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SeeBee, I just spent some time on the Senior Ark website. It is going to be a great help to me. Thanks.
It is so difficult to become well-informed on what is available to seniors if you depend on the government to provide that information. I don't know if it is a matter of double-gov't-speak gobblety-**** or if they just want us to disappear, but I feel more confused when I go to some of the dot gov websites.
This is particularly disconcerting when it comes to available healthcare options. Who wrote that stuff?
Finding a good place to retire that is going to be advantageous to a senior with good medical facilities, reasonable cost of living and a pleasant area to spend one's golden years really has to become an advocation of every senior who will be on a fixed income without a bailout sugar daddy.
That would be ME!! I am looking and looking intently at all facets of the area that we plan on moving to for all of the above.
Family and friends are the stuff of life, but to survive economically we must sometimes forego living 2 miles from the grandkids for a place that we can afford and good medical facilities.
What a shame that we have to foresake the nuclear family because our current system doesn't make it conducive to stay close to our dear families.
Wow,a very true statement gemkeeper,but this is the way things are today
and we have to try to adapt and adjust...
That is the crux of the dilemma, isn't it, coartist? We really do have to adapt and adjust to the situation of growing older in America. We really have to work within the system.
To get back to the OP, I think that many of us retire to wonderful areas expecting the very best for ourselves. But, the country is changing so quickly, many are retiring earlier and have longer life expectancies. The place that we chose to retire in 5-10 years ago may no longer fall into our guidelines for the best spot for us.
Unfortunately, for most of us once we are in our sixties or beyond, it isn't easy to go through the expense or extreme effort of another move. If we could only second guess the economy in that area, the COL 10 years down the road, and the environmental changes that take place, not just with climate, but crime, massive growth and the problems that come with it, and social. These just cannot always be predicted.
My DH and I found ourselves in exactly that position. Fortunately, he was still working when we were able to move to an area about 50 miles from Atlanta. We felt that we were insulated from the major hassles of the city, but still had great access to an intern'l airport, excellent medical facilities and a wonderfully diverse, cultural area.
What we didn't count on was our bucolic little hamlet of 8 years ago becoming swallowed up by the urban sprawl of Atlanta! Now, we feel like we live in a 100 mile wide city. We were of the fortunate ones who have been able to find a new "wonderful for us" spot and as soon as we can sell, we are off for our last move.
I hope that all of you with this concern don't have to correct the choice of the wrong retirement spot for yourselves, but it often happens sometimes through no fault of our own and sometimes because we didn't do our homework. Do not choose your retirement home based on "America's 10 Best Places to Retire" lists, but upon your intensive homework and advance intuition about an area. And, visit, visit, visit until you know that town or city.
What we didn't count on was our bucolic little hamlet of 8 years ago becoming swallowed up by the urban sprawl of Atlanta! Now, we feel like we live in a 100 mile wide city. We were of the fortunate ones who have been able to find a new "wonderful for us" spot and as soon as we can sell, we are off for our last move.
I hope that all of you with this concern don't have to correct the choice of the wrong retirement spot for yourselves, but it often happens sometimes through no fault of our own and sometimes because we didn't do our homework. Do not choose your retirement home based on "America's 10 Best Places to Retire" lists, but upon your intensive homework and advance intuition about an area. And, visit, visit, visit until you know that town or city.
gemkeeper, this is in part why I am being so careful choosing where to retire to. I'll be able to do a major move once, and that'll be about it for me!
I haven't read this entire thread very thoroughly, but where have you and your DH decided to make your next move? I am always so curious about such things.
On retirement, my sister and her hubby moved to the hinterlands of southwestern Missouri. In five years time, the land around them has more than doubled in price. While still very inexpensive by most standards, it only shows how fast the areas and towns around Springfield are growing. They keep hounding me to buy something in that area, but MO just isn't for me (never say never!). And look at you..in a mere eight years, you're getting crowded in! Just amazing.
I did that 'Best Place for you to retire' little game... Consistently, 1) wyoming, 2) alaska, and 3) colorado. but get this - the best town for me in Colorado? Telluride! If I'd only known I was so rich!!! Must've been the "I like mountains" answer!
I agree with your suggestions, I also agree that sometimes there is no way to predict what will happen. The best we can do is make educated guesses...I really like reading your posts, because they are so sensible, and I tend to dream about lovely alpian-like mountains and fluffy snow!
On researchable data, people should always compare where they currently live to the place they are considering because you know what it feels like where you live now. Data is good to figure out if the new place is better/worse or has more/less or is less expensive/more expensive than what you are used to. Use research to make your visits to potential new retirement locations more productive. Instead of driving around from town to town like a chicken without its head, on a one week visit, use research to rule out towns that are absolutely not right for you before you visit, so you can spend more time in the towns that have a better potential to be right for you.
And when you visit, don't be a tourist. Stay away from places that attract other visitors and get out and do things you'd do on a regular basis if you lived there. Go inside the supermarkets. Do they have what you like? Do they have the variety you may be used to? Is it open when you like to shop? Visit the mall. What stores are there? You know, if there's a big mall but it doesn't have the stores you like, and you like to shop, maybe you won't be happy. If you are a church goer, go to church when you visit. Do you like the service? Do the people look like people you'd socialize with or volunteer with? Do you have physical problems but you have to climb a big flight of stairs to get inside the place of worship? If you like to garden, visit the local nursery and look around. If you like to fish or bowl, do it when you visit. If you like to read, visit the library and bookstores. Do they have the variety of the type of books you like? Are the books new enough to suit you?
When you visit, try to attend some town event and look at and talk to the people. Do they look and sound like you? By that I mean, are you there in expensive clothes, jewelry and make up looking for a served glass of wine and are they there in jeans, tee shirts and no make up looking for a bottle of beer or a glass of lemonade from a vendor? Do you want to talk about football and hunting/fishing and they're all talking about tennis, boating and golf? Do you like bluegrass and country but the bands at the event are woodwind and strings or hip hop or oldies? If it's an outdoor event and groups have their booths are you looking for the boy/girl scouts, NRA, Disabled Veterans, some ATV sales booth and corndogs, but the booths are Stop The Nukes, $2000 Antiques, Save the Squids, frozen yogurt and the local yacht dealer?
Do you like to walk but potential new town has no sidewalks or trails and/or the curvy/busy/hilly roads have no shoulders?
What time of the day are you most likely to be out doing things? You know, if you are a night person and the town shuts down at 6PM maybe the town isn't right for you. On the other hand, maybe you like to do your shopping at 7:00A and be done with it but Potential New Town store doesn't open its doors until 10:00A. Maybe you prefer a morning movie but Potential New Town's movie theater has it's first showing of the day at 3:00P.
If you see a house or apartment you might consider, go sit in your car and observe the area in the morning, at night and in the daytime. If you go when kids are in school, what's it like there when they aren't in school? Are animals and kids running around the streets? Do people "hang out" outdoors at night? You know, it works both ways. Maybe you like to socialize after dinner with your neighbors but they're all brunch and lunch types. Or maybe, after people get home from work, nice quiet place is really noisy.
What's the traffic like at the time of day you will probably be on the road more? What are the roads like in the winter? You know, that mountain community that looks great during the June and September vacation may give you pause in February when the winding curvy roads have ice on them. That pretty beach place in July may have roads prone to flooding in September.
The point is, you'll never think to ask these type of questions and in most cases, research isn't going to produce the answers, either. So, you have to visit like you live there and not like a tourist.
I also agree with the rent for a year sentiment if you are making a big relocation change. If you decide to stay in the town, you'll have a better idea of where in the town you want to live permanently. If the town's not right for you, it's easier to leave when your lease is up.
Research and visiting mean different things to different people that's why people can do both and still make a mistake.
Location: In the North Idaho woods, still surrounded by terriers
2,179 posts, read 7,016,755 times
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I've read through all the posts and find myself thinking "Yes, that's right..." and then reading something with an opposite idea and thinking "Yes, that's right...!" Yikes! Basically it must have to do with each person's individual likes, dislikes, needs and wants. Where one is happy, another is not.
I came to AZ 23 years ago after my divorce, had a job offer at a local newspaper, went on to find a career in law enforcement...been in the same little house, etc etc. I knew no one when I came...I just needed a change from So California and I have never regretted it for a moment. I did not check it out first or really know what I was moving to other than that the area was really interesting to me.
However, this area I am in has changed drastically. The weather patterns have altered a lot...there used to be a lot of rain in the summer and snow in the winter, which I loved. It really has all but vanished these past ten years. It's crowded now, housing everywhere, cars everywhere...and I am really tired of dust and wind and dry, brown colors...so I plan to move to the northwest when I retire next year.
Do I know the area well? Mmmm...not really. I have visited a few times and have friends there...but I have not "lived" there. I can't...it's 1300 miles away. So...after two years of reading and studying everything I could about the northwest, I have made a decision to make the move. I have done it before, although I was younger then...but that is really the point for me. I will never get any younger or healthier than I am now, so if I want to dive into this new adventure and life-chapter I had better do it now rather than later. And if I do not take the leap I will spend the rest of my life wondering what I might have missed.
SeeBee, I just spent some time on the Senior Ark website. It is going to be a great help to me. Thanks.
It is so difficult to become well-informed on what is available to seniors if you depend on the government to provide that information. I don't know if it is a matter of double-gov't-speak gobblety-**** or if they just want us to disappear, but I feel more confused when I go to some of the dot gov websites.
This is particularly disconcerting when it comes to available healthcare options. Who wrote that stuff?
Finding a good place to retire that is going to be advantageous to a senior with good medical facilities, reasonable cost of living and a pleasant area to spend one's golden years really has to become an advocation of every senior who will be on a fixed income without a bailout sugar daddy.
That would be ME!! I am looking and looking intently at all facets of the area that we plan on moving to for all of the above.
Family and friends are the stuff of life, but to survive economically we must sometimes forego living 2 miles from the grandkids for a place that we can afford and good medical facilities.
What a shame that we have to foresake the nuclear family because our current system doesn't make it conducive to stay close to our dear families.
I must have a great memory, because I remember 5 years back that LauraC put up a great post about how to research retirement location and not make a mistake. Her post is #67 in this thread. It contains great tips. As I read through these posts here from 5 and 6 years ago, I realize the topic is still timely for many who are looking to relocate. I was particularly taken with the posts about buying next to or near noisy operations like a lumber mill or nightclub, and not realizing it before the new home purchase. Someone also warned here about carefully checking zoning laws and retirement community rules. Very strict zoning protects residential areas where I live, but in some states I have visited zoning seems lax and all kinds of things can be "next door to you" (toxic/leaking dump, superfund site, chicken or paint factory, nuke plant, fracking, the list goes on).
Anyway, I have just copied and pasted LauraC's advice onto a laptop screen sticky. My, how time flies! 2007!!! Wasn't I just a kid then?
Last edited by RiverBird; 07-16-2013 at 07:50 PM..
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I am looking and looking intently at all facets of the area that we plan on moving to for all of the above. 
We can protect ourselves from a sad mistake.
Must've been the "I like mountains" answer! 
