Retirement Relocation scouting

[jjquantz]

She likes cold winters?

Absolutely NOT. "Winters" would be in Hawaii. The definition of winter would depend on the mainland city where we spent our "summers". DW has said the winter in our old mid-Iowa home is from November 1 to April 1. Winter here in northern Virginia, according to her, is December 15 to March 1.

 

[meierlde]

Re Dark Skys look at trans pecos Tx in particular Alpine, It is near the Mcdonald Observatory and an area where dark skies are important, gets a bit cold but does not stay long. Alpine's average high in Jan is 60 and the average low is 32 with an average of 3.2 inches of snow per year. (Admittedly it is very much in the middle of nowhere being about 120 mi north of big bend, and about 220 mi from El Paso. ) Alpine does have a state college with about 2000 students however. (Or look at Fort Davis a bit closer to the observatory) Note it is about 400 miles to San Antonio however.

 

[Scuba]

Not a reasonable cost of living for any of the above cities except Bloomington. The rest are substandard societies for the most part except for Bloomington & Madison, WI. And the weather and Wisconsin property taxes there are unbearable.

I still vote for outside of Atlanta or Houston for a balance of low COL, good weather and all the culture you require.

I lived in Houston for 10 years and would not define the weather there as "good" unless you like high humidity and lots of rain. But I guess it's better than snow.

 

[jjquantz]

Re Dark Skys look at trans pecos Tx in particular Alpine, It is near the Mcdonald Observatory and an area where dark skies are important, gets a bit cold but does not stay long. Alpine's average high in Jan is 60 and the average low is 32 with an average of 3.2 inches of snow per year. (Admittedly it is very much in the middle of nowhere being about 120 mi north of big bend, and about 220 mi from El Paso. ) Alpine does have a state college with about 2000 students however. (Or look at Fort Davis a bit closer to the observatory) Note it is about 400 miles to San Antonio however.

I had a friend who moved to Alpine about 15 years ago just for the dark skies. It ended his marriage. Despite both husband and wife being extreme introverts it was too much in the middle of nowhere for the relationship. Anyway, DW would argue that the winter temps are not warm enough for her.

There is a small housing development in eastern New Mexico that is not TOO far from Alpine that has an HOA whose rules are all about dark sky protection. Can't remember its name right now.

 

[1-31-18]

jjquantz, you should move to my neighborhood. I live three blocks east of Wrigley Field. The week before Christmas, we are hosting a dinner party before a Baroque music concert in a nearby church. You’d probably like it here even more than I do — and I love it.

 

[meierlde]

I had a friend who moved to Alpine about 15 years ago just for the dark skies. It ended his marriage. Despite both husband and wife being extreme introverts it was too much in the middle of nowhere for the relationship. Anyway, DW would argue that the winter temps are not warm enough for her.

There is a small housing development in eastern New Mexico that is not TOO far from Alpine that has an HOA whose rules are all about dark sky protection. Can't remember its name right now.

Of course although the weather is colder in Western Wy North and South of Rock Springs you have real night skys. After all it is so desolate that there are not even power lines along the roads. Then of course there is Tucson, where there are strong ordinances to keep the Kit Peak observatory working. (light pollution ordinances a simple fix is that all light fixtures on street lights must emit no light at more than an angle of 80% from the ground)

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Weather is a big factor for us. Here is one person's map of pleasant weather across the 48 states:
https://kellegous.com/j/2014/02/03/pleasant-places/

The most liberal and conservative big cities chart is here. There's a pretty different vibe between places like Houston and San Francisco which is one of the reasons we moved out to California.
Chart of the Week: The most liberal and conservative big cities | Pew Research Center

You might want to check sites like Goldstar and the UC Berkeley Performing Arts calendar for chamber music options, plus this classical music site with event listings - https://www.sfcv.org/calendar.

 

[Sunset]

Absolutely NOT. "Winters" would be in Hawaii. The definition of winter would depend on the mainland city where we spent our "summers". DW has said the winter in our old mid-Iowa home is from November 1 to April 1. Winter here in northern Virginia, according to her, is December 15 to March 1.

I see an issue here of an island house and a mainland house, the commute between each done every 6 months, probably involves a lot of stuff to be moved.
When driving as some here have done for years, its a matter of loading the trunk, but if you have to fly between houses it will be more complex or harder, or grossly expensive.

Yes you can duplicate cars, clothes, hats, etc, so what do folks move between houses each time they move ?

 

[Huston55]

Very hard to advise you when we can’t get in your (and DW’s) head. But, here are a few thoughts:

1. Confirm your location balance (ie: sounds like mainland is the primary location & HI is secondary; confirm that)
2. What about personal (family & friends) connections? Didn’t see that mentioned despite the fact that it’s extremely important.
3. What’s more important; COL or logistics? IOW, do you prefer to live on the West Coast (which BTW doesn’t have to be IN a major city; try 2 hrs from major CA airport) for a 4 hr flight or, do you prefer the heartland, lower COL & an 8+ hr flight?
4. How long will you do the two locations thing? Really!?!? Because, it only lasts so long. And, will you be happy with your ‘permanent’ location when the two location thing is done?
5. Fill out a schedule for your typical week (or month if that’s more instructive) in each location & see how that makes you feel. REALLY, it’s quite revealing; at least it was for us.
6. One final thought: DC is NOT the center of anything...except maybe disfunction. IMO, having lived in NoVA & SoMD 6 different times in my life, it’s not where anyone would ever go except for the fact that our Govt (and all associated with that) is located there.

We wish you the best & hope to read many status reports.

 

[jjquantz]

jjquantz, you should move to my neighborhood. I live three blocks east of Wrigley Field. The week before Christmas, we are hosting a dinner party before a Baroque music concert in a nearby church. You’d probably like it here even more than I do — and I love it.

My wife grew up on the North side. She is not real anxious to go back, but the Wrigley bug is strong. Sounds like a great neighborhood!

 

[jjquantz]

Thanks, Huston55, for the questionnaire.

1. Confirm your location balance (ie: sounds like mainland is the primary location & HI is secondary; confirm that)

We're trying to work this out. We are thinking through 4/8, 6/6 and 8/4 month splits between mainland and Hawaii. This will be a major area of discussion after this year's trip, I am sure.

2. What about personal (family & friends) connections? Didn’t see that mentioned despite the fact that it’s extremely important.

Making friends has sometimes been a struggle for us. Our social life tends to revolve around our activities. Golf, choir, astronomy club, fellow music performers. So, to a certain extent, if these activities are available connections will happen. On the family side, DD#1 lives near us right now - giving that up would be tough but the likelihood of her relocating is high enough that we can't count on her always being here if we stay in the area. DD#2 is in Denver. Our current thoughts are that we would route our relocation travel through Denver and see them twice a year, more than we do now. Plus DD#2 LOVES Hawaii, she would likely visit occasionally, especially for her Christmas break.

3. What’s more important; COL or logistics? IOW, do you prefer to live on the West Coast (which BTW doesn’t have to be IN a major city; try 2 hrs from major CA airport) for a 4 hr flight or, do you prefer the heartland, lower COL & an 8+ hr flight?

Right now I would say COL, plus see above about routing through Denver.

4. How long will you do the two locations thing? Really!?!? Because, it only lasts so long. And, will you be happy with your ‘permanent’ location when the two location thing is done?

DW and I discussed this over breakfast yesterday. It's entirely possible that the Hawaii part could be a couple of years and done. It almost certainly wouldn't last more than 10 years or so (when we are both 70ish). However, there are folks who live out their allotted span in Hawaii,
so you never know.

5. Fill out a schedule for your typical week (or month if that’s more instructive) in each location & see how that makes you feel. REALLY, it’s quite revealing; at least it was for us.

Great idea! Easy for me, right now, tougher for DW since she's still working and doesn't have a good feel for what retirement is like.I'll give this some thought and discuss with DW.

6. One final thought: DC is NOT the center of anything...except maybe disfunction. IMO, having lived in NoVA & SoMD 6 different times in my life, it’s not where anyone would ever go except for the fact that our Govt (and all associated with that) is located there.

I certainly didn't say it was, but it provides wonderful access to all the cultural activities up and down the East Coast and we have come as close to putting down roots here as we have anywhere else we have lived.

We wish you the best & hope to read many status reports.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[jjquantz]

I see an issue here of an island house and a mainland house, the commute between each done every 6 months, probably involves a lot of stuff to be moved.
When driving as some here have done for years, its a matter of loading the trunk, but if you have to fly between houses it will be more complex or harder, or grossly expensive.

Yes you can duplicate cars, clothes, hats, etc, so what do folks move between houses each time they move ?

Yeah, we are thinking this through. We are definitely trying to think of how it could be done with minimal movement of stuff - just moving a couple of flutes and the laptop would be the ideal. Wardrobes might be enough different that it wouldn't even be necessary to pack a suitcase. The single largest logistical thing would be storage of the keyboard instruments and telescopes, but I think that this would allow us to thin the herd a bit and just go with one harpsichord and one telescope at each location. If we get to the point of being really serious, we will discuss with our musical friends the possibility of storing with them, finding musicians who would like to have an instrument for 6 months, etc. On the mainland site, especially if that is the place where are spending the shorter amount of time, we could look for a location that allows us to live without a car like several of my younger friends now do. Carshare, mass transit and Uber are viable possibilities in many metro areas.

 

[NoiseBoy]

Recently I added Kenosah, WI to my list of possible retirement locations. It is one hour to O'hare and there is a Metra station downtown, so easy access to the big city. I've looked at a few condos on Zillow with lake views and been pleasantly surprised by the prices. The HOA fees, on the other hand, were pretty high.

Not sure if Kenosha meets your music and astronomy requirements, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Your wife could save money by going to Milwaukee to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field North!

 

[jjquantz]

Recently I added Kenosah, WI to my list of possible retirement locations. It is one hour to O'hare and there is a Metra station downtown, so easy access to the big city. I've looked at a few condos on Zillow with lake views and been pleasantly surprised by the prices. The HOA fees, on the other hand, were pretty high.

Not sure if Kenosha meets your music and astronomy requirements, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Your wife could save money by going to Milwaukee to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field North!

That whole area just south of Milwaukee is definitely on the initial list and for exactly the reasons that you mention. Property tax rates are also high, but the cost of real estate is so much lower that the property tax that I would pay would decrease. I'll take a look and talk to DW.

 

[BeachOrCity]

Life long dc resident here. Not involved in politics and neither are my family and friends. The poster who dissed dc doesn’t get what imho is the number one criteria.

Your tribe

Lots of considerations that are of various importance to ones needs. But as humans
We all have some need for emotional connections to people. This is best accomplished when you live near those people.

Your two locations idea is a great one. I would encourage a winter seasonal rental perhaps multiple years in the same or different locations. You may find a 3-4 month stint outside dc each year gives you just what you are looking for. And renting reduces the financial risk

 

[Teacher Terry]

I grew up in Kenosha and go back frequently to visit. There is nothing to do there. You end up driving to Milwaukee or Chicago to do things. I think it has about 100k/population. If I was relocating back to the area I would definitely live in Milwaukee. It is a big city with a smaller town feel because of how friendly the people are.

 

[Jimmie]

Weather is a big factor for us. Here is one person's map of pleasant weather across the 48 states:
https://kellegous.com/j/2014/02/03/pleasant-places/

Thanks for posting this. Most interesting info. Wife and I are trying to figure out where to retire in 3 years. We had the same type of curiosity on best weather in US. Neither of us have any desire to live in Cali, but not surprised with how they ranked using his criteria.

 

[Breedlove]

Kind of funny , we were talking to some retired friends of ours last week . They bought a condo in southern France . They stay there during the hot Houston summer and enjoy our mild winters in Houston . They said they only paid 45000 EU and 20,000 EU in improvements . They said they were only 80 miles from Barcelona . And no property taxes !

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Kind of funny , we were talking to some retired friends of ours last week . They bought a condo in southern France . They stay there during the hot Houston summer and enjoy our mild winters in Houston . They said they only paid 45000 EU and 20,000 EU in improvements . They said they were only 80 miles from Barcelona . And no property taxes !

That seems like a cool idea. We used to watch the international house hunting shows and were kind of amazed at the housing prices in places like France and Spain compared to the Bay Area.

 

[sengsational]

I haven't been following this thread, but ran into this link from Clark Howard...10 places to retire on the cheap. 10 places to retire abroad for less than $2,000 a month | Clark Howard

 

[Revlefty]

I grew up in Kenosha and go back frequently to visit. There is nothing to do there. You end up driving to Milwaukee or Chicago to do things. I think it has about 100k/population. If I was relocating back to the area I would definitely live in Milwaukee. It is a big city with a smaller town feel because of how friendly the people are.

Kenosha? Can't you go out to the mall on the Interstate? Oops.. it is closed. How about the Brat Stop? Maybe go down to the lakefront and reminisce about the old American Motor's plant?

 

[AndyS]

Life is just better down here on the Emerald Coast ... ya'll

 

[Teacher Terry]

The Brat Stop is still there. I always go there for good food and a brew. The Lakefront is pretty now that they redid it. The downtown is pathetic.

 

[Bamaman]

I traveled with a co-worker that lived in Kenosha. She had an old 30's craftsman house-1100 square feet on a 45 ft wide tiny lot. Her property taxes were $5,500 per year. No thanks!

A!l of our Wisconsin employees in home office lived down in Illinois, North of Chicago. Winter driving to work was worse than difficult.

We had one office close in Texas, and our naive company thought half the 50 employees would transfer to Racine. One employee took the transfer for 6 weeks until he passed his 30th year anniversary and could retire.

Although our office was in a lovely waterfront marina on Lake Michigan, my co-workers hated working in Wisconsin and living in Chicagoland. There are just so many other great places to live with cheaper taxation and a higher quality of life.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Many people that lived and worked in Chicago moved to WI in the 80's but made the commute everyday. Some commuted by train. Property taxes are high but you get a lot of services if you need them. It was a good place to raise our kids but now I want to live somewhere that there is stuff to do and I don't want to deal with the weather.