Negative feedback from family, friends on retirement relocation? (spouse, ignorant, husband)
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Tell you what. I promise to give you my reasons if you tell me why you are asking this. For example, what is your experience in Cleveland and why would you ask why I want to move there?
I think you provided your reasons for wanting to move there, but I'll be happy to share my reasons for asking. I live in Michigan and have traveled in Ohio, including Cleveland, many times. I've never lived in Cleveland but have visited several times. As a participant in a retirement forum, it's interesting and helpful to understand the choices people make and their thought processes, so we can all share and learn. Why else are we on a forum? I have no agenda and would ask the question of anyone else who is retiring to a place not on many radar screens. Cleveland isn't on too many lists of retirement locations, and maybe that's a good thing. These lists often end up being skewed toward standard locations in the sunbelt. I don't mind snow and cold either, but am eager to get out of Michigan. Tax laws for retirees have changed rapidly and unexpectedly here with the new governor, among other reasons. Most important, I'm ready for something new. And good luck to you on your decision! I haven't made my decision yet, but have about a year or so to do research and visit various places. Congrats again!
I do not like the changes that have happened in Portland over the 30 plus years I have been living here. Some reasons being because of people flocking here causing fierce competition for the few available jobs, lower wages and overcrowding.
You make a really good point. When places are popular they sometimes become victims of their own success, and housing costs increase, wages are forced down with a flood of younger people willing to work for low wages, and long term residents are in fact pushed out.
A very extreme example is in Williston, N. Dakota with the booming oil industry, housing shortages and skyrocketing rents. In this case, wages are high and jobs are plentiful, but there isn't any housing for the huge influx of oil workers, and long term residents have seen their rents quadruple in a matter of weeks, forcing them to move after living there for most of their lives.
There are many less extreme examples around the country where both younger or older people have migrated in large numbers to specific areas creating problems with housing costs, job availability, wages and density. So many places in the US are in flux, and the southwest is probably one of the best examples of dramatic population changes in the last 20 years. Phoenix grew 45% from 1990 - 2000, and grew another 29% from 2000 - 2010. Talk about a game-changer.
If one wants to try out a romantic vision of living in the south sipping mint julips on a verandah, how is that any different than any other retiree moving some place for golf, or skiing, or the beach?
Exactly! Those are great examples of the kinds of thing people say. So, if a friend of mine says she's retiring to Whistler because she wants to ski, you can bet that I'll ask her if she's looked into the practical issues of living there.
Am I saying she's stupid? No way! By asking these question I'm saying I'm interested in her plans and also that I care about her enough to make sure she's thought about all the little details that might be involved. Also, I'm interested in learning about places to retire.
People do the same thing when I say I want to move to the beach. They ask me if I've thought about the crowds beach cities can have in the summer, and the emptiness in the winter. Not to mention transportation issues, insurance issues, crime issues, the works. I don't feel insulted, I'm glad they're interested in what I'm doing. And sometimes they even bring up things that for some reason or another I hadn't considered. Just the other day someone mentioned a concern about transferring health insurance that I hadn't thought to look into. I'm really glad she brought it up.
As a participant in a retirement forum, it's interesting and helpful to understand the choices people make and their thought processes, so we can all share and learn. Why else are we on a forum? I have no agenda and would ask the question of anyone else who is retiring to a place not on many radar screens.
Thank you!!! That's exactly how I feel. It's been so refreshing to have this pleasant and objective discussion about Cleveland--and I think many of us learned a lot about this city and some reasons why it could be a good place to retire. Minervah's reasons sound well thought out and logical, and in sharing them you help the rest of us think about the reasons we have for choosing certain places. Wishing to be near the Cleveland Clinic is a very smart reason, IMO--I'm really glad to see practical reasons like this being discussed.
I hope we have many more detailed discussion about cities like this. After all, this is city-data!
It isn't just my experience (several experiences including 2 trips there) - my ex still has 2 brothers, 1 sisiter and many other relatives there and he also hates it. He has lived it for 4 years and every time I communicate with him he says he hates it. I have never heard him say he hated anything but Cleveland.
I don't believe people are flocking to Cleveland.
Wrong again~~~~~~~
No, I wasn't referring to Cleveland when I said "flocking." I was referring to a most popular small hip city near where I live, where people do flock, young, middle aged and old. It is so popular that many cannot afford to buy in, ownership or rent. I said that although so many people love it, I would never live there again, for subjective reasons.
Exactly! Those are great examples of the kinds of thing people say. So, if a friend of mine says she's retiring to Whistler because she wants to ski, you can bet that I'll ask her if she's looked into the practical issues of living there.
Am I saying she's stupid? No way! By asking these question I'm saying I'm interested in her plans and also that I care about her enough to make sure she's thought about all the little details that might be involved. Also, I'm interested in learning about places to retire.
People do the same thing when I say I want to move to the beach. They ask me if I've thought about the crowds beach cities can have in the summer, and the emptiness in the winter. Not to mention transportation issues, insurance issues, crime issues, the works. I don't feel insulted, I'm glad they're interested in what I'm doing. And sometimes they even bring up things that for some reason or another I hadn't considered. Just the other day someone mentioned a concern about transferring health insurance that I hadn't thought to look into. I'm really glad she brought it up.
To clarify, I started this thread asking about the influence of family and friends who have clearly negative responses. Obviously there is a way to feel out a friend's reasoning without being negative and disparaging. One might say, "Oh that's interesting, I might have thought of living there except it gets so cold in the winter, but obviously you've looked into that and don't mind." Not: "Are you out of your ever-loving mind???? What, are you crazy? Don't you know...." blah, blah....
No, I wasn't referring to Cleveland when I said "flocking." I was referring to a most popular small hip city near where I live, where people do flock, young, middle aged and old. It is so popular that many cannot afford to buy in, ownership or rent. I said that although so many people love it, I would never live there again, for subjective reasons.
Not: "Are you out of your ever-loving mind???? What, are you crazy? Don't you know...." blah, blah....
LOL. But that's exactly what everyone said to us when we bought our retirement home in Upper Valley NH ("What will you do when it snows for days and days and you need medical help and the road is blocked? Why do you want to live in the middle of nowhere?"), then when we moved to Europe ("They hate Americans there!"), and then when we moved to the South ("They are all racists in the South, especially the police. You have an interracial marriage, they will shun you.")
And now, "At least you are back in CA, but why all the way up in the mountains where you'll have to drive two hours to get anywhere? You just have to be difficult all the time, do you?" (That's from my siblings, in case you wonder.)
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 03-25-2012 at 04:51 PM..
One might say, "Oh that's interesting, I might have thought of living there except it gets so cold in the winter, but obviously you've looked into that and don't mind." Not: "Are you out of your ever-loving mind???? What, are you crazy? Don't you know...." blah, blah....
To be honest, I think both those responses are too extreme. The first response is preferable to the second one but I would never say "obviously you've looked into that" unless that was indeed obvious. What I would say is more like "Oh, that's interesting. What got you interested in that part of the country?" Then, based on the answer, I would ask other more specific questions. None of them would include an inference that the other person was stupid, just an interest in why that choice was made.
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That's exactly how I feel. It's been so refreshing to have this pleasant and objective discussion about Cleveland--and I think many of us learned a lot about this city and some reasons why it could be a good place to retire. Minervah's reasons sound well thought out and logical, and in sharing them you help the rest of us think about the reasons we have for choosing certain places. Wishing to be near the Cleveland Clinic is a very smart reason, IMO--I'm really glad to see practical reasons like this being discussed.
