Where in the West to retire?

[Fedup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade I'm sure they're fine people but I guess in UT the issue might be it's tougher to buy alcoholic beverages? As long as your neighbors don't have a compound with several sister wives?

I didn't have problem years ago when I went skiing at Salt Lake City. And not recently for my Zion or Bryce Canyon trip.
The Mormons might not drink alcohol but they have no problem selling and making profit. I think they also own or operate a lot of business in Las Vegas, aka sin City.

[timo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade I'm sure they're fine people but I guess in UT the issue might be it's tougher to buy alcoholic beverages? As long as your neighbors don't have a compound with several sister wives?

Some of the southern states have worse alcoholic laws than Utah, as in counties that are just plain dry. If availability of alcohol is a checklist for retirement, here is a link. https://www.legalbeer.com/liquor-laws-by-state

BTW, to be clear here, the availability of alcohol IS a requirement for my retirement.

[UnrealizedPotential]

Trirod, I can comment about living in Utah as a Non Mormon. If you are in Salt Lake City then I do not think it will be that much of an issue. Salt Lake City is diverse enough and big enough to offer you a lifestyle that should be to your liking. Outside of Salt lake City, I would not recommend coming to Utah as a non Mormon as the communities are small and close knit. The people are nice enough, but I do not think as a non Mormon you would feel comfortable. Mormons are good people, so any Mormons , please know that I am just answering a question that was asked and I am in a unique position to do so as I live in Utah.

[Birdie Num Nums]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trirod So I'm finally at the point where I think all my numbers work, but I am having trouble deciding where I should retire to. My wife and I currently live in the Midwest. Almost every vacation we take, we go out west - California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado etc. we are looking forward to moving out there permanently but are suffering a bit from analysis paralysis. Our main requirements for a retirement place: - four seasons but no excessive heat/humidity in the summer and not really long winters. A drier climate is a plus. - excellent hiking nearby is a must. Close by cross country skiing would be a strong positive - not too far from a major international airport since we are from the U.K. originally and still travel back there annually to visit family - preferably a big enough town to have a decent health club, decent shops etc. close by. i.e. Not way out in the sticks - reasonably affordable. Which I think rules out most of California. Ideally we would find a nice 3 bedroom house for $400k or less but we could stretch that a bit if necessary. So currently the front running state is Colorado. Originally we were looking at Fort Collins or some of the other Northern front range cities. But then we realized these places are still a bit of a drive to decent hiking, so we are now contemplating more west of Denver so we would be right in the mountains, but still pretty close to a major city. Feedback from others who live somewhere like where we are looking for would be very much appreciated!

From your main requirements, as listed above, I suggest Spokane. I once lived there as a little kid, and enjoyed it and its four seasons. But that was long ago, and things change. Also see:
Is Spokane the Next Big Thing? Maybe. - Features - The Stranger
A Tour of Spokane's Remarkable Literary Landmarks - Books - The Stranger

[timo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnrealizedPotential Trirod, I can comment about living in Utah as a Non Mormon. If you are in Salt Lake City then I do not think it will be that much of an issue. Salt Lake City is diverse enough and big enough to offer you a lifestyle that should be to your liking. Outside of Salt lake City, I would not recommend coming to Utah as a non Mormon as the communities are small and close knit. The people are nice enough, but I do not think as a non Mormon you would feel comfortable. Mormons are good people, so any Mormons , please know that I am just answering a question that was asked and I am in a unique position to do so as I live in Utah.

This actually could be a whole number thread: That 'retire to an area with a dominant religion other than my own'. I've been in many little towns in Missouri and Texas that are just as cliquish with their religion as Mormons would be in a very small town. It's part of human nature I think. But it could be a significant retirement consideration for where ever you would retire. For myself, I would not retire in most USA southern states in part because of the dominant religion there. But to each their own, I'm not making judgments here. Because despite what you hear, different parts of the USA do have different culture that could be a factor in where to retire.

[Ronstar]

Let's not have a 'retire to an area with a dominant religion other than my own' thread. Please keep an eye on the Community Rules as to religion.

[ocean view]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu My favorite in the West was Placerville, CA. Placerville, California (CA 95667) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders https://www.google.com/search?q=heal...hrome&ie=UTF-8 ... and maybe Boise ID

I grew up in the Placerville area and I have always said that I grew up in the sticks. I think that was one of OP's criteria to avoid. For example, I was up there just a month ago for a funeral, only a few miles from the highway, and there was no cell service...

[TrophyWife]

Davis, CA is a nice area too. College town with small town feel but close enough to Sacramento for travel.
Boise ID is a great area and affordable but it is hard to get to as far as nonstop flights. It takes us all day to get there from Southern CA.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrophyWife Boise ID is a great area and affordable but it is hard to get to as far as nonstop flights. It takes us all day to get there from Southern CA.

there are directs from BOI to

Houston
Dallas
SLC
DEN
MSP
LAS
PHX
ORD
PDX
SEA


and a few others in CA

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big_Hitter there are directs from BOI to Houston Dallas SLC DEN MSP LAS PHX ORD PDX SEA and a few others in CA

MSP will get you to quite a few non-stops to Europe...ORD should as well.you are already flying Eastbound which helps with flight times...

[SDHiker]

We retired last year and moved to Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon. We have now been here a year and could not be happier. We technically live in Medford, but on the southeast edge of town. There are four seasons. It gets hot in the summer, but it is not humid. The airport is convenient. There are several flights a day to PDX and SEA (45 minute flight) and a few to Bay Area CA and Los Angeles. Hiking here is amazing and many of the hiking trails nearby (half hour-40 minutes) are groomed for Nordic skiing and shoeshoeing in winter. There is lots to do also in nearby Ashland with the Shakespeare Festival, arts and good restaurants. We belongs to a nice health club and there is excellent health care in the area. As far as housing prices, we bought 3 BR/2BA with nice RV parking last August for 284K in a nicer part of Medford. A year later they are running 300-310K.

[Callitaday2022]

FB_IMG_1494283743647.jpg

[Out of Steam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade I'm sure they're fine people but I guess in UT the issue might be it's tougher to buy alcoholic beverages?

I've been to Utah on business a number of times this year, and have had no problem finding supplies of either beer or coffee. Did have a vendor run into an issue with ordering a drink without being served food. He had to buy a cookie to go with his drink.

[woodguy00]

I wouldn't get too caught up on the airport issue - OP stated 'travel back there annually' Between feeder flights and/or spending an overnight in a hotel near a major airport, I wouldn't rule out many smaller western small cities with lower cost housing and high quality of life.

]Some on our personal list, none of which have lots of rain or huge amounts of snow, are:

Wenatchee, WA
Walla Walla, WA
Spokane, WA
Pullman, WA
Boise, ID
Pocatello, ID
Prescott, AZ
Payson, AZ
Sierra Vista, AZ
Fort Collins, CO
Colorado Springs, CO
Missoula, MT
Helena, MT
Grants Pass, OR
Medford, OR
Klamath Falls, OR
Bend, OR
Ruidoso, NM

Send me a PM with an email if you want a spreadsheet with ridiculous amounts of statistics on these. My OCD kicks in overdrive when researching retirement destination. Humidity charts anyone?

[trirod]

Proximity to an airport is likely the first area I would compromise on. If I have to drive 4 or 5 hours instead of 1 or 2 hours to get to a decent airport a couple of times a year then that's not a big deal.

What I did look at last night was pricing of flights to Europe from various airports - there's some pretty big variation there. Denver seems to be about the cheapest at around $800 but SFO is not far behind. Boise was expensive at $1,400. So if I flew to the UK once or twice a year that could be a $600-$1,200 additional annual expense. Just one more thing to take into account along with real estate taxes, income taxes, insurance and all those other things that vary from state to state.

I just booked flights for a trip to England and Scotland in September and am flying out of Toronto for $750 instead of Detroit at $1,250 even though Toronto is a 4.5 hour drive vs. Detroit at 1 hour. Not sure if that makes me smart or cheap...

[explanade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodguy00 Send me a PM with an email if you want a spreadsheet with ridiculous amounts of statistics on these. My OCD kicks in overdrive when researching retirement destination. Humidity charts anyone?

Upload them to Google Docs and post a link?

[explanade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trirod Proximity to an airport is likely the first area I would compromise on. If I have to drive 4 or 5 hours instead of 1 or 2 hours to get to a decent airport a couple of times a year then that's not a big deal. What I did look at last night was pricing of flights to Europe from various airports - there's some pretty big variation there. Denver seems to be about the cheapest at around $800 but SFO is not far behind. Boise was expensive at $1,400. So if I flew to the UK once or twice a year that could be a $600-$1,200 additional annual expense. Just one more thing to take into account along with real estate taxes, income taxes, insurance and all those other things that vary from state to state. I just booked flights for a trip to England and Scotland in September and am flying out of Toronto for $750 instead of Detroit at $1,250 even though Toronto is a 4.5 hour drive vs. Detroit at 1 hour. Not sure if that makes me smart or cheap...

4-5 hours is a serious drive. Plus you have to be there 2 hours before an international flight so 6-8 hours you have to set out?

And where do you leave your car? Long-term parking at SFO out here is $10-15 if not more now. For a 2-week trip, that adds up.

I live closer to SJC, which is an international airport. But there aren't as many direct flights to Europe or Asia as there is out of SFO, so you typically get longer trips and more expensive.

That is also true for domestic flights. No directly flights to NY from SJC so longer flights, often more expensive.

So I fly out of SFO and usually get rides but even if I didn't, I would pay the expense for an hour transfer there instead of a 15-minute drive to SJC.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade 4-5 hours is a serious drive. Plus you have to be there 2 hours before an international flight so 6-8 hours you have to set out? And where do you leave your car? Long-term parking at SFO out here is $10-15 if not more now. For a 2-week trip, that adds up. I live closer to SJC, which is an international airport. But there aren't as many direct flights to Europe or Asia as there is out of SFO, so you typically get longer trips and more expensive. That is also true for domestic flights. No directly flights to NY from SJC so longer flights, often more expensive. So I fly out of SFO and usually get rides but even if I didn't, I would pay the expense for an hour transfer there instead of a 15-minute drive to SJC.

The OP didn't say how many tickets he bought. For more then one ticket this is a big savings. So drive in the night before, find a hotel with a good park and fly program, many will give you 7-10 free and add a nominal charge for additional nights.

[Fedup]

I've met many people who drive 4-5 hours to LAX for flights to Hawaii. I think they are from Baskerfield, CA.

[dixonge]

How about West-ern Mexico? $140K gets you something like this:

MOGNETT - Choose Chapala | Real Estate in Chapala, AjijicChoose Chapala | Real Estate in Chapala, Ajijic