[morlaine]

Thanks for all the info on Dothan. If anyone else has more comments, I would like to hear them.

Why I picked Dothan? I started in Florida but there were many negatives to living there. I wanted a place that was not going to be too hot in summer. I like the heat but wanted to keep the A/C (electric) bills to a minimum. I was from Phoenix AZ before I moved to Costa Rica, so anything under 90 is a spring day. I also wanted a place where I would not have to shovel snow. I grew up in the Midwest and did enough of that, before moving to Phoenix, to last me a lifetime. Living on Social Security, I needed a place with a lower cost of living, lower property taxes, lower everything. Plus I wanted a small town feel but big enough to have the conveniences that I enjoy, like used book stores, electronic stores, art supply stores, Super Walmart, Home Depot, bowling, and movies. I also wanted to be far enough away from the ocean that hurricanes would not be an issue. I worry about tornadoes but I guess you can't escape every danger. And I wanted a place where there were places to meet new people and make friends without it being in a bar or a church. I rarely frequent either of those places. So I moved my search to northern Florida, then to southern Georgia, and then to Alabama and narrowed it down to Dothan. I did a lot of comparisons on city-data and Dothan, for various reasons, keeps coming out ahead.

I did check out Fairhope as was suggested by one person. It is a beautiful little town but a bit smaller than I wanted, and, more importantly, it's very close to the ocean, so the worry of the hurricanes rears its ugly head. Plus the cost of living is much higher than Dothan.

Again, thanks for all the great comments. And any other comments would be greatly appreciated.
Morlaine

[Butterfly4u]

Morlaine,
My dad was born and raised in Enterprise, Al, and when he retired
he and my mom moved back to Dothan, because Enterprise is in the sticks.
They lived there the last 25 years of their lives, and of course, I visited and took
the kids to see them.
I also lived in Glendale Arizona when I was growing up, so I understand the ehat
you are talking about.
I know Dothan. If you are not totally engulfed in religion and church,
don't move there. There is literally nothing else. Trust me.
I moved recently, (about 4 years ago), to Aiken, South Carolina.
Love it!
My kids are grown and I just needed a nice town to settle down in.
I am not religious, but there is alot to do here besides that.
WHen I need more, Augusta is a 20 minutes drive by highway, Columbia
isn't farther than 45 minutes away and the beach is 2 1/2 hours away.
Best of all worlds.
We don't shovel snow, but we do have a winter here, it's just not real cold
like it is in the northern states.
If you move to Dothan, you will use air conditioner all year except mabey the few winter months Jan and Feb. Then heater.
SOuth Carolina, use air conditioner til October(end of), then mild heat in Dec thru end of Feb.
but in between you certainly get a break.
The South is hot. In the summer, it's hot and humid. Almost unbearable at times until October.
In Costa Rica you lived near a beach. You probably will find the southern heat hard to get
used to, so whatever you do, rent. You may decide to change your mind about
the south, or if you move to Alabama, you may decide to move to South Carolina if you
visit.
Just research Aiken, South Carolina and see what I am talking about.
Good Luck to you!

[natas]

Aiken is half the size of dothan.

also this:

[CoreLysium]

Originally Posted by natas

also this:

Nothing wrong with nuclear power. Though I doubt the thing is operational due to the excellent tactic of those opposed to the plants changing the regulations so that the plants have to stay shut down while they adapt to the new regulations.

France has us so owned as far as power goes by using mostly nukes. And since it doesn't carry a social stigma, mostly based in ignorance, the quality of workers is better. Here, we have a stereotype and we're stickin' to it.

BTW, that shape is just a massive heat exchanger.

[TomC23]

Originally Posted by morlaine

Thanks for all the info on Dothan. If anyone else has more comments, I would like to hear them.

Why I picked Dothan? I started in Florida but there were many negatives to living there. I wanted a place that was not going to be too hot in summer. I like the heat but wanted to keep the A/C (electric) bills to a minimum. I was from Phoenix AZ before I moved to Costa Rica, so anything under 90 is a spring day. I also wanted a place where I would not have to shovel snow. I grew up in the Midwest and did enough of that, before moving to Phoenix, to last me a lifetime. Living on Social Security, I needed a place with a lower cost of living, lower property taxes, lower everything. Plus I wanted a small town feel but big enough to have the conveniences that I enjoy, like used book stores, electronic stores, art supply stores, Super Walmart, Home Depot, bowling, and movies. I also wanted to be far enough away from the ocean that hurricanes would not be an issue. I worry about tornadoes but I guess you can't escape every danger. And I wanted a place where there were places to meet new people and make friends without it being in a bar or a church. I rarely frequent either of those places. So I moved my search to northern Florida, then to southern Georgia, and then to Alabama and narrowed it down to Dothan. I did a lot of comparisons on city-data and Dothan, for various reasons, keeps coming out ahead.

I did check out Fairhope as was suggested by one person. It is a beautiful little town but a bit smaller than I wanted, and, more importantly, it's very close to the ocean, so the worry of the hurricanes rears its ugly head. Plus the cost of living is much higher than Dothan.

Again, thanks for all the great comments. And any other comments would be greatly appreciated.
Morlaine

Hi Morlaine, I have lived in Dothan off and on over thirty years. Currently in NY. Judging by your comments, I think you would be very happy in Dothan except for the temperature. From late May to early October, everyday will in the 90's during the day and 70's at night. Sunny skies are the rule with occasional Tstorms. If you can look past the heat, I think you are good to go. It's hard to imagine a town where people are friendlier than Dothan.

[Mawoods]

I just want to comment on finding a way to fit in IF you are not particularly interested in joining church . Yes, in the South church is more important and part of the way of life. However, that does not mean that there aren't things to do and ways to fit in if you don't attend regularly. What I think it means is that when you join a church you can get wrapped up and immediately have a circle. If you don't all that is possible but you have to work a little harder. There are organizations and activities that you can do that will enrich and fill your life - depending on your interests. There are garden clubs, homemaker clubs, book clubs through the library, etc. It just takes effort to go out and find them all as opposed to just joining a church and instantly being involved. I think Dothan has alot that you can get involved with from volunteering, local drama and garden, etc. And it is still a small town but not so small that it is stiffling. As I stated before, it is like NYC compared to where I live now. I go to Dothan on average once a week for shopping, etc. Also be aware that in this area of the Wiregrass that farming, fishing and hunting is a real way of life - not unlike other areas that we have lived in such as Wisconsin. The PEanut Festival is big here every year and I see that some Broadway shows and concerts come through. And if you need the beach it is within a couple of hours and you can go for the day very easily. I also really like the mayor of Dothan. He represents the area very well.

[AJBarney]

Based on what you posted, I think the heat would be a dealbreaker for Dothan. Your A/C will run, as others have mentioned, from March through October. Its hot and humid here, as it is anywhere in the SE. I grew up in Mobile and hated the heat....then ended up here. Go figure....

Otherwise, its a good place to live. But, if you are really concerned about heat, you probably woudnt like it here other than in the "wintertime" (such as it is - winter here means highs in the 40s-50s).

I do chuckle at the religion comments, though. I'm pretty sure we stopped drowning witches and burnings at the stake at least 10-15 years ago.

[morlaine]

From my research, I thought that Dothan seemed ideal as far as weather is concerned. Admittedly, the cold weather in winter (40-50 highs, as someone stated) seems very cold. I hate being cold. When I lived in Phoenix, I kept my house at 83 degrees in summer and 65 degrees in winter, but, of course, the humidity is much lower there than in Dothan. Here in Costa Rica I don't have heating or cooling in my house and don't need it. I live right on the beach and I do have ceiling fans because I have a large book collection and the fans help to keep things drier and a bit cooler. But I use them mainly to reduce the humidity.

My question is this. Can anyone provide me with suggestions where the weather might be more to my liking? I'm open to any state but it needs to be a place that is affordable on Social Security, smaller town, low cost of living, low property taxes, but still has conveniences like I mentioned in my first post.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated. Regards, morlaine

[CoreLysium]

Any place that's like you describe is very subject to the "Sunshine Tax." The QoL you get from having great weather comes at a price. Wages are lower but cost of living is higher. You just pay for good weather.

San Diego has perfect weather, imo.

City Climate Comparisons

[AJBarney]

Just so. COL in the South is lower all around, but the humidity is high. A matter of priorities, I guess....which is more important to you?

I will say that the 'upper' South (N AL, Tenn, etc) has an actual 4 seasons and is marginally less humid in summertime, but it will be too cold for you in winter, apparently.