Reasons for Relocation after Retirement?

[chinaco]

I am curious about the reasons people choose to relocate to another town or state after they retire. Mind you, I am not talking about moving 20 miles away to the suburbs, but to a completely different location (perhaps another state)


Please take the Poll and provide comments.

Since people might have multiple options, I set the poll up that way.

Also, I am not talking about vacation homes or extended travel... I am polling about permanent relocation to your primary domicile.

 

[W2R]

The option "I live in New Orleans, need I say more?" wasn't listed, so I checked the "Just want out of the current location" and "lower cost of living" options.

Most people that I know or have come in contact with here do not feel that post-Katrina New Orleans is a safe, healthy, or desirable place for a retired person to live, and I can't help but agree.

Actually, I am really lucky because where I may choose to live is wide open. I have lived for a number of years in each of 7 states, so I have no particular ties to any. My family is not close. My family home is Hawaii, where my father is buried and where my 97 year old mother lives, but I could not possibly afford to live there.

My first criterion is cost of living/housing, since I don't have a bazillion dollars worth of equity in my home like some of the Californians do, and since I plan a modest retirement. I could afford to retire here, and planned to do so BK ("Before Katrina"). But as long as I have decided to leave, I might as well profit a little bit from my choice of location.

 

[grumpy]

We moved to a neighboring state to a "55 or better" community. The area where we had lived for 30 years had gone down hill - increased crime, changing demographics. We looked at these communities over a wide area and moved to the one we liked the most. This kept us within reasonable distance of family and friends. The move from a "blue" to a "red" state was a bit of a culture shock but after 2.5 years we have adjusted nicely.

We really like the lifestyle here. We have developed a great circle of friends within the community, something we never had before.

Grumpy

 

[VaCollector]

...shouldn't there be something on the poll for "wife made me"!!??

 

[73ss454]

Tired of NY weather, so we ran off to Florida last Dec.

It made it easy for us because my DD and the Grand Kids were there waiting for us.

 

[TromboneAl]

Traffic and crowds.

 

[farmerEd]

I already live and worked from an area that would be suitable to retire in...I chose my profession and the type of clients I wanted to have based on the ability of being able to choose where I would live, not the other way around. As such for 90% of my working career, and 100% of my self-employment, I telecommuted from a rural area. (population around 800)

Sure, I'd love to live on the ocean, but generally speaking, rural on the ocean is hard to come by and very expensive if you want a lot of land to go with it.

As it stands now, I can't see giving up my current farm/house at any point unless I am forced into an assisted living situation in 40-50 years....

On the other hand, I do believe a vacation house on the ocean is definitely in my future..

 

[Meadbh]

I have lived in several places which I would never have considered except for a j*b. One of my major reasons for RE is the desire to take control of this aspect of my life. I plan to move somewhere warmer and scenic with good services and transportation. Cost of housing will certainly increase. That's what FI is for.

 

[Khan]

I haven't relocated.

Don't know if I will.

Don't know where if I did.

I've been at the same address for almost 29 years (SW Ohio). The only thing holding me here is the cat, he is a (mostly) tamed feral and prefers the great outdoors.

I am tired of maintaining a house.

 

[Goonie]

After looking around and doing some research on areas that I thought I'd like to retire to someday, I've settled on staying put right where I am! Every place I checked out had it's good points as well as it's drawbacks. I have the same where I'm at now....the good and the bad....so why move?!

It gets hot and somewhat humid here in the summer.....but it doesn't last all that long. It also gets cold and snowy in the winter, but again, it doesn't really last all that long either. So the weather is actually pretty nice most of the time. And we have all 4 seasons! Including Spring showers & flowers, and beautiful Fall colors.

The crime rate is low to average.....usually not to much serious stuff. I can walk down any street in town, or through any of the parks, and not worry about getting thunked over the head or mugged.

The traffic is....well....pretty much non-existent! We joke that we don't have "rush hour" traffic....we have "rush 5-minute" traffic. If we want traffic, we can drive about 90 miles to Chicago.

Living expenses are are fairly cheap. Taxes are fairly reasonable....and the State income tax is 3%......best of all my pension is exempt from state tax!!! Not a lot of unemployment, but not a lot of high paying jobs either. There are a lot of things to do around here, too. There are 3 or 4 theater groups that put on some really nice productions. About half of the adult establishments (a.k.a. bars) have live entertainment every week end.....mostly local bands (from within 100 mile radius), and most are pretty good. (though some would be better enjoyed by those who are 'hearing impaired')

There are a lot of quaint little restaurants around that offer FANTASTIC food....at reasonable prices! There's also a great community college a few miles away, and they also offer classes off-campus in several area towns, as well as online/distance studies. We also have oodles of state parks within minutes of home.....lots of hiking trails, bike paths, fishing, camping, etc.

And though it's listed here last, it's a 'top of list' item for me.....in our quiet neighborhood......we have the absolute best neighbors anywhere!!!

It may not be a perfect place, however, it's THE perfect place for me!!

 

[Nords]

Can't think of a reason to move. I'd rather hire Joe Washington's "Groundbreakers" crew for our yardwork than leave these vistas.

We left Hawaii once when the Navy thought our talents would be better devoted to San Diego. (I left fingernail grooves on the runway.) San Diego in 1994 was a pretty nice place but we were able to [-]abuse our billets[/-] force ourselves back to Hawaii every six months or so for a week of temporary duty. Every time I saw the Ko'olau out of the plane's window it felt like I was coming back home. We've lived all over the world and considered many places for our retirement, but after two or three of those Ko'olau experiences we realized that San Diego wasn't home either.

Every move, made for the best of reasons, produces unintended consequences.

 

[happy2bretired]

I've thought of moving but I have lived in this state my entire life and I don't know if I could force myself to move. I am comfortable right now. I have a broker I feel I can trust, an accountant that I also feel I can trust. My niece's husband has a landscaping business and takes care of my yard and does odd ball jobs for me when needed.

My daughter says she wants me to move to where ever she gets a job after college. That sounds interesting but time will tell.

 

[DangerMouse]

We will be relocating to Australia from the US because it's our homeland. Of course the medical system which is relatively free is a ginormous enticer as well. As to where we settle within Australia, it is going to be an area totally unknown to us, so it will be the start of a new adventure.

 

[chinaco]

We will be relocating to Australia from the US because it's our homeland. Of course the medical system which is relatively free is a ginormous enticer as well. As to where we settle within Australia, it is going to be an area totally unknown to us, so it will be the start of a new adventure.

What is the cost of living like in Australia?

 

[kcowan]

We live in West Vancouver, a town of 41000 nestled at the base of Cypress Mountain on the ocean with beautiful sandy beaches. We can take public transit into Vancouver when we need the buzz.

But we want hot sun in the winter. So we plan to buy a place in Mexico. We will keep our penthouse in WV as long as we can afford it. Things are looking good right now.

We home swap and that gives us some cottage time close to the kids and grandkids every year in the east. Then we go to Europe or other destinations in the spring and fall.

 

[unclemick]

The option "I live in New Orleans, need I say more?" wasn't listed, so I checked the "Just want out of the current location" and "lower cost of living" options.

Most people that I know or have come in contact with here do not feel that post-Katrina New Orleans is a safe, healthy, or desirable place for a retired person to live, and I can't help but agree.

After Katrina - inland(like maybe 1000 miles) on a hill ABOVE the Missouri river flood plane.

heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh - will be in New Orleans for a week in July - another friend's wedding.

 

[W2R]

After Katrina - inland(like maybe 1000 miles) on a hill ABOVE the Missouri river flood plane.

heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh - will be in New Orleans for a week in July - another friend's wedding.

Living on a hill in Missouri sounds so nice, unclemick! I really think you made the right choice. There is just no doubt about it. Friends of mine, mostly native New Orleanians, don't say "Are you planning on staying?" to each other. They say, "What state are you going to?" It's sad.

Be careful when you are down here - - New Orleans can still tug at your heart if you let it. But for the moment, pass a good time with your friends at the wedding and remember how things were back in the day.

Glad it is a wedding and not a funeral. I have been to three funerals in just a few months.

 

[wildcat]

Living on a hill in Missouri sounds so nice, unclemick! I really think you made the right choice. There is just no doubt about it. Friends of mine, mostly native New Orleanians, don't say "Are you planning on staying?" to each other. They say, "What state are you going to?" It's sad.

Be careful when you are down here - - New Orleans can still tug at your heart if you let it. But for the moment, pass a good time with your friends at the wedding and remember how things were back in the day.

Glad it is a wedding and not a funeral. I have been to three funerals in just a few months.

Want2retire -

Just curious, have you read of any long-term health consequences from of all of the toxic sludge that was distributed during Katrina? Sort of like what 9/11 has done to some of the workers/residents that had a lot of exposure to area after the buildings came down.

 

[W2R]

Want2retire -

Just curious, have you read of any long-term health consequences from of all of the toxic sludge that was distributed during Katrina? Sort of like what 9/11 has done to some of the workers/residents that had a lot of exposure to area after the buildings came down.

What they are telling us is:

a) Everything is fine and dandy, and nothing was toxic enough to worry about

b) The 2006 mortality rate in New Orleans is 150% of its pre-Katrina levels

It has been strongly hinted by the media that this increase in mortality rate is due to the much higher number of suicides. Also, mental stress is aggravating physical conditions and hastening death in some cases. Medical care has deeply worsened since the storm as well.

New Orleans is probably not the healthiest of places to be.

 

[Meadbh]

W2R, what do you see ahead for the Big Easy in the next 10 years? Will it recover? How will it change? And how are people getting through the day?

 

[W2R]

W2R, what do you see ahead for the Big Easy in the next 10 years?

People here will continue their struggle to recover, and will continue to be hampered in their efforts to a greater or lesser extent by the usual problems (Louisiana politicians, corruption, poverty, and so on...). A steady stream will leave as they wind up their affairs. Others will show up so I expect the population to remain about as it is now.

Will it recover?

Let me get my crystal ball out... (closing eyes)... OK, here is what I see: New Orleans will improve. It will never return to what it was before.

How will it change?

Sorry, my crystal ball is not giving me a good read-out. Hmm. It will continue to have great food and tourist attractions (these have already returned). The population may never return to its previous level, though. New Orleans still has less than half the people that it had before. The "New New Orleans" population will include a much greater proportion of Hispanics who were not born in this country, but came here to work on the rebuilding and decided to stay.

The levees/floodwalls/drainage system will never be rebuilt to a level that provides the level of safety we had in 2005. Despite that, every three months the announcement will be made that everything is just as good as ever, and by alternate three month announcements we will be told that only temporary patches have been attempted (if that) and we have no defense from being flooded by even the mildest rainstorm. (That's not really a change, but a continuation of what has been happening so far.)

We will probably get a new hospital in ten years to replace one of those that were lost. Most of the doctors and other medical personnel who have moved away may not come back, though.

Some attempts will be made to repair the infrastructure but most of it will still be badly damaged. Eventually the National Guard (which is still patrolling our streets due to the wildly spiralling crime and murder rates) will go home.

And how are people getting through the day?

Hard telling. We have been through a lot. There is a fundamental security and trust in the predictability of one's environment that is lost after a disaster of this magnitude. Focusing on my ER plans and dreams helps to keep me on an even keel in that regard, somehow, though I cannot really explain why. I guess I am empowering myself with the idea that I can control my future to some extent.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

what a contrast between new orleans/katrina & homestead/andrew. according to recent miami herald article Homestead growth upstages Broward - 06/28/2007 - MiamiHerald.com homestead fl is now the "fastest growing community of its size in the country."

as for me, i figure i've already put in time served. i've been in my house for 13 years and in florida for more than 30. where do you vacation when you live in vacationland? to where do you retire when you live in retirementville.

i moved here with family in high school. got itchy to leave about 13 years ago but then the ol'man died & mom started developing alzheimer's so here i stayed. brother will be here for another 8 years until the youngest goes to college. have a few friends but they work all day. a cousin who's moving to mexico in 15 years for her standard retirement and another cousin who has no plans to stick around much longer. everyone else i love who used to be here is dead. i have no idea why i'm still here.

i clicked a few buttons. i need to get away from all the ghosts. i want something new in my life. i want better weather. not just a 1/2 year of the best weather in the country. i want great weather year round even if i have to move around to enjoy it. i also checked "looking for international living" which i suspect will lower my cost of living (though that does not motivate me so i didn't check it).

when i try to think of how to make my life as interesting as i can, i keep coming back to living a vagabond life. relocating, relocating, relocating.

 

[W2R]

what a contrast between new orleans/katrina & homestead/andrew. according to recent miami herald article

Yes, given the good and poor but hard working salt-of-the-earth local residents struggling so hard here, it's superficially perplexing. Perhaps it would help to recall that Andrew/Homestead was due to a hurricane while in contrast, Katrina/New Orleans was the result of levee/floodwall/drainage system failure. Apples and oranges.

For great weather year around, how about Hawaii? I grew up there and the weather is very nice, if you ever get tired of traveling and want to settle in one location.

 

[chinaco]

Yes, given the good and poor but hard working salt-of-the-earth local residents struggling so hard here, it's superficially perplexing. Perhaps it would help to recall that Andrew/Homestead was due to a hurricane while in contrast, Katrina/New Orleans was the result of levee/floodwall/drainage system failure. Apples and oranges.

For great weather year around, how about Hawaii? I grew up there and the weather is very nice, if you ever get tired of traveling and want to settle in one location.

Sorry New Orleans is not suitable to live. It is a neat town.


OTOH, it is kinda nice to be release from the obligation (self imposed or not) to just pickup and go. If I were to relo... I would probably rent at the prospective location for a couple of years just to be sure it was a match before I permanently settled in. My desire would be to go to a tropical location. Since we are not in a (need to stretch the money) situation, that location might be someplace like Hawaii (Nords... I am jealous).

 

[W2R]

My desire would be to go to a tropical location. Since we are not in a (need to stretch the money) situation, that location might be someplace like Hawaii (Nords... I am jealous).

That sounds great, doesn't it? I can't figure out a way to afford it and live the way I would like to live, though, since I will be retiring on a shoestring. We have been looking at Springfield, Missouri due to low cost of living/housing there. NW Arkansas and northern Alabama are possible alternates. These are all nice places, too. I think nearly every location has some plusses that can make living there fun.

I still haven't totally ruled out New Orleans, and if recovery here is strong enough to be nearly miraculous in the next 2-3 years, I might stay. Who knows? My crystal ball might be malfunctioning. I would need to see much more rebuilding, improvements in crime, health care, traffic, and infrastructure, and big improvements in levees/floodwalls/drainage if I were to stay.