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Hi All,
I started out by trying to read through the posts on the "Men and Women Retiring Alone..." thread.
However, I stopped about 15 pages in (and I was reading most recent first). Appears this thread has more than 700 thread pages over more than seven years.
I am from South Dakota where change tends to happen in marvelously nuanced yet slowly deliberate ways. However, even here, a great deal of change occurs in seven years.
Is it time to start a new thread on this topic?
I hope so: So, here goes...
I want to go warm. I want to go calm (as in not windy). Although nearby ponds, oceans, creeks, rivers, lakes would be great--I think they might be a pipe dream, given my desire to be financially conservative.
So, where to go? I've been looking into Arizona for many reasons. Warm weather. I can fly nonstop direct from Rapid City via Allegiant--just as important, friends and family can easily fly to visit. Easy to get to Southern California (home to my son and his family. Affordable (unlike Southern California). Outdoor activities. Suited for those of us who could be called SASSY (Sixty, audacious, spirited, smart and youthful). Oh, and did I mention, Arizona means WARM to me?????
Please share with me ideas about where you think might be the best places for a single person to retire. I happen to be female, but I think the question is relevant for both men and women. Although I'm not seeking a life partner, I wouldn't turn away from a relationship. That said, I'm more concerned about finding a spot where single retirees feel welcomed and accepted.
Right now, here are the spots I've been researching: Prescott and Prescott Valley, AZ; Payson, AZ; Apache Junction, AZ; Bullhead City, AZ; Lake Havasu, AZ; Mesquite, NV, and St. George, UT.
Thanks so much!
Kind of funny, but I grew up in South Dakota...moved to Northern CA for about 35 years and will retire at 61 in Oct. I'm seriously considering (pretty sure I will) moving back to South Dakota..Sioux Falls...reason for me mainly is I'm single...family there....etc...plus Sioux Falls, as far as S.D. goes is kind of nice....and I can get away for a few months in the winter if I want....
Keep in mind that AZ is hot, hot, hot in certain parts...don't be fooled by the winter weather there.
I was a traveling South Dakota "resident" for 4 years until this January. Sioux Falls was my official hometown. A very nice place but not in the Winter. HyVee grocery was special.
I was a traveling South Dakota "resident" for 4 years until this January. Sioux Falls was my official hometown. A very nice place but not in the Winter. HyVee grocery was special.
Yes, it's nice..I'm hoping to be other places for three weeks in Dec. and all of Jan and Feb. Well, then there's spring training in Florida in March and I usually go to March Madness in Vegas or Reno mid March...then I should be ok in April... lol...
My happiest memory of living in Phoenix, was Phoenix in my rear view mirror. Read and listen to the advice in other threads also as that place has little to no water, they are part of the main highway for drugs heading north, crime is high and so are the temps. I remember many, many nights where the lows never got below 100. The grocery stores are busy in the middle of the night for a reason. For me, I would much rather jump off the Golden Gate Bridge before ever setting foot in that desert.
Just to be fair, they do have fairly good medical care and great Mexican restaurants. I also think they have the best dust storms in the U.S.
We, too, are older and have moved to the Savannah area for reasons other than weather, and the lack of winter was very enjoyable. When we moved, we had a son living here and my husband was a SE Sales Rep.
Fast forward. We have a nice house, and enjoy the weather, but we have NO local friends. If you have family or a support system, as a single person, you will miss it if you move.
If you are happy by yourself, without a network, you can move anywhere. I have lived in Phoenix and have visited the SW several times, and I love the area, but if you need a networks of people around you, you should stay put.
Visit some of these places for at least a couple of weeks. You specified climate desires, but not whether you want a small town or city.
Even though it isn't warm year round, I would suggest Southern OR near the Coast as a possibility. The weather is definitely not stable, but the views and general climate are wonderful. And Southern OR is not too far from CA. If you choose a coastal town, your family will visit you happily.
We looked at the Coast and I fell in love, but we agreed it wasn't the best place for us. But whenever I visit, I feel like I am being reborn. It is a magical place.
Visit some of these places for at least a couple of weeks. You specified climate desires, but not whether you want a small town or city.
Even though it isn't warm year round, I would suggest Southern OR near the Coast as a possibility. The weather is definitely not stable, but the views and general climate are wonderful. And Southern OR is not too far from CA. If you choose a coastal town, your family will visit you happily.
We looked at the Coast and I fell in love, but we agreed it wasn't the best place for us. But whenever I visit, I feel like I am being reborn. It is a magical place.
Siibran,
I know what you mean by magical. When I first began this quest, I looked at Brookings, OR, for just the reasons you mention. In the end, I decided that access to family in the Black Hills, SD, and even to Orange County, CA, was both cumbersome and costly. But, definitely, seems like a magical region. I admit, for me, ocean does beat desert.
One of the main reasons I landed on the Prescott, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ is the promise of four-seasons along with easy access to Allegiant flights--one of the few ways to fly direct from Rapid City, SD, to a warm-weather locale. Even then, the only direct flights are to Mesa Gateway or Las Vegas. Need easy access to my father in the Black Hills but also my son and his family in OC.
Back to magical: Actually, the Black Hills of SD are also magical--even though I am looking for a winter escape.
Tijuca
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. Easy to get to Southern California (home to my son and his family. Affordable (unlike Southern California). Outdoor activities. Suited for those of us who could be called SASSY (Sixty, audacious, spirited, smart and youthful). Oh, and did I mention, Arizona means WARM to me?????
Well, then there's spring training in Florida in March and I usually go to March Madness in Vegas or Reno mid March...then I should be ok in April... lol...
