California but Florida Bound

[rpow53]

My wife and I are tired of working so we looked at everything and decided that we could retire and live a conservative lifestyle. We will try to live on 50 to 60K a year. If not then we will scale back. We are both 54yo and like to enjoy our lives. we haven't met any other young retirees yet, so where are they?

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpow53 My wife and I are tired of working so we looked at everything and decided that we could retire and live a conservative lifestyle. We will try to live on 50 to 60K a year. If not then we will scale back. We are both 54yo and like to enjoy our lives. we haven't met any other young retirees yet, so where are they?

Congratulations. What area of Florida are you heading for? Quite a few of us here in the tropics.

I think you'll find the board very valuable. You can browse the threads or do a search if you have specific questions. Either way it's a rich resource.

[crazy connie]

Let me know when you plan to come through Arizona and I will see if the hot heads (100+ degrees) in Phoenix will get together and say hi!

[rpow53]

My wife and I really like the Leesburg area. It is located about 60 miles above orlando. small town about 25K population, close to almost everything, and affordable to us, and close to some good fishing. have you heard any good or bad about that area? We like florida but want to find an area that we will not have to worry to much about hurricanes.
thanks bob

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpow53 We like florida but want to find an area that we will not have to worry to much about hurricanes.

I'd recommend somewhere way up in the northern part of the state near Tennessee.

Welcome to the board.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpow53 My wife and I really like the Leesburg area. It is located about 60 miles above orlando. small town about 25K population, close to almost everything, and affordable to us, and close to some good fishing. have you heard any good or bad about that area? We like florida but want to find an area that we will not have to worry to much about hurricanes.

That's a nice area, as are Brooksville, the Crystal River area, Ocala. The panhandle is pretty, too.

You can't escape hurricane risk here (nor earthquakes in Ca, brushfires in the SW, blizzards in the north, etc.). But you can eliminate the rising-water flood risk by staying back from the coasts.

We like the Tampa area, but are still city-types and still working. You'll find some place you like - it's a great state.

[Trek]

Check around Lake City which is in the northern part West of Jacksonville. Affordable, away from the coasts, short drive to Jacksonville (Int'l Airport / Hospitals) or Gainesville (U of FL / Hospitals). And if you want to take a road trip up North, you don't have to drive for 11 hours before you reach the FL/GA border.

[GatorBuzz]

I live just outside Gainesville. There are definitely some younger (50's) retirees here. But this is the youngest county in the state b/c of the university. There is so much to do here that is free or very low cost, though. Outdoor recreation is very popular: canoing the rivers and springs, hiking state parks, golf, water skiing, etc.

Really, though, it's difficult to give you a good place to live in the state without knowing what you're interested in. Do you want to be in or very close to a big city; prefer the Gulf or the Atlantic; prefer the beach or the lake/river lifestyle; want a mini-ranch with a few horses? This state is incredibly diverse. If you let us know more about what you want out of your place, I'm sure we can point you in the right direction.

[Dawg52]

Destin, FL is very pretty. White sugar like sand, blue green water, great golfing and fishing. Not cheap though.

[yakers]

So whats the rest of the story? I live in southern CA but been to FL a number of times on business. I LOVE visiting there but can't imagine trading in the desert/Mediterrian based climate for a swamp based one.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakers So whats the rest of the story? I live in southern CA but been to FL a number of times on business. I LOVE visiting there but can't imagine trading in the desert/Mediterrian based climate for a swamp based one.

I did just that. Can't really say which I like better - both were/are very appealing. Mostly it's how you set up your life.

I'm also interested in hearing rpow's story.

[rpow53]

My wife and I are both just retired. I am from south louisiana and my wife is fillipino. We have been to fl. several times and both love it. we like the leesburg area because of it's location. far enough inland that storms due little or no damage and close enough to both coast to enjoy, we can get housing we want for under 300k, centraly located to all the attractions, no family close, they can come visit, I love to fish and there are a lot of good lakes closeby, salt water fishing is just an hour away, and the best NO STATE TAX ( ca. is 9.3%) .

Thanks Bob & Raquel

[OAG]

Just left Jacksonville area (actually a smaller town southwest of JAX, Orange Park). Lived there for 19 years and DW and I both loved it. It is growing fast but still has smallish town appeal. Lake City is close and nice as is Ocala (Horse Country).

[kcowan]

Sounds like a good strategy for you Rpow53. We don't like flat and humid, but if you are OK with that you can bank the difference from CA. We just returned from 3 weeks in San Diego. Ironically I prefer the heat of Florida. I just don't like bugs and humidity. Rain is nice so Florida wins there.

For us, Ft Lauderdale, South Beach and Key West all have their appeal. We heard a fun story from a couple living in Ft Lauderdale. They said: "Yes the Lauderdale area has a lot of old people living there, but their parents live on the Gulf Coast." We thought that pretty well summed up our feelings on the Gulf side.

[flpanhandle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpow53 and the best NO STATE TAX ( ca. is 9.3%) . Thanks Bob & Raquel

High property tax and insurance are a MAJOR issue here. But compared to Ca. maybe not.