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I am a single gay retiree who would like to retire to a small town with a mild winter and a warm summer without excessive humidity. I really enjoy the outdoors, especially the mountains. A low cost of living is important. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks...Ben
Hi Ben, Im glad Im not the only gay person looking for a retirement locale that doesn't have to be a big city. You didn't specifiy what area of the country so I guess your open to the entire USA. As the above post mentioned the east coast is humid. However mountain towns or near mountains would be Asheville NC, Roanoke VA, Both towns would be milder in winter and somewhat cooler in summer since both are in the appalachan mountains, not sure I spelled it correctly. There is definitely winter in both but not on the extremes of the northern climates. Roanoke near the NC border would be the less expensive area. There is also Knoxville Tenn, I say these towns because they are college towns, Asheville being the most liberal, and Roanoke being both conservative and liberal. Knoxville Im not really sure. I just know alot of retired people especially from northern climates are heading to these 3 areas, looking for lower cost and to beat some of the heat and overpopulated areas of the south. As far as the west any mountain town is cold in winter and very expensive, such as Santa Fe NM, or Flagstaff AZ. THere is Tucson AZ, but it may be bigger than you want. If you come up with anything I would like to know what someone else is finding besides me now and then. Good Luck.
How about Silver City, New Mexico or Bisbee, Arizona. Both are small liberal towns
I second the Bisbee recommendation, though ask about "Brewery Gulch" before moving there.
I ended up in the Berkshires, North Adams, MA, but our cold and snowy winters are an aquired taste. The summers are so wonderful it is hard to attend family functions elsewhere - I hate to leave! The gay community is very small here, but it exists.
The real estate prices are a bargain, and the Painted Ladies (Victorian Houses) on Church Street are a steal. Senior services are terrific, there's a hospital, excellent hiking and tons of cultural activities to keep you amused.
(For an idea of art and culture go to Berkshire Fine Arts)
Continuing education is also possible, there are several colleges in the area. I am taking a refresher course in Spanish.
I would highly suggest Chico, CA. It is only 3.5 hours from San Francisco, it has the larges park in the US (Bidwel PK) and the hiking and biking is awesome. The downtown section houses Chico State University. The arts are big as is theater. Up the ridge is a beautiful little mountain town called paradise and that is fun to wander around in for a day. Chico has so many things to do, I can't begin to mention them. If you would like to google Chico to see what they offer, I am sure you would not be bored. Best of luck in your search. The other thing is housing. Even though it is CA, the cost of living is not all that painful. Housing can be found in the $200K's.
One thing I have noticed, and I don't know if this is universally true or not, is that the higher the degree of "Gayness" of a place, the more expensive it is to live there.
Last edited by Fat Freddy; 04-14-2008 at 10:24 AM..
One thing I have noticed, and I don't know if this is universally true or not, is that the higher the degree of "Gayness" of a place, the more expensive it is to live there.
Exactly, its something you have to watch for if these so called gay friendly places are what someone is after. Most retirees not all but many are concerned with their retirement dollars, and the more gay the population the more the cost of living in the area. I have crossed basically all the gay areas of the country off my list because of the ridiculous cost of living in the places. I don't know about Bisbee arizona though, I hear some gays retire there, but I don't think Im cut out for something that remote. Truthfully I find the USA very limited for gay people to begin with, and that is why I feel it is much more difficult to find places than a st8 person. Im retiring to where it is cheaper and warmer and at least some semblace of strength in its economy. I hope it will be gay friendly but Im not one that would want to live in a place that was excluseivly gay to begin with.
Just wondering if anyone has anything new to add to this excellent thread. My partner and I recently retired early (mid 50s), and we would love to live in a gay friendly smaller town. Right now we're checking out NM. There are some nice areas outside of Albuquerque. We're open to about anywhere in the country where the cost of housing and property taxes are not astronomical, and there are at least THREE seasons.
No, I don't have anymore information than what I have already given. I would however like to find an actual website on this particular subject. I envy those that find their place and just go there. Maybe the person that started this thread Gentle Ben found his.
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The summers are so wonderful it is hard to attend family functions elsewhere - I hate to leave! The gay community is very small here, but it exists.
