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I knew I would retire to Florida a long time ago. We vacationed here for twenty years and got to travel around a lot to scope out different areas. I will say this, it is NOT for everyone. If you can't handle the heat and humidity of summer, or the insanity of "season" when tens of thousands of snowbirds swoop down on us, stay away from here.
I've lived in North Carolina for almost 20 years now.....5 miles from the ocean.
I'm originally from the Lake Ontario area and its hot here as far as I am concerned!
Temperatures start getting into the 90's in June. By mid July you will have heat indexes that reach 100 degrees
and higher due to the humidity. That will continue until into October. So 3 full months of HOT, I stay inside as much as I can.
Only see snow about once every 4 years or so. Winter temps don't get below freezing but maybe a dozen times per winter.
Hurricanes.....I have been through maybe 8.
So far, up to a Cat 3 hasn't been too bad. But it's common to go without power for a few days to a week.
And it is usually very hot after the hurricane passes so a generator is nice to have to run fans, lights and the fridge. Certain roads or areas will flood. In some areas houses will have water in them.
Typically, the closer to the beach you live the bigger the hurricane impact. Home insurance rates are higher east of I95 due to hurricane activity.
When I retire plan to move to a slightly cooler area.
I knew I would retire to Florida a long time ago. We vacationed here for twenty years and got to travel around a lot to scope out different areas. I will say this, it is NOT for everyone. If you can't handle the heat and humidity of summer, or the insanity of "season" when tens of thousands of snowbirds swoop down on us, stay away from here.
Same as you, Ron61. Just substitute "Charleston" for Florida in your post. It just always has been known. But so fulfilling when we did it -- I'm almost over the sheer thrill of a comfortable retirement "hometown," after 10+ years.
Count me in as well. I can't wait until I leave CA for the same reasons you stated.
Lots to like here in SoCal. But after nearly a year here we've determined we can't have so much of the taxes we pay go to causes we completely oppose. The loons in Sacramento are driving California into the ground. Imo, of course.
Anyone else have this problem? Retiring 1/2019, have to leave CA. Looking for mild seasons all around, but not freezing and not boiling. Near water for boating. 3/2 house with pool, less 250k house. Just a fun question, nothing more. How did you decide where to retire?
I'm glad this is just a fun question because your requirements are essentially unmeetable. I don't know how much leeway you'll accept. Outside of California here are the only places I could think of
Hawaii & the Pacific Northwest near the coast are weather compliant but I don't think you can get a house for that price there
The only other place I could think of is somewhere in the Mediterranean but that's costy too
I lived a few years in Virginia. It might be a little too hot and humid for you in Summer but it might fill the bill. Mild winters. Long Springs, long pleasant Autumns. Stay away from the east coast and the D.C. military/industrial complex influence and you should be able to find a decent house for a decent price in the interior. Don't know if your boating required an ocean or just a lake or how long a drive to the coast you'll accept
We had a few criteria:
1) must have no snow or ice storms.
2) must be comparable to our greater small City area we live in, not much bigger, definitely not smaller.
3) must have comparable or lower COL.
4) must have far cheaper taxes ( not hard as we are in a high tax state).
5) must not have sacrificed services due to lower taxes.
6) Must be reached by road vehicle in no more than 2 days, preferably one day. A day and a half ideal if it's more than a day.
7) a house must not not cost astronomically more than we paid for our 2/1 ranch, for comparable house or larger.
Then I started looking, and researched, researched, researched. Then did more research.
I'm not going to tell you where, but it's in the east coast.
There is a LOT of research available online nowadays, so you needn't travel aimlessly to find a spot. We expect to go for our vacation next year to our chosen location to see in person if it matches expectations of the research.
I have looked at real estate, maps, Google Earth street viewed most of the place, so I know what it looks like, where the goods, services, retail, and food stores are.
I have researched the culture aspects, and events routine to the area. I have researched the medical access there.
I have Craigslist-ed, I have grocery store online add-in, and other aspects too. Anything I could think of. We've even picked out a realtor!
MOH researched and followed my research and agrees the area is very high on our priority list.
It was a very lengthy process, and also a brief one. I went from the macro to the micro.
For the moment, I'll set aside the 'dream' of living part-time or a few years in Europe. That probably won't happen, unless it is for a three-month stay or something like that.
I was born, raised, and lived my entire life in about a 150-mile radius of where I was born, a SoCal foothill community of the Los Angeles basin. No real complaints. I've enjoyed the environment of two seasons, a hot, dry summer and a not-so-hot wet summer. Living in an environment conducive to outdoor activities, I don't really care for precipitation. SoCal is good for that.
However, it has changed greatly from the days of my youth. The good parts are still there, but it has become too crowded and expensive. About twenty years ago, my employer was mandated to reduce their workforce to below 5,000. A lot of us were concerned we would lose our jobs and I started looking at where I would relocate, knowing that I doubted I'd earn the same salary at a new job and would have to go elsewhere due to the cost of housing.
Did enough conference travel for my employer that I knew I did not want to live in an area with high humidity. That pretty much crossed out everything east of the Rocky Mountains. That's the macro part. Half the country. Crossed out areas on the Pacific coast due to high expense or weather. High humidity on the ocean is fine because the temperatures are such that you don't feel miserable. I knew I would have to be in the Rockies or the arid west.
A small part of my job was conducting geologic research in Wyoming. Over several years, I fell in love with the state. I started looking there, specifically northwest Wyoming, close to Yellowstone. After several years of research visits, I discarded the state due to several factors. Specifically, no USTA competitive tennis leagues in the state, not much water, (kayaking and sculling), and the most important, the cost of housing seem to be out of balance as to what one gets for what one pays.
I then took a look as the extreme eastern part if Idaho. Close to Yellowstone, good climate, within reasonable distance of a larger city with organized tennis leagues. I never really crossed that area off of my list, but another area won out. When I was looking at east Idaho, I also started taking a look at Montana.
A lady acquaintance of mine let me stay in one of her bedrooms while I was checking out Montana. She lived on a small ranch about a half hour's drive from Bozeman. After several years and multiple visits in all seasons, I crossed off Montana. Even though they do not have a state sales tax, everything else is quite high. And again, no tennis and few lakes. The state is not very tax-friendly to retirees.
On one of my visits to Montana, I took a side trip on the way home to visit my brother who lives in Vancouver, Washington. Traveling on Interstate 90 through North Idaho, I remember being impressed with the beauty of the region. "Whoa! This is really beautiful. I need to check this place out."
Again, several years visiting in all seasons, I had found my retirement home. USTA tennis. Lakes and rivers everywhere. Awesome off-road bicycle paths and a good on-road bicycling infrastructure. Several cross-country skiing venues. Low cost-of-living.
1.) The beauty of the area is what made take a serious look for being my retirement home.
2.) It was the friendliness of the people that wanted me to be part of the family.
3.) It is how vehicles interact with bicyclist that convinced me that I had found my home.
p.s. I am in a small town about seven miles from Coeur d'Alene. Still in the process of moving, spending time in both my old home in SoCal and my new home in North Idaho.
Anyone else have this problem? Retiring 1/2019, have to leave CA. Looking for mild seasons all around, but not freezing and not boiling. Near water for boating. 3/2 house with pool, less 250k house. Just a fun question, nothing more. How did you decide where to retire?
I grew up in New Orleans, LA and in Missoula, MT. Went to college at UCSB, California and stayed in Ojai/Ventura CA for 31 years. Left for Coeur d'Alene right after divorce. Tried Utah as well. Nothing fit quite right. I decided to try something completely different (and warm again!) and bought a condo at Lake Lure, NC near Asheville. Its beautiful with the Blue Ridge mountains. Nice weather, not as humid as central or coastal NC regions although it takes a lot of rain to stay this green. No hurricanes yet that I've experienced so close to mountains. However, the south has been a bit of a culture shock for me. I prefer the west coast because its what I am used to so I will be heading back and exploring Washington State. After 8 years gone, I realize I miss California. While you get more for your money in NC, in many ways California is worth it for its weather, food, entertainment, beaches, and variety of opportunities. And once you leave it is very difficult financially to return. Maybe you should consider a different region in California. I know how it is--you can't wait to brush the dust of California off your boots, but you may regret it. I don't know what area is best for your criteria, but I do know the grass is definitely not always greener. Hope you enjoy the research and exploring.
Last edited by DMZHAKI; 07-14-2017 at 07:55 PM..
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