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I know a lot of retired folks who find that membership in a fraternal order gives them a place to gather with others. Like - Eagles, Elks, Moose, etc. They all typically have "lodges" and regular social events. I think the VFW often is the same type of set up. I don't belong to any of these organizations, but in years past, some of our friends had membership in various organizations and invited us out for meals or holiday events.
Even small towns often have at least one of these types of organizations. Here in w. NC - I know many of the towns have several, if not all, of these groups. So I would think that many people are socializing at these clubs.
Curmudgeon, I would guess your town attracts people who are seeking the qualities you mentioned. They visit the town, they see the Mayberrish qualities, and since that's how they wish to live they move there, thus reinforcing and increasing the pool of extroverted people.
I think you're right. Either that or we're just all a bunch of happy nuts. But it works for us!
On a more serious not, we've yet to find a person or couple who has regretted their move and some have been here for going on 30 years which is about how long our community has existed. For us and for many it's been a lucky find and I think all of us are grateful. It's a lovely commonality.
I know a lot of retired folks who find that membership in a fraternal order gives them a place to gather with others. Like - Eagles, Elks, Moose, etc. They all typically have "lodges" and regular social events. I think the VFW often is the same type of set up. I don't belong to any of these organizations, but in years past, some of our friends had membership in various organizations and invited us out for meals or holiday events.
Even small towns often have at least one of these types of organizations. Here in w. NC - I know many of the towns have several, if not all, of these groups. So I would think that many people are socializing at these clubs.
We may end up going this route, if we can't find anything else. Of the bunch, we probably like Lions Club the best. They have their good points, but the problem with these groups (for us) is they're a little too rules oriented. Mandatory attendance, fines for a multitude of infractions, you're expected to serve as an officer sooner or later, reports have to be filed with the national office, etc.
We just want to hang out with friends, not do something that requires a lot of work or mandatory attendance (I know--picky, picky! ) But if we can't find anything better, we'll give it a try.
Some things I don't remember being mentioned that are important to us: A good library, non-restrictive alcohol laws, good restaurants, civic centers and the like, and interesting places we can drive to in a day.
Caladium, have you visited Fernandina Beach north of JAX? We thought it was a beautiful area, but my understanding is that you want to choose a location carefully because of the paper mill stench. We took a boat tour when we were there and it was great. The captain was very knowledgeable about the area so we got a history lesson along the way. Distance to JAX isn't too bad, and the area west of it is growing so Lowes, Walgreens, etc are moving in.
Caladium, have you visited Fernandina Beach north of JAX?
Yup, we're spending a few days there as part of the St. Augustine trip. I hear it's very nice there. I'm not too concerned about the paper mill. I used to work in El Segundo, CA which also is infamous for an odor (some people even call it Smell Segundo ) It didn't bother me and I spent a lot of time outdoors there, so I suspect FB will be fine too. We're not too sensitive to smells. Besides, the FB paper plant was closed years ago.
Curious! We settled in a lakeside community of 212 homes. Many of us are retirees.
I think that explains part of your situation. Where we live - most people are not retired. A lot are couples who both work - and the majority have kids too. I doubt they have time to blow their noses - much less "hang out". We used to have next door neighbors who were our age and retired. They were like the people you describe. And we got together from time to time. Then the husband got sick and died - and the wife remarried and moved. The next two families who lived in that house were in the dual income with kids category. Same with the people on the other side of us - and across the street from us.
Most of the retired people in our HOA are people our age (< 70) who would like to "downsize" - but decided instead to remodel because of the real estate market (we own one of the smaller places here - no need to downsize). Most are pretty active (golf - tennis - tending to their investments - "puttering" around the house - community stuff - politics - doing various things for our HOA - etc.). That is pretty much the way we are. Robyn
Any place you choose has a range from ultra expensive to expensive to moderate to cheap, depending on your needs. Do you want a palace in a gated community or a 1000-sf ranch or condo in a modest neighborhood? Food is the same everywhere. Check out online whether VA taxes income (not sure). What else is there to compare?
Depends how big a geographical area you're talking about. E.g., if you're talking about the metro JAX area - or the county where I live (St. Johns County) - you'd be right. If you're talking about the specific place where I live - Ponte Vedra Beach - you'd be wrong. And - here in NE Florida - "cheap" may be a place in a slum - or a double wide in a very rural area. E.g., my county has everything from expensive oceanfront mansions on the east side to migrant labor camps on the west side (we're the cabbage and potato capital of Florida - and have an annual cabbage and potato festival ). Robyn
To each his own. Being able to walk to a beach is a big deal to us. A very short drive would be ok, I guess, but we'd be going at least 4-5 days a week so it would have to be a 15-minute drive or shorter. And there would have to be free parking that we could count on finding every day...
You're not going to find that easily when it comes to PVB (which is closest to Nocatee). We have 2 public beaches - Mickler and the Guana Preserve. The former has a very small parking lot - and it is a problem during the beach season. The Guana is a lot larger - with more parking - but there is a fair amount of crime there (at least for this part of the world) due to its seclusion. JAX Beach has perhaps the best public beaches. And because it now charges for beachfront parking on weekends in high season - it's a lot easier finding parking close to the beach.
Also - do not forget that there is a difference in Florida between a public beach access point - and a public beach. In Florida - a property owner owns his land down to the mean high water line (or something like that). The public only has access to the beach seaward of that (IOW - no access at high tide). We've had a lot of litigation about beach access points (or the lack of them) in St. Johns County. But just because the plaintiff wins a right to beach access doesn't mean that parking will be allowed anywhere near that access point. Here in PVB - most of that litigation has involved beach access and parking along Ponte Vedra Boulevard. Also - a property owner has every right to keep you off his property if it's landward of the mean high water line. Some are more aggressive about this than others - but any landowner who cares to enforce the law in his "backyard" can.
I reckon your best bet on Anastasia Island is Anastasia State Park. Suspect it is pretty crowded in the summer - especially on weekends - but so are all beaches in Florida (we used to live next door to Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne - and it was always a mob scene in the summer on weekends). But I think you might be ok if you restrict your beach trips to weekdays and buy an annual park pass (Florida has a really nice state park system - and it is a bargain at $120/year for a couple).
Note that I used to spend a lot of time on Florida beaches - because I used to live in an oceanfront condo - and used to shell a lot on Sanibel Island (never had to worry about the tide thing when I was shelling - because the best shelling is done at extreme low tides in the winter). But - after 40 years in Florida - I have enough skin damage - and more than enough shells . Don't care to spend time baking in the sun (although I like to go out to the JAX pier to see all the big waves when storms are passing by). Here is my husband when Hurricane Irene was passing by:
...The agent told me lots of snowbirds were buying there. I want a place that has a higher ratio of year-round residents to snowbirds. It would be an odd feeling to have half or more of your neighbors' homes empty all summer...
That area is relatively close to Charleston which is still prone to earthquakes and hurricanes. Don't know if the insurance will be expensive or not.
Your first paragraph is an important reason why we wound up where we are. We didn't want to live in a place that was overflowing in "high season" - and empty during "low season". Miami - where we lived - was pretty much the same year-round - but many parts of SE and SW Florida aren't. So we ruled them out. Here - most people are full-time residents. I think this is especially important if you live in a condo or HOA. Part-time residents in these places always seem to think that taking care of stuff is someone else's problem (not their problem - because they only live there 3-4 months a year). There are very challenging issues in many condos and HOAs these days - everything from people not paying fees to insurance. And I don't want to live in a community where 75% of the people are part-time residents and think they don't have to get involved.
Funny you mention Charleston and earthquakes. Everyone knows (or should know) that just about every place in the SE is subject to hurricanes (whether you get hit is kind of luck of the draw IMO) - but I never knew about Charleston and earthquakes until we took a trip there maybe 20 years ago. And questioned why some old buildings had metal rods running through them. Turns out they were the result of the earthquake in 1886:
Did a little research - and found out we are in the same fault area. So - when we built here - we put an earthquake insurance rider in our homeowners' policy. It is ridiculously cheap (especially compared to windstorm coverage). And we may be the only people in Florida with earthquake insurance . FWIW - good construction methods for earthquakes are totally different than those for windstorms. We played the odds - and built for windstorms. Robyn
I've just started reading CD again and like reading the posts about "where to retire." I'm mostly retired and spend winters in N GA to be nearer an elderly parent, but if the real estate market ever improves, I will want to sell my cabin and go to a place with much more stimulation that the development I'm in. It's not an "over 55", but most are older. It's a pretty quiet community (quieter than quiet really) unless you golf or play tennis.
I now know exactly what you mean about finding a place to gather or see friends. Until I started spending time here, I never realized there was such a difference between different town's feel/vibe.
My previous town, where I still go in summer, has a much busier vibe and many more activities for people of all ages (even kids) than this town, which is not that much smaller. Back home (where winters are long), there is a very active sr center which caters to older adults. However, there's also a university and a very active "lifelong learning" program that has wonderful classes, along with very active churches with lots of activities, stores with lots of classes, etc. It seemed there were always options. Here I spend a lot of time driving to other towns for activities.
I've made a few friends here but the "vibe" is just not what I want long term. When I finally settle, I'll want a place that has classes, people who are more casual and physically active, walking and biking trails, people who aren't quite so conservative, as well as services such as a Sr Van for when I get really old.
Good luck to you! I do think you're smart to ask these questions.
Last edited by equinox1; 01-11-2012 at 05:27 PM..
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) But if we can't find anything better, we'll give it a try.
). Robyn
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