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

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by iagal

... Helps give me the courage and hope to someday live out my dream of picking up and moving to a different part of the country (probably after I retire).

Start practicing today, take on some new hobbies / classes / adventures.

You can learn a lot from Stretching Yourself. (And a lot about you)

You might just REALLY start to Bloom

[dc2512235]

Wisteria - if you don't see what you like at the senior centers, I'm sure they will make room for you AND your ideas as long as there is enough interest. I volunteered this summer at my local senior center.

I was widowed at 60. I have a house in Ohio and I just came back from Casper, WY after spending 2 months visiting my son. I love WY - it is senior friendly ! You are only isolated if you stay home !!

I ran across housing you might be interested in:

Property Photos

The only problem is...it gets dang cold in the winter months. So I am focusing on taking Amtrak to a stopping point - probably in TX. Where I can decide on lodging. Since I am also active and in great health, I plan to work part time.

[Dancingearth]

The picture below motivates me when I want to quit exercising because it's hard--especially the Pilates exercises where you have to lay on your back and hold your head up off the floor--it hurts and I get annoyed with myself that I've got to this point because I don't exercise enough. I turned 60 and my body started hurting all the time so in 2013 I made exercising my priority. I want to be fit and have more energy to do what I want to do as I get even older. I've been at it only a couple of weeks and I'm feeling better.

Pick something to work on and do it now. If you are afraid you'll move and won't make new friends practice making new friends where you live now. Get outside your comfort zone where you live and you'll realize if you can do it there you can do it anywhere. Go to a strange town and find your way around--I find that the most frustrating initially because I don't like to drive. When we settle into a place it is easy to stop doing new things and get in a rut.

Does anyone else have goals they are working on this year? How are you achieving them?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by dc2512235

...I just came back from Casper, WY after spending 2 months visiting my son. I love WY - it is senior friendly ! You are only isolated if you stay home !!

...The only problem is...it gets dang cold in the winter months. So I am focusing on taking Amtrak to a stopping point - probably in TX. Where I can decide on lodging. Since I am also active and in great health, I plan to work part time.

WY is my first choice, but...it gets dang cold in the winter months AND winter can be long... I have been snowed on EVERY month of the yr in WY. But I LUV the people and the state.

For TX, consider Hill country from Austin / San Antonio / Kerrville (Where I am headed at the moment.) College town and VERY senior centric with VA too! I bought a joint there last month and will have a place in WY/CO/SD area, and NE TN, and well as tax free WA. At the moment I'm doing international work PT, so WY is OUT due to proximity to International Airports. But... once upon a DREAM I will be in WY. (I have considered a winter job with Exterra at Yellowstone or Tetons). Maybe I can brush up on my Piano and just work the 'lodges' during the winter

My Favorite WY locales are:
Powell
Sheridan
Newcastle

I do consider the 'WY Senior Home' in Thermopolis to be in my sites in about 30 more yrs

[popcorn247]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

WY is my first choice, but...it gets dang cold in the winter months AND winter can be long... I have been snowed on EVERY month of the yr in WY. But I LUV the people and the state.

For TX, consider Hill country from Austin / San Antonio / Kerrville (Where I am headed at the moment.) College town and VERY senior centric with VA too! I bought a joint there last month and will have a place in WY/CO/SD area, and NE TN, and well as tax free WA. At the moment I'm doing international work PT, so WY is OUT due to proximity to International Airports. But... once upon a DREAM I will be in WY. (I have considered a winter job with Exterra at Yellowstone or Tetons). Maybe I can brush up on my Piano and just work the 'lodges' during the winter

My Favorite WY locales are:
Powell
Sheridan
Newcastle

I do consider the 'WY Senior Home' in Thermopolis to be in my sites in about 30 more yrs

You are tugging at my heart with your mention of Powell.....We visited relatives there when I was 8 years old....so long ago. I re-visited the area in 2010. I've always wanted to be in the WEST.....but I like to garden....and I am alone....can I do ok there? So tough to decide...

[karcon]

One thing I have come to learn over the years of being part of this group is that there are no easy or set answers. Every I think I have settled another fork shows up in the road. I never expected that I would "retire" to where I am living (which is pretty much where I was living before). But, the timing of what it was that I wanted at the time (a home of my own), finding the "perfect" house at the right price, etc. Also part of the decision was staying on the east coast where my daughter (even though living in another state) was and who, because of her job, was frequently visiting. My son lives on the west coast but it was always a yearly trip out to CA to visit him. I am getting ready to be a first-time grandmother - something I had never, EVER, expected to happen and just accepted as the way things were. My daughter and husband decided to start a family. Joy oh joy! The baby (a girl) is due the end of March. From that announcement to now my oh my how things change. My daughter's husband is relocating (job related) and they are moving to Adelaide, Australia at the end of this month. How the H did this happen? Hopefully they won't be there more than two years - my heart is breaking - a truly happy/sad moment. So now I am living in a house I love in an area I am beginning to dislike immensely! And I still find I have the same question I had all those years ago - where do I want to live? I have looked at CA to be close to family but it is so expensive. So here I am for now wishing I had only thought about making me happy instead of staying because of other people. And even though I now just turned 66 (OMG) I am not old - look younger than my years, am healthy, eat well, exercise - life is good that way. I am just bored, hate living here (okay finally admitted it) and want some of my own adventure (like I use to). Well, I am going to Australia the end of March so will be there just before or just after the birth of my granddaughter. So that is my adventure and fully plan to take time for me and not just be the mother/mother-in-law who helps out and then leaves. As the old saying goes, "Every time I know the answer they change the questions!"

[Aqua Blue]

Karcon, I can relate to your post. Mine isn't so much where as I moved to be close to my two brothers and that has worked out well. But, I have been here 7 years, have owned two houses and am seriously thinking about selling this house and moving again.

The first house I bought here turned out to be in a neighborhood I didn't want to live in. Most weekend nights there were cop cars on both ends of the street. There was also the basement laundry and I was finding it harder and harder to go down that long flight of stairs, which is sad, because I am only 60yo now and was only 53 then.

The house I own now and bought 5 years ago looked like the perfect solution. No stairs, near a park, quiet neighborhood.. But this summer I was dagnosed with Ankolosing spondolitis. It is a form of auto immune arthritis that strikes mainly your spine. Shoveling snow is basically impossible as is mowing and really pretty much any yard work. I have tried hiring those things done, but it is nearly impossible to find someone fairly inexpensive and reliable. Everywhere I look I see things needing painting or fixing.

I am seriously considering selling and getting a smaller townhouse, where the outside is maintained. With an attached garage. Hopefully something newer that doesn't need a ton of stuff done to it. Insome ways it seems unbeliveable that my health/life has changed that much in 7 years.

[Dancingearth]

Originally Posted by karcon

My daughter's husband is relocating (job related) and they are moving to Adelaide, Australia at the end of this month.

My sister loved Australia when she was there for a stint with her Navy husband. She would have stayed if possible. Could you sell your house, put your stuff in storage, and live there as long as they are there and then figure out where you want to live after they move back? Thanks for the update!

[oregon raised]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

I was considering Portland, Oregon when I leave teaching in June . I would want a condo and I would not want to be the only baby boomer mixed in with all very young people. (It is like that everyday at school where I am the OLDEST person in the building [out of 745 people, lol] . But, I would not be happy with a place where everyone was over 75 (I am 60) so I just don't know what to do. Portland's a place for young people I think (and assisted living centers) , but it is the only city on the west coast that I can afford.

What a great forum!!! I grew up in Portland OR and still have many friends there but when I think of aging, traffic, and how far I'd have to travel to services when I'm old, I'm going to stay put and Skype my friends. It is my goal to stay as independent as possible for as long as possible and many things play into that for me. Maybe I've lived here too long and have become biased, but if you haven't moved already, consider Eugene/Springfield, located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. By car, it's 2 hours south of Portland, one + hour from the ocean, one + hour to skiing, home of University of Oregon, and Lane Community College. In Eugene, there's a large alternative medicine faction, and in Springfield, 2 AMA hospitals, (River Bend is almost new)! The surrounding areas have some excellent organic farms and several well known wineries. (King Estates, for example) There are also microbreweries and brew pubs. For culture: The internationally known Oregon Bach Festival » Eugene, Portland, Bend, Ashland, Oregon Eugene Symphony and Eugene Symphony Guild several very good live theater companies, and Home Page | Hult Center. and much more. The senior centers are all within 30 to 45 min driving distance, no matter where you live. Everyone enjoys the outdoors here. Check out activities in Eugene here. Eugene, OR Website - Adults and in Springfield, here.Willamalane Search Results Obsidians Eugene Oregon has an aging population but they still hike!!! For unsurpassed beauty check out Welcome to McKenzie River Valley, Oregon to buy and sell crafts Eugene, Oregon's Saturday Market Oregon Country Fair 2013 Another venuehttp://www.laneeventscenter.org/EventCalendar/DisplayCalendar/ located in a residential area of Eugene. Something I consider important, is Lane Community College's chef school, whose graduates feed into the selection of restaurants and food carts in the area. Regarding housing: I just talked to an older woman who was living in an independent living apartment and looking for a ground level flat in more of a communal housing situation where tenants share meal prep and evening meals a few times a week. Does anyone know of such a thing? Newer apartments and condos are multi story, and attract all age of people who don't want to spend time dealing with home and yard maintenance because they have better things to do besides stay home. This is true of the latest attempt to build a multistory co-housing community from a group of strangers each with their own agendas and no skills at mediation....... FAQ | Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing (You need to read between the lines because it sounds allot better on paper than it does in reality). This is not geared for seniors who desire to age in place, despite what they tell you. There are a few small neighborhoods that have formed around interests in gardening. The core area of Springfield has mostly post war and 1950s houses, with a historic section of bungalows and queen ann homes. With the interest in McMansions waning, and a trend toward luxury small one level houses growing by leaps and bounds, there are allot of cottages in Springfield that are affordable. If I bank what I'd pay in association dues, I'll be able to afford lawn care, painting and roofing when needed, and still have pets, a garden and a two car garage! There is very little land available in the center of either city. What is available is purchased by developers who still build multistory usually without elevators because its is cheaper. As baby boomers slowly accept they won't want to climb stairs forever, I think these small houses will become desirable and be a better investment in the long run but sadly will not afford the community feel most of us want.

[karcon]

Originally Posted by Dancingearth

My sister loved Australia when she was there for a stint with her Navy husband. She would have stayed if possible. Could you sell your house, put your stuff in storage, and live there as long as they are there and then figure out where you want to live after they move back? Thanks for the update!

Have certainly thought about that, but also have a son who lives in California (San Francisco/Oakland). As my daughter is a flight attendant she put in (and got) a transfer of home base from Newark to San Francisco. I don't want to put my life on hold to be live it at their whim. I have spent nearly my entire adult life doing that. I want a life of my own to live that is inclusive of what I want and being close to and there for my kids - but I don't want to sacrifice me in the process. I think we as women and mothers always put the needs of others before our own and then feel guilty when we want to do something for ourselves. And then there is the side of the coin where our kids (no matter the age) come to just expect us to be there and feel really annoyed when we say no I can't do that. Always that balancing act. I will soon have no ties to the east coast so the choice is going to be mine. Still think about selling the house and putting stuff in storage and go visit someplace for several months at a time. I'm still a work in progress.