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Being near the people we want to be near as we age is the deal breaker for relocation for me. Sad in some ways but true, after so many years of thinking otherwise.
I have to spread it around before I can rep you again or I would have. Yours is the best reason I can think of to stay put.
By the time Peggy and I moved, both my sons had already left the state and my three daughters, who were still young, had been so severely alienated from me by their mother that staying wouldn't have made an appreciable difference. The youngest two have come around rather nicely but I swear the oldest still resents the fact that I married someone other than her mother and very much dislikes Peggy. The feeling is now mutual. As for me, I side with my wife. She I chose. My daughter I had. Sadly, never the twain shall meet.
Despite my many moments of indecision, one decision never changes, I want to retire as close to the Mexican border as I can afford, with the best climate available, and that keeps me pointed in the direction of Tucson. El Paso would be the closest competitor, but then I'd have to deal with the choking property taxes of Texas.
It does beg the question. Why do people leave an area they are living in now and move to another area?
I can only speak for myself. (1) The COL in NJ is just too high for us to consider staying here in retirement. Property taxes in particular are a huge potential drain on retirement savings. NJ does have a "senior freeze" program for property taxes, but we won't meet the income restrictions. And don't get me started about the cost of car insurance.... (2) Neither of us can stand the winter any more, for a lot of reasons I won't bore anyone with. It is to the point that winter takes a toll on our mental health every year. Both of us need more sun and warmer weather!
We haven't yet settled on a retirement destination, but it is highly likely we will leave NJ. One of my siblings is almost out the door, moving to SC in less than 2 years. Eventually, most of us plan to leave NJ, so remaining physically close to family will not be an issue.
Well, riverbird. First we eliminated a lot of places that are bad for my wife's allergies. We finally figured out that lots of rain and high humidity is bad for her, so we're looking west, and dry, so its Az. or possibly north to Idaho.
Second, we eliminate some places if they have a tax environment that is not friendly to retirees. So we looked at not just income taxes but also property taxes. So Texas looks great initially, as there is no income tax. However, they have high property taxes, so you have to be carefull. Some locations aren't too bad, but some are really high.
Finally we looked at crime and general state of the economy. NM has an ideal climate, but it has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, so its out.
Not at this time. Such services are few and far between out here in the boonies and we think we'll do well on our own. However, that's not a total rejection of the idea. It's more a, "We'll see!"
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NYgal2NC
Has my plan to relocate changed due to logical thinking. I suppose that is closer to the truth than anything else...... tho fear had something to do with it. Fear of the unknown, fear of going by myself, fear of not being able to correct it if it turned out to be a "bad" relocation.
I decided that since I've lived in my area for nearly all of my life, and am "used to" the weather and any other idiosyncrasies of it, I know how to deal with all of it. Even the feet of snow, icy conditions, grey skies, freezing temperatures are bearable (to me) because I know it will end at some point, the sun will come out, the flowers will bloom, the trees will come back to life, the birds will sing. Why do I want to miss that? And of course there is beautiful fall, the beautiful foliage, the sun shining brightly with cooler days and even cooler nights that invigorate me. Apple cider and delicious apple pies. And the camaraderie that we share ("sure is cold out there", "think it'll ever stop snowing", etc.)
For me, moving away from here would be boring. I like the changes. Yes I do get sick of the winter at times. But it makes me appreciate the spring so much more.
OK, so I'm a nutcase. But I like it.
I remember growing up in the Utica area how dreary and backwards it all seemed .... but I think now I'd rather enjoy living there! There's a lot of bang for the buck in Central NY, very cheap housing and dining, and yet plenty to see and do within an hour or two of driving. I've heard it has changed a lot though. It used to be mostly Italians and Polish, but there seems to have been an influx of Russians and Asian refugees? At least that's what one woman told me a coupla years ago, so maybe the basic culture has changed.
A friend and her husband came to one of the "logical" thoughts that has passed through my mind—in moving away for lower taxes all around while incurring travel expense four or five times a year to return to their one grandchild for visits would make the whole thing a wash. They're still mulling it over as the clock ticks. They're about 67, 68. Grandson's parents have a local business, so they're fixed in one place. The other logic says that children tend to grow up.
Despite my many moments of indecision, one decision never changes, I want to retire as close to the Mexican border as I can afford...
Why? That seems like an odd factor (to me). Robyn
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