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Old 02-02-2015, 02:23 PM
 
Location: SoCal desert
8,091 posts, read 15,383,634 times
Reputation: 15036

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jadedlady View Post
There is a magazine called 'Where to Retire' that features a lot of smaller towns and often tells the story of retirees who have moved there; why they chose it and how they like it. I have seen it in our local library. You could also find it in a big bookstore like Barnes & Noble. I used to read it years ago. There's also a book like that that would be found in the reference area of a library, if not in circulation. That might be helpful too.
The magazine has a website.
If you feel comfortable giving up your address, they'll send you one free sample per address.
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Old 02-02-2015, 03:48 PM
 
Location: St. George, Utah
755 posts, read 1,114,724 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gandalara View Post
The magazine has a website.
If you feel comfortable giving up your address, they'll send you one free sample per address.
Yes, and one day (my birthday!) at the doctor's office, I found a subscription slip for a free YEAR subscription so I felt like I really scored. When my free subscription is up, I won't likely renew unless they offer a pretty substantial discount. Given that the whole magazine tends to be a big advertisement for retirement communities (not complaining, after all that's the info I was after!) I think they can offer it pretty cheap if they want to.

The do advertise a few books--"Where to Retire: Best and Most Affordable Places" and "America's 100 Best Places to Retire" among them--that can often be found used very cheaply on Amazon.

That kind of thing is good fodder for my endlessly churning brain as I, too, continue to try to find our "home" spot for retirement. As is this thread.

For the moment, while I am still dreaming of the beach and not letting it go quite yet (Carolinas, FL, and St. Croix still on the list but each has major drawbacks for us), I think that the beach may have to just be a vacation spot for us. The Phoenix area is looking more and more like our final resting place, lol. I like the availability of activities--sports, concerts, cultural activities...something for everyone. All set up for aging, with major medical facilities and services that cater to seniors. Our current vacation/future retirement place is not in an age restricted development but is retiree friendly and offers plenty of activities if we want to get involved/make friends. (Several of our friends are already in the area, another big plus.) A major airport with affordable flights to those beach destinations. And I like it hot, so while the winters are lovely I really don't mind the summer heat too much as long as I've got a pool, and could escape for just a few weeks and still be perfectly happy basically staying in AZ year 'round. The desert is beautiful, I love the mountains, the sunset, the laid-back attitude, and the tidy roadways. And the palm trees. I'll give up real gardening and seasons if we stay there. But I think I can be happy there, in the sunshine.
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Old 02-02-2015, 05:28 PM
 
Location: Traveling
7,020 posts, read 6,244,557 times
Reputation: 14658
Thanks for the info. I just ordered mine! I had no idea it was out there.
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Old 02-02-2015, 05:34 PM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,143,074 times
Reputation: 7373
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.....?
We moved to Sacramento, California from the Midwest, and find it a decent place to live in retirement. There are a lot of things to see and do, the temperature is pretty moderate in winter and the cost of living isn't too bad for California.
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Old 02-02-2015, 09:41 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
255 posts, read 448,972 times
Reputation: 334
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheShadow View Post
I was going to say the same about the Knoxville area. All of what she likes and more.
I have been to Knoxville, although it was many, many years ago and I thought it was nice then. I haven't been to Asheville, NC but I considered it. It's beautiful in both areas, but I know Asheville is expensive.
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Old 02-02-2015, 11:01 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,552,525 times
Reputation: 37905
On the subject of Where to retire magazine. We subscribed for a number of years and found that unless you have Money all the places they highlight will be out of your reach financially.

Except

Those places where no one wants to live.

There wasn't a single place that tempted us in all the years that we took the magazine that we felt comfortable affording.
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Old 02-02-2015, 11:39 PM
 
Location: Tucson for awhile longer
8,869 posts, read 16,264,581 times
Reputation: 29229
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
... I am in no way going to think about the day when I can't take care of myself. When that day comes, I'll deal with it, until then, I'm going to love where I live.

So, what's important for me in retirement? Weather! With a capital W ...

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 have a friend who lives in California, as do her siblings. They went there for jobs after college, were successful and stayed, leaving behind their widowed mother back East. They begged her to come to California. My friend even bought a beautiful condo for Mom to live in, first floor, private patio, right at a bus stop, near a church of her denomination and smack in between where two of her daughters lived. Mom would have none of it. Then one evening my friend gets a phone call from a stranger. "You don't know me, but I'm a waitress at a 24-hour diner your mother frequents. We usually see her at breakfast time once a week or so. But she showed up here tonight in the middle of a snowstorm. She shouldn't be driving in this weather and she seems to think it is morning even thought it's after midnight. She insists there's nothing wrong with her but we brought her to the hospital ER in case she has had a stroke. What should we do?"

And what should my friend have done? Her mother made no plans for what she would do if she were no longer able to stay in her home, despite the fact that she has family members with Alzheimer's. My parents were similar. Wouldn't even consider that their house was not a suitable place for retirees. Then my father dies very suddenly and my mother, who is disabled, has no ability to care for the house and lacks the funds to hire help. Even when she finally agreed, on her doctor's orders, to sell her house, she didn't know how, couldn't/wouldn't divest her many possessions, wouldn't pack or make any plans of where to go. She left all this up to me and remained totally passive. She is resentful of decisions made for her, but she refuses to make any herself.

Do you have children? Is the responsibility for your future going to be dumped on them when you are no longer able to live your free and independent life in good weather? Has it occurred to you that you might only get, as my friend's mother did and my mother did, virtually no warning that life as you know it is going to change drastically in a day's or week's time? I'm not saying any of us needs to begin retirement in an assisted living facility. But we all need to make appropriate plans for what will happen to us when we are disabled by old age. It's not fair to visit the responsibility for that on family members or friends. And for your own good, they might lack any idea what would be best for you.
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Old 02-02-2015, 11:42 PM
 
Location: I live in reality.
1,154 posts, read 1,417,513 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.....?
I am currently in Charlotte, NC and have been for almost 30 yrs. My 23 yr old son, is in college. I'm a 'transplant' from Miami, FL and have lived in many other cities of the USA as I have 'gypsy genes'.
I'm already planning to move to the Jax, FL area when my son finishes college. I have never loved the Carolinas, but not hated it, either. I MISS ocean and beach terribly and as I get older I want to be closer to fish again an to be in a less snow but not so humid area that I can live in on retirement, which isn't all that HUGE. The Greater Recession took 3 of my 401K plans and as a retired RN hospitals don't have all that great 'retirement' plans, but at least it will buy dog food.
Charlotte is now 'big finance' area and their total REdo of life here is Urbanization. It isn't for me at all. Rents now at a decent, safe area are $1200./month and no lower. I don't find a ton of things for Seniors to do unless we go to the few Community Centers or participate in the online Meet-Ups which I have found for me is a sad way of men looking for older ladies to date (the MeetUps for Social Seniors). Some of those same men, I recall from dating in my 40s, so I'd guess they'd be designated 'Serial Daters' by now (I'm 61). Funny, one still has his pic as the same from the 1990s.
I have been going back and forth to Jax for 18 yrs. It reminds me of Miami before the days of the Cocaine Cowboys and I like it isn't so hot and humid but for a second. For the most part, hurricanes pass a direct hit on Jax unless they cross FL from the Gulf side, which is sa ++ for me, too. The day to day weather between CLT, NC and Jax, FL are almost exactly the same aside from the small amounts of snow we get in CLT and the tad more of humidity Jax gets in the summers.
So, that's my story and I will see you there some day!
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Old 02-03-2015, 05:39 AM
 
Location: Sunny Florida
7,136 posts, read 12,641,487 times
Reputation: 9547
We retired and relocated to Florida from Ohio after researching retirement locations for years and making countless exploratory trips. We are quite happy in Florida despite some of its wackiness. The weather here is amazing, especially for people who enjoy being outside every day gardening, walking, biking, etc. Our quality of life is much better, we're having more fun, and we're healthier because we can pursue an active lifestyle so easily when it's warm outside. I wish we could've made this move years ago, but family obligations, careers, and other commitments kept us in the Midwest. It's truly a blessing to wake up almost every day to blue skies, sunshine, and warmth. There's a spot for everyone and when you find yours it's truly amazing.
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Old 02-03-2015, 05:47 AM
 
Location: P.C.F
1,973 posts, read 2,260,652 times
Reputation: 1626
My Wife and I moved AWAY from 4 seasons TO SW Florida.. We Are Extatic about Living Here.. We are Very Active in our Summer 365 home and surroundings and elated to have a home on the water with all the toys you'd expect to have in SWF.. Let me remind you .....4 Seasons after about age 60 + or - are 4 months of Summer then comes Fall getting ready for winter getting colder everyday and then add some rain.... 4 months of Winter COLD AS HELL and locked down and locked in.. Spring 3 Months of cold to Freezing Rain better than total lock down and then back to Summer. Depending on where in the 4 seasons you move to. Winter most likely means locked in and miserable, and can be from 3 to 6 months or more.. No One ( Retirees) are out and about visiting anyone! Your romantisizing the 4 seasons, and when reality hits you, it will be too late..
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.....?
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