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.
My husband does not want snow. I can't handle conservative or bible thumpers. So I looked up progressive/liberal southern cities. I like the sound of Nashville. Did some research. Came across chiggers that apparently make the outdoors miserable from May-Oct. We love to walk our dogs all year long. The chiggers crossed out Nashville. Also oddly enough Nashville does not have alot of sidewalks or walkable areas. We are suburbs people so don't need to be in town but I do love an area with trails.
I have also researched Grand Rapids/Holland Michigan. I am probably ok with the snow. Husband not so much so it is on the back burner. Holland melts the snow off their side walks with waste heat from manufacturing plants. Pretty innovative. Grand Rapids more closely meets my city needs. Housing seems reasonable. Summer has ticks (which we don't have here in Denver) so that was a negative. But the area of Western Michigan is so pretty.
Every place I look at seems to have significant disadvantages over where we are in Denver so we might end up staying put.
You may want to look at Colorado Springs as a cheaper alternative to Denver. The front range has some winter but it is really mild compared to what you are used to. Cost is cheaper than Denver. Warm summers but no humidity so easily tolerated. Colorado in general is very active. Colorado Springs would make a great springboard place to visit all the western national parks in your RV. That is what we did. Got an RV about 6 years ago and have hit them all. Fabulous experience. You will likely have to buy with the number of pets you have and watch the city ordinances to see if having so many is OK but I think you would be happy with your choice out here.
Do you have a housing budget? That will really dictate your options if it is a very low one.
Thanks everyone. Housing costs for us is a moot point (almost). we can do up to about $350, BUT we don't want to. So we are looking at $150 tops, but prefer lower that that. Like I said I'll live in a Nice single or double wide, in a nice area and then never be home because there are things to do. We had it with the big fancy house. We want small and easy, and LIVE! Travel. Eat out. Go out with friends. Etc. You hit a point in your life when all you want is a bed and a bowl. A nice one in a good area of course. As for a health food store a little travel is ok. We drive 2 hrs for a doctor, and 45 minutes for a supermarket now.
Tennessee is the first choice for me. I've been thinking of the Bartlett, Maryville, Oakridge, and #1, Jonesborough area. Any info, comments about those areas or others?
We also wanted to keep costs down, and opted for the snowbird route (though I love the snow and cold, and have a plow for my pickup). We lived and worked in Rhode Island all of our working lives, but I had roots in Maine, so we bought some rural land there and put a small (1120 sq ft) ranch on it. Very inexpensive.
My wife has family in the Tennessee and NC area, and this past spring we also bought some land down there, and put a small modular home on it. That was also much less expensive than we thought. Our place is in western TN, south of Jackson. We opted for rural, but there are lots of small and medium sized towns there.
I am like you, in that I can't tolerate the heat. It makes me physically ill, too. When I read that your DH was willing to consider a mobile home, I thought, "there's the answer to their problem, right there...". You can buy a small place just outside a small town and if you make sure first, just move a mobile home right onto it. New or used, the cost is minimal. I see mobiles both in Maine and in TN. They are a retiree's salvation!
Thanks everyone. Housing costs for us is a moot point (almost). we can do up to about $350, BUT we don't want to. So we are looking at $150 tops, but prefer lower that that. Like I said I'll live in a Nice single or double wide, in a nice area and then never be home because there are things to do. We had it with the big fancy house. We want small and easy, and LIVE! Travel. Eat out. Go out with friends. Etc. You hit a point in your life when all you want is a bed and a bowl. A nice one in a good area of course. As for a health food store a little travel is ok. We drive 2 hrs for a doctor, and 45 minutes for a supermarket now.
I'd say don't dismiss Salem, VA right away. We visited there several times and yes, it's a small unassuming town (adjacent to Roanoke, which we liked as New Englanders) but nice. Salem is a "one-street downtown" with a beautiful college campus http://www.liberalartscolleges.com/s...anoke-college/, lovely public library, healthfood store, farmers' mkt, and shops all in one location. I don't know if it's still there, but we ate at a terrific restaurant in a restored building close to downtown. Check out the real estate there, I'm sure it fits your budget.
I looked for the same kind of location. What I found was that places that have no snow in the winter have terrible heat in the summer. So I settled on towns close to Seattle -- not Seattle itself, as it's too expensive and the traffic is so bad nowadays. What little snow that area gets doesnt stick and the temps are comfortable year-round. I lived in West Seattle in the 1970s, when Starbucks opened its first store, and it was such a lovely place. It's still lovely and, as soon as I get some things finished here, I'm going to move back there.
Look at Grant's Pass OR, also, depending on how far from town you want to live some of the outlying areas like Weaverville are very inexpensive. That area is small farms with ponds and animals. Your dogs would be welcome and happy And its affordable
You can buy a 1-2 bedroom condo in South Florida in one of the 55+ communities for $50Kish (check out Kings Point, Century Village, etc)-- plus a small monthly HOA charge that takes care of the exterior maintenance. The added benefit of being a FL resident is the lack of state income tax.
You can then either have an RV to travel in and/or rent a small cabin in a cooler climate for the 3-4 months of the year (May-August) that are intolerable in South Florida.
That's essentially our plan for retirement, though we're in our early 40s, so we've got a while before that plan gets put into action.
I considered a possible earthquake when looking at the Seattle area, but I also decided that you cant live your life in fear. I do believe the west coast will suffer an earthquake, or a tsunami, but it may not be for 100 years or so.
As long as we are"in" Washington, how about Sequim? Mild weather. A great location for retirees. Its been a while since I have been over there - Hemlock you might know more...
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.
And its affordable
