To Where Do You Hope to Retire (Alexandria, Roanoke: live, garden)

[novaman]

I previously posted on this thread about my California dream- either the Bay Area or SoCal. For me it has all been about the weather. I sold my dental practice over 2 years ago and “retired”, And that would have been a good time to finally live my California dream, but I’m still here.

We had been doing a lot of travelling and had mostly avoided the oppressive summer heat and humidity and the worst parts of the winter, but this year is a different story with COVID. It is making me yearn for California a lot lately.

But we won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. 2 of my 3 children are here, My 2 grandkids live here, my aging parents are here, and so this is where I am supposed to be right now.

We downsized to a nice townhome a block off the Reston Town Center and love the lifestyle.

[gonzolafacce]

Originally Posted by novaman

I previously posted on this thread about my California dream- either the Bay Area or SoCal. For me it has all been about the weather. I sold my dental practice over 2 years ago and “retired”, And that would have been a good time to finally live my California dream, but I’m still here.

We had been doing a lot of travelling and had mostly avoided the oppressive summer heat and humidity and the worst parts of the winter, but this year is a different story with COVID. It is making me yearn for California a lot lately.

But we won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. 2 of my 3 children are here, My 2 grandkids live here, my aging parents are here, and so this is where I am supposed to be right now.

We downsized to a nice townhome a block off the Reston Town Center and love the lifestyle.

Well as they are want to say down under.... "Good on Ya "

[Bigfoot424]

My goal some years back was to retire from my LE job after the 30 year mark then my wife and I would move to New Hampshire. A place I've grown to love. But the lack of jobs in my field (K9) were lacking and as I am not a military vet I had zero chances of a federal position I wanted overseeing canine ops in the area airports even though the chief of the unit wanted me hired. Then a grandson came along in NC and the wife decided she no longer wanted to move further away. Sigh..... So I finally landed the federal job here and we stayed. Sort of. We moved to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and we bought what we hope is our final home overlooking the mountains to the east and west sitting on 5 acres surrounded by farms. I've been in VA since 73 when my parents moved us here (I was a teen) and I love the valley but the changing politics of this state has me wondering if we chose wisely in staying.

[nva06]

I plan on retiring in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Just closed on a beach house in Plymouth that is on the water. Till the youngest goes to college me and my wife will be renting it out. The place I work at since corona has said that I can permanently telecommute I’m gonna do that and once the youngest leaves we will sell our house here in Northern Virginia and I’ll telecommute from there for two years and the best thing is my division has an office in Boston. Sadly nothing is permanent but the plan is pretty solid and my boss knows as well. But our finances can support the second house it’s a good investment it provides a lot of income maybe 58K with a property management company that charges 10% of the monthly rental value between late May through Early September if we charge 4K a week which is kind of the average based on the house and other vacation rentals. And the view is just gorgeous.

[Bill790]

Originally Posted by spencgr

retiring to Maine...in a cottage, high up on a cliff, overlooking the ocean.

Doesn't it get really, really, REALLY cold and icy and snowy in Maine in the Winter? Not knocking Maine--absolutely beautiful state--in the summer. Just strikes me as a tough place in which to grow old....

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[Bill790]

Originally Posted by gonzolafacce

Well as they are want to say down under.... "Good on Ya "

So, are you still in Thailand? Did you sell your business? (I get the feeling you posted about retirement in the NOVA thread to try and find somebody to buy you out. Are you still looking?)

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[elsaway]

All those that want to move to less urban areas, i.e. country living, do you plan on needed advanced medical care? Of course not. You don't plan on those things, they bite you in the @ss unexpectedly. Good luck with critical care or top medical advice from the PA at a the community health center. Maybe it will work out for you.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by elsaway

All those that want to move to less urban areas, i.e. country living, do you plan on needed advanced medical care? Of course not. You don't plan on those things, they bite you in the @ss unexpectedly. Good luck with critical care or top medical advice from the PA at a the community health center. Maybe it will work out for you.

That's all you've got? Do you really think people are dumb enough to move to the country and NOT think about medical care?

[Bill790]

Originally Posted by elsaway

All those that want to move to less urban areas, i.e. country living, do you plan on needed advanced medical care? Of course not. You don't plan on those things, they bite you in the @ss unexpectedly. Good luck with critical care or top medical advice from the PA at a the community health center. Maybe it will work out for you.

That's the first thing I think of when I hear somebody is going to retire in Thailand or Mexico. What are they doing for medical care? A friend's father retired to the Philippines but had to fly back to the US to get advanced prostate cancer care. That's nuts.

But I will NOT be retiring in the NOVA region. Yep I'm here now--that's where the job is. But I'm tired of the traffic, the hoards of people, the high cost of living, etc. The place I retire to will be much quieter, will have lower taxes AND will have excellent medical care.

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[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

That's all you've got? Do you really think people are dumb enough to move to the country and NOT think about medical care?

I feel like the answer to “are people really dumb enough...?” is always “yes.”
I know plenty of people who think they will “retire to a farm” but have no real idea of what farm work is like (really hard) or that “the country” means way fewer healthcare options. My friend moved down to Louisa County for a job and was shocked that she couldn’t find a primary care doctor. She called the UVA system and was told that she was too healthy.

My extended family lives in a very rural area of Florida. More of them have died from medical mistakes from bad doctors than from their own medical conditions. Plus, if the one area hospital shuts down, you’re screwed!