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I will mention two places, but both have snow. NH is wonderful in all respects...but for the winters. It has access to everything and very low tax rates....just property tax or investment tax....but you have to have enough to make this something to really consider. Boston for great medical centers. Denver, it snows....but doesnt normally stay long. Is nice dry overall climate.....never really humid hot, again access to everything but ocean.
You are not kidding. Yes both have snow but also very long, cold winters. If you live there you are definitely living in "frozintime".
It really depends on what you think your budget will be.
We have a nice retirement package and moving from a very high COLA. We like Sedona (although a little small) and will be visiting Carson City / Genoa in a couple months.
We began by looking at the tax friendly states, then looked at lifestyle and weather. There has been no perfect spot (every box ticked) so we are weighing the pros and cons of each factor.
Loved Seattle, hated the weather. Coming from Hawaii it would be too big of a change. Carson City is in a good location for us (40 mins to Reno [big city] 30 mins to Lake Tahoe) but is not very pretty. Genoa is pretty but farther from Reno....
I would start by choosing tax friendly states, then look at the cost of a home and use those factors to rule locations in and out.
Good luck!!
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Asheville, NC, although in the "Bible Belt" is actually very liberal. Lots of outdoor & cultural activities. My friend, who is gay, moved there from eastern NC because it is more liberal and accepting of gay people. He loves it there and has some acreage on a mountain. He's always posting pictures and it looks beautiful up there. I'm tempted to move there myself.
Different people have different criteria. It's a rare individual who has only a single criterion. I looked for a conservative state because I'm conservative. However I did not wish to live in a place that has hot, humid weather. That eliminates everything east of the hundredth meridian. Although we're different politically, I understand the problem you're experiencing. I suggest that you select the states that would satisfy you politically, then determine which would be at least tolerable, and ideally enjoyable. Likely factors are weather, population density, and proximity to other features that you enjoy. For example, California, Hawaii, and Vermont are all liberal states, but they are very different in other respects.
Did you look at Prescott, AZ? Very little snow, nice summers, lots of hiking around. Not exactly cheap housing-wise but not expensive compared to California. Yes, you'd have to give up day trips to the ocean but there are lakes around and you could easily do weekend trips to the coast (it's about a 6 1/2 hr. drive). There are art galleries and summer festivals. Phoenix is 1 1/2 hours away for more culture. It is a bit conservative; could you live with that? It's on my list, and I'm pretty liberal. I'm hoping it's more of a live-and-let-live attitude than insanely conservative; for what it's worth, I know a few people who live there and they're not conservative.
The other places on my list, FWIW, are Tucson and Las Vegas and maybe Las Cruces, NM.
You might want to consider the Eastern side of Washington - no state income tax, although it can be cold in winter, and hot in summer, most of the time it's pretty dry.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by bigdogmom13
Did you look at Prescott, AZ? Very little snow, nice summers, lots of hiking around. Not exactly cheap housing-wise but not expensive compared to California. Yes, you'd have to give up day trips to the ocean but there are lakes around and you could easily do weekend trips to the coast (it's about a 6 1/2 hr. drive). There are art galleries and summer festivals. Phoenix is 1 1/2 hours away for more culture. It is a bit conservative; could you live with that? It's on my list, and I'm pretty liberal. I'm hoping it's more of a live-and-let-live attitude than insanely conservative; for what it's worth, I know a few people who live there and they're not conservative.
The other places on my list, FWIW, are Tucson and Las Vegas and maybe Las Cruces, NM.
My Mom did all three of the above + Lake Havasu and Cedar City.
Las Cruces was her favorite, but too hot, sandy, windy, brown, for me.
We have many guests who enjoy Prescott and vicinity, We checked out Tucson 2 weeks ago to meet with many retiree friends. #1 for me there is CHEAP airport parking!!!$3/day but.... not a very good airport (not a hub... must make connections especially for international flights).
Sea Kayaking is pristine in NW and NE USA (seacoast and rivers and lakes). as are cities within less than 30 min of most places. Decent train service in NE and NW USA and never . seldom muggy! (If you are far enough north. Pleasant to go to Canada for additional culture, camping, kayaking, hiking from either end.
AZ I like to hike in March and in Oct. (better for me to visit than to live there)
So many factors to consider. When single I was of the mindset to find the perfect woman. Then I realized it was really more important to find the right woman. Am happily married. Same for this thread. Go with what is right and ignore the perceived negatives.
Living where it is cheap should not be your number one consideration.
Look into Richmond and Williamsburg VA. One note, I started searching at least a decade before retirement but when I actually retired my criteria had totally changed due to COL changed both in my area and all over the country, weather preferences, health issues, etc. One can plan but life can and will change a lot in the next decade!
These days whenever I feel frustrated at work, I start googling "places to retire." I'm about 10 years away from it, so right now, I'm just day-dreaming. I've been surprised at how many articles there are on the internet when googling "places to retire." There are all sorts of top-10 lists, sorted by all sorts of criteria.
So, this is just throwing it out there to retirees, looking for various people's 2 cents.
Here are things I like: Outdoor activities/nature, like hiking, kayaking. I'm hoping to remain active for a few decades into retirement, and staying active is the best way to stay healthy, so it's a no-brainer. But, I'm not just a nature-freak. I also enjoy cultural activities, such as concerts, museums, plays. And of course, it's nice to have a selection of independent restaurants. Liberal-leaning friends.
I don't like: High housing prices. Cold weather. Snow. If I want snow, I'll go visit snow. I also don't like hot and muggy. Hot and dry is okay. Chilly/cloudy/rainy gets me down. I love Portland, OR except for the amount of cloudiness and rain.
Offhand, I'm leaning away from places like Kentucky and Tennessee because of the muggy summers, and because, having spent some time living in the Carolinas, I don't think I want to retire to the Bible Belt. Culturally, I'm more comfortable near (but not in) larger cities, like Chicago, Boston, Portland, Seattle. The Pacific NW has great outdoors activity and culture, but I don't like the idea of that many cloudy days. I think I'd get depressed, quickly.
Outside of Phoenix, AZ always pops up in searches, and I haven't visited Phoenix yet, so I know it's something I'll have to check out. I don't know what it's like culturally, in terms of liberal/conservative, but I could probably find that out by googling. And I know AZ comes up high on lists because of favorable taxes.
Austin, TX used to come up high on lists, but I think that would be too hot for me, and also the real estate market has risen sharply in recent years.
So, in my fantasy retirement day-dreams, I live in a 2-BR townhouse (nobody above or below, but pleasant neighbors on hand), with someone else taking care of the yard (HOA), and it would be on or near a town or city park, where I can go on daily walks with my dog, getting to know the other regular walkers there with casual chats. The climate would be mild/temperate. There would be nearby mountains for hiking and scenery, nearby lake(s) and/or river(s) for kayaking and scenery, and the ocean would be within a 1-hour drive, because hey, who doesn't love a day at the ocean? It might snow once in a great while during winter, but it wouldn't stick. Summer might have a couple of hot spells over 90, but nothing lasting. There would be nearby museums, an art gallery or two, and probably a First Friday art walk every month (or something along those lines). Maybe a jazz venue in town. Concerts and plays, possibly just seasonal. Those museums, concerts, and plays might be in a nearby city (within a 1-hour drive) rather than the actual town I live in. Overall it would be culturally and religiously liberal/accepting/tolerant.
So, where is this retirement Shan-gri-la? I'm thinking I've just described someplace in Northern California, maybe the Napa Valley. Maybe the central coast, outside Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. Housing affordability is a major concern, if so. I would prefer to buy that 2-BR townhouse rather than rent, and am currently investing for such a purchase. Even so, I'm concerned about real estate prices in those areas. A co-worker suggested I look at towns east of San Diego. Certainly that area is worth a look, but off-hand, I do like slightly cooler.
Southern Oregon is on my radar - Ashland and Medford, maybe Eugene over on the coast.
Someplace in the southwest might work if I'm willing to give up the day trips to the ocean. That would probably take in places like Sedona, Albuquerque, etc. I could learn to stay inside during mid-day heat... maybe. I'm aware that I'll probably have to compromise on some of my criteria.
Thoughts? Hoping for a fun discussion here.
I think you may have narrowed your search to the South West by default. The only place you'll be happy that meets tour requirements is Ca,Az,Nevada.If taxes are an issue then the Henderson.Nv area is nice. SoCa is great if money is no object...I don't see the Great NW as being the answer at all, good luck...
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