This retirement thing is really interesting......we presently live in western CT but will leave as soon as the house sells (never??
) due to the ridiculous cost of living, mostly taxes. Granted, we have lakefront property, but having compared nicer lakefront properties in places like western Virginia where the taxes are 1/10 of what we pay, it is hard to justify staying here, especially since we have no family ties. All in all, retirement is a time when most people have to consider total cost as the major factor, and there are so many nice, inexpensive places that it is truly a matter of taste, IMHO.