees.

When you look at Rapid City, take a quick trip down to Hot Springs SD. VA center there, base of the Black Hills, very affordable, and no income tax.
...!

SD, WY, TX, TN, NH are all viable options:
VA is trying to close Hot Springs, SD medical center (nice area).
Sturgis medical center looks likely to survive the cuts (This time). (Spearfish or Piedmont are good 'small / medium, towns' options nearby). Rapid will always have some VA, and there are a LOT of Military retirees in SD. Good choice if you cannot afford Sheridan, WY.


Being from the west, you may have a very hard time in SE USA, it is a huge culture / climate difference. (Tough to find 50F degree 'sleeping nights' in summer). You might be stuck under AC
If you have a 'bent' to enjoy the west - be concerned about leaving it.

I like my TX hill country 'retreat' from PNW winter weather. Both my places are rural and under $100k and 20 min to VA medical / colleges / libraries / shopping (auto / tractor parts). <1 hr to international airport. People are MUCH friendlier/social in TX, but there is that TX mentality amongst some. Weekends are a challenge (good time to travel away from home)! (one neighbor is a deputy so he has to come home and 'sight-in' his rifle EVERY weekend, all weekend (day and night (illegal)))! I grew up on a ranch where we USED our rifles... we probably sighted them in for about 10 min / yr. They worked fine.

Both places are rented with a free place for me to stay at each. (cabin and shop for me and separate entrance / area AWAY from main house)

[folkguitarist555]

I have been in a few southern states and in FL a few times, humidity is hard, but so would the long cold winters of Idaho Falls...too bad that town has such long winters, think they are longer then in MN, not sure though. Most voters on this thread must be from the NE, or the south it seems, resulting from the polls. Must not know the west coast or the north west too well, I am assuming, hard to imagine any one from the west coast not putting a vote in for Boise, seems like tons of west coasters all want to move or retire there. Just something I noticed. That is all.

[folkguitarist555]

A buddy of mine just bought some land and is having a house built in TX, he lived there for many years, went back up to PA, couldn't take the winters, and is now moving back to TX, once his house is built.

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

I like my TX hill country 'retreat' from PNW winter weather. Both my places are rural and under $100k and 20 min to VA medical / colleges / libraries / shopping (auto / tractor parts). <1 hr to international airport.

You have got to be kidding me, what fantasy world do you live in? Can't speak for the PNW but I do know Hill Country TX, please share where here you can find livable houses and land for under $100K - much less $200K or $300k or $400k for that matter- within 20 miles / 1 hr of the above amenities?

[folkguitarist555]

I looked around Austin and the outskirts quite a ways on a realtor website..... and never found much in the way of a nice decent home on a little bit of acreage for cheap...... unless it's a tiny house or a manufactured home a little bit of land.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by folkguitarist555

Hi there, looking for a smallish, pretty city, or large town, to retire to. I would be looking to live on the outskirts of any of these locations, in the more rural, outlying areas, in the country side. I would love to remain out here in the PNW, but it is simply too expensive. I am looking to use my VA home loan and get into a nice house on some acreage. Hard to accomplish that with a budget of 240k and under, anywhere in the PNW. Including Spokane. Boise is one of my fav places, and I could get plenty of house there, but would not get the acreage with it, in my price range. I am single, a young retiree, and here are some places I been considering. I put the places in a poll for folks to vote on. I am looking for a place with low utility bills, and a lower cost of living. Please see poll to vote and any comments are welcome. I did put down Boise and Spokane, but finding a home on some acreage in both those towns, would be challenging. But I listed them down nonetheless. Thanks for your help.

I forget to add Lexington KY to my poll......any comments are welcome..thanks again.

I lived in Lexington for many years, and it has a number of lovely, quiet small towns in its surrounding counties. Danville usually tops the list, but Georgetown, Paris, Versailles and Harrodsburg all turn up in surveys of good places to live and retire. Winters can get cold so I wouldn't say utility bills are especially low. I found Lexington deadly boring, but then again, I'm from a larger city and not all that into horse racing or basketball. But the area has a lot of natural beauty and economically a lot of middle-class people. So it's certainly a pleasant place to live.

[CCc girl]

We're heading to Fl, so I voted for Sebring. We were looking into Ocala, but depending on where in Ocala the electric rates can be astronomical.

[Howard Roark]

I'm a boomer. Just curious why older people want to get away from areas with the best health care and hospitals, namely, large cities.

[folkguitarist555]

Well many of the places I listed, if not all, have a VA medical center in their cores. Which is all I use. I have also heard that if one was to Ocala, one should look to see if the home is under SECO for electric, and not Duke or Ocala Electric, which are supposedly, from what I have read, both very high. I think I read that Florida Power is the best one in FL overall, for lower energy bills.

[carnivalday]

You read wrong. I have Duke and my energy bills are very reasonable.