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Actually, St. Augustine was one of the areas I thought about...I actually thought it would be hotter than the low 90's and for a longer time than 5 months. Thanks for that info...sounds a little bit easier to put up with. Another area was New Smyrna Beach. There are communities in both these areas that are very reasonable
The one things that draws me to Florida is the fact that you can be outside for most of the year, and be by the beach.
We live about 25 minutes north of St. Augustine in Ponte Vedra Beach. Both are in St. Johns County. I assume you're using the term "St. Augustine" in kind of a generic sense. Since the City of St. Augustine doesn't have that many options in terms of living in the city limits. St. Johns County is pretty big. And you have to keep in mind that your main metro area for things like shopping and (more complicated) medical care and cultural events will be JAX/Duval County. So you want to be within a reasonable drive of those things.
New Smyrna Beach is in Volusia County - 2 counties to the south (about a 75-90 minute drive for us). The nearest somewhat "urban" area is Daytona Beach - which I don't much care for. And the nearest really urban area is Orlando - which has pretty awful traffic. The older I get - the less I want to drive to get to things - and the less I want to deal with really bad traffic.
With regard to the weather - keep in mind that the closer you are to the ocean - the more mild the weather will be (both in terms of summer heat and winter cold spells). You can gain or lose 5-10 degrees by going 10 miles inland. OTOH - the closer you get to the ocean - the more problems you will have with things like windstorm insurance.
Finally - if you're interested in this area (or any other area) - I would rent for at least 6 months before buying anything (and before I'd rent anything - I'd spend a week here in August). Every place has its list of top 10 bad things brokers don't tell you - and we are no exception (here the the list includes things like CDD - termite - and windstorm insurance problems). The JAX forum isn't that active - but - if you search around a bit - there are a lot of threads that discuss real estate in St. Johns County. Robyn
Live where you will be happy. If you move away from family, will you miss being a close part of their lives? Will you miss friends? Are their activities, hobbies, things to do in the new place that will make you happier?
We retired within 30 miles of one of our children/grandchildren versus previously living 300 miles away. We enjoy being part of their lives, yet we enjoy our own lives too. We don't see them all the time, we travel quite frequently, spend two months in HI and three months south in the winter. Living closer, we have been able to establish a close relationship with the grandchildren. Not sure what price I could put on a little one running, arms outstretched, grinning broadly, yelling, "papa."
I thought that if I moved out of state, I'm bound to meet more people my age (60) in a 55+ commmunity.
The activities I would like would be sports, fitness, fun activities. All the Florida 55+ communities offer so much, however, I think Florida would be too hot for me. On one of the Florida posts, they said it's been over 90 degrees since April...with no relief or "cold fronts" we get in NY during the summer months...I don't think I could take that weather.
My husband is not too fond of the Carolina's...the other areas we were considering were NJ or Delaware.
EM
I guess other things to consider. Once you're talking about south Jersey or Delaware - you're not talking easy or even decent driving distance to your children. I spent my early childhood in Wantagh - later childhood in south Jersey (Cherry Hill - then Delaware Township) - and it was a real schlep to get to family gatherings in the New York metro area. And that was in the early 1960's - when traffic wasn't anything like it is today. OTOH - flying to Long Island (Islip) can be pretty easy on Southwest Airlines (perhaps other airlines as well). We have service out of JAX (although it's not non-stop).
My husband and I are older than you and your husband (mid-60's) - and we wouldn't consider living in a 55+ community. We like a normal demographic mix in terms of ages. I realize there are 55+ communities here - but their target audiences seem to be people like you from the northeast. Who (and forgive me if I'm painting you with a broad brush) tend to know nothing about the area - or how condos or CDDs here work. Also - the real estate bust has affected a lot of these places - sometimes in very negative ways. Since you're pretty young - I'd stick with a single family house if I decided to put down roots here after renting.
You mentioned in another thread that you might be looking for work after you moved. There are jobs here - but most don't pay very well. And if I recall correctly that you do paralegal work - the best pay in an area like that will be in or near downtown JAX - not anywhere in St. Johns County (and it will still be pretty low).
In case you didn't pick up the vibe when you visited here - all of NE Florida is pretty religious - and a lot of social activity centers around religion. The area is predominantly Baptist - but there are lots of other religions as well. The main point being that you may feel kind of left out socially if you aren't into religious stuff. Note that my husband and I aren't into religious stuff (we have a mixed marriage) - but we don't much care about organized social activities (we have our few friends - and the things we like to do - and that's that).
OTOH - there are tons of non-religious sports and activity related things here (on the third hand - some of the best "activity places" in the area are the numerous Y's and the JCC). If you tell me what kinds of activities you and your husband like - I'll try to point you in the right direction.
Also - NE Florida is very red - and St. Johns County is extremely red. If you happen to be a fairly blue person - well there are certain parts of the metro area where you will fit in (if you care about fitting in) - but it's good to know in advance what those areas are.
Finally - when it comes to the beach - well we've lived in Florida for 40+ years - over a decade on the beach and always near the beach. The beach is a bore (unless you're into something like surfing - which is popular here although we rarely have good surf). And - since we have to ration our hours in the sun after so many years in Florida (skin cancer) - we prefer to spend those hours on the golf course. Not to mention that it's hard to find a good parking space at the beach on a nice weekend. The only time we've been to the beach in the last 6 months was to go to the JAX Beach pier to watch the waves caused by Hurricane Irene. Here is my husband on his day at the beach :
P.S. My husband's late parents retired to Southern Pines NC and lived there for about 20 years give or take. I never much liked the area. Don't know if this is an area in NC your husband is talking about - but - if so - I'm with your husband.
P.P.S. You will have plenty of time to move back near your children when you get really old and need help. Happens all the time. My late FIL moved here into a SNF after my MIL died. And my father moved here into an senior independent living facility after my mother died. In Florida - at age 60 - you're not even a senior. Junior senior is 65-80 - senior senior is 80+.
I don't often agree with Zarathu, but I agree totally with his sentence above. But if that floats somebody's boat, more power to him. However, the thread is not really about that - it's about following one's own desires about where to live versus not following them out of a sense of duty to family. I vote for following them, even if it's living in a place where one cannot be outside during the summer. (Of course snowbirding solves that objection but not everyone can afford to maintain two residences.)
It's not like Los Angeles doesn't have bugs. When we were there in September - we got attacked by no-see-ums having drinks outside at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Not as bad as where we live - but we live next to a marsh (i.e., swamp )
I can however say that the weather was wonderful (we were lucky - we got there a day after the 100 degree highs of the previous week morphed into 75-80 degree highs).
Like I've said - there's no place that is perfect. Unless one can afford 3-4+ residences - we will all have to settle for places that best suit us.
Also - I don't agree about people who are about 60 hanging around a place that doesn't suit them just to be near 30 year old kids. As if a 60-something doesn't have a life without 30-something kids. I guess I don't get it. Robyn
It's not like Los Angeles doesn't have bugs. When we were there in September - we got attacked by no-see-ums having drinks outside at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Not as bad as where we live - but we live next to a marsh (i.e., swamp )
I can however say that the weather was wonderful (we were lucky - we got there a day after the 100 degree highs of the previous week morphed into 75-80 degree highs).
Like I've said - there's no place that is perfect. Unless one can afford 3-4+ residences - we will all have to settle for places that best suit us.
Also - I don't agree about people who are about 60 hanging around a place that doesn't suit them just to be near 30 year old kids. As if a 60-something doesn't have a life without 30-something kids. I guess I don't get it. Robyn
This had to be something unusual. I lived in Southern CA for two years (a mile from the beach) and could leave my windows open with no screen -- never had flies, mosquitoes, or whatever. In fact, I didn't even have AC....the weather was just about perfection. But I digress....
EscortRider, yes, snowbirding is and has been very common on the East coast for years.
To the OP: Your attitude may change once/if you have grandchildren. While I was living in SoCal, a neighbor couple moved to FL to be near their daughter, who had a new baby. About a year later, they were back to SoCal. They really missed the weather, and the wife hated the fact she had to do her daily walk in the morning to try to beat the summertime humidity. Well, guess what -- a few years later, they ended up moving back to FL. Why? Because by that time, the grandson was a little boy, and the husband didn't want to miss out on his childhood years and playing catch with him and all the things grandfathers do. They've stayed there ever since.
I don't have grandchildren, so I don't know how involved I would be if I did have them, but some of my friends (in their 60's) completely disappear from the social scene once they have grandkids. Some of them are being used as built-in babysitters and daycare. Not my place to judge, but it just seems sad to give up your social life when you don't even know how many more "active years" you'll have left.
We moved recently to live close to one of our children and grandkids. Now we are wondering if we made a mistake--homes here not affordable for us, jobs pay less, not sure if we can make it. How long do we give it before we go back to where we came from? I've been here two weeks (husband 2 months due to job which is a disaster) and I'm ready to return, but kids here would be very upset. Any thoughts?
If you have small grandkids you still won't see them that often unless you are babysitting them. We use to have ours over on the weekends when they were young and I wouldn't trade that time for anything so it is a lot to think about.
True. Aside from school there's football and baseball games, soccer, hockey and karate lessons. Now it's ski lessons. There's CCD on Sundays and numerous birthday parties. They're quite social and busy even at ages 5 and 7. But what's nice about being nearby is that we don't just sit and wait for them to visit then whine when they don't. We jump in our car and go to their games then take them all out to dinner afterwards then drive back home after a fulfilling afternoon.
We moved recently to live close to one of our children and grandkids. Now we are wondering if we made a mistake--homes here not affordable for us, jobs pay less, not sure if we can make it. How long do we give it before we go back to where we came from? I've been here two weeks (husband 2 months due to job which is a disaster) and I'm ready to return, but kids here would be very upset. Any thoughts?
How close are you to retirement? What are your jobs now, and what would they be if you moved back (could you get the same work or similar if you moved back, in this economy?). What's your living situation "here"? If you were used to a large and luxurious home, and now that's out of reach, what could you adjust to in your new location? (We need more info before we can give our thoughts).
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by jackieandjim
We moved recently to live close to one of our children and grandkids. Now we are wondering if we made a mistake--homes here not affordable for us, jobs pay less, not sure if we can make it. How long do we give it before we go back to where we came from? I've been here two weeks (husband 2 months due to job which is a disaster) and I'm ready to return, but kids here would be very upset. Any thoughts?
A bit early to retreat.
Get out the check sheet and add the +/- (be realistic and not idealistic) and journal each day determining how you can make it work (if possible).
Make an 'informed' (not emotional) decision down the road.
A number of people from LI, Connecticut and New England post on the "55 + Communities" subject on the Delaware forum. You might want to check their experience and opinions. BTW, Delaware is a tax-friendly state that has attracted many retirees.
Yes. I saw an old (April, from years ago, I believe) issue of Kiplingers which indicated Delaware the best (money-wise)state for seniors. If I remember correctly there are three counties. The bottom two have the most favorable tax picture.
The STAR program of New York state is great, but you really have to dig to get information on it. I think there is a great deal on property taxes, but you must be a resident for a certain number of years. Make sure you know the situation you have there before you move.
We had been thinking, once, of a middle class college town that is near good hospitals, like Ithica.
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Moved to be near kids/not sure it was right
