Retirement moves: if you're moving, please list your top 5 places and why
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Looking at some of your choices and comparing the Springs... consider that the Front Range (which includes that town) is really bulging at the seams. Have a look at Montrose, CO, which is on the west side of the Rockies, called the Western Slope. Weather still seasonal but something of a Banana Belt compared to the east side of the Rockies. It's smaller but actually not a bad town all things considered.
I was just in Denver. While it's grown, bulging seems excessive. You look east and there is grassland wide open as far as the eye can see. Never understood how homebuilders can get $400K for 2,500 SF on the prairie of WIDE open spaces - and that's what I saw on the way to DIA to catch my flight home. Land is PLENTIFUL on front range. Its not like the eastern seaboard, southeast Florida or Southern California. It's RIDICULOUS and reeks of a housing bubble.
Well, I do like to hunt,fish,camp, and boat.Its a still a long time off for me though.I would like to be close to a good grocery store.I dont think getting around will be an issue.I like New Braunfels.I dont think it would be a problem for me since I am German.My dream retirement spot in the Texas Hill Country would be Horseshoe Bay but I dont know if I will ever be able to afford it.
Have you considered northwest of Austin? That's still Hill Country as Lake Buchanan is there. I took my first drive to the Canyon of the Eagles on the northeast area of the lake. Burnet or Llano. It was a pretty drive and about an hour from the northern suburbs of Austin but a world away.
We have moved in retirement several times, and are planning to move back to one location. So, to make it interesting I will tell you all of our choices mixed together with places we actually lived, and a quick reason we liked it (or didnt), in no particular order.
Asheville NC- friendly people, beautiful scenery, good clean healthy food.
Suburbs of Nashville- beautiful scenery, lower utilities, low income taxes.
Central Florida- Nice people, beautiful scenery, lots of recreational activities, no state income tax, the weather can kill you.
Boise Idaho- Rated Number One place to move 2015-2016-2017 low crime, far from anywhere.
Southern Arizona- no state income taxes, lower housing costs, mostly Calif escapees here.
I was just in Denver. While it's grown, bulging seems excessive. You look east and there is grassland wide open as far as the eye can see. Never understood how homebuilders can get $400K for 2,500 SF on the prairie of WIDE open spaces - and that's what I saw on the way to DIA to catch my flight home. Land is PLENTIFUL on front range. Its not like the eastern seaboard, southeast Florida or Southern California. It's RIDICULOUS and reeks of a housing bubble.
On the eastern plains it is slower but gaining momentum. It's sprouting out of Aurora and Parker and heading toward Limon. That plentiful land will be limited water-wise. We've had a few good years of snowpack but when the next drought hits it will be interesting. There used to be undeveloped spaces between the Front Range towns of which eastern CO is not a part of; now Ft. Collins runs into Loveland, which runs into Longmont (small amounts of land in between there), which runs into Erie, then Denver metro, then Castle Rock, then a tiny bit more land here and there to the Springs, then Pueblo.
Agree that it isn't to the point of the areas you mention, yet.
We think housing bubble too but people just keep flooding in here and the supply isn't keeping up with the demand. $400 K is nothing for a house in parts of Denver and Boulder.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by walker1962
I was just in Denver. While it's grown, bulging seems excessive. You look east and there is grassland wide open as far as the eye can see. Never understood how homebuilders can get $400K for 2,500 SF on the prairie of WIDE open spaces - and that's what I saw on the way to DIA to catch my flight home. Land is PLENTIFUL on front range. Its not like the eastern seaboard, southeast Florida or Southern California. It's RIDICULOUS and reeks of a housing bubble.
Front Range CO is TOAST for retiree seeking ez access to outdoors. Southwest of Pueblo (access to So CO / NM) and Northwest of FC might be an exception, as you can get to WY pretty fast. (DOn't wear your 'greenie plates'
Smog is terrible in Denver, and fighting a zillion people heading to the hills is no fun.
The growth is sprouting around DEN, and eventually it will need to relocate (Again) to KS or western NE (where it practically is already...) I was chased from CO in late 1970's. I still visit several times / yr, and some regions are very nice, but... I can never return 'home', as it is very different and lots of strife / pressure on resources.
It can suffice for a 'transplant' (nicer than a lot of places), but certainly not ideal for a sportsman. Plenty of nice weather and things to enjoy (with lots of 'company'. )
I haven't ruled out retiring abroad, like the Philippines or Portugal but will stick with places I'm looking at in the United States for this thread. In no particular order
Houston. Lived there for a couple of years and really like it. Biggest mistake I made was leaving Houston to take my current job. It's affordable, a major metro, and I like it. May be the most likely candidate. Memphis. Really the only reasons its on here is affordability and its the largest city that's close to my hometown. Lompoc or San Joaquin Valley, California. I like California and the SJV is a more affordable part of the state. I used to live in Santa Barbara and it is out of my price range, but Lompoc is nearby, has Santa Barbara weather and is very affordable for California. El Paso. Affordable, nice size, good winter weather. Pittsburgh. I only hear good things about Pittsburgh. Good universities, walkability, good transportation, livable, and still affordable. The drawback is the weather.
Front Range CO is TOAST for retiree seeking ez access to outdoors. Southwest of Pueblo (access to So CO / NM) and Northwest of FC might be an exception, as you can get to WY pretty fast. (DOn't wear your 'greenie plates'
Smog is terrible in Denver, and fighting a zillion people heading to the hills is no fun.
The growth is sprouting around DEN, and eventually it will need to relocate (Again) to KS or western NE (where it practically is already...) I was chased from CO in late 1970's. I still visit several times / yr, and some regions are very nice, but... I can never return 'home', as it is very different and lots of strife / pressure on resources.
It can suffice for a 'transplant' (nicer than a lot of places), but certainly not ideal for a sportsman. Plenty of nice weather and things to enjoy (with lots of 'company'. )
Hear ya... it's getting bad and yeah the greenie plates are really a target when driving out of the state. Wyoming has always had it out for us, now it is a whole lot worse and the Nebraska troopers are in on it too now. I guess the cops must think all of us have pot in the car and so look for the most minor of infractions for traffic stops.
I-70 is a mess and so is 40 and 285; even weekdays are getting bad. Too many disrespectful people in the back country. Spouse and I went hiking from the top of Jones Pass last summer and some idiot had taken a heavy vehicle (truck probably) off road over the tundra, destroying beautiful meadows of wild flowers, plowed over willows/buck brush and tore the land up pretty badly... the runoff was still coming off the headwalls at the top so everything aside from the hiking trail was spongy. UGH. This was in the middle of the week. Really bad.
Having lived here for a lifetime, saw this begin to happen and shoulda left a little earlier like you did, but both of us being settled into careers and our kids in college in the state has held us captive (literally). But there are very beautiful places, the climate is really enjoyable. Can't blame people for wanting to come here at all, but I do blame the greedy, runaway growth and development practices.
Southern Arizona- no state income taxes, lower housing costs, mostly Calif escapees here.
Arizona has state income taxes
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