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We relocated to Hawaii. I have found it to be about 10-15% more expensive than Seattle, which is not a cheap place to live. But the temps are 75-85 all 12 months of the year. My clothes consist of shorts and t-shirts and that is it. No heating, no A/C. We garden all year around. I surf every week all year round. Lots of other old farts out in the water with me. We love it.
Taxes- be sure to look at the entire tax burden. People tend to look only at income tax (which Hawaii has) but ignore property tax and sales tax. Our total tax burden is about the same in Hawaii as it was in Washington state, which had no income tax.
Two houses - we did that for a while. It is really hard especially if you are in two states. We ended up with 2 sets of healthcare providers and had to duplicate a lot of things in our lives. Mail has to be forwarded and it would get lost at times. Our legal state of residence went back and forth which caused problems for taxes. We hated to leave friends in one state to go spend 6 months in the other. We gave up on snow-birding.
Check out the San Luis Obispo area of CA. A tiny bit inland but close to Morro Bay, etc. on the ocean. Great weather, far less expensive than SD or LA, less congested.
Tons of outdoor activities, lots of galleries, museums, theaters, restaurants.
When I suggested San Diego, I meant the county not the city. There are many outlying areas that are not crowded but close enough to all the necessary things. I love the area, I considered North County but decided it was just too far from my family so now I'm considering South Orange County.
LOL, I hate the term "the OC". I might move to Orange County, but not the OC.
I have Hilton Head, SC on my list to look at because it has lots of recreation and in a tax-friendly state. However, for us, it seems too golf-centric. Might work for you.
We liked the Sun City Grand community in Surprise, AZ -- a very burby area outside of Phoenix. But too far from the city for us.
I chose northeast Tennessee. An undiscovered gem that most urban types turn their nose up at.
That is fine, it keeps people out, and preserves the wonderful originality of the area.
Four seasons, lower humidity, light snow, cool at elevation.
Mountains, lakes, ski areas, and tons of hiking.
Theatre, music of many genres, arts and plenty of festivals.
Airports, medical facilities, universities.....keeps things "mixed" in terms of people, backgrounds and cultures.
Restaurants are weak, grocery stores are weak, and schools are not great. Locals treat environment like it was theirs to destroy. That is changing...slowly. They still "burn" everything. Ugh. Guns ugh...but they mostly shoot each other, so it doesn't spill out into the community.
Tax burden is very low, COL is low (except for food), and good housing is plentiful.
People are very friendly. Religious wackos leave you alone, but offer great fund raising breakfasts! Politics are right wing...borderline nut jobs (think Trump supporters).....but sensibility is slowly changing things. Bob Corker (Senator) is a bit of a centrist/moderate. People identify republican, but many are libertarian in their values.
Overall a great area where the pros far outweigh the cons. When you are getting lost in the mountains and lakes, the rest of the crap fades pretty quickly.
I second the vote for Asheville. Absolutely gorgeous place to live.
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