Retiring Outside of California (Sacramento, Oakland: relocate, property taxes, maintenance)

[NewToCA]

Now I have the opposite situation, I just retired and moved from the mid west to California! The cost of living is much higher, but the trade offs in things to see and do and the weather are well worth it to me.

[carmac]

My husband and I just retired. We thought about Wisconsin, as we both love it there. But our family is here in CA, and have not intention of moving. SO CA is so crowded...is there anyplace in CA where the cost of living isn't sky high? Is there some small, quiet town out there where English is the primary language? I know "Mayberry" doesn't exist, but surely there is someplace left in CA that you can escape the rat race that CA has become!

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by carmac

My husband and I just retired. We thought about Wisconsin, as we both love it there. But our family is here in CA, and have not intention of moving. SO CA is so crowded...is there anyplace in CA where the cost of living isn't sky high? Is there some small, quiet town out there where English is the primary language? I know "Mayberry" doesn't exist, but surely there is someplace left in CA that you can escape the rat race that CA has become!

You will probably have to move well outside of all of the major metropolitan areas to escape the rat race. The cost of living in the rural areas might be less as well. I've been to the Grass Valley area several times. That area seemed nice and still had many of the conveniences of a larger city. I hope this helps.

[carmac]

Originally Posted by jguillot

You will probably have to move well outside of all of the major metropolitan areas to escape the rat race. The cost of living in the rural areas might be less as well. I've been to the Grass Valley area several times. That area seemed nice and still had many of the conveniences of a larger city. I hope this helps.

Thanks jguillot...I checked it out and will do further research...I appreciate your help!

[KidBlue]

Carmac

Actually, Grass Valley is a little on the pricey side as is Nevada City. Grass Valley used to be affordable but has been included in some "best places to retire" articles and is growing rapidly along with the price of housing. The best bargains in CA right now can be found in the area around Redding and Chico (unless you like living in the middle of the desert!--there are great deals in Mojave ). Also, if you can handle the weather, Eureka is decreasing in population and is relatively inexpensive. Pollock Pines also has some affordable homes.

[MotleyCrew]

We left CA two years ago to find a spot to retire. We are in AZ, N. Peoria in a master planned community called Vistancia. There is a 55+ community right across the road from us called Trilogy. These are two of the most fantastic developments we stumbled on in years. The ammenities are numerous and the HOA dues are not bad. There is a golf course and an upper end restaurant as well as a Grill for dining. We have lit, paved walking trails that go through the residential/natural desert landscape. Homes here in Vistancia start at or around $269,000. The Blackstone section will have it's own private golf course and restaurant/clubhouse and the homes there start in the $900K's up over a million. Google Vistancia and Trilogy to see some of the things they are offering. We miss N. Ca very much, but it was time for us to go.

[Kaligirl]

NewtoCA, I was curious if you wouldnt mind sharing where you retired. Those of us who have lived here a long time might benifit from a newbies perspective. I too am looking to find a new place to call home, although not of retirement age. We are at a different stage in life with kids and all that comes with that. But we are looking for an affordable area, good community etc. all the same things most people look for. Where might that be in the great state of CA. Because if I dont find it soon, we will be headed out of state as we are priced out of moving up in the housing market.
Thanks
Kali

[NewToCA]

Sure Kaligirl.

We chose to live in the newly developing area of Rancho Cordova. The prices are pretty suppressed for the new developments, and a lot of homes are up for sale by flippers. Homes which have not been occupied are for sale in the $350-$700K range. Many have 4 bedrooms and 2+ baths.

I know about the bad historical reputation that Rancho has had, but they became a separate city a few years ago. When you take a look at the overall area for development, and what is being done to spiff up the older area, and the huge amount of commercial property currently occupied, it seemed like a decent gamble to me.

The closing of Mather AFB provides a lot of land for development, and their comprehensive approved plan seems workable. Like all plans, economics may alter some aspects of it. But when you take a look at all of the stuff being built to the south east side of Douglas and Sunrise, and the huge development around Mather, I think this area will be just fine over the next few years.

As I said in my posting, I know it is pricier then my prior city, Columbus, OH. But you cannot compare the two cities. Columbus is very pretty, with a beautiful stock of housing and shopping, but limited entertainment beyond going out to eat or shop. Here, within a few hours we have incredible choices. In fact, my wife and I spent the weekend at Monterey/Carmel. There is nothing remotely like that in the midwest. Watching the otters and seals frolicking in the ocean, and the very active current, was beautiful. And the cities of Carmel and Monterey were very interesting too.

Just a different perspective, I feel very fortunate to be here, and look forward to spending the rest of my life here. Sure the housing is expensive, but Ohio housing doesn't appreciate, and the property taxes are very high (about $8,000 on a $380K home). And they have a fairly stiff state income tax AND city wage taxes.

Although real estate is in turmoil today, I would be willing to bet that appreciation over the next 10-15 years will be significantly better in California than Ohio (or Indiana/Minnesota/Wisconsin/Illinois/Michigan/upstateNew York).

One last comment in this overly long response, the humidity in the midwest and east makes 80 degrees more uncomfortable to me than 90 degrees in Sacramento. Also, the days here are only partially hot, even in the dead of summer the day is very pleasant from around 7:30 PM until 11:00 AM. And in the hottest part of the day, it is much more comfortable in the shade, in the humid summers of the east and midwest, the shade doesn't provide much relief. The nights in the east and midwest tend to be quite a bit warmer (and muggier) than here.

But I understand the folks wanting to take their equity and leave for less expensive environments, and respect this point of view. I just prefer to have the greater level of activities available here. I feel very lucky to be here.

[Kaligirl]

Thank you very much for taking the time to post an answer and explain your new location. You sound like you found such a great fit for you and your wife during your retirement. I wish you every happiness. I hope someday to take the same leap of faith, I just wish we could decide where it is I am supposed to leap.
Again Regards,
Kali

[NewToCA]

Thank you Kali. A major factor for us is that we have a child who is mentally handicapped, and just reached the age where she converts from the school to the adult program. The choices for her day program in Ohio were very limited, but we were able to find a wide array of program choices in California. I was able to take an early retirement, so we were able to make the move just at the time she was about to switch programs.

In deciding where to go, the first thing you need to do is prioritize what is important to you, and where you are willing to make tradeoffs. If you go through a disciplined process, and realistically analyze your employment requirements, the preferred choices become somewhat more evident.

Best of luck!