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I, for one, am sick and tired of the endless stream of best place to retire lists. One list lists the best place and the next list lists the same place as the worst place. This also applies to the best place the live lists.
What the world needs is for these technology giants to get a clue and use all that data they are collecting to develop a tool so individuals/couples can customize a search for the best place for their specific circumstances. In my mind this would be similar to a dating website where people identify what is important (and undesirable) in a potential mate. Just apply the same logic to place search.
The tool would enable drill down on specific traits, religious, political, recreation, income level, health, etc.etc. etc.
I suspect the outcomes would be somewhat predictable but some interesting surprises might pop out of the results. The tool would be something like a speeadsheet in the sense a person could back off on one trait and see what new results presented. For example - I am a sailor and I want water close by but to make that happen I need to have a very high income...OK I'll back off the water requirement but stick with all my other criteria and maybe add hiking to my list. What pops out of that search.
Would that be cool or what?
Furthermore, I can think of a million ways this tool could be monetized...so long as it remained honest to actual data and was not rigged by various financial interests. The searches themselves would be an extraordinary way to uncover popular interests which might be flying under the radar.
There used to be a site called, Find Your Spot. It was great for finding possible places to live based on a myriad of questions about what you desire, want, need. I don't know of any site as good as that one was. It gave me a lot of 'leads' based on places it suggested based on my responses.
One man's paradise is another man's hell. Some lists have CA as one of the worst places to retire, but several million retirees would disagree. Many of these lists are too focused on COL and ignore or downplay quality of life, scenery and climate.
I, for one, am sick and tired of the endless stream of best place to retire lists. One list lists the best place and the next list lists the same place as the worst place. This also applies to the best place to live lists.
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You are quite correct! There is general agreement that the lists are of rather limited use because the criteria used in the rankings rarely match the criteria of a given individual or married couple.
But somehow curiosity usually gets the better of me and I look at the lists anyway. The discussions among posters are frequently more interesting than the lists themselves. Not too long ago a poster (not me) weighed in on a certain area thought to contain a lot of hillbillies with the comment that he liked to share certain traits with his neighbors, such as a college education and teeth. I thought that was funny as hell, but some people who lived in that area certainly did not. Sometimes it's fun to get out the popcorn, sit back, and watch the fur fly.
People have so many different criteria I don't think any program would be very accurate. Would you be able to rank by importance. As in politics we all have a list of issues/ desires. You may be in favor of what you rank #8 but it will not come into play with your vote/retirement destination.
Does COL outweigh scenery? Does walkable outweigh the amount of sales tax. Do amenities outweigh property taxes?
I have talked about this with neighbors. What they wanted and what they settled for. For all it came down to the big 3 desires. COL, healthcare, and amenities.
For their other desires, lower on the list, there are so many and everyone has different ones but for most it was "it would be nice but isn't necessary." Most aren't deal breakers.
There used to be a site called, Find Your Spot. It was great for finding possible places to live based on a myriad of questions about what you desire, want, need. I don't know of any site as good as that one was. It gave me a lot of 'leads' based on places it suggested based on my responses.
Yes. I remember it. My wife and I used it to move from Dallas TX. We answered about 20 multiple choice questions and it gave us a list of recommended cities. I've tried looking for it recently and only found a broken link.
Yes. I remember it. My wife and I used it to move from Dallas TX. We answered about 20 multiple choice questions and it gave us a list of recommended cities. I've tried looking for it recently and only found a broken link.
I never understand all the threads about "Where should I move when I retire"?. Does this mean that they have been living in a place they hate for all these years and now they are finally free to move where they want ? I understand wanting to be closer to your kids who have moved away, but other than that, why didn't you move sooner ? At 65 I occasionally ponder the concept of retirement, but I plan to stay right where I am. My friends are here, my doctor is here, I know all the local merchants by their first name, I know where everything is and I have a home that I enjoy. Moving to a place where I don't know a soul and perhaps have never been, simply based on a "Best places to retire" article seems so silly to me. "Grow where you are planted" works for me.
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) But not too hard... time is running out FAST
At 65 I occasionally ponder the concept of retirement, but I plan to stay right where I am. My friends are here, my doctor is here, I know all the local merchants by their first name, I know where everything is and I have a home that I enjoy. Moving to a place where I don't know a soul and perhaps have never been, simply based on a "Best places to retire" article seems so silly to me. "Grow where you are planted" works for me.
