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Yes I would also like to live in parts of the south, but I think I might last a few hours and then be looking at this website for a new locale to move to. It would be based on not being of a personality for that area, which is why, and I will admit it, the politics of so much of the country is making many of us have to cross places off our list, that we may have settled in, I think that is not saying much for the personality of the USA.
I've added some and deleted others (since NM) but would love to hear how others make their final decision.
And, WA was on my list and it may re-surface if the Northeast doesn't prove to be the best place for me (I am an East Coaster, by birth and possibly by temperament). One of my closer friends just moved to Aberdeen (WA) from Asheville (NC) and thus far, a couple of months, seems very pleased with the decision.
Sure, I'll share the major items that are not personal but each would have to decide what is reasonable for themselves.
- No hard winters.
- No hard summers.
- A property market we could afford.
- A suburban area we liked with services we want close by.
- Within 45 minutes of a major airport.
- No or low income tax and reasonable property taxes.
- A region we find comfortable and attractive.
After years in Texas we are thrilled to have some overcast skies and rain so the NW weather makes us smile. There are plenty of gripes about the property taxes here but they are one third of what we had in Texas so we are OK. With air travel accessible we decided we are close enough to family.
We made trips to a number of areas before deciding on the PNW.
Yes it's going to take some travel time to decide on a place. We may decide to rent for a while although we have never been renters. If I am just not sure about the final place we may decide on then we'll rent for a year to see how things are there.
We'll be checking out some places that are not too far away in a couple of months. I live on the Oregon coast and a lot of people come here to retire but I think we'd like something with a bit more sun. There's a place or 2 inland in Oregon we'll check out. Then I'll go down to Northern California. The biggest problem with California is the cost.
We all like something different. I've read some of the retirement books and news items. I really haven't found much very helpful with them.
Whatever it is you come seeking, it'll be something else that you're not even thinking of that you'll soon miss. We came to Vero Beach, FL two years ago, and we love it for the most part, but what we find ourselves missing is being near a big city. Sometimes it takes a couple of years for paradise to wear thin before you start to long for the grit of the city.
I've lived in several states and traveled on business extensively. I prefer to live in the western states because they feel like home and because I don't want to put up with hot humid summers or bitterly cold winters. (I got stuck in a snowstorm in Burlington, VT once, and that was enough.)
We currently live near Portland, Oregon, and we've spent the last 5 years or so driving around Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Our main criteria were:
sunshine - I've had 20 years of Portland low-light winter and I'm tired of it. weather - a little serious winter or serious summer is okay, but I don't want to be buried in snow for weeks or spend months above 100 degrees. city size - not too big (under 100,000), not too small (over 20,000). cost - able to build a new house for roughly what our house here will sell for ($275,000-$350,000). Preferably on acreage, with a view (of something fun). amenities - prefer a college town, with the livelier mix of ages, people, cultures. Bookstores, restaurants. Outdoor amenities, too - somewhere to hike/walk. airport - able to be no more than a single commuter hop from a major airport.
Cities that had some agriculture support, so that farmer's markets and CSAs were common; cities which weren't already in water crisis; cities which were growing but not growing too fast and not in decline; cities which weren't just a blip on a major highway; cities which were not a bedroom/commuter suburb of a larger city; cities which were not predominantly retirement-oriented.
Cities that had some agriculture support, so that farmer's markets and CSAs were common; cities which weren't already in water crisis; cities which were growing but not growing too fast and not in decline; cities which weren't just a blip on a major highway; cities which were not a bedroom/commuter suburb of a larger city; cities which were not predominantly retirement-oriented.
I know this is difficult because I spent recent years doing it... and you are adding criteria that narrow the choices further. If you decide that you want a small city that is not a suburb of a larger one you give up some big city services, especially hospitals, that will be associated with larger cities. We chose a suburb.
All your points are great! I am confused by one thing only: did you decide on KF for now, or are you still looking for a new location?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal
A couple more additions:
Cities that had some agriculture support, so that farmer's markets and CSAs were common; cities which weren't already in water crisis; cities which were growing but not growing too fast and not in decline; cities which weren't just a blip on a major highway; cities which were not a bedroom/commuter suburb of a larger city; cities which were not predominantly retirement-oriented.
I know this is difficult because I spent recent years doing it... and you are adding criteria that narrow the choices further. If you decide that you want a small city that is not a suburb of a larger one you give up some big city services, especially hospitals, that will be associated with larger cities. We chose a suburb.
Well, narrowing choices was sort of the point. Originally we had a few too many choices, and this helped us narrow it down quite a bit. Out of the places we look at (and could afford) in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and California, applying these criteria, we ended up with two main choices and finally bought acreage about 30 miles outside of Klamath Falls - it has a fairly large (200 bed) medical center and it's associated with Oregon Health Sciences University (the medical school in Portland) as the rural medicine program training center - so there are strong ties with Portland's largest medical institution.
Plus, although we're retiring this year, my husband is in his mid-50s, and I'm in my mid 40s. I figure we have 10 years or so living on our rural property before we need to move closer-in, at which point will probably move to Klamath Falls proper, the Chico, CA area or the Bend, OR area and live in-town.
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