Men and Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (university, mother)

[Wisteria]

MN2CO: Knock knock......who's there? The girl from MINNESOTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, we haven't had a freeze yet. Tomorrow it's suppose to be 75, BUT, come visit in Jan-Feb and then you'll really enjoy where you live. Actually, I compare to anywhere else in the country where the weather is bad for a couple of months. Nice time to build a fire and snuggle up with a book, "kids" (cats and/or dogs) or someone special.
Coney..., the ocean cruise ship fantasy probably is just a fantasy - those "boats" costs lots of $$. Fun to dream, though.
Nancy - we are counting on you to keep us all "in line"!! And you thought you were done! I do love the idea though - obviously couldn't afford a big ship but perhaps something else smaller. Where do we all live? Bunk beds at Wisteria's!!

No pain, no gain! Yep, we bunk here, get the ball rolling, make the dough, and we all have resources to get nice oceanfront homes!! Remember Hewlett-Packard started in a garage out here! Not any worse than bunking in the woods!

I can already see the news reports on tv: "Retired women make dreams come true -- theirs and yours!" I'm game!

[ConeyIsBabe]

This is a HOOT! At another singles community forum I hang out...... a bunch of us women (and a couple of fellas) have been fantasy-planning to all combine resources and live in some sort of a compound in Florida. Actually, it's not all that outrageous in its concept; kinda like the "Golden Girls" on a larger scale except in private dwellings, of course !

[Umbria]

Is that saying "....HOOT..." an Oregon thing? The reason I ask is that a co-worker of mine lived in Portland OR and said it all the time. Nothing wrong with it, I have just only heard from 2 OR people.

[popcorn247]

I think that northern Florida would be a nice place to be. South and central Florida are just too hot and prone to storms. From May through October, it is too hot for growing veggies, etc. The farmers down here are planting vegetable crops right now. Also, our soil sucks! It is mostly limestone rock and unless your area is rock plowed you have to use a pick ax or digging bar to dig a hole. Try to dig with a shovel and you hit rock, bing! Also, our soil contains nematodes.

[ConeyIsBabe]

MN2CO........ that's a HOOT ! I've known about that expression for a long time and my background is from NY, 30+ years in s/Florida and the last 5 in Oregon, so it's not an Oregon phrase. Someone on another message board says it a lot and she lives in Texas!

Funny how exclamations and sayings are so widespread !

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by Tesaje

I'll be retiring in a couple of years at age 55 and I plan to relocate to a new place that I've never lived in before - single woman. I'm making plans now and they are currently leaning towards the Portland, OR area. I've figured out the mechanics of the move and roughly when.

Here's my reasoning:
I grew up in the west (CA and CO) and really miss it. I've spent the last 25 years or so on the east coast. There isn't really anything here to keep me here except the job and a few friends that I will miss.

I don't mind the winters, fall or spring in the east. I really dislike hot summers. So far, I don't mind and even rather like cloudy days - less heat and sunburn. I like the higher humidity than in some places in the west at the cooler temperatures. It is easier on the skin. The heat and humidity are not pleasant at all.

I currently have a little bit of acreage that I have never been able to fully keep up with. When I lived in the west, I really enjoyed hiking and exploring places so I want to have plenty of free time to enjoy those activities and not be completely tied to the maintenance of a large property. I enjoy the maintenance and have enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of that lifestyle, but it takes a lot more free time than I actually have.

I want to be able to grow old in my next house without having to move in my 70's because the property is too hard to keep up.

I want easy access to necessary medical services when I need it (assuming that will occur as I get older).

I want cultural options available - good libraries, bookstores, concerts, opera, etc.

I won't be happy unless I can garden and grow tomatoes.

I want to live in a place that gives me great beauty (in the landscape) and dramatic terrain just by looking around.

I want a safe, relatively quiet place for both me and my pets (cats and dog).

I don't want to be isolated - in retirement, I won't have the social structure of a job to meet people. I will have to do things that bring me into contact with people who could be friends.

I want the option of good assisted living arrangements for when I grow old - both in house care and the potential of buying into a community. But, I don't want to do that for many years to come.

I don't want a "red" state mentality - not a comfortable environment for me as the country as gotten more and more polarized. I tend to be middle of the road, but with the severe rightward shift in the country, I end up being on the blue side of the divide.

I want the easy availability of organic gardening and foods.

I want there to be educated and intellectual people to meet with opportunities for me to expand my education (for fun, this time).

Portland/Vancouver looks like there will be plenty of housing available for what my current house should be worth. I've visited there several times at different times of the year and find it quite beautiful with lots of things that interest me either there or nearby. I have an old friend from college who lives there but that could change by the time I can go so it isn't really a factor - just a potential benefit. I'm counting on having to make new friends. The cloudiness and drizzle are a concern (only 30% of the available sunshine during the winter). I intend to do a test live there for a month in the winter before making a final decision so I have an extended period in the worst season. I know that sometimes there are very hot days in the summer, but the humidity is lower and it doesn't last for very long. Seattle could be a contender but it would be a lot more difficult for me to afford.

What I think I will do to find friends once I'm settled in the new place is dog walk regularly. Try out the various hiking clubs for middle-aged and seniors (seems to be lots of them). Take some classes. See about joining some volunteer activities that interest me. I would be looking for people of a similar age who are available to hang with and of both sexes. I'm not necessarily looking for a romantic connection - if it happens, great, but I can be very happy without it. I will have to make an effort to meet people as my natural inclination can be introverted.

I probably should a plan B for another place in case I decide I don't really want to live in Portland.

I think your Plan B should be Charleston, SC (if you haven't already moved since I'm just at the beginning of this thread). It has everything you are looking for even down to dog parks which are BIG here. Dogs are even welcome in some restaurants. For activities and to gage how independent thinking it is for a southern city, check out www.charlestoncitypaper.com.

By the way, I was in your boat last winter and moved to Charleston from Newport, RI where I was 1.5 hrs from Boston. Charleston has a small city feel with big city amenities. There is a Whole Foods here which was one of my requirements as well as a smaller chain called Earth Fare so I think you'd find all your organic and gourmet food items here. There are lots of ways to meet people. I joined two investing clubs and a brunch club. if you decide to consider coming here, let me know.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

How about the actual MOVE across the country? Just how difficult would this be (without any help)? How trustworthy are moving companies when dealing with women? Any suggestions from those of you who have done this?
thanking you in advance,
nancy

I did this last winter and only wished I'd started sorting and throwing stuff away and getting rid of furniture that wasn't worth paying for space on a moving truck for.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by CityKitty

Hi Wisteria,

Just thought I'd check in once again. I don't know exactly where you are in CA, but I'm in the east bay and we are at the beginning of an August/September type heat wave over here. It was near 90 today and will reach over 100 tomorrow. It's MAY! HELLOOOO!!! I'm NOT a happy camper right now. I really don't like the heat. I mean no, we don't have the humidity of back east, but this is nuts! I also worry about fires here and water shortages. What's really been pushing me of late is the fact that I believe they are going to continue with the spraying of the Light Brown Apple Moth despite all of the protesting we've been doing. I was wondering about your thoughts on that. Have you been on StoptheSpray.org yet? One of my cats and then I, got very sick after they sprayed Santa Cruz in November 2007, (yes, particulates in the air travel fast and far) now they're set to begin spraying there again every 30 days in June, then San Francisco and east bay beginning in August. I WANT OUTTA HERE!!
Still curious to know where you live now, and where you were from back east? Anyway, I think I'm leaning towards CT again, Maine is too much of a leap. Any decisions yet for you?

I learned about the spraying of the Light Brown Apple Moth that is essentially the spraying of people in urban areas of California and is being done to make money for the chemical mfr. The Light Brown Apple Moth has never even so much as eaten a leaf off of a tree. People who are interested can read about it at www.healthfreedomusa.org. The whole thing is just an example of America's elected officials being bought and paid for by corporations and not caring at all about their constituents who got them there.

[emilybh]

Sorry for not first introducing myself before interjecting at places in this thread. I'm a 51 yr. old Leo female (Moon in Gemini; Taurus rising; stellium of 6 planets in Leo mostly in the 5th house with two in the 4th-- since you all gave your astrological info) who got sick of the health insurance regulatory environment and stubborn Rhode Island legislators and regulators who turned their noses up at a perfect opportunity to end their states health insurance crisis--- and being an independent agent and seeing the resistance to not wanting to make the necessary changes needed in the regulatory and legislative environment by legislators and regulators, I decided I was sick and tired of it and wanted to move to a state with "normal" insurance regulations (in other words, a state where more than just a few insurance companies did business).

Since I like to sail, I wanted to go where there was sailing and also where it was warm. I decided that since I had been within a mile of shopping restaurants, beaches, the harborfront for so long, that wherever I moved to would need to be walkable.

Thanks to terrible real estate advice I ended up not being able to move until two years after I first started trying.

To make a long story short, I finally did get rid of the real estate that had kept me anchored in RI for nearly 20 years and although the end of the sellers market had slipped away, thanks to the poor advice from realtors (who were supposed to be the best in the area), I finally sold everything doing most of the work myself!

I hired an ABS truck and two different movers at both ends to load and unload my furniture. While the loading experience was stressful --as it was the day after a snow storm --I later found out there wasn't as much space in my car I thought there'd be for stuff the movers didn't take so, I was forced to pull and allnighter--- bringing loads of stuff I wanted to keep to the Salvation ARmy at night to an icy parking lot. This was even more stressful.

I finally got rid of what I needed to and packed what I could. Then I got myself and my Norwegian Forest Cat and his litter in the car which was packed to the brim and headed down to Charleston, SC to a place I'd rented sight unseen over the internet --after the agent who had shown me three rentals on an earlier trip I took to Charleston that weren't suitable stopped returning my calls ---when I really NEEDED her help and a place to live!

Anyway, everything worked out for the best and I'm in a nice, albeit a bit large, 2400 Sq. Ft. place with 3 Br/2.5 baths and 1/10 of a mile from a grocery store and restaurants and the Intra-coastal waterway is at the end of my street. It is an expensive rental however and it doesn't feel like mine. I was hoping to take advantage of the buyers market but many homes are still priced here at 2006 prices. I also want to pay cash and want a discount for cash. I need motivated sellers. Additionally, I'm hesitant about setting down roots especially if I'm going to be stuck here for a decade or more with no close friends or relatives nearby so the idea of community living where we all know each other somwhat before moving there is interesting. Here are some green communities in the area Hunley Waters - North Charleston, South Carolina and
www.insidemixon.com

The problem with most of the neighborhoods in Charleston, except where I am now is that they aren't that walkable. There is a neighborhood near here with Charleston Style homes. Here's the Charleston Vistors website so you can see Charleston style homes Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau - Charleston, SC | Charleston Tourism, Media, Tours, Meetings, Wedding, and Travel Council Info. the problem is, being downtown in the historic section is not affordable but not too far away they have built in some areas these same style homes. A few of them are under forclosure and I'm tempted to try to take advantage but would prefer to not go it alone. Are any of you interested in coming here? It would be neat if several of us moved into the same neighborhood.

[Tesaje]

Originally Posted by emilybh

I think your Plan B should be Charleston, SC (if you haven't already moved since I'm just at the beginning of this thread). It has everything you are looking for even down to dog parks which are BIG here. Dogs are even welcome in some restaurants. For activities and to gage how independent thinking it is for a southern city, check out www.charlestoncitypaper.com.

By the way, I was in your boat last winter and moved to Charleston from Newport, RI where I was 1.5 hrs from Boston. Charleston has a small city feel with big city amenities. There is a Whole Foods here which was one of my requirements as well as a smaller chain called Earth Fare so I think you'd find all your organic and gourmet food items here. There are lots of ways to meet people. I joined two investing clubs and a brunch club. if you decide to consider coming here, let me know.

Thanks and welcome to our long lasting thread. For me, I want to go back west more than I want anything else. The South is not for me. I really dislike hot humid summers. But then again, I'm starting to think more about what it will be like to retire right here where I am. If this economy is as bad as I fear, I won't be able to sell my house. And if I can't sell my house, I'm not moving anywhere.