Where to retire?

[rayinpenn]

I love my Pennsylvania home until the leaves are off the trees and it gets dark at 5:30 and when walking the dog requires layers and resolve to deal with the cold. Yeah I hunker down by the gas stove reading - letting the heat warm up these old bones but I am tired winters long bleak cold. Others may love the winter, I say good for them I hate it.

Where to go?
1. Sister and a Sister-in-law in Florida. Polar opposite of Pennsylvania winter - brutal. I am not sure about those man made lake developments. All that air conditioning (life in a fridge) Too sterile for me. The villages? Too much of anything (retirees) can't be good
2. North Carolina? Those mountains get nice and cool at night even in the summer. I think there is also a lake region that might fill my need to fish. I think I want other retirees nearby. I don't want a depressed area? I do like the though of a bit of the country... Limited traffic crowds etc but the wife NEEDs stores within a 1/2 -1 hour.

I am struggling with this ...


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[eta2020]

From those 2 choices I would take North Carolina.

Based on all the places that I had lived I find Boulder CO or Manitou Springs CO great places in US to retire.

 

[rayinpenn]

Eta2020..thanks for the response but why are they great places?
Lots of things to do?
Weather?
People are super?
Cost of living is reasonable?
Great medical care is available?


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[aja8888]

Here is a recent thread with some good info. Search and you will find many more like it.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f26/great-places-to-retire-65280.html

 

[eta2020]

Eta2020..thanks for the response but why are they great places?
Lots of things to do?
Weather?
People are super?
Cost of living is reasonable?
Great medical care is available?


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Both Boulder and Manitou Springs have lot of outdoor activities, great weather (it can snow one day and you can 70F next day in February). People are liberal. They are gorgeous towns to bike to store or go for walk. People are friendly. I like you can take car and soon as you leave Front Range you are in middle of Rocky Mountains.

I think Boulder is a better one. It has one of the best bike trails/paths in US all over the town. But it is VERY expensive. You need minimum 500k to
buy something. If you are techie you may find some part time High Tech job because it is very high tech town. (For Colorado)

BTW Mr. Moustache (frugal young retiree) lives in Longmont which is 10 miles from Boulder.

Manitou Springs is CHEAP Boulder. I thing biggest problem with Manitou Springs is that it is right next to very conservative Colorado Springs and it lacks High tech industry.

 

[heeyy_joe]

Brevard, NC

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

MIL moved from Chicago to NC mountains. Then to The Villages, FL a few years later. Why? NC is COLD in the winter. At least too cold for her.

And her kids weren't flocking to visit her in NC.

There are lots of other warm places other than The Villages. Charleston, SC is a very nice city. Or St Augustine, FL. If you want to escape the cold, I'd keep looking.

 

[aja8888]

I love my Pennsylvania home until the leaves are off the trees and it gets dark at 5:30 and when walking the dog requires layers and resolve to deal with the cold. Yeah I hunker down by the gas stove reading - letting the heat warm up these old bones but I am tired winters long bleak cold. Others may love the winter, I say good for them I hate it.

Where to go?
1. Sister and a Sister-in-law in Florida. Polar opposite of Pennsylvania winter - brutal. I am not sure about those man made lake developments. All that air conditioning (life in a fridge) Too sterile for me. The villages? Too much of anything (retirees) can't be good
2. North Carolina? Those mountains get nice and cool at night even in the summer. I think there is also a lake region that might fill my need to fish. I think I want other retirees nearby. I don't want a depressed area? I do like the though of a bit of the country... Limited traffic crowds etc but the wife NEEDs stores within a 1/2 -1 hour.

I am struggling with this ...


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Are you focusing on the east coast because of family closeness, or are you willing to go west or south? This country is full of great places to retire and it all depends on your personal needs and desires. Give us a clue..

 

[aaronc879]

You may be interested in checking out the Umatilla, FL area. It's known for small fishing lakes. It has more of a country setting as you said you'd like. Leesburg is about 30 minutes away and has a mall(Lake Square Mall) to satisfy your wife and also has a major medical center.

 

[rayinpenn]

I am thinking east coast as my daughter is 19 and my son is 15. She would never leave her babies...We live between Philly and Wilmington. It has gotten quite busy and my god the crime in those cities..every night a gun battle or two and someone lying in the street. The day he graduates I am thinking we are outa here. I need to be near water I gave that up for an awesome school district..which worked out well for us.

I wouldn't mind finding a home with the master on the first floor.


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[Lancelot]

Why not keep your home in Pennsylvania and try a winter at Charleston SC?

 

[Socal Tom]

We lived in Apex NC for 6 months. We paid $100 per sqft for an 8 year old house. Huge mall was 1 mile away, it had super target , movie theatre, many shops and restaurants. 1/2 mile the other way was a new medical,building. We had 1/2 acre of land and a walking trail at the end of the block. It snows about 5 days per year. A/c is needed in the summer, and they have all four seasons. But it's much more temperate than the states northeast of them. It's in the Raleigh Durham area, plenty to see and do in the area. If I had found a job there we would have stayed.

Another place to consider is Arizona, or the coastal areas of Alabama, near Pensacola.
Tom

 

[walkinwood]

If you're free to move anywhere and love the outdoors, I second eta2020's suggestions. Colorado - especially the front range area between Colorado Springs and Fort Collins has lots of lovely places to live. And they range from the very conservative to the very liberal, so you can take your pick. The state is in pretty good shape financially too.

The weather is varies a lot based on location, so research that well.

 

[tuixiu]

There are some areas of Arizona that are at mid-range elevation (3000-5000ft) where you don't get quite the brutal summers and the surrounding landscape is absolutely beautiful. Because of the sharp elevation changes along the middle of the state you can live in a smaller city in the mountains but still be only 1-2 hours from Phoenix with all big city thing intl airport etc.

... and yes there is lots of good fishing

 

[Amethyst]

Mountains of NC have few jobs. Most of the $$ comes from rich retirees, or so I've been told. Some FL residents like to live in western NC during the summer.

 

[mrfeh]

Where to go?
1. Sister and a Sister-in-law in Florida. Polar opposite of Pennsylvania winter - brutal. I am not sure about those man made lake developments. All that air conditioning (life in a fridge) Too sterile for me. The villages? Too much of anything (retirees) can't be good
2. North Carolina? Those mountains get nice and cool at night even in the summer. I think there is also a lake region that might fill my need to fish. I think I want other retirees nearby. I don't want a depressed area? I do like the though of a bit of the country... Limited traffic crowds etc but the wife NEEDs stores within a 1/2 -1 hour.

I am struggling with this ...

We live in a state w/ worse Winters than you experience, and am similarly sick and tired of them...

Our plan is to end up someplace north of Denver. Doesn't completely eliminate Winter, but greatly reduces the severity.

 

[JDARNELL]

. I thing biggest problem with Manitou Springs is that it is right next to very conservative Colorado Springs and it lacks High tech industry.

Yeah we put all our left leaning friends on the left side of the county in Manitou.