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Old 07-20-2016, 02:37 PM   #21
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Honestly, I think the best place to retire ultimately depends on the individual.
My #1 requirement for best place to live is proximity to family and friends, and all the "best places to retire" lists never factor that in. For me, nice weather and cheaper housing both come a distant second to family and the extensive network of friends that I have developed over the years.
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Old 07-20-2016, 02:41 PM   #22
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My #1 requirement for best place to live is proximity to family and friends, and all the "best places to retire" lists never factor that in. For me, nice weather and cheaper housing both come a distant second to family and the extensive network of friends that I have developed over the years.
social media makes it very easy to keep in touch

when I go back to visit my folks I usually go have a beer or golf with my old friends and it's like I never left town

If you like where you live that's great, if you don't, moving stinks but it's a lot easier than it was in the 60s/70s/80s where you really lost touch with people you knew.
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Old 07-20-2016, 02:44 PM   #23
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The Woodlands, TX is where we retired to, ranked 166/200. These days we spend less than half our time there.
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Old 07-20-2016, 02:50 PM   #24
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yeah but the beer, food and music is really tough to beat
Maybe we can arrange to have the music recorded and delivered out of state with the beer and food.
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Old 07-20-2016, 02:52 PM   #25
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Maybe we can arrange to have the music recorded and delivered out of state with the beer and food.
Well we get shiner here but it's over a dollar a can and about $130 for a 15.5 gal keg. In TX it has to be a fraction of that.

I did see James McMurtry and the Old 97s though.

BBQ and tex-mex is nonexistent.

We actually ran into James eating alone at a Basque restaurant before the show. He knows where to grub.
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Old 07-20-2016, 05:31 PM   #26
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One of My #1 top requirements for best place to live is proximity to family and friends, and all the "best places to retire" lists never factor that in.
DW & I certainly agree with this, as modified; it was a key factor in us retiring "TO" California versus "FROM" California.

But, good year-round weather and lots of outdoor opportunities also factored big in our decision. For example, our "No Snow" criteria eliminates 40% of the Top 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 locations on this list.

While I like reading articles about this and reviewing the lists to see if I agree (especially since we've been to so many of the places on this list; lived in 13 & visited another 66), I think these types of lists are just a good beginning point for one's own research.
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Old 07-20-2016, 05:57 PM   #27
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springfield mass on list and it is a drugged out sh** hole with no jobs
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Old 07-20-2016, 06:02 PM   #28
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springfield mass on list and it is a drugged out sh** hole with no jobs
Surely there must be a downside too?
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Old 07-20-2016, 06:11 PM   #29
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springfield mass on list and it is a drugged out sh** hole with no jobs
um...yeah it's number 140 something out of 200, plus retirees typically don't w*rk
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Old 07-20-2016, 06:20 PM   #30
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but it is nice to retire to a place with happy people who do work, at least those who want to. Lots of drugs and crime, not really the hood but a depressed area
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Old 07-20-2016, 06:45 PM   #31
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We are 43 in the Thousand Oaks - Ventura area. Actually we live east of Ventura- a little higher and inland, so we do not get the low coastal stratus. That is South Mountain-2000 feet high and the view from our porch
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Old 07-20-2016, 07:42 PM   #32
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I especially like Tex-Mex and chicken fried steak--Texas' contribution to foods.

Even the social elite in Texas will slip off their boots and drink a beer with you. I especially like the people.

If you can find a native Texan, did you know they speak with a perfect Middle Tennessee southern accent--like Laura Bush? Look into their family tree, and their relatives did come from Tennessee and they still have distant relatives there.

But those property taxes do hurt. My best friend sold his house in North Dallas when the property taxes hit $50K per year--ouch. He now loves luxury apartment living and his beach house in Seaside, FL.
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Old 07-20-2016, 08:52 PM   #33
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We are in top 40.

The Little Rock area surprises me, but not our town.
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Old 07-20-2016, 08:58 PM   #34
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We used to be in #43 (Thousand Oaks) but downgraded to #166 (The Woodlands, TX).
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Old 07-20-2016, 09:22 PM   #35
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I live in 2 of the top 30 places (second and fist homes), 2 hours apart. Pretty happy with both.
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Old 07-21-2016, 06:13 AM   #36
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Our town is not listed but it is only 40 miles south of Jacksonville which is 5, all our numbers are lower with the exception of housing. Although it is subjective. There are comparable areas and not comparable. Anywhere near the ocean (1 - 2 miles) here is up there.
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#6 Really???
Old 07-21-2016, 08:05 AM   #37
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#6 Really???

I might be in the top ten, but I would stay where I am as our retirement home base regardless of what it said for a variety of reasons.

My Dad chased the best place to retire for two decades and is now living in #8, but that was his fourth best retirement place to live.
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Old 07-21-2016, 08:07 AM   #38
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I might be in the top ten, but I would stay where I am as our retirement home base regardless of what it said for a variety of reasons.

My Dad chased the best place to retire for two decades and is now living in #8, but that was his fourth best retirement place to live.
yes we are number 6
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Old 07-21-2016, 08:08 AM   #39
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the best part about #6 is that we don't have to worry about being shot and you can't swing a cat here without hitting a MD
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Old 07-21-2016, 08:13 AM   #40
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My city, Albuquerque, was #52. Overall I considered it a fair score - a city with nice enough weather and a reasonable cost of living. Many of our elderly have close family ties and are physically active. Unfortunately, Healthcare & Safety was not rated well and it is more important to me than Housing & Taxes. Although I suppose that if you have the financial resources, you can more easily deal with limited healthcare and take precautions against crime. I couldn't see the Quality of Life Scores.
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