The 'PERFECT' REtirement Spot

[Ted]

Re: The 'PERFECT' REtirement Spot -- Wisconsin

Here's a story that illustrates why Wisconsin would be ideal for some of you.  You can decide for yourself if you are one.

 A Texan, a guy from Illinois, and a Wisconsinite are riding horses out on the range. The Texan, just to show off, pulls an expensive bottle of whiskey out of his saddlebag, takes a couple drinks, throws the bottle in
the air, pulls out his gun and shoots it in mid-air.

 The guy from Illinois is shocked and asks, "What are you doing? That's a perfectly good bottle of whiskey!" The Texan replies, "In Texas, there's plenty of whiskey and bottles are cheap!"

   A little while later, not wanting to be outdone, the guy from Illinois pulls out a bottle of champagne, takes a few sips, throws the bottle into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots it, just like the Texan.

   The guy from Wisconsin can't believe it. "What are you doing? That was a very expensive bottle of champagne!"  With a wink to the Texan he says "In
Chicago, there's plenty of champagne and bottles are cheap."

   About 15 minutes later, the Wisconsinite pulls out a bottle of beer.  He opens it and takes a sip. Then another sip. Then he chugs the rest of the bottle. He then places the bottle back in his saddlebag, pulls out his gun and shoots the guy from Illinois.

 The Texan is visibly shaken. "What did you do that for?!?!" The Wisconsinite replies, "Well, in Wisconsin, we have plenty of people from Illinois, and bottles are returnable."

This was sent to me by a friend who grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in Washington State.  He's not looking for new neighbors there either.

 

[unclemick]

Anybody old enough to remember the Oregon governor who said come visit but don't move here - he wasn't joking. Glad I grew up in Washigton State - although we had our fair share of 'strange' people also.

 

[Ted]

Unclemick,

Yeah, that was Tom McCall. I remember him well because I lived in Washington from 1968 to 1973 and was rather active in politics. I was a moderate Republican and campaigned for Dan Evans.

People in Oregon (and, to a lesser extent, Washington)view Californians the same way that people in Wisconsin view people from Illinois (especially, Chicago).
In addition to that, there is the "cultural divide" between east and west of the Cascades, in both Oregon and Washington.

It's interesting to speculate how state boundaries might be re-drawn along political lines if we re-started from scratch. For example, I think the upper peninsula of Michigan would be in Wisconsin, and New York City would be in the Atlantic Ocean. But that's irrelevant in this forum because I can't imagine any early retiree moving to either place.

 

[unclemick]

Ted
You hit the nail on the head. Born on the western side 'God would get me' if I even 'thought' of voting republican - easterners drank bad water or something. Dan Evans was 'nice guy' but in the wrong party. As for California - I still remember some bad jokes.

I have 'ancient ancestors' who emigrated from Upper Michigan and New York. After WW II my father felt the Pacific NW was a reasonable suburb of Brooklyn.

I left at the end of 1969 - 'before the lights were turned off in Seattle' - now that was a 'depression'.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I used to think upper Michigan was paradise. Then I moved there and stayed 10 years. It still has appeal,
but I wouldn't go back.

 

[Billy]

After 13 years of retirement, we are STILL looking for that "perfect" place....there are sooooo many nice places to spend time.
Billy
Web-site http://www.geocities.com/ba264/

 

[haha]

Billy my man, you and Akaisha are setting a pretty high standard of retirement. Quit at 38, and live on a scale just short of the late Duke and Duchess of Windsor. We can't all be rich, but we can appreciate success when we see it.

BTW, I ate once at the Maisonette. Very nice experience!

Mikey

 

[Billy]

Mikey,

LOL…about setting a high standard….yes, we are fortunate,….a lot of hard work paid off.

The fact that I learned how to cook well, and Akaisha loves to eat my mistakes, makes for fun times. Plus, our skills have allowed us to meet many interesting folks along our journey.

Yes, the Maisonette is very nice…and I recommend everyone to eat there at least once.

Are you retired?

Thanks for the complements.
Billy
Web-site http://www.geocities.com/ba264/

 

[Brit]

Billy, From your PBS bio you invested $500,000 and live on $30,000 a year, is that still the case. Are you based out of a home in the USA or are you like the Terhorst and live anywhere you want.
Regards the Brit

 

[Billy]

Hi Brit,
Yeah, that’s pretty much the case….We have a base in the US and one in Mexico, but still travel and live in many locations…last winter we spent 5 months in Asia. We know the Terhorsts well, and meet up with them from time to time.

Regards,
Billy
Web-site http://www.geocities.com/ba264/

 

[Billy]

QUESTION?

My Perfect Place
population 60-150,000
Weather...moderate climate, no snow, lots of sunshine
low crime rate
good shopping and restaurants
GREAT public transport...so that a car is not necessary
close to international airport, (45 min max)
cost of living....reasonable
many outdoor activities, tennis, swimming, hiking etc.
Good library system
University town is a plus

Any suggestions?
Thanks, Billy
Web-site http://www.geocities.com/ba264

 

[Billy]

Cut-throat,
I know of many outside the US, but the problem is in the US....Public transport being the main hurdle...

That list is my "wish list"...

And in case you didn't notice...Minn gets COLD!

We need a place way south of there...

Thanks, Billy
Web-site http://www.geocities.com/ba264

 

[Cut-Throat]

Billy,

I was not recommending Minnesota at all to you. For that matter anyone. It is cold here and there is nothing nice about Dec, Jan and Feb except leaving town!

We have a saying in Minnesota that the only nice thing about the cold weather is that it keeps a lot of the rif-raf out of here.

I was only describing our resturant situation here. It is good, but still lacking even in a city of 2.2 Million.

 

[haha]

We have a saying in Minnesota that the only nice thing about the cold weather is that it keeps a lot of the rif-raf out of here.

Hi Cut Throat,

IMO, the absolute best thing about Minnesota is Minnesotans. I lot of places I have been the place has been fine, but the people something of an acquired taste. Not so with Minnesota. More the reverse!

Mikey

 

[renferme]

Personally I like AZ. Sedona is awesome, but very , very expensive. Phoenix and surrounding areas are nice, not too expensive, great weather. Even better are places like Prescott and Cottonwood - 4 seasons but winters are mild, average highs in the 50s in January.
When I retire, very soon, will have to stay in the Pittsburgh area, as my wife still works and has a great job. But, when she retires, I hope to convince her to move to AZ.
BUT, hope to visit New Mexico, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe this year. Maybe I'll like NM too!
Pittsburgh is nice, but like most northern cities, the winter weather is awful - horrible right now, 18 degrees and snow on the ground.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Indeed, some of the areas in northern california AWAY from the major metropolitan areas do fit the bill, excepting the public transportation piece. Most of the towns near Jarhead and I have some busses, but a car of some kind is at least useful and probably necessary in most US towns of 150,000 or less.

Towns like Chico and Davis sport nice universities, some good places to eat (with very good ones a short drive away), Sacramento Intergalactic airport is 45 minutes or less, no snow, no volkswagon sized bugs, and the cost of living is manageable. Far cheaper than any big cities, more expensive than middle-of-nowhere places. Bargains can be had.

With that, you're roughly two hours from San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Lake Tahoe. Four hours or less to anyplace in the SF bay area or Marin County. Five to Monterrey and Carmel.

Now if money were no object, and all things being considered, I might like to live in Key West or just outside of San Diego. But you need a fat wallet for those places!

 

[John Galt]

I have lived and/or traveled all over the country. I
always find it a bit amusing when someone says
"there are good places to eat". I've never been anywhere that was not near to outstanding dining
establishments. I'm not talking McDonalds here folks.
You just need to know where to look.

John Galt

 

[John Galt]

And another thing................New Mexico is outstanding.
Good weather, great scenery, etc. But, we wanted
BIG water and lots of it, preferably near the Gulf.

Re. cut-throat's comment about having to experience
all seasons in order to appreciate good weather,
I have experienced it all, believe me. If I never see
snow or a temperature under 55 again, that would be
fine with me.

John Galt

 

[ed_teach]

I have been looking for a spot to relocate.
I have read till I have a head that is pounding.
the choices that I keep coming to are deland fla. a couple of towns in louisiana, mt home arkansas[although the 8 inch anual snow is much less than in gaylord michigan it is more than I like. ] and a couple of towns in mississippi.
we lived in fla. for ten years in a town of arcadia.
and dont want to go back. a little to red neck.
It is very hard to make a decision based on reading.
so I think the best bet is to buy a travel trailer and spend next winter hitting the towns we like on paper and spending a month in each till we find the one we can call home.
We are looking for a place that has med. home values at 90 to 120k med. income at 30 to 35k and nice weather with palm trees.
near the beaches so we would be only 20 to 30 min. from the sand.

 

[black_hills_Bob]

I would like to give a plug for Custer South Dakota.
Low humidity, average high temperature is above freezing year round and record high temp is 100. The Black Hills are as pretty as any place on earth yet not out sized so it is easy to get around. Rapid City offers all the shopping. It snows, but just a couple of inches and generally melts. No Bugs, blue skies, and not much wind. Winters are long but bounce into the 40's every couple of weeks. Spring is non-existent, summers are glorious, and falls are long and great.
Down sides are no jobs and big daily temp swings.

 

[John Galt]

Custer/Black Hills is very nice. Last time I was there
was in 1991. Cross country motorcycle trip. Wouldn't live there though. Winters too long for these old bones.

John Galt

 

[unclemick]

"Perfect' in more than one spot? My thinking here - up to half the 'camps' around here are closed up in winter(school year) and going strong all summer(schools out).

Winter/summer or other reasons - does anyone have two or more spots they use in ER on a regular basis.

I remember the 'Winter Texans' from our RV days. Many RV parks had what looked like half size mobile homes with cars(Iowa and Kansas plates).