Men and Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (beach, weather)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Since Albuquerque is at an elevation of about 7,000 feet, they have cold winters with snow. Not sure how the winters compare between New Jersey and northern New Mexico, but you will not be escaping cold and snow. Perhaps it will be milder.
4,900 in the north valleys of Albuquerque to 6,000 in the Sandia foothills.
Santa Fe is 7,200 ft.
In my opinion, winters is ABQ are similar to NJ bur more moderate than the rest of the towns in northern New Mexico.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,712 posts, read 58,054,000 times
Reputation: 46182
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01
4,900 in the north valleys of Albuquerque to 6,000 in the Sandia foothills.
Santa Fe is 7,200 ft.
In my opinion, winters is ABQ are similar to NJ bur more moderate than the rest of the towns in northern New Mexico.
7,200 in the RMW is GREAT in the winter if you can find a place that is not windy. I grew up in Estes Park, CO (7500) and it was terrific except for the wind, RMW has very sunny days that often melts the light snowfall by noon! You can wear shirtsleeves and get by most of the day.
NM can be wonderful... go for it!
Colorado... not so sure. Need to be 'west side' and away from popular cities. (I left CO in the late 1970's due to overcrowding / overtaxing / Californication (destroying property values / too high taxes for 'locals' due to the 'inflow' of CA artificial values... ruined the western states by the time the capital gain tax laws changed in 1997))
Okay - I have trouble deciding as I don't know anyone anywhere else so wherever I go I will be totally on my own which is daunting to say the least and its holding me back if I'm honest. I guess I know this is my last shot - I had hoped to have found someone to go with me but there again, seem to have been left standing playing musical chairs.
I never really figured things, just went with the flow. I never found anyone who cared about me good bad or indifferent.
Anyway, I'm slowing down. I'd like someone to enjoy the view of my garden with, someone to talk about important stuff or silly stuff or whatever. I probably will end up going nowhere as mostly my life has been a smashing non-success - no reason to change now. Do I sound fatalistic? I guess I think its more "realistic".
About me, one final irony I guess. It's strange as a child I was always wanted to go somewhere else and see different places but for the most part didn't have quite the opportunity to do so. Like Gilda Radner said "It's always something"!
I relate to so much of this. I never seemed to figure out all those things other people did - like go on adventures and experience different things when you are young that's when you make mistakes and its ok, thats how you figure yourself out. I actually joined the service to see places and then got sent the dullest place. Got out. Other people who never even cared went. I could go on, seems like people who could care less about the kinds of things I want so bad have been there done that.
All my friends got married, had kids, got divorced, got married again. I couldn't seem to make it happen after a disasterous relationship. You really get pushed out of the mainstream of relationships then if you are not paired up. I think most people in that situation rely on family but I didn't have any.
So now I realize that where ever I go - I am there. A specific place is not going to solve my problems with connecting. I will still want to stay home and read too much. I will still be viewed suspiciously as potential friend material because I never married and had kids.
I really want some good easy friends. Like high school friends. Everyone is so busy. I guess I'm not I suspect I might be a little boring?
But......if I am going to continue with the struggle of connecting I figure I might as well do it somewhere pretty. Or at least prettier. So I'm not staying here.
You gotta keep trying right?
I appreciate the note about NW Arkansas. I think the milder winters there would be a boon long term. But I feel like if I'm going to move entirely out of my comfort zone (i.e. have never been there) I want it to be somewhere with something a little bigger, mtns, coast. Which leaves me with my current pick. Home state so at least I am familiar with the general location, cold hard winters a negative. I'm thinking Traverse City MI. 6 months are really nice.
I relate to so much of this. I never seemed to figure out all those things other people did - like go on adventures and experience different things when you are young that's when you make mistakes and its ok, thats how you figure yourself out. I actually joined the service to see places and then got sent the dullest place. Got out. Other people who never even cared went. I could go on, seems like people who could care less about the kinds of things I want so bad have been there done that.
All my friends got married, had kids, got divorced, got married again. I couldn't seem to make it happen after a disasterous relationship. You really get pushed out of the mainstream of relationships then if you are not paired up. I think most people in that situation rely on family but I didn't have any.
So now I realize that where ever I go - I am there. A specific place is not going to solve my problems with connecting. I will still want to stay home and read too much. I will still be viewed suspiciously as potential friend material because I never married and had kids.
I really want some good easy friends. Like high school friends. Everyone is so busy. I guess I'm not I suspect I might be a little boring?
But......if I am going to continue with the struggle of connecting I figure I might as well do it somewhere pretty. Or at least prettier. So I'm not staying here.
You gotta keep trying right?
I appreciate the note about NW Arkansas. I think the milder winters there would be a boon long term. But I feel like if I'm going to move entirely out of my comfort zone (i.e. have never been there) I want it to be somewhere with something a little bigger, mtns, coast. Which leaves me with my current pick. Home state so at least I am familiar with the general location, cold hard winters a negative. I'm thinking Traverse City MI. 6 months are really nice.
I can totally relate to your situation. I, too, am single, never married, no children. I've been living and working in south Florida for 40+ years. I am so eager to move out of this crazy, touristy, chaotic, corrupt area. I truly miss the four seasons. I grew up in the Midwest and am considering a move back up there now that I am retired. I have had a really hard time fitting in and finding other people who share my interests. I enjoy hiking, botanizing, gardening, my dogs and going on road trips. I am interested in geology, rocks, etc. I would love to spend more time out West.
So many people I know are married, busy with their families, etc. and they don't have much time for anything else. I would love to go traveling with a friend, etc. I, too, had a bad relationship and another one in which we shared little in the way of common interests.
I am not weird or anything, I just have never married. I am free to move anywhere, but I need to downsize and make sure that I live in a relatively low COL area. Decisions, decisions....I feel almost paralyzed about deciding where I would like to live. I will need to sell my home - the only one I have ever owned and all the hassles that go along with this.
Last edited by popcorn247; 08-29-2015 at 08:00 AM..
Ok getting a bit excited here as I've set my travel dates
You will probably think I'm crazy, and maybe I am a bit, but with limited travel funds, a girl's gotta do what she has to do I originally hoped to leave here in October, but won't have the car paid off until that month. So I've set my leaving date to be November 8th and am praying that there won't be much snow and cold weather along the way! Since my budget is so shoestring, I decided on camping in Arizona while I explore a few areas and decide where to plant my roots. I'm planning on buying a 4-season tent & air mattress, and taking a sleeping bag and 2 extra blankets beside those that will be stored in the vacuum sealed storage bags.
So I've booked 4 nights at Patagonia Lake State Park so I can explore Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Benson and St. David (probably a few others as time permits), then up to Picacho Peak State Park for one night, and onto Dead Horse Ranch in Cottonwood where I'll explore Cottonwood, Verde Valley, Prescott, and Prescott Valley. I've allowed myself 4 days to travel from Northwest Indiana to Patagonia State Park in Arizona.
Now I'm trying to figure out the best route to take and good places to stop along the way during those 4 days. I've never been in Oklahoma, Texas or New Mexico. I'm hoping some of you will provide suggestions for places to overnight at along the way that won't be budget busters. Thanks!
Ok getting a bit excited here as I've set my travel dates
You will probably think I'm crazy, and maybe I am a bit, but with limited travel funds, a girl's gotta do what she has to do I originally hoped to leave here in October, but won't have the car paid off until that month. So I've set my leaving date to be November 8th and am praying that there won't be much snow and cold weather along the way! Since my budget is so shoestring, I decided on camping in Arizona while I explore a few areas and decide where to plant my roots. I'm planning on buying a 4-season tent & air mattress, and taking a sleeping bag and 2 extra blankets beside those that will be stored in the vacuum sealed storage bags.
So I've booked 4 nights at Patagonia Lake State Park so I can explore Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Benson and St. David (probably a few others as time permits), then up to Picacho Peak State Park for one night, and onto Dead Horse Ranch in Cottonwood where I'll explore Cottonwood, Verde Valley, Prescott, and Prescott Valley. I've allowed myself 4 days to travel from Northwest Indiana to Patagonia State Park in Arizona.
Now I'm trying to figure out the best route to take and good places to stop along the way during those 4 days. I've never been in Oklahoma, Texas or New Mexico. I'm hoping some of you will provide suggestions for places to overnight at along the way that won't be budget busters. Thanks!
If push comes to shove, and if the weather is bad (setting up your tent in freezing rain is no fun), Motel 6 offers reasonably priced accommodations. My experience has been that Motel 6 prices are lower in the out of the way, smaller towns. I remember a little over a year ago getting rooms at $35 or $40 per night. In larger cities the rates will be higher.
Are you planning on sight-seeing along the way? Besides the obvious (the Grand Canyon) I would recommend Carlsbad Caverns (in southern New Mexico) as especially worthwhile. Any interest in World War II? If so the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredricksburg, Texas is excellent.
Practice setting up your tent and taking it down at least once before you leave on your trip. Struggling to figure it out in the dark when you're tired on your first night out is no fun. (Don't mean to be insulting, as you may well be a very experienced tent camper - just sayin'....)
If push comes to shove, and if the weather is bad (setting up your tent in freezing rain is no fun), Motel 6 offers reasonably priced accommodations. My experience has been that Motel 6 prices are lower in the out of the way, smaller towns. I remember a little over a year ago getting rooms at $35 or $40 per night. In larger cities the rates will be higher.
Are you planning on sight-seeing along the way? Besides the obvious (the Grand Canyon) I would recommend Carlsbad Caverns (in southern New Mexico) as especially worthwhile. Any interest in World War II? If so the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredricksburg, Texas is excellent.
Practice setting up your tent and taking it down at least once before you leave on your trip. Struggling to figure it out in the dark when you're tired on your first night out is no fun. (Don't mean to be insulting, as you may well be a very experienced tent camper - just sayin'....)
That is great information, thank you. It's good to know there are some places that don't charge an arm and a leg for a place to sleep. At some point I need (for my own mental health/pleasure) to take a trip to the ocean and can't afford a lot of money for motels. If I find one some miles from the ocean, I can still drive there and get my fill of what is important to me.
I agree that it is very good advice--- while I am not a camper and not likely to do this, it's great advice to suggest someone practice putting up a tent and get the feel for it. This is the kind of advice a good friend or family would give= and this is why this forum is so awesome. I mean that sincerely.
There are some things that seem obvious to someone but a novice will not think of these things. Most helpful
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I suspect I might be a little boring? 
I originally hoped to leave here in October, but won't have the car paid off until that month. So I've set my leaving date to be November 8th and am praying that there won't be much snow and cold weather along the way! Since my budget is so shoestring, I decided on camping in Arizona while I explore a few areas and decide where to plant my roots. I'm planning on buying a 4-season tent & air mattress, and taking a sleeping bag and 2 extra blankets beside those that will be stored in the vacuum sealed storage bags.