Pick My Retirement City!!!

W2R said:
San Diego, California. I would never move back there myself, but then my I have different criteria for selecting the perfect retirement location.
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Or nearby Temecula and Murrieta, in neighboring SW Riverside County.
 
Shabby said:
As I edge closer to my ER, I think after 10 years here in Seattle, perhaps a new location is in order. All opinions are welcome and encouraged.

Thanks in advance!

Scenario:
1. Late 40's couple due to ER in 2 years - no kids
2. Lived in upstate NY, OH, South FL, San Fran and WA so far
3. Retirement house will be purchased for $600k or less
4. Household income should be $130k
5. Most likely will work part time

Requirements:
1. Within a 10-40 minute drive to a city with sports teams, restaurants, performing arts, and concerts
2. Weather not extreme in the winter
3. Trees and forests near

Ideal:
1. Fairly conservative
2. Within 40 minute drive to an ocean or large body of water
3. Cute, quaint towns are nice
4. House has .5 acres or bigger lot
5. Near wineries or where wine grapes can be grown
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This would be a lot easier to answer if you told what you don't like about Seattle Incidentally, Seattle goes from 145th St (the border with Shoreline) to a fuzzier border on the South mostly made of Tukwila and Renton. E, somewhere in Lake Washington, West, Puget Sound.

Some members live in Seattleish, and I am not clear on the boundaries of that municipality. Some areas East of Lake Washington elect Republicans, and Island County elects quite a few in local races.

Ha
 
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I was also going to suggest Escondido or Temecula. Perhaps Fallbrook.

North east San Diego county or south Riverside county.

If you look at who the congressman is - you'll agree it's conservative. (Darrel Issah.)

Or you can do more central east San Diego, county - El Cajon, Lakeside, Alpine... Again - look at the congressperson - Duncan Hunter Jr.

San Diego is pretty darn conservative except on the coast. (Coronado is an exception to that because there are a lot of retired military officers there.)
 
I envy Californians for their weather.

But you're not going to find any better music than east of the Mississippi!
 
steelyman said:
I envy Californians for their weather.

But you're not going to find any better music than east of the Mississippi!
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That's right! New Orleans is on the East Bank of the Mississippi. At least most of it is, just barely... :D
 
Take a look at Annapolis, MD or surrounding area. Access to Washington and Baltimore for sports, restaurants, culture etc. Right on Chesapeake Bay. MD and Delaware Beaches nearby. Fantastic historic sea town with Naval Academy. Housing fairly high, however outside of Annapolis such as Severna Park, MD has lower prices.
 
The inland fringes of San Diego and inland Orange county will meet your requirements except for being close to the city and having forests. Coastal north county SD where I live, while lovely, has a pretty limited housing supply in your price range and is trending ever bluer. :D How about Huntsville Alabama? It's wealthier than the rest of Alabama (a low bar) and has NASA and some other high-tech as well as Yankee transplants from around the country. It's a little higher in elevation and not quite as miserable in the summer and far enough inland that hurricanes are not an issue. It has some quite charming old architecture.
 
AllDone said:
The inland fringes of San Diego and inland Orange county will meet your requirements except for being close to the city and having forests. Coastal north county SD where I live, while lovely, has a pretty limited housing supply in your price range and is trending ever bluer. :D How about Huntsville Alabama? It's wealthier than the rest of Alabama (a low bar) and has NASA and some other high-tech as well as Yankee transplants from around the country. It's a little higher in elevation and not quite as miserable in the summer and far enough inland that hurricanes are not an issue. It has some quite charming old architecture.
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DW and I toured around Huntsville last year, as her brothers both live there and her parents will likely move there when they retire. We were thinking of a possibility of going there once my Navy gig is done in five years. Doesn't compare with San Diego/Coronado (what does, really?) for a lot of the criteria: major sports, coast/water/ocean. But it is very conservative... it is very nice... and they could get great property for well under $600k. Foothills, forests, all aplenty.

Wine/grape growing? Not happening there.

IMO, Huntsville is fine and still an option for us, but based on what he wants, I really can't think of much better than Escondido (or Temecula if willing to go farther from city center).
 
I did the same review 8 years ago and now live in a perfect town which I can't divulge or Rewahoo will yell at me again as we are growing faster than our infrastructure can handle. With two rivers, a large lake -- going sailing tomorrow, within walking distance of HEB, between two major cities, major music venue with a lot of free shows, cheap housing prices 600k will buy a mansion, and an up and coming wine region which has a long way to go, a couple hours from the coast and a cruise terminal, plus just a happy, easy going culture..and very very conservative. After living 20 years in Arkansas, I am one very happy chickie and GO SPURS GO
 
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You can find everything on your list on Bainbridge Island. 11 properties that meet your requirements are listed at the moment.

There are lots of places in Kitsap County that meet your housing requirements. Longer trip to DT Seattle via either the Bremerton or Bainbridge ferries.

Heck, you can walk from Safeco Field to the ferry. Symphony, art museums, Experience Music, great dining, top notch hospitals.. and never deal with Seattle's famous traffic. Oh, and I didn't mention the Kitsap County Library system.
 
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Eagan, MN.

It fits all of your requirements, and compared to International Falls, or North Dakota, the winters are downright balmy.
 
mh said:
San Luis obispo area might work for you
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SLO doesn't meet the 10-40 minute's drive for "big city" culture/sports (3hrs to LA)... Great for wine, close to the coast, but far from the dining, arts, sports, that OP mentioned as important... and I love SLO/Santa Barbera, that whole area, just don't think it's what he's looking for.
 
Yep, I was thinking you might want to take a pencil and draw a circle around the Houston area and just move outwards till you find what you're looking for. We have a farm midway between Houston and Austin and you pretty much have your pick of conservative or liberal, depending where you plant yourself. Either way, you are close to lots of culture - museums, performing arts, restaurants galore. Not being a sports person myself, I can't comment on that one! The gulf coast isn't exactly Hawaii, but the Galveston area is still a beach with water and it's only about 40 min south of Houston. So you might want to consider somewhere south of Houston, rather than northwest of it. Winters are generally happy and wonderful. No shoveling snow because we don't know what it is. Our summers are other people's winters. It gets HOT. But away from the concrete of Houston you can get lovely breezes. North of Houston is more "trees and forest"(check out the area around The Woodlands). Fairly low cost of living, friendly people and a diverse state to explore. I think I've just convinced myself to stay put after retirement!
 
haha said:
This would be a lot easier to answer if you told what you don't like about Seattle
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I live in Woodinville on an acre with a great house. I like this area, but I think it is getting a bit too expensive compared to the value and the weather is too gray, dark and rainy for me. Also, things like the city council passing a $15 min wage law is ridiculous. The traffic is bad and getting only worse too.

On a positive note, I love the woods, water, access to mountains, low crime, easy city for me to get around.
 
I am researching a bunch of these areas you guys suggested!!!! Here was a list I have worked on prior to asking the question:

Sonoma or Napa - perfect except for the house prices
Delray Beach, FL - great, but no mountains or trees
Pinehurst, NC
Tampa, FL - again no trees
Jacksonville, FL - again no trees
New Orleans
Denver - can I deal with no ocean?
San Diego (North Solano Beach)
Arizona-Phoenix
Charleston SC - cute, but not near major city or sports
 
steady saver said:
Yep, I was thinking you might want to take a pencil and draw a circle around the Houston area and just move outwards till you find what you're looking for. .......North of Houston is more "trees and forest"(check out the area around The Woodlands). Fairly low cost of living, friendly people and a diverse state to explore. I think I've just convinced myself to stay put after retirement!
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The Woodlands is where we live and we are staying put too. We have lived on both coasts. California is nice, and we lived in Ventura County for over a decade, but it's too crowded and way too expensive these days. The central coast may be still nice, though. The east coast is a loser.

I'll take the Gulf over either coast any day. Every time I visit California it just sickens me to see the crammed neighborhoods, the traffic, the high costs, etc. (not to mention the political situation and taxes)

And professional sports? Houston Rockets, The (NFL) Texans, the Aeros, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, etc.
 
Shabby said:
I live in Woodinville on an acre with a great house. I like this area, but I think it is getting a bit too expensive compared to the value and the weather is too gray, dark and rainy for me. Also, things like the city council passing a $15 min wage law is ridiculous. The traffic is bad and getting only worse too.

On a positive note, I love the woods, water, access to mountains, low crime, easy city for me to get around.
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I agree, that $15 is really going to damage Seattle businesses like bars and restaurants, etc. Weirdness just gets weirder. But overall, the politics here has never bothered me. I just do not participate in political discussions. My vote will always be nullified; I have just accepted that. IMO the trouble with conservative areas is that most conservatives are social conservatives, which tends to mean no fun. Social conservatives can think of many things to dislike one about, but liberals can only get a case going against me if they figure out that I am conservative(Libertarian)

And it is dark and gray. I moved here many years ago from California, and it took a few years before I wasn't always thinking of moving back.

Traffic doesn't impact me, as I mostly operate in my local neighborhood near downtown.

Ha
 
I do love California but one of the reasons we have a farm is to get away from the crowds and traffic of Houston as often as we can. I do love Houston but I like a slower pace. Still, when it comes to retiring, (planning to in a couple of years) I'm not sure if super rural will be where I want to be forever. We are midlife (both 51) newbie farmers and I love it all, but I'm not sure I want to live that rurally post retirement. And I have no interest in continuing to maintain two homes. (It's the least frugal thing I've ever done but sanity counts for something.) Been doing that for almost 7 years and it can be quite stressful. That's how much I like the farm though.
 
Shabby said:
I live in Woodinville on an acre with a great house. I like this area, but I think it is getting a bit too expensive compared to the value and the weather is too gray, dark and rainy for me. Also, things like the city council passing a $15 min wage law is ridiculous. The traffic is bad and getting only worse too.

On a positive note, I love the woods, water, access to mountains, low crime, easy city for me to get around.
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Sorry to hear, we lived in North Bend last exit on The Pass. We came this close to keeping the home for later in life. Woodinville I would have thought would have kept the small town feel, guess not.
 
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