Great Beach towns

[Ronstar]

Key West - Probably not the best beaches, but probably better weather than most of Florida

 

[rodi]

A couple of questions for you...

- You mention not wanting cold in the winter... how do you feel about hot and muggy in the summer.... I lived just outside Philly for a decade and did the 'going down the shore' thing a lot. (DH's family had a bungalow in North Wildwood.) I don't like the humidity back east. But I'm spoiled... grew up here in San Diego.

- Price point? No matter where you look - being close to the water dramatically inflates the price... going 10 miles inland dramatically drops the price. You can be less than 30 minutes from the beach in SoCal and have an affordable home.

I agree with the post below. Ventura offers a lot of bang for the buck... Between Santa Barbara and LA - two extremely expensive cities - you have affordable pockets and smallish towns.

Ventura +1

San Diego is a biiiig city and a biiig county in terms of landmass. There are relatively affordable parts as you head in-land a bit where the beach is just a short drive away.

California is an expensive place to live, if you have a very high income, but taxes are very progressive and much lower for modest incomes. Property taxes have been fixed at 1% (plus a tiny bit more for some cities) of your home's purchase price since 1978 and will not rise after purchase.

 

[Iusta]

SoCal

SoCal for sure. It's weather is perfect and no where in the world compares. They say we have a Mediterranean Climate, but it's even better than that. Anywhere you can afford between Santa Barbara and San Diego. No bugs, great laid back people, and Heaps of fresh fruits, nuts, veggies and your beach. Make it happen!

 

[Hermit]

Virginia Beach is going to be too chilly for you...we spent a mid-Jan to mid-Feb there several years ago. Everyday was at a least sweatshirt or heavier, Not one shirtsleeve day.

+1

I spent almost 12 years in Hampton Roads. In the cold months from late November through March my teeth would chatter in the humid cold. The same 35 or 40 degrees in the Colorado mountains is pleasant enough to sit outside in the sunshine with a jacket on and enjoy a cup of coffee.

 

[Koolau]

I'm still confused. Is OP looking for a winter place to snow bird or a permanent residence? Plenty of relatively warm places to winter in the continental USA but most are very hot and or humid in summer. Probably So Cal is best bet for year round on the continent. We stretched our horizons and went all the way to Hawaii as it's virtually never cold and never (ridiculously) hot. True, housing is more expensive than much of say, Florida. But it's actually less expensive than much of the coastal areas of So Cal - especially when you learn the ins and outs of Island living (no heat, no AC if you choose wisely, retirement taxes are quite low under the right circumstances, etc.) If land prices are critical, there are quite a few options to keep costs low (Big Island is quite affordable compared to say, Honolulu.) Just suggesting OP give the Islands a look IF looking for a permanent retirement setting near the beach(s). YMMV

 

[Scuba]

Ventura +1



San Diego is a biiiig city and a biiig county in terms of landmass. There are relatively affordable parts as you head in-land a bit where the beach is just a short drive away.



California is an expensive place to live, if you have a very high income, but taxes are very progressive and much lower for modest incomes. Property taxes have been fixed at 1% (plus a tiny bit more for some cities) of your home's purchase price since 1978 and will not rise after purchase.

A couple of comments re CA property taxes:
1. While 1% is a relatively low rate, values are typically high in CA. We bought our property almost 15 years ago and our taxes are over $12K/year.
2. Property taxes can and do increase when voters pass any of the multitude of propositions to fund programs for parks, public transit education, the elderly, etc. Our taxes are over $1,500 higher than before directly as a result of propositions that passed. I imagine that the majority of voters in CA don't own property. Hence it is very easy for voters to support the various programs funded by property taxes - why not, the beneficiaries sound worthwhile and it only costs $$ if you're a property owner. If we ever leave CA, this will be the reason.

 

[bclover]

I'm still confused. Is OP looking for a winter place to snow bird or a permanent residence? Plenty of relatively warm places to winter in the continental USA but most are very hot and or humid in summer. Probably So Cal is best bet for year round on the continent. We stretched our horizons and went all the way to Hawaii as it's virtually never cold and never (ridiculously) hot. True, housing is more expensive than much of say, Florida. But it's actually less expensive than much of the coastal areas of So Cal - especially when you learn the ins and outs of Island living (no heat, no AC if you choose wisely, retirement taxes are quite low under the right circumstances, etc.) If land prices are critical, there are quite a few options to keep costs low (Big Island is quite affordable compared to say, Honolulu.) Just suggesting OP give the Islands a look IF looking for a permanent retirement setting near the beach(s). YMMV

Thanks Koolau,
Actually a bit of both. my long term plan (maybe in 10 years when I hit 65) is to eventually own. As I'm not sure where I want to be I think the next few years will definitely be snowbirding via renting. One of the reasons I took Hawaii and the Caribbean of the list was simply because of family. I do have children and a very large immediate family (brothers, sister in laws, mother in law and neices) who I want to stay very much connected to.

We are still a family that routinely has Sunday dinners with 30 people. Hawaii would mean giving that up.

So the next couple of years I plan on renting houses during the winter months and try to get a feel for the places.

ps. I can handle hot and muggy. spent most of my childhood summers in Charleston SC and Knoxville Tenn. with grandparents and born and raised in Manhattan. hot and muggy no problem. hate snow, sleet and wind chill and as I get older, I like it less and less.

 

[wrigley]

NE Fla is great. Been here for 10+ Years. Can get hot in summer though.

+1

24 years in Jacksonville for me and my family!

Mike