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Old 01-31-2015, 08:22 PM
 
Location: delaware
698 posts, read 1,048,798 times
Reputation: 2438

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i lived in maryland most of my life and now in delaware. although i can't guarantee i'll stay in the exact town where i currently live, my guess is that i'll stay in the mid-atlantic area, probably delmarva- roughly between the chesapeake bay and the atlantic ocean.

although, in the past, i've been drawn to the southeast primarily for weather, i'm not certain with climate change what can be counted on weather-wise in the future. even with weather changes, i have to say that this part of the country usually does not have extremes of weather for long periods of time. we often have more dire weather forecasts, specifically in winter, than what actually occurs; the falls and springs in this part of the country can be fairly long and quite beautiful, as this past fall was. there are some who hate the humidity but i can take that over cold and snow always.

when i think about the reality of the southeast as a permanent location, i feel i would find the conservative nature of much of that area very stultifying. i'm not certain warmer winters would compensate for that. so, i'm probably here in this general area for the long haul, as i view it as a temperate location. additionally, i love the regional history , the variety in topography, and the access to large cities and cultural offerings nearby. the fact that those who substitute for family in my life are in this area as well, seems to make it a reasonable choice for me.



catsy girl
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Old 01-31-2015, 08:44 PM
 
4,523 posts, read 3,725,750 times
Reputation: 17386
We are in FL as snowbirds, but come in early September and leave the first of May, so it's 8 months here and 4 in NY. That will last 2-3 more years. We live close to our son, DIL and two small grandkids in FL. DH is still working and I'm retired. He took a transfer within his company to move here and have relocation paid or take a lump money sum. He knows quite a few in his company doing the same thing; taking positions in the South or Midwest, while moving from the NE and getting where they want to be before they retire.

The birth of our second grandchild spurred DH into action and I followed. I would have stayed put and been happy, not because I loved it in NY so much, but it was easier to do nothing. Relocating turned out to be a great decision, we would have missed the young age the grandkids are now if we waited for the eight years at that time before retiring here. Grandkids are important to us and when they outgrow us, we'll be living in an area we enjoy and with great memories of time spent with the grandkids.

Since many here like to focus on the weather aspect of locations, I'll address that. As far as weather extremes, I'm used to freezing cold and stifling heat and tolerate both; one is as bad as the other to me. The one weather factor that is overlooked but important to me, is a breeze in hot weather. We have a daily breeze here by the Gulf and most of the time in NY, which makes it more comfortable. In Northern Indiana where we both grew up, there were many still days and nights without any cooling breeze. We noticed the difference when we moved to NY, a breeze, especially with heat and humidity, makes a hot day or night much better.

I've liked everywhere we've lived. IN was nice, NY was nicer and FL the best yet for us. The happiness comes from where we are right now in our personal lives and not the place; location is a small part of the whole for us.

Last edited by jean_ji; 01-31-2015 at 09:31 PM..
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Old 01-31-2015, 09:39 PM
 
Location: Near a river
16,042 posts, read 21,923,032 times
Reputation: 15773
Quote:
Originally Posted by Umbria View Post
Jeans, warm socks, sweaters, ski jacket, gloves, boots - all fun stuff.
Umbria and I will supply the OP with everything she needs. She will look like Nanook from the North in no time.
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Old 01-31-2015, 09:43 PM
 
Location: SoCal
6,418 posts, read 11,560,620 times
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I moved to San Diego for work around 30 years ago. I came from Chicago, and I have zero desire to move to a place that has snow and cold all winter. If I want snow, we can take a drive up to the nearby mountains.

We own a small condo (paid off), so we have no need to downsize. Due to Prop 13 I don't need to worry about property taxes driving me out of my condo.

The only thing we miss is space to have a workshop with some tools, for DIY and woodworking and stuff like that.

If I was ever stuck here on my own, I'd consider movng to Denver to be closer to siblings. More likely, I'd try to persuade them to become snowbirds and stay with me here during the winter.
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Old 01-31-2015, 09:46 PM
 
Location: Near a river
16,042 posts, read 21,923,032 times
Reputation: 15773
I am simply happy to live in town not far from Boston and NYC, as opposed to where I used to live for many years, the suburbs. That was a huge and welcome change for me, and put me in a much better way. I detest suburbs with no central locale other than maybe a mall. I need a great attractive downtown with the kinds of arts, etc I'm interested in.

Suggestion: Make a list of 5 or 10 Happiness Factors, with climate/seasons being just one. See which locations you are considering score high, and go with that. Climate may surprisingly not make the cut, depending.
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Old 01-31-2015, 10:59 PM
 
Location: San Francisco
21,449 posts, read 8,648,177 times
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I could have written Escort Rider's post except that we are in San Francisco, not Southern California, and we live in a single-family house, not a townhouse. It has no lawns and a very low-maintenance exterior, though, so traveling isn't a problem, and our neighbors are good about keeping an eye on things.

Being in a place where we've lived for most of our lives, near family and friends, close to entertainment, shopping, recreation and world-class medical care, having access to public transit if we need it - those are powerful incentives to stay. Our house is modest, but it is in a quiet residential area across from a forested park. There's a trail I can walk across the street to which leads to the peak of a mountain with a spectacular view of the downtown skyline and the East Bay. We also have a view of the ocean from our deck. Even moving to a condo in town would feel like a downgrade to me because the ones we can afford usually only have views of other buildings.

The downside is that our house is very small, 2 br, 1 ba, 1100 sq. ft. If we moved elsewhere we could have more bedrooms and bathrooms, but it's a trade-off that I'm willing to take. I love my city and hope I never have to leave.
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Old 01-31-2015, 11:03 PM
 
Location: Edina, MN, USA
7,572 posts, read 8,992,582 times
Reputation: 17937
Quote:
Originally Posted by popcorn247 View Post
Ahh, Minnesota. I spent an internship up there the summer before my senior year in college. I lived in Jonathan, MN and worked near Chaska. I loved it up there!
I didn't know you lived here before. You were not all that far from where I am since I am a SW burb - but am only 1 mile from the Minneapolis city limits. It really isn't as bad as some make it out to be or as some have perceived it to be. I like snuggle weather. The Midwest will be a change for you.

Yes, NEG and I could have you lookin like a little Eskimo lady.
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Old 02-01-2015, 12:22 AM
 
Location: Pennsylvania
30,304 posts, read 16,055,064 times
Reputation: 44045
I moved about 40 miles west of where I was-to Tioga County PA. I'd lived here before, moved to Bradford Co but decided when I retired I'd move back to Tioga.

I debated about Maine for a while but the place I'm living in came up for sale so that made the decision.


The 3 things I looked for,decent medical care, creative environment, and affordable cost of living are here.
I'm not a shopper, no interest in traveling any more, and prefer trees to people.
Works for me.
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Old 02-01-2015, 12:22 AM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
255 posts, read 448,972 times
Reputation: 334
Las Vegas, believe it or not. And we are not drinkers or gamblers. We moved from southern California where it was getting ridiculously expensive to rent a 2 bedroom apartment in a decent area - over $2,000 a month.

It is beautiful here, at least in the area we live in which is on the outskirts of town close to the mountains. We bought a townhouse in a good neighborhood for a very reasonable price. You can get a very nice place for around $200,000. We paid closer to $150,000 nearly 2 years ago and our property value has risen to around $200,000. There are four seasons but the winters are pretty mild. It occasionally gets down to the 20's or 30's. The summers are hot, no doubt about that, BUT there is no humidity. It's the desert and it has a dry heat, which is much more tolerable than places like Florida. Besides, if you stay at home a lot, you will be in an air conditioned place. Utilities are not bad, unless you have a BIG house, very high ceilings, or a pool, which is costly.

You can get almost anywhere in the city in around 30 minutes, thanks to a good freeway system. There is a lot to do if you want to get out and be amongst other people. We almost never go to the Strip. There are a lot of fun places to go within about an hour of here. I have been doing lots of fun things and made lots of new friends, thanks to some great meetup groups here (hubby is a homebody). Almost everyone you meet is from somewhere else and almost everyone who moves here loves it.

The downside - we have a lot of accidents here and a lot of hit and runs, and some areas have a fairly high crime rate. If you live here it is important to live in a good area.
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Old 02-01-2015, 01:04 AM
 
18,656 posts, read 33,251,193 times
Reputation: 37042
I am about three years away from retirement and am more and more convinced I will stay where I am- in my dream house (big mortgage still happening) 35 miles NW of Boston. I love my house and property and the remaining rural feel. The life of the mind isn't far away and I am constantly thinking of ways to get into things when I don't have to work (my current job is making me quite the homebody/tired, working shift work and remembering the things that I am not doing or involved with). There is plenty to become involved in.

I cannot stand summers here- the humidity. And there are no big mountains like the Rockies. I obsess about the West and realize again and again that my interest in the West is best suited to vacation trips, not living there, although I'm not sure if my obsession is with potentially moving or with just wanting my vacation trips *now*.

I see the COL and taxation on retirement income as a real downside here, but not enough to move to another state just because of that. I have no family and friends are quite scattered. I look forward to becoming more social and joining stuff (maybe meetups, Osher Lifelong Learning, Unitarian church) in retirement. Also, where I now live, I can pick up work at my job even when retired from it, which could really fund trips out West. I took a long time to finally find a suitable place to live (never mind my dream place plus ten!) and to have a sense of my own history somewhere besides where I grew up (an area I can't stand for anything) and do not think to start over at 65 or later.

If finances become an issue (unlikely) I think I'd rather move to the mobile home park in my town than leave the state for another house. Just another choice.
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