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Tinabean - Been intending to share my thoughts on your great post:
My husband and I are younger but I've been giving thought to where I would like to see us settle in when we do get to that point. (Very smart move on your part)
I'm sooo with you in that even when I'm in my 80s I don't want to be surrounded with "old" people. While I do enjoy tennis, swimming and some club activities, the environment is a bit too homogeneous and lacks enough stimulation for me. -I agree and while I don't think you'll find data to back this up, I have a suspicion that joining some of these communities is akin to joining a herd of cattle. You all end of syncing up - you all meet for coffee at the same place/same time, complain about politics and "that pain in your elbow, etc." in a sort of choreographed "march to the end." You become what your surroundings are. If your life is centered around tee times, court times, and draping a towel over a pool chair so it's "reserved," then maybe thats appealling. But to me it all just seems so....uninspiring, robotic, predictable.
I like university based areas where there are more concerts, lectures and outdoor activities. Charleston, SC has always been a favorite of mine but the costs have skyrocketed and it is becoming too congested. Boone and Asheville NC are on the potential list. - All are popular NC options if you wish to stay in NC. As much as I like Charleston I'm not keen on dripping sweat from May to Sept., but yet, its still on our list becasue of all the rest it has to offer. Have not spent enough time in Asheville to have an opinion yet, although its feable attempts to appear hip make me laugh. Boone - love and hate college towns...love the variety of things they can offer...hate the snowflake students. Yes, I'm aware that makes me sound like a crotchety old curmudgeon even though I'm not!
Mt. Pleasant or another area around Charleston SC will work out for my list. I hear great things about living in Austin, TX. - I am on an Austin thread as I've been looking there. - Austin has exploded in the last ten years. Traffic is apparently a huge problem. Its still a cool place if you're in your 20's and becomes increasingly less so as you age out, so as a retirement option I'm skeptical. Austin WAS "organically weird", but now its more "manufactured weird." We're looking at Ashland OR - now thats' still weird, but its very $$ since a lot of Silicon Valley types have discovered it and want to turn it inot the next Napa/Berkeley. BTW - we lived next to Berkeley CA for 4 yrs, so we KNOW weird!! If you crave big city weird, nobody comes close to Portland...for smaller city weird, consider Ashland or Bend OR, but be ready to pay big $$ (FYI - we're not looking for weird, had enough of that...just unique).
The one thing they told me was that they don't feel that they would have been as happy had they not settled into the community where everyone has come from someplace else. They said the locals usually have their own friendship circles and it's not as easy to connect.-I think this is the most insightful point you and your friends make - seniors, especially those who hail from the same place, can form a pretty tight circle with myopic views of the world. I've heard that some of these communities "cliques" can be pretty unforgiving if you dare break from the herd and live too "independently." I subscribe to your friends logic that retiring with people from a variety of places would be much more appealing to me. Case in point: we originally moved to Charlotte, but I never felt I fit in because I wasn't a F-150 driving, Nascar loving, Eric Church/boiled peanut fan. We relocated to Raleigh Durham which pulls from all over the midwest and NE, and I'm much more comfortable...very few "Ricky Bobbys" here!.
Thanks for the laugh at the end, NC I appreciate your sharing your journey and comments. I hope that you continue to update the thread so that I can follow your discoveries. Yes, my husband works out in Oregon fairly regularly with some projects and loves it there. I'm a bit jealous of the Berkeley experience. I had always intended to live out there or, ideally, close to Laguna Beach but it never worked out professionally (or economically) haha. Lastly, your comment at the end made me laugh out loud because being from rural Carolina but born with a California free spirit into an unconventional family, I always said that I NEVER was in step with the Budweiser drinking, nascar watching, marlboro smoking, hunting crew. With a few more years behind me, I realized that was unaccepting of ME. Most of the Ricky Bobby's I've met (and grew up with) have been great folks; we just have different world views. Most people just want to provide for their families and have some fun in life. Our family doesn't smoke Marlboros or hunt or watch Nascar but we do pick up our F-150 later this year Hahahaha. Peace.
Tina - Forget Berkeley...you're too good for that. It's a hot mess of a place. We lived in San Jose, Walnut Creek and Orinda (last two are just on the East Bay side of San Francisco, Orinda borders Berkeley). Oregon is probably in the top three most beautiful states, but sadly, they loaded up ever aging hippie and dumped them there, and they've bred two-three generations of lil' pseudo-hippies, so there's that to contend with, as well as the migration of Californians who are driving up home prices and driving locals out to places like Idaho (I'm looking at Couer D'Alene Idaho too). Still, Oregon is on our list because I'm drawn to the beauty of the Pacific NW (also lived in Seattle for four yrs.).
We'd never go back to California. The state motto seems to now be "Lets Burn The PLace Down." Really sad and too bad ...between Lake Tahoe, Napa, Tiburon, Yosemite, Carmel-By-The-Sea, Big Sur, Joshua Tree, Orange County and the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), pound for pound, IMO its the most beautiful state there is.
...between Lake Tahoe, Napa, Tiburon, Yosemite, Carmel-By-The-Sea, Big Sur, Joshua Tree, Orange County and the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), pound for pound, IMO its the most beautiful state there is.[/quote]
Case in point: we originally moved to Charlotte, but I never felt I fit in because I wasn't a F-150 driving, Nascar loving, Eric Church/boiled peanut fan. We relocated to Raleigh Durham which pulls from all over the midwest and NE, and I'm much more comfortable...very few "Ricky Bobbys" here![/b].
Hmm, I know there are a ton of transplants in Charlotte who have moved there for jobs in the banking industry etc. But I suppose in the outlying towns such as Concord and Mooresville it's a different story.
Cool post. My husband and I are younger but I've been giving thought to where I would like to see us settle in when we do get to that point. It makes sense to go ahead and scout/invest in our target area if we find that magical fit. I'm sooo with you in that even when I'm in my 80s I don't want to be surrounded with "old" people. While I do enjoy tennis, swimming and some club activities, the environment is a bit too homogeneous and lacks enough stimulation for me. I like university based areas where there are more concerts, lectures and outdoor activities. Charleston, SC has always been a favorite of mine but the costs have skyrocketed and it is becoming too congested. Boone and Asheville NC are on the potential list. I'll be following your thread for ideas as well. Maybe when the dust settles, Mt. Pleasant or another area around Charleston SC will work out for my list. I hear great things about living in Austin, TX and I just Zoomed with friends with a mindset just like yours who settled in a cool community in AZ. They are into Music and hiking, etc.. but they did choose an over 55 community. They showed me their weekly calendar and they stay really connected and engaged. The one thing they told me was that they don't feel that they would have been as happy had they not settled into the community where everyone has come from someplace else. They said the locals usually have their own friendship circles and it's not as easy to connect. Perhaps that will be important as you evaluate your options. Good luck. Having the luxury of choice at that stage is a blessing for sure.
We are currently living in Austin. I lived here before in the 80s. I think Austin's press is way better than it's actual lifestyle today. Definitely come June thru August for a visit. We've already had a 98 degree day. Can't do the heat at 60 like I could in my 20s.
We are currently living in Austin. I lived here before in the 80s. I think Austin's press is way better than it's actual lifestyle today. Definitely come June thru August for a visit. We've already had a 98 degree day. Can't do the heat at 60 like I could in my 20s.
Do you plan to stay? We gave Lake Travis a serious look about 6 yrs ago but went to NC instead. If we were to consider Austin I need to be out on a boat, but that summer it dried up to a mud puddle and every boat was on dirt.
House is sold an we're moving on. The market here is crazy right now.
Austin is a great place for most newcomers, but for folks who were around 30 years ago, it's lost a lot of it's coolness and is much more corporate. Lake Travis is nice, but I prefer Buchanan. More laid back and further away from the stuffiness of Travis. If you can handle the heat, it's not bad.
Let me dig a little deeper for some objective facts about the area, despite your decision to move away. What does "stuffiness of Lake Travis mean?" When you say Austin is more corporate, can you be more specific?
where are you going?
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I appreciate your sharing your journey and comments. I hope that you continue to update the thread so that I can follow your discoveries. Yes, my husband works out in Oregon fairly regularly with some projects and loves it there. I'm a bit jealous of the Berkeley experience. I had always intended to live out there or, ideally, close to Laguna Beach but it never worked out professionally (or economically) haha. Lastly, your comment at the end made me laugh out loud because being from rural Carolina but born with a California free spirit into an unconventional family, I always said that I NEVER was in step with the Budweiser drinking, nascar watching, marlboro smoking, hunting crew. With a few more years behind me, I realized that was unaccepting of ME. Most of the Ricky Bobby's I've met (and grew up with) have been great folks; we just have different world views. Most people just want to provide for their families and have some fun in life. Our family doesn't smoke Marlboros or hunt or watch Nascar but we do pick up our F-150 later this year 
