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Unfortunately, Hawaii's excise tax applies to one of the most important and expensive items in a retiree's budget—food. And food is already very expensive in the Hawaiian islands.
Absolutely. PLUS, it applies to Services. It applies to EVERYTHING (except prescriptions).
We live here now, and want to move to mainland in about 5 years (retired). RV around.
We looked at Sedona, and love it, perhaps Scottsdale. I want to stay a year in SF, I'm from that area and I miss it.
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In my first post I asked, "and would love to hear some hidden gem we haven't thought of."
So, for example, some people have done that. Arkansas, Delaware and Spanish Trail in Vegas were all mentioned. I appreciate those suggestions. Maybe you know of a hidden gem that I haven't considered?
Since you express almost no preferences, I have no idea what you would consider a hidden gem.
I agree, you might as well just stay in CA. If you can afford to live anywhere, then why would you care about lower COL? And I can't imagine you'll be happy in Texas, Tennessee, Atlanta, Las Vegas or anywhere else after experiencing near-perfect weather where you are (or at least, in Southern CA).
P.S. When I lived in Orange County, people who lived there called it "Orange County", not "OC" and DEFINITELY not "THE OC".
Yep, I agree. However, they do now mostly call it the "OC." Some still do say Orange County, but many, if not most, do say "the OC." It does have a cool but "I'm a little better than you" ring to it.
Kind of like The Ohio State University. I digress and no disrespect to you Buckeyes. (Notice I even capitalized Buckeyes).
That was my first thought, or probably the Village of Oak Creek right down the road. Not exactly "hidden", but not on the original list. Climate throughout the year is about as good as it gets (for me, anyway) without being close to an ocean. Not particularly cheap, but I'd imagine it's more affordable than coastal California.
Pretty "touristy", but the scenery is really breathtaking. I think it would take a while for me to get tired of it!
That was my first thought, or probably the Village of Oak Creek right down the road. Not exactly "hidden", but not on the original list. Climate throughout the year is about as good as it gets (for me, anyway) without being close to an ocean. Not particularly cheap, but I'd imagine it's more affordable than coastal California.
Pretty "touristy", but the scenery is really breathtaking. I think it would take a while for me to get tired of it!
When's the last time you were in Sedona? We loved it in the 80's and 90's, but went back twice in 2003 and 2005...sadly it's changed for the worst. The strip malls....ugh! And weatherwise, a tad too cold/snowy in winters....brrrr!
Prescott is nicer these days (or was on our last visit in 2006).
When's the last time you were in Sedona? We loved it in the 80's and 90's, but went back twice in 2003 and 2005...sadly it's changed for the worst. The strip malls....ugh! And weatherwise, a tad too cold/snowy in winters....brrrr!
Prescott is nicer these days (or was on our last visit in 2006).
I've been in Sedona within the past 2-3 years, although I was never there prior to 2000 so don't have a point of comparison.
We took a short vacation to Prescott three years ago. It's also nice, and well-known as a retirement location. There are a large number of rehab homes in the city, and while I don't know enough to say if it's a problem, I would certainly learn more before moving there.
The best piece of advise I got before I retired, I will share with you:
Retiring at age 50 means you will have several different retirements.
Meaning, your wants/needs/desires/abilities at age 50 will be far different than at age 60 or at age 70.
So.......we decided to live in a series of "5 year plans."
Like you, money was not an issue for us. What we sought was adventure, looking for a 180 degree different life from our 30+ years in DC-Metro.
Here's where we lived so far in our 5 year plans (and we love every one them, and highly recommend):
2003-2008 Bisbee, AZ, a funky artsy ex-mining town at 5600 feet in southern AZ
2008-2013 Ajijic, Mexico, a lakeside village in Central Mexico, at 5100 feet
2013-current Gulfport, FL, a funky artsy beach town on Boca Ciega Bay
All of these venues shared great walkability scores. We used them all as a base to explore that part of the world. Currently, only 25 minutes from Tampa airport, we have been traveling to Europe, at least 2x a year. We are considering Spain for our next 5 year plan.
I am intrigued by your 5-year plan, as well as your consideration of Spain. My hesitation would be being so far from family. I'm curious, do you have kids/grandkids, and if yes, do you fly to see them frequently? I've been missing my kids so much I'm actually considering returning to their cold, snowy weather just to be closer to them.
The best piece of advise I got before I retired, I will share with you:
Retiring at age 50 means you will have several different retirements.
Meaning, your wants/needs/desires/abilities at age 50 will be far different than at age 60 or at age 70.
So.......we decided to live in a series of "5 year plans."
Like you, money was not an issue for us. What we sought was adventure, looking for a 180 degree different life from our 30+ years in DC-Metro.
Here's where we lived so far in our 5 year plans (and we love every one them, and highly recommend):
2003-2008 Bisbee, AZ, a funky artsy ex-mining town at 5600 feet in southern AZ
2008-2013 Ajijic, Mexico, a lakeside village in Central Mexico, at 5100 feet
2013-current Gulfport, FL, a funky artsy beach town on Boca Ciega Bay
All of these venues shared great walkability scores. We used them all as a base to explore that part of the world. Currently, only 25 minutes from Tampa airport, we have been traveling to Europe, at least 2x a year. We are considering Spain for our next 5 year plan.
Where in Spain? We bought a condo in Marbella and use it as a winter vacation and holiday rental. We really like Marbella but if we were choosing a place to live year round, we would likely look at more locations, we especially like Sevilla but there are so many good choices in Spain depending on budget, preferences, etc.
We have friends that lived in Ajijic for 5 years but they were burglarized several times and then when they were robbed (scared but not hurt), they decided to move to Richland, Washington to retire.
I've heard Bisbee is a 'hidden gem.'
I personally wouldn't consider east of Denver as I don't tolerate heat and humidity very well. A hidden gem I like is Nevada City, Ca.
Glad you cleared that up. You want to be in a warm place but no snow and not much cold weather. That leaves Asheville out. I would suggest Tega Cay, South Carolina or if you prefer an all adult community Sun City right below Charlotte, NC, in South Carolina. They are a thriving bunch of senior citizens.
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