Traditional Locations out of Style (vacations, Canada, conversation, retired)

[mckg]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

Thanks, mckg, for the info.

Have you decided on a new town or city? Sounds like you've collected quite a bit of dry and wet data. j/k of course!

I often think we really just need to be in the town, not see it from a distance--the real deal so to speak--to discover how it fits. It's sort of like shoes, you might like the way they look, but if they are too tight or too loose, you can't walk.

Anyway, that's what happened to me when I looked with my long list at Taos. It all seemed to fit, but I couldn't walk when I landed on the ground.
So many of the appeals of the town as a visitor (tourist) just worked against it living day to day.

We decided to move to Austin. It feels comfortable, a place we can muck around, try new things, enjoy old hobbies, get involved in the community and just breathe. But you're so right about seeing how a place fits, which is why we don't look at anything as being too permanent, but that may just be in our natures. We're not in the foreign service for 30 years for nothing! I really wanted the mts but hope the hill country satisfies and that we adjust to the heat (or head for the mts in the summer). I have a brother and some friends there but I suspect we won't see that much of them as they live in town! We don't expect to live downtown (which is what all the buzz is about when many speak of Austin) - we'll be looking at the outskirts near Lake Travis - Lakeway, Bee Cave, some other nice developments. And when I ask myself if we would have chosen Austin had there not been relatives/friends in the area, the answer is still yes...so we'll see. (Looked at Denver and Charlottesville areas - one too big and the other too small, though they both have so much going for them.)

Btw, loved Taos as a tourist (Santa Fe too) and we considered Albuquerque briefly, but the area is just a bit more remote than we wanted. Good luck on your journey.

[ontheroad]

I got the PM, thanks!

Yes, as you thought: Belfast (MAINE); Paris, TN.

I am headed toward Nantuck Island, and if the family house is occupied, which it seems it may, I'll detour to Maine.

I had my car serviced and they say the old wild-one is in good shape, so I'm off this week, slow but sure!

Take care and hope to catch up.

Originally Posted by stormweary

onthroad:
I sent you a PM. thanks for the offer, sounds good. Sounds like you are headed up to Mass. and New England. Where is Belfast? Ireland? ( I mean if there is a Paris , Tenn. then there must be a Belfast USA somewhere!! )

[ontheroad]

Glad to hear that you've been able to find a place that may be for you, even if it may be that penultimate destination.

I've always heard positive things about the Austin area.

Good luck and let us know what you think about the city, when you can!

Originally Posted by mckg

We decided to move to Austin. It feels comfortable, a place we can muck around, try new things, enjoy old hobbies, get involved in the community and just breathe. But you're so right about seeing how a place fits, which is why we don't look at anything as being too permanent, but that may just be in our natures. We're not in the foreign service for 30 years for nothing! I really wanted the mts but hope the hill country satisfies and that we adjust to the heat (or head for the mts in the summer). I have a brother and some friends there but I suspect we won't see that much of them as they live in town! We don't expect to live downtown (which is what all the buzz is about when many speak of Austin) - we'll be looking at the outskirts near Lake Travis - Lakeway, Bee Cave, some other nice developments. And when I ask myself if we would have chosen Austin had there not been relatives/friends in the area, the answer is still yes...so we'll see. (Looked at Denver and Charlottesville areas - one too big and the other too small, though they both have so much going for them.)

Btw, loved Taos as a tourist (Santa Fe too) and we considered Albuquerque briefly, but the area is just a bit more remote than we wanted. Good luck on your journey.

[romesq]

Hi Mckg -- just read this thread and saw your post. My partner & I are relocating/sliding into retirement in Austin as well. Closing on a home in the Barton Creek area (West/SW of Austin, off Bee Cave Road (RR 2244) in late May.

We chose Austin for many reasons -- progressive city ("Blue dot in the red State"), cultural/educational options, gorgeous countryside, major university, excellent medical services, good schools (we're not educating kids, but good schools benefit everybody), low crime rate, GLBT community, and, for us, out of the hurricane zone (we're New Orleanians). Not looking forward to the property taxes, but our insurance rates will go down (NOLA is impossible right now). Infrastructure is excellent as well. So, too, is the vibe -- folks are proud of Austin and happy to share what it offers. With all this added in, and the fact that my partner is a lifetime Texas Ex/diehard Longhorn, Austin became the logical choice. Will likely head for cooler climes in the worst of the summer months, but we were planning on doing that after our planned retirement in NOLA as well, so no real change there. Anyhow, we figure that, having survived NOLA for some 40+ years without being able to leave for the summer, Austin heat should be a piece of cake! Now, getting used to not having my tropical garden may be the biggest adjustment!

Best of luck to you. I think we've all made a good decision!

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Waterlily

Will you be moving to another location when you retire? What states are you considering?

Just a suggestion:

I suggest people first figure out what they want to do, on a fairly regular basis, in retirement and then find the places that offer the opportunities to do those activities in the abundance, variety or quality they seek. After you have that list, then apply all of your other criteria to it to prioritize it. So let's say you like to fish, play golf, eat out at a variety of ethnic restaurants, participate in historical re-enactments, go to the movies, play slots, sing in the church choir and make jewelry.

With research, you find 10 places in the US where there are plenty of places to do all of those things.

Now apply your other criteria to the list of 10 that you just made:

Examples:

weather/temperature related needs
population or population density
need to be near an international airport or within x number of hours driving time from children
houses must be available that cost less than X dollars
need to be near a hospital that specializes in X
ETC.

And prioritize your list of places.

I mean XYZ, Arizona might have the weather you like and affordable housing but WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE? Are you settling for activities in the new place just to keep busy because the housing is cheap and there isn't any snow? Make what you want to do in retirement your first criteria in choosing a location and then use the things that are important to you, that are not activity related, to prioritize your list of potential locations.


How many people are going back to work in retirement not because they need the money but because they are bored or miss being around people with which they shared a common interest? Well, I see this in posts of relocating retirees - they aren't choosing places to live in retirement based on what they want to do during the 40 hours they used to be at work. They are looking to escape something from the old place (too much traffic, too high taxes, too much snow) but they rarely mention what they are running to in the new place unless it's couched in term of having the anti-qualities of the old place. I think many of those people will be unhappy after a few months.

I'll give you a personal example. I'm a nerd, always have been. I like to do nerd-like activities. Can you recall ever reading any retirement relocation book, website, Top Best Places magazine or attending any retirement relocation seminars where the pitch was, "Come to our town/community. We have a town camera club, a nonfiction book group, a society for retired scientists, a computer games club in the next town, a retiree group that goes out in the woods and records data on and monitors turtles, an annual event that involves making seaworthy carboard boats that you have to sit in, a town festival that features a robot and WWII reenactments, a school for retirees that among other things, offers classes in quantum mechanics or a class that's a series of presentations, lectures and discussions in the areas of physical science, engineering, medical science, natural science and social science. Now how about if I told you, as an aside, it wasn't that far from the mountains, there are an abundance of lakes and it was within 45 minutes of 4 State Parks and it's in a warmer weather state?

If I was just looking for cheap, no traffic, scenic beauty and good weather would I have found it? If I relied on retirement publications and their advertisers, would I have found it? If I relied on state retirement websites, would I have found it? I doubt it. But don't you think the town might be appealing to a retiring scientist, researcher, engineer, technophile, nerd like me?

I think most people have their criteria for relocation prioritized wrong. I think what you want to do in retirement should come first. Just my opinion.

[mckg]

Thanks, Romesq. See you on the Austin forum! Good luck on your move.

And LauraC, that was a wonderfully useful post. It was the exact strategy we finally stumbled upon after trial and error, but your suggestions make for a good road map, i.e. What do we like to do? OK, now where shall we go to enjoy doing those things...and more...on a daily basis? It kinda reminds me of how my kids chose their universities: after narrowing down their choices to their major fields of interest, one wanted to be within driving distance of home (UVa) and the other wanted snow and wouldn't think of looking south of the Mason-Dixon line (Syracuse)!

[JayDaughtry]

I am a big fan of LauraC and her thought process. I found her posting on this thread from 5/2 to be particularly insightful. The only comments I would add would be to be realistic and balanced with how you're going to spend your time. Some people may say, "I'm going to play golf everyday." while they only play once a year now. They may find two weeks into retirement that playing golf everyday isn't exactly what they envisioned. One could apply this to any activity and at any frequency, but how does it compare to how you're spending free time now? To choose to spend all one's free time reading now and to think one is instantly going to have an interest in dance lessons at some point in the future is probably unrealistic. Why haven't you taken up some of these activities now?

[MarJ]

My husband and I have found what we consider the perfect retirement spot. It's in San Clemente,Calif. It's a mobile home community where the residents own the park. Double wide homes are now selling for anywhere from $300K to $485K. Retirees are coming in and paying cash for their place and left with a monthly payment that averages about $375/mo. and that includes homeowners fees, gas, electric, water and cable tv. That's not too bad to own a 1400sq.ft. or larger home on your own land and be surrounded by million dollar housing. We are only 1 1/2 miles from the Pacific which gives us a temperate climate year round. We have low heat bills in the winter and no A/C bill in the summer. We are close to some of the best medical facilities in the world, amusement parks, colleges, cultural events, restaurants, shopping, boating, deep sea and pier fishing and we can be on a ski slope in an hour and a half or enjoying Palms Springs in the same amount of time. A golf course weaves through our community so some of the homes have golf course or ocean views or both. Moderator cut: website

MarJ

[Waterlily]

I consider weather to be pretty important but others may not. I like to be outside and doing some gardening. My husband gets tired of so much rain here. That's why we consider weather to be so important. I know there is no perfect weather place but there are places with more sun and warmth.

We don't want a big city. We just don't like them.

During June ( I hope) we'll check out a few places. There are some others we'll be looking at but they are farther away. I have been to all of these places in the past so it's a matter of seeing if these places have changed.

We are in no hurry and don't expect to move for at least a year. That may be just as well as some towns have prices that are droping. It'll give us plenty of time to make future plans.

I had a list of requirements when I started looking at cities but I trimed it down. It's just not possible to find everything you'd like in one place. Here are a few things we'd like.

It should be located in the west.
Nice weather without much snow but not desert.
Affordable homes
population from 2500 to 25,000
Has the kind of houses for sale that I want
Has some houses with large lots
Not too high of a crime rate
should be a hospital & library close by
No polluted air

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by mckg

Thanks, Romesq. See you on the Austin forum! Good luck on your move.

And LauraC, that was a wonderfully useful post. It was the exact strategy we finally stumbled upon after trial and error, but your suggestions make for a good road map, i.e. What do we like to do? OK, now where shall we go to enjoy doing those things...and more...on a daily basis? It kinda reminds me of how my kids chose their universities: after narrowing down their choices to their major fields of interest, one wanted to be within driving distance of home (UVa) and the other wanted snow and wouldn't think of looking south of the Mason-Dixon line (Syracuse)!

That's a very good analogy. You make a list of schools that offer the kinds of courses/activities you want and then you prioritize the list based on things like distance from home, cost, weather, etc., to narrow down your choices.