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Old 02-04-2015, 12:29 PM
 
530 posts, read 664,641 times
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One of the most important considerations for us, at least, is the dearth of good hospitals in many areas. I speak specifically, here, of southeast Florida. Some months ago I attempted to look up nationally accredited cardiac hospitals and was surprised to find that although Florida does have a few of them, they are located far afield from where the majority of retirees choose to live. I believe Miami has one but after seeing the traffic there, I seriously fear for anyone who needs to get to that hospital in record time.
I seem to recall that there are one or two in the extreme north of Florida as well. As for the southeast coast, I am afraid there are few if none.
If I am wrong, I would sincerely be delighted so if anyone knows of one, please respond.
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Old 02-04-2015, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Maui, Hawaii
749 posts, read 847,948 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by popcorn247 View Post
I have recently retired and I know that I want to move out of Florida, back to a 4 season climate. I would like to hear from folks that are retired and are happy in their location.....staying after retirement or those that moved to a new location after retirement. Happy and living now in.....?
This isn't exactly what you asked but since I grew up in the Great Lakes area, I get what you mean about enjoying all 4 seasons. However where I grew up the winters were bitter, dank-cold and gloomy, buggy summers.

In the Denver area was where we really Enjoyed the seasons, mostly low humidity with bright sunny days we found tolerable year round. They had a great bus system and downtown was clean and easy to get around (they had a shuttle). Lots of free and low cost events, etc, and good medical care available, we left there in 2005 so it may be different now but we hated to leave!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948 View Post
staying put is a good move bek as you age friends become more important and family less.
if you move away they will be dead when you come back.
That's a good point, it can be hard to make new friends and have a true support system in retirement.

We like where we are now but we really do miss the seasons so I can understand you wanting to leave a place so many people try to get to for retirement, lol!! Best of luck to you!
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Old 02-04-2015, 03:15 PM
 
7,985 posts, read 5,350,163 times
Reputation: 35542
Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
I need a great attractive downtown with the kinds of arts, etc I'm interested in.
Me too!
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Old 02-04-2015, 03:42 PM
 
2,790 posts, read 6,104,532 times
Reputation: 2732
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star View Post
In 1974 I was in Miami Beach in what is now called South Beach, walking down Ocean Drive. There was nothing, and I mean nothing, going on there. A gentleman was sitting on a folding chair on a porch, no one was around and it was quiet and serene. At the end of Ocean Drive there was a fence and beyond the fence, so I was told, there was a kennel club. The fence was high and the shrubbery pretty much blocked the view. I always thought it would be a nice place to retire to.
Last winter we visited southeast Florida and drove down to Miami Beach for a day just to see it. I have never been stuck in traffic as heavy and as crazy, even during Christmas season in midtown Manhattan, driving down Fifth Avenue smack past Rockefeller Center.
South Beach, as they call it now, was awash with light, sound and motion. Retire there? I don't think so. For sure, it's nice to visit but wow, has my opinion changed!
The entire Miami-Dade county has changed, especially during the last 20 years. Now, Anglos are 15% of the population, 15%! And many of the other transplants are from the northeast. Sorry, but this Midwestern gal feels out of place here! Many of the young people I have met, move out of the area once they start having children. This is not the best place to raise a child, imo. It is a resort, vacation spot. Partying, clubbing, drinking, music, lots of loud, Hispanic, people doing their thing. It is a frenetic pace. I only go to downtown Miami if I have jury duty It is just too big for this gal. I live about 30 miles south of Miami and haven't visited the beach since 1994. It is too hot to roast this body at the beach and the water temp gets to ~88°.

The only things I will miss when I move out is Publix grocery stores and my Honda dealer/service place. I want to slow down, move to a place with less traffic, people who speak English, honest people, kind people. And far, far from a big city.
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Old 02-04-2015, 05:14 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,758 posts, read 40,857,426 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Girl View Post
Asheville, NC is there you need to go.
Hmmm, Asheville is the town I visited when scouting retirement locations that I didn't like.
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Old 02-04-2015, 06:49 PM
 
16,369 posts, read 30,133,392 times
Reputation: 25417
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
Unless one is extremely frail, i.e., crippled/disabled, one is not "locked down and locked in" in winter unless one chooses to be. I am 70 and still quite capable of putting tires chains on the drive wheels of the car. If I hadn't injured my back about 15 years ago I would be skiing still.

Try spending the last week in the Chicago area with the snow drifts and all the ice on the sidewalks and the like. I could understand why a lot of older people lock themselves in for weeks. Personally, I would NOT leave the house in that weather had I not had to go to work.

In my younger days, I would drive out over snowy and icy roads and generally have no problems. However, once I hit 50, I decided that driving 60 miles on slick roads or when it is below 0F to see a basketball game might not be the best plan anymore, especially when I could stream a good number of them and stay in my warm home.

Personally, I would rather slip a kid $20 to put on the chains ... but then, I would not drive when I needed chains.
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Old 02-04-2015, 08:59 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,341,111 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl View Post
I'm always quite curious about statements like that. Have you thought about the fact that when you "can't take care of yourself" that might also include not having the mental faculties to decide what would be best for your life, let alone the physical abilities to make it happen? Who is going to make decisions for you? Who is going to decide where you should live, who will be taking are of you, what needs to happen with your possessions?...........
I know first-hand what happens to a parent who can no longer care for herself, and does not want help from family members. The government takes care of them. And they do a good job, from my experience. And they aren't invested in any personal way, and can be objective.

A social worker determines the person can't live alone anymore. They arrange for an assisted living facility. A county guardian is appointed, who determines the assets available, and sells property, etc., and uses the money to be sure that person gets good care.

Honestly, having someone who is not family make these decisions, is exactly what I would want. I'd be fine with going to a county facility, being cared for by county doctors and nurses, etc. My experience with county care, is that it's quite good.

And having someone else take over who is not personally involved takes a huge weight off of the shoulders of the relative.

Like I've told young people who expect their parents to leave them an inheritance - I say don't count on it. That money will be needed to care for the parents in their old age. If there is money, as in the case of my mother, the care facility will be paid with her money. When her money runs out, she'll qualify for government assistance.

We don't throw crazy old people into the streets - whether they have money or not. They're decently cared for.

So, until the day comes when someone notices something's wrong with me, and decisions need to be made, I'm going to live my life where and how I want to.

You can't control other people. It seems like children get angry and frustrated because they "have" to go take care of their parent, etc., etc. No they don't. They can turn everything over to the government to deal with, if the parent isn't doing what the kids want them to do. And the government, in my experience, will take good care of them.

Honestly, my daughter is so hard to live with, that I wouldn't want to go to her house and have her take care of me. She stresses me out LOL! I'd much rather a social worker who wouldn't badger me or boss me around come and help me figure out what I need to do.

I will probably get Altzheimer's. It runs in my family, and becomes debilitating when the person gets to be about 80 years old. I am now 58. I have a loooong time to go before I need help. When the social workers knock on my door, I'll welcome them in and we'll figure out what to do. Then.

And as far as my stuff? Who cares? It's just stuff. Hire someone to come haul it all away. Don't even look at it. I also don't understand children who freak out about "having" to go through all the stuff. No they don't. Let it go.
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Old 02-04-2015, 10:26 PM
 
Location: Southwest Washington State
30,585 posts, read 25,003,327 times
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I've posted so many times about our situation! I'm in Vancouver, WA, transplanted from St. Louis area. We are here because of grandchildren! And other family members who relocated to this area. Van is pretty ordinary, but it is in a beautiful setting, and I love many aspects of living here.

We pay no income tax; property tax is pretty high; but there is no personal property tax; the sales tax is basically a wash with what we used to pay. We payed more for our house that we thought we should have had to, but we are happy in it. I actually like the climate so far, except for the fierce east winds we sometimes get. The occasional super hot day in summer is not a problem for me, either. I sure am used to hot summers.

But the actual reason we are here is proximity to family. If one of us falls ill, a kid doesn't have to fly cross country to see us, and we are around to help and support the kids. And we were missing out on being with our kids and grands when we lived so far away.

I don't think Van is a great place to live in every way. But it is OK and we are making friends. I really would like a larger metro area. But it is what it is, and we have access to great scenery all around us. And the people here are really nice. (We ruled out Portland, OR because of costs. Van is more affordable, and there is newer housing stock here.) We drive into Portland frequently anyway.
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Old 02-05-2015, 09:20 AM
 
Location: Florida
23,155 posts, read 26,094,380 times
Reputation: 27893
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star View Post
One of the most important considerations for us, at least, is the dearth of good hospitals in many areas. I speak specifically, here, of southeast Florida. Some months ago I attempted to look up nationally accredited cardiac hospitals and was surprised to find that although Florida does have a few of them, they are located far afield from where the majority of retirees choose to live. I believe Miami has one but after seeing the traffic there, I seriously fear for anyone who needs to get to that hospital in record time.
I seem to recall that there are one or two in the extreme north of Florida as well. As for the southeast coast, I am afraid there are few if none.
If I am wrong, I would sincerely be delighted so if anyone knows of one, please respond.

NCH is an accredited cardiac facility as well as a member of The Mayo Clinic Care Network
This is the SW coast but most definitely Naples and surrounding area is an area that draws many retirees
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Old 02-05-2015, 09:40 AM
 
554 posts, read 742,522 times
Reputation: 1042
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmenesq View Post
I have been reading this thread with fascination. I am still several years away from retirement, probably, but I have begun to think about these issues more. One thing that I keep thinking is that, for many people, there may be the need for different retirement areas at different stages of their lives. For example, if a person retires in good health, that person may very much enjoy an area where an active lifestyle can be pursued (with or without 4 seasons) and where driving is a necessity because other forms of transportation are not practical for them. If health declines and, for example, driving is no longer a viable option and recreational activities shift to more sedentary ones, then a different location might suit their needs better. The area that is perfect at one stage of retired life is not necessarily the area that is best at all stages.
I've been reading the thread thoroughly, too ... This is one of the best threads on retirement that I've read anywhere, and with so many varied opinions and observations, anyone preparing to retire and not paying attention to all the posts on here is doing themselves a real dis-service.
I'm actually past retirement-age, but am still working full-time until my wife is old-enough to retire - maybe another 3-4 years. So, I'm doing a lot of reading about costs-of-living in certain areas, standards-of-living in other areas, amenities, proximities to recreation, medical care, shopping, etc - ad nauseam ...

At this "stage of the game," I don't have a whole lot of "opinion" about anywhere-specific to make plans for, but did want to say "THANK YOU" to everyone who has 'opined' on the thread.
I'm truly enjoying reading about all the different places (pro and con), and also about the what, why, and when factors in everyone's situations ...

THANKS! ... TC ...
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