I'm baaaack...

Rich_in_Tampa said:
Thanks, Koolau, and a good question. I am well-connected medically in Tampa but the SF bay area is inter-galactically recognized for excellent care. Edge:
SF
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That was comforting to read, I must say!

I am sure you will live long and prosper wherever you chose to retire.
 
Hi Rich,

Glad you are back and on the mend!

Grew up in Marin County and lived/worked in SF for years. Too expensive for my taste and in fact we are looking to relocating to Tampa. I'll take sultry over hyper-expensive any day (DW is going to take a bit of convincing though).

Good luck with your decision.
 
Welcome back RIT! It's so nice to see you here again.

My thoughts are choosing the location that makes you the happiest.
SF sounds real good to me if the high cost of living is workable.

Best wishes on managing your health issues and continuing to enjoy your retirement (or is it semi-retirement if you are doing a bit of work?).
 
Welcome back & sorry about your health problems . Kids move so make the decision on where you would be happy .
 
I grew up in Columbia, MO, and have only visited Tampa and San Fran. Columbia is often on lists of best places to retire. I think it boils down to if you like a big city atmosphere or can be content with a smaller town. I'd also take into consideration if your health issues can be well treated at MU hospital.

Anxious to hear your choice and good to hear from you again.
 
Walt34 said:
I'd go for Tampa. If I had it my way the only snow I'd ever see again would be on TV.
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+1

Also, I was just reading this to my DH and I saw that you said they were serious health issues. I am so sorry to hear this and I am glad that you are managing them. By the way, DH voted Tampa also. He said that he is thinking more and more of moving someplace warm (as he looks outside at the fresh snow). News to me, but it sounds good some day.
 
It seems there is only one choice that will allow you to keep you on-line name. We won't know you if you change it and I always look for your posts.

;)

t.r.
 
I vote for Tampa as well!
I am sorry to hear about your health issues, but I am sure they will be resolved in no time :)
You could always come to Dirty Jerzey!
 
Good to hear from you RIT. The west coast of FL is one of my favorite vacation spots, but have never lived there, or, for that matter, SF or MO...
 
Welcome back Rich!

Hope you're managing your illness at a level that doesn't crimp your style too awful much.

Regarding the vote: I vote for "The City by the Bay"... The WARM one...Tampa.

I've lived in SF and surrounding Bay Area (~10 yrs), in middle America (St Louis), and in Florida (east coast-Cocoa Beach). As long as I could live on the water in FL (which is still way cheaper than SF), and not too far south, I'd choose it over CA almost every time; the one exception being, perhaps, if I had uuuuuuunlimited gobs of $$$. Then, I'd consider further south on the Cali coast.
 
Rich, Welcome back and wishing you the best on the health situation.

If I was picking purely from my perspective, I would probably rank them from first to last as follows: Columbia, Tampa, SF.

Looking forward to hearing your decision and rationale.
 
Bestwifeever said:
Friends who have retired to college towns have found many more cultural events than the average student is ever aware of (one said of Champaign, he can have a glass of wine at home and be at a concert in ten minutes). Surely true of Columbia, home of the state's flagship public university.
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This is my main point- not all college towns are alike. I realize I am the main Columbia basher around here, but I find Champaign as a town significantly different from Columbia...Champaign is much more like the sort of college town cultural atmosphere you are assuming might be in Columbia. For one thing the University of Missouri system is fragmented around the state in a way the U of I is not, creating a different confluence of cultures. The proximity of Chicago also gives Champaign the edge over Columbia. (No offense to St Louis, which I love and live in...we are not Chicago)
I have seen those "best places to retire" lists which sometimes include Columbia, MO and they only confirm my suspicion that no list can substitute for your own experience, values and desires.
 
And the answer is...

San Francisco, California (San Mateo, to be exact)

Amazing how closely the comments paralleled our own thinking on this one. In the end, being near the little grandkids trumped all the other factors (maybe my health issues gave me an attitude adjustment). Add to that the pleasures of the area, a walk-to lifestyle, and the urban nature of this old suburb (close to SF) and that was the decision that worked best for us. Our Tampa house is sold, rental of modest condo is in place, and now it's time to forge ahead.

I'll start a new thread for dealing with the financial impact of our choice. It's [-]daunting[/-] interesting.

Thanks for your replies - fascinating.

Rich
 
Rich_in_Tampa said:
And the answer is...

San Francisco, California (San Mateo, to be exact)

Amazing how closely the comments paralleled our own thinking on this one. In the end, being near the little grandkids trumped all the other factors (maybe my health issues gave me an attitude adjustment). Add to that the pleasures of the area, a walk-to lifestyle, and the urban nature of this old suburb (close to SF) and that was the decision that worked best for us. Our Tampa house is sold, rental of modest condo is in place, and now it's time to forge ahead.

I'll start a new thread for dealing with the financial impact of our choice. It's [-]daunting[/-] interesting.

Thanks for your replies - fascinating.

Rich
Click to expand...

How exciting! Welcome to San Francisco, Rich. :flowers:
 
Sounds very nice. How soon will it be Rich In San Mateo? Grandchildren definitely make other factors less important. They will enrich your life and you will enrich their life. Have fun!
 
Last edited:
Weather-wise San Diego would be about perfect all year round vs. SFO fog. We bought for winter use in La Quinta (think Palm Springs), which qualifies for too damn hot during several months of the summer - but it's a short hop by air to SFO, or a 7 1/2 hour drive. Point is, you might be well served a bit out of the city proper..
 
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