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You live in Gaithersburg, Maryland now and you prefer Omaha? I am not trying to be critical, just curious.
Maryland has much to offer, true. But I wouldn't say it is one of the "Best Affordable Places to Grow Old" !
Lots of family and friends + Very affordable housing + excellent medical care + an increasingly sophisticated populace + a healthy economy = Omaha, a Best Affordable Place to Grow Old (well, for me )
Last edited by marska; 10-05-2011 at 10:14 PM..
Reason: correction
Our second home and the home I eventually intend to retire too is in St. George, Utah. It has the following features:
1. Its warmer in the winter than up north in Salt Lake City. However, its not tropical. There is usually a little bit of snow that doesn't stay long.
2. We find the desert beautiful and the climate there is a desert climate complete with cactus and succulent plants in our yard.
3. Its one mile from an outdoor theater that features almost top-of-the-line entertainment.
4. The medical care in St. George is high quality. Almost everything one could need.
5. It is surrounded by walking trails and bike paths that go on for miles. Its one mile from a state park that features red rock formations and cliffs with paths that wind through them.
6. Its about 100 miles from Lake Powell and I may purchase another boat someday and boat there.
7. It has every amenity in the area we could want. Walmart. Post Office. Local markets. However, they are not next door and that's the way I want it. They are all between one to three miles away.
8. The crime rate is very, very low.
9. The home is stucco with a red tile roof and is very beautiful surrounded by desert plants
10. The area could be gated, but the residents don't see the need right now. No one bothers us.
Sigh....I am a restless person though. As beautiful as it is, I don't know if I will ever be completely content settling down there, or anywhere. My wife and I worry me could drive ourselves crazy without jobs to serve as a buffer. If I do ever find it in me to settle down that will be the place though.
I like both Vegas and St George! Very beautiful, and lots of access to the outdoors, plus everything to keep me entertained for years! Two of my kids live in Vegas, too; I love them dearly but I have a different lifestyle. Plus both cities are fairly cheap... but not.. quite... cheap enough, nor do they permit me the freedom to do as I please (no ordinances) with my own property.
If I wanted to stay a city gal, those two would be high on my list...
If we were to stick to 5 simple questions, based on your living there (current or recently) how would you rate your recommendation for where to grow old?
1. Niceness of the area, aesthetically
2. Driveability (traffic factor, distance factor)
3. Ease in access to basics: supermarket, library, P.O., stores, entertainment
4. Quality of medical facilities and senior living options
5. Affordable (all things considered, all kinds of taxes) for retirees of modest income, say $50K or under/year
Looking forward to responses.
I've lived in multiple places, I'll list them in order (metro areas) of best to worst for you above criteria:
1 - Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Clinic is a top flight medical facility, big and extensive museums, beautiful suburban areas with lots of activities for seniors, lots of senior volunteer activities, decent public transportation system, great park system, Lake Erie, very reasonable cost of living)
2 - Kansas City, Missouri (much like Cleveland, minus the lake and a top notch medical facility)
3 - Columbus, Ohio (much like Kansas City, but a bit blander)
4 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (great medical, great museums, reasonable rent payments, good public transportation)
5 - Sacramento, California (reasonable cost of living and milder climate, but a bit dirtier and with more crime)
6 - Washington DC (expensive and very polarized, not worthwhile to consider for retirement)
If that's true, which I don't think it is, there's a good reason!
There are maybe 5 states in the US that I would not choose to live, and Texas is one of them. That may be unfair, as I've only been there once, to Dallas. The politics are not my style, in general, and the climate not for me either. On the other hand, TexasUser, can you refer to the list in the OP and give some reasons why Texas may be a good fit for some folks?
Our second home and the home I eventually intend to retire too is in St. George, Utah. It has the following features:
1. Its warmer in the winter than up north in Salt Lake City. However, its not tropical. There is usually a little bit of snow that doesn't stay long.
2. We find the desert beautiful and the climate there is a desert climate complete with cactus and succulent plants in our yard.
3. Its one mile from an outdoor theater that features almost top-of-the-line entertainment.
4. The medical care in St. George is high quality. Almost everything one could need.
5. It is surrounded by walking trails and bike paths that go on for miles. Its one mile from a state park that features red rock formations and cliffs with paths that wind through them.
6. Its about 100 miles from Lake Powell and I may purchase another boat someday and boat there.
7. It has every amenity in the area we could want. Walmart. Post Office. Local markets. However, they are not next door and that's the way I want it. They are all between one to three miles away.
8. The crime rate is very, very low.
9. The home is stucco with a red tile roof and is very beautiful surrounded by desert plants
10. The area could be gated, but the residents don't see the need right now. No one bothers us.
Sigh....I am a restless person though. As beautiful as it is, I don't know if I will ever be completely content settling down there, or anywhere. My wife and I worry me could drive ourselves crazy without jobs to serve as a buffer. If I do ever find it in me to settle down that will be the place though.
We met a couple on our last cruise that moved there from California and they love it. We are going to visit them when we go to Las Vegas to spend some "hot" summer time to see if we can handle the heat in LV.
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+ Very affordable housing + excellent medical care + an increasingly sophisticated populace + a healthy economy = Omaha, a Best Affordable Place to Grow Old (well, for me 
)
