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Retirement is 2 years away at 62. 30% of the year boasts 3-4 feet of snow. Snowmobiling is popular. I spend the winters knitting blankets and reading the local Supervisors Biography. Despite the weather acting against us much of the year, we get out to cycle and gold pan. We were miners. Housing is less expensive however everything else is not. We "settled" in order to retire earlier than planned. Breathing clean air alleviated severe allergies. Best of all, our two dogs love it!!
Last edited by BumbleBeeHunter; 10-17-2018 at 01:26 AM..
I'm currently in Virginia Beach area (temperate climate but four seasons) and am preparing to move to the Midwest (either central Ohio or St. Louis area).
I don't like the cold but it's not a deal killer (obviously).
I *do* like so many things about the Midwest, that the cold is something I'm going to work around.
You said that "housing is cheaper but everything else is not." I'm not so sure about that. I lived in St. Louis for a dozen years (20 years ago) and I was astonished at how affordable things were!
The cost of living in Hampton Roads (SE Virginia) is through the roof. My water bill is $150 a month for one person (with high efficiency washer and dishwasher) and 3x a week showers, and I was on another thread where many people were saying they were now paying $300-$500 water bills in this same community.
Just got the personal property tax bill on my new Camry and it was $800 for one year. Real estate taxes for my little ranch are $300 a month. Homeowners insurance is $150 a month. Before buying this house, I paid $1,800 a month for rent.
Car insurance runs me $230 a month for two basic cars. I'm selling my new Camry (and keeping the older Prius) to get out from under that.
There are several places in the Midwest (Madison, WI and Columbus, OH) where economic growth is very strong, and yet you can still get a lot of house for the money. And the bike trails - oh wow - I miss the bike trails in the Midwest so much.
In the Midwest, people are more laid back and just have a more relaxed look on life.
And traffic jams - oh man. I visited a friend in Columbus and she was very stressed at "all the traffic" at 5:00 pm. I tried not to giggle. We were on the interstate and traffic had slowed to 30 mph. It was still moving smoothly, but we weren't going 55.
You know you've hit a traffic jam in Hampton Roads when you see people hop out of their stationary car and run into the woods with a piece of Kleenex so that they can relieve themselves because they've been sitting in the same place for TWO HOURS.
I've seen drivers on the interstate BACK UP onto nearby onramps because traffic on the interstate hasn't moved in one full hour.
Weather is an issue for me, but it's way down on the list. I recently had a health scare and I realized, if I found out that I had a short period of time to live, the first thing I'd do would be to move to the Midwest.
Climate / weather was very high on our list, in fact it was second after COL. We wanted a place with a 4 season climate, but no deep snow, and no extreme humidity. Unless we are going to only live there part-time, I wouldn't pick a place that would have those extremes, if other options were available, like snowbirding, or going north in the unbearable summer heat then maybe we would consider it.
To me, the weather, and the beauty, or lack of beauty, of the environment are something you must face everyday. If I were unhappy with those, I would be unhappy every day. Not how I want to go through retirement.
I lived in Minnesota most of my life and it wasn't until I had two bad falls after I retired that I decided to move somewhere without snow and ice.
When I was younger, except for blizzards, I found the cold and snow exhilarating. I used to love seeing the first snow. And ice fishing on the lake with a group of folks, who soon became friends, couldn't be beat.
Fishing in general is a big deal in Minnesota. Nothing quite like fresh trout, or any type of fish, for supper. Plenty of lakes to fish!
While I was younger I loved it. Not so much once I retired.
Enjoy life while you can and live where you'll be able to enjoy it. There's plenty to do in the midwest.
Retirement is 2 years away at 62. 30% of the year boasts 3-4 feet of snow. Snowmobiling is popular. I spend the winters knitting blankets and reading the local Supervisors Biography. Despite the weather acting against us much of the year, we get out to cycle and gold pan. We were miners. Housing is less expensive however everything else is not. We "settled" in order to retire earlier than planned. Breathing clean air alleviated severe allergies. Best of all, our two dogs love it!!
Gosh, we get 4 feet snow from Dec thru March at our house every year..That’s nothing. The county plows the road and we put winter tires on our Subarus. It’s nice having four seasons.
I've never been a fan of the cold. I'm thinking of learning to ski this year to try and find something to do during the winter to knock the "need to be outside" edge off.
I live in Tennessee. We might get several subzero mornings a year. Average January low is in the mid 20s, high in the mid 40s. Snow doesn't usually stick more than a few days here in the valleys. Decent days to be outside in the 50s and even 60s are not that uncommon, even in January.
I also lived in Indianapolis for three years. They didn't have a consistent snowpack, but you rarely got the 50s/60s "relief days," and it was generally cloudier. November - March were basically just lost months outside. Indiana is kind of in the middle ground where it's not cold or snowy enough to do "real winter" things, but not warm enough to do regular things, like the South.
I wouldn't move someone with "bad weather" just on the account of saving money.
It sounds as though you are venting about making a bad choice. I cannot tell if you are looking for validation, sympathy, or advice. I am not too good on the former. City Data is a great place to research alternatives. There are plenty of inexpensive places with better weather and clean air. I would start looking. Otherwise it sounds like you are not happy with the alternatives and being house bound. Knitting and reading the supervisor's biography sound like killing time until you die. There are plenty of exciting and interesting things to do with your life.
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