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Are you staying where you currently live? Or will you be relocating? And why?
A couple of Winters ago a Jeep came at me side ways on an icy road. I drove off the road and missed him by inches. I will be moving south of Route 4 in Florida. It doesn't freeze there.
There is really only one downside and that is the traffic. But lots of cities, even medium sized cities, have very bad traffic; it's not like Los Angeles is totally unique in that respect. The traffic was not an important enough factor to cause me to think about moving. Why would I move and abandon all the wonderful and significant advantages I listed in my second paragraph only to say, "Ah, the traffic is not as bad here"?
Traffic was one of my priorities when I chose my relocation place. No cities (population density), no tourist towns (can triple their population during the "in" season). One place I checked out was billed as a mountain town. Wasn't what I expected for a "mountain town." So much traffic. It actually had public parking garages...in a mountain town. I mentioned there was too much traffic in the town for me to want to live there and the residents (holding a retirement seminar) looked at me like I had 3 heads. I finally figured out why. The place was full of retirees from large northern cities. They didn't see traffic at all compared to the cities they came from and I wasn't even there after Memorial Day when all the snowbirds from Florida show up. That was when "population density" moved up on my relocation list of things important to me.
I like sprawl...there, I said it.
I must say though, once you left the town, the mountains were gorgeous.
We too willbe relocating to a lower COL area of the United States. I've kind-of "overstayed-my-welcome" here, on the Left Coast, as well as can't afford to retire here.
Our plan is similar to yours: sell our tiny home and use the proceeds to fund a nicer, slightly-larger home to retire to, far away from the SF Bay Area / Cali. Lots of folks disagree with that plan, but they're mostly going to continue working; we're not.
Just tell those folks it's your life not theirs. When I told people in Portland I was moving to Cleveland they looked at me as if I had lost my mind. But I had every good reason to do so. I think I made the right choice. Looking at conditions there now, I would be miserable. Everyone must do what they feel it best for themselves.
Previous to retirement we were living in Italy. Before I retired my Dw returned stateside with our children, to a home that we had bought many years before. Though we had no intention staying there for long, we had bought it as an investment.
As I retired I returned stateside. But we wanted to live somewhere to enjoy better four-season weather. So we eventually bought land and built a house in Maine. Where we live now.
I retired last Oct. 1 from my public sector job in the SF Bay Area and in Nov. moved back to my home state to Sioux Falls, S.D.
Reasons? Well, no state income tax, relatives here (I'm single and have five nephews and nieces and 10 grands here as well as a brother in the state and my Mom...and a sis in Iowa). My housing cost is much reduced as is almost everything else.
I also like Sioux Falls. It's a metro area of about 250k so big enough yet the smaller size compared to the Bay Area is refreshing also. Lots of restaurants of any type you want. A thriving and growing downtown area.
I can save about 25-30k a year by living here so I can afford to travel during the winter and other times and still be ahead.
The decision isn't irreversible, but so far it's working fine. I'm doing lots of volunteering (it's very big here as opposed to he Bay Area). The people are MUCH friendlier. And like I said, it's got a great regional airport where i can fly anywhere in the world (and I already have). I've been to Vegas twice, SE Asia once, New York and New England, Omaha twice including much of the college world series, and Minneapolis area twice. Oh, and the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota twice...I'm sure I'm leaving out a few also. LOL.
We too willbe relocating to a lower COL area of the United States. I've kind-of "overstayed-my-welcome" here, on the Left Coast, as well as can't afford to retire here.
Our plan is similar to yours: sell our tiny home and use the proceeds to fund a nicer, slightly-larger home to retire to, far away from the SF Bay Area / Cali.
Lots of folks disagree with that plan, but they're mostly going to continue working; we're not.
Ditto here from the Left Coast. However, we are not going to sell our house (we plan on renting it out...should be able to get close to $4000 a month for it). Ironically, as much as I tire of the intellectually rigid and close minded people in San Francisco, we are looking at a new city that is apparently very similar...Austin, Texas. Ultimately it's not that big of a deal. My wife and I are quite good at avoiding political conversations. We tend to keep our distance from people that can't help but talk about politics every waking hour of the day. So it really comes down to cost of living.
Previous to retirement we were living in Italy. Before I retired my Dw returned stateside with our children, to a home that we had bought many years before. Though we had no intention staying there for long, we had bought it as an investment.
As I retired I returned stateside. But we wanted to live somewhere to enjoy better four-season weather. So we eventually bought land and built a house in Maine. Where we live now.
It seems crazy a one of my concerns is winter but your posts have intrigued me and I am looking at Maine. Not sure that's where I am going but am intrigued.
There is really only one downside and that is the traffic. But lots of cities, even medium sized cities, have very bad traffic; it's not like Los Angeles is totally unique in that respect. The traffic was not an important enough factor to cause me to think about moving. Why would I move and abandon all the wonderful and significant advantages I listed in my second paragraph only to say, "Ah, the traffic is not as bad here"?
I do not know of many large cities that have the traffic problem that Los Angeles (and SoCal as a whole) does. And the ones that do like Chicago, Boston and New York have good workable public transportation system that is significantly better than the one in Los Angeles.
I will admit that the traffic around San Diego on my last visit was a lot better than I would have ever expected.
As for the cultural opportunities, sure LA has a lot to offer. i will say that I have been to FOUR concerts this week as well as two foreign films and I am outside of little old Tucson.
Traffic was one of my priorities when I chose my relocation place. No cities (population density), no tourist towns (can triple their population during the "in" season). One place I checked out was billed as a mountain town. Wasn't what I expected for a "mountain town." So much traffic. It actually had public parking garages...in a mountain town. I mentioned there was too much traffic in the town for me to want to live there and the residents (holding a retirement seminar) looked at me like I had 3 heads. I finally figured out why. The place was full of retirees from large northern cities. They didn't see traffic at all compared to the cities they came from and I wasn't even there after Memorial Day when all the snowbirds from Florida show up. That was when "population density" moved up on my relocation list of things important to me.
I really thought that I wanted to live in a "near the mountains town" like Alcoa or Maryville, TN. However, the traffic through those towns changed my mind very quickly. I was there in early November. I would hate to be in the area between memorial Day and Labor Day.
The decision isn't irreversible, but so far it's working fine. I'm doing lots of volunteering (it's very big here as opposed to he Bay Area). The people are MUCH friendlier.
I had to laugh, sorry.
You tell someone in the Bay Area that people here are not very friendly and they'll bite your head off.
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I mentioned there was too much traffic in the town for me to want to live there and the residents (holding a retirement seminar) looked at me like I had 3 heads. I finally figured out why. The place was full of retirees from large northern cities. They didn't see traffic at all compared to the cities they came from and I wasn't even there after Memorial Day when all the snowbirds from Florida show up. That was when "population density" moved up on my relocation list of things important to me.
