Best places to retire

[antmary]

The best place for me is right here. We live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and I thank God every day for this gift (except when it is over 100 in the summertime). My family is all here. I was born and raised in CA/Ore. I wouldn't fit in anywhere else.

We bought property in the 1970's when it was cheap, and just hung on. I live on acreage near a small town that is full of cultural events, artists, humor, celebration, organic farmers, and even has its own community radio station. I can walk down the street and see a friend from 5 years ago; our conversation takes up where we left off.

I guess California/Oregon is just part of me - as is the Mid-west or East part of other people. I think a crucial key to happiness is to be rooted where I am.

I am a bit relieved when we are missing from those lists of "best place to retire," etc.

 

[W2R]

I wonder how much the housing market has been impeding retirees' plans to move to their "best place to retire". Maybe when it has recovered, there will be a massive exodus/reshuffling of retirees around the country to various retirement destinations.

Who knows what those locations might be, though. Will Florida and Las Vegas boom with crowds of new residents once again? I have no idea.

 

[Huston55]

Keep us Up to Date

I posted earlier about The Villages FL. Well this week we are finally moving from MD to FL. We are both excited and nervous as we have never lived outside of the Baltimore area. Friday we will begin our two day trek with our two cats.

Crispus-

We have friends who retired there and like it. DW and I have also considered The Villages.

Would be interested in seeing posts from you on how your transition goes and how you like the community.

Pls keep us "posted."

 

[ohyes]

Lo and behold, my town (Conway, AR) IS on the list...and here I am...intent on retiring elsewhere.

It's a great town, but not what DH and I want in a retirement location...or maybe it is simply more that we want a change in locale for our new adventure.

We plan to visit The Villages this summer. I started reading Leisureville yesterday. The place holds a perverse attraction for me. I visit the Talks of the Village forum every day and check out the webcams of the two squares to check out the activity level.

 

[JPatrick]

Lo and behold, my town (Conway, AR) IS on the list...and here I am...intent on retiring elsewhere.

.

You can leave, but it's gonna be tough to find another "Toad Suck Park."

 

[thoreau]

I am a Quaker. When I told a F/friend I was leaving to retire in New England he said:

"Its either blueberries or coconuts. Most people retire to the south where its hot, dry, humid, and generally fire like, just figuring to get it over with quickly. But Quakers, who don't actually believe in the Apocalypse and don't need to get anything over with quickly, retire to in droves northern New England and so will be remain ON-Ice forever. That is except for the few who remain in the purgatory of Pennsylvania, and who don't get either Coconuts or blueberries, and have to subsist on infernal and eternal funnel-cakes."

 

[packrat44]

As indicated by others, the ideal retirement location is so personal--where the grandkids live, where the recreation that you enjoy is found, where there's a compatible lifestyle, where your sports teams are located, and so forth--that such published lists are useless.

The same can be said about the "ideal" car. There is no such thing. People have different needs and wants.

 

[Bestwifeever]

As determined by the editors of International Living magazine here are the best places to retire (obviously outside the US):

The countries are rated in categories such as real estate prices, cost of living, culture, health care, special benefits for retirees, infrastructure, safety/stability and climate.

The top 14 are, in order:

Ecuador
Mexico
Panama
Spain
New Zealand
France
Uruguay
Costa Rica
Malta
Italy
Chile
Agentina
Portugal
Ireland

Top 14 retirement destinations - chicagotribune.com

 

[SpencerM]

I always look at these type of lists with a skeptical eye. There are many factors with expat living that make a list like this useless without factoring personal tolerances and flexibility (or lack of).

For most of us I think the best first decision is to first ask:

1. What are you seeking really by planning to retire overseas? If it is perceived lower costs, remember that may be true only if you ( and your spouse) are willing to accept much higher convenience costs.

2. If it is for the experience and adventure - good for you! However I suggest you start with identifying a continent of preference and reviewing the common issues there before being overly concerned about a specific country on a list. For example, if central Europe how will your U.S. Dollar retirement fare in Euro-land? If South America or Asia, how patient are you with inefficiencies?

3. Don't underestimate the importance of knowing the local language. If someone tells you it is not required, don't buy it unless you want to live in somewhat isolation and forgo much of the richness of the people and culture.

4. Travel and rent first always, several month minimum in any place you are seriously considering. Use the time to seriously evaluate your personal aggravation factor, experiences with local food shopping, medical, and true security issues (on security do not believe what you read, it can easily be much better or worse than outward appearances!)

5. If either of you have any somewhat serious medical needs, don't go. Medical care is really better in the States than the majority of places in the world, including Europe or the UK.

Remember that there is a big difference between those expats living overseas for work, and those retired. The former (in fair disclosure I am one of these) have a built-in support structure, the latter do not. Big difference. Don't be discouraged, just careful!

 

[Trex]

The best place for me is right here. We live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and I thank God every day for this gift (except when it is over 100 in the summertime). My family is all here. I was born and raised in CA/Ore. I wouldn't fit in anywhere else.

We bought property in the 1970's when it was cheap, and just hung on. I live on acreage near a small town that is full of cultural events, artists, humor, celebration, organic farmers, and even has its own community radio station. I can walk down the street and see a friend from 5 years ago; our conversation takes up where we left off.

I guess California/Oregon is just part of me - as is the Mid-west or East part of other people. I think a crucial key to happiness is to be rooted where I am.

I am a bit relieved when we are missing from those lists of "best place to retire," etc.

Ms. Antmary... I must agree with you. I also live in Northern Calif. and love it here. Most of my family lives in, and around the greater Redding area. So, I also am very rooted into this part of NorCal.

Redding is big enough to have lots of live music, bike trails, great back roads for harley riding, skiing on Mt. Shasta, water skiing/boarding on Shasta Lake. 6 rivers to our west for camping, RV'ing, and any other type of outdoor activity you're into.. Two of the largest Wildernesses in California to our north. What more does a person want in life?

We do have high taxes here in the Golden state, but I think you get what you pay for... What a great place to live and retire!

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[jebmke]

Redding is big enough to have lots of live music, bike trails, great back roads for harley riding, skiing on Mt. Shasta, water skiing/boarding on Shasta Lake. 6 rivers to our west for camping, RV'ing, and any other type of outdoor activity you're into.. Two of the largest Wildernesses in California to our north. What more does a person want in life?

Water boarding?

 

[Trex]

Water boarding?

Mr. Jeb... You funny guy!

 

[warrentalbot]

As determined by the editors of International Living magazine here are the best places to retire (obviously outside the US):

Top 14 retirement destinations - chicagotribune.com

I was so glad to see mention of international places to retire on this thread, just sad I had to get to page #3. While I agree with some of the caveats provided in the follow up comment, I believe this is an option that more people should at least consider.

Since leaving the US in 2010 I have been surprised by the number of people that have reached out and expressed their dream of living overseas. There are so many new experiences and opportunities and the list of places available is virtually endless. You can live at virtually any income level (depending on the country) and the healthcare is typically as good or better than the US and always cheaper.

I love my home country but really enjoy exploring new cultures and experiences now. There are a lot of options available and it is not as hard or scary as we have all been led to believe. So any list that states "best places to retire" that does not include a single place outside the US is rather meaningless in my opinion unless it includes the qualifier "in the US".

 

[Corporate ORphan]

Columbia, MO?

Anyone here looked into Columbia, MO to retire to? It used to be rated high on Money Magazine's lists of places. We went to school there and I loved it. Moved back to St Louis, worked for 30 years and am now FIRE looking for a place to move to.

Don't like the bad air and rude people in St Louis. Also would like to be able to walk or bike more and leave the car in the garage.

 

[W2R]

Anyone here looked into Columbia, MO to retire to? It used to be rated high on Money Magazine's lists of places. We went to school there and I loved it. Moved back to St Louis, worked for 30 years and am now FIRE looking for a place to move to.

Don't like the bad air and rude people in St Louis. Also would like to be able to walk or bike more and leave the car in the garage.

We didn't, but Springfield is at the top of our list if/when we move. Springfield has a lot of walking paths even inside the city limits. It is a lot more conservative than Columbia, from what I understand (but then so are we, most likely). Also probably a little more isolated, I would guess. We think that Missouri is a beautiful state.

I lived in St. Louis for a while as a child and young teen, but it doesn't appeal to me for retirement either.

 

[panacea]

We didn't, but Springfield is at the top of our list if/when we move. Springfield has a lot of walking paths even inside the city limits. It is a lot more conservative than Columbia, from what I understand (but then so are we, most likely). Also probably a little more isolated, I would guess. We think that Missouri is a beautiful state.

I lived in St. Louis for a while as a child and young teen, but it doesn't appeal to me for retirement either.

Never considered MO for retirement. How are the income, sales and property taxes there?

 

[W2R]

Never considered MO for retirement. How are the income, sales and property taxes there?

I think they are moderate, and not unusually low or high. Here they are.

Overall cost of living, including but not limited to taxes, can very low in southwestern Missouri. Housing prices are especially low there compared iwth many areas. From what I understand salaries are appallingly low and jobs are scarce, making it a better place for a retiree than for a working person. Some other negatives are that Springfield is a long way from an international airport, for those who travel, and it does snow there plus it is subject to tornados and ice storms. We love the area despite all that. It is a quiet town without much going on IMO, which may be a negative for some but which translates to "peaceful" for us.

Can't tell you much about Columbia; maybe CorporateOrphan can fill you in on that.

 

[panacea]

I think they are moderate, and not unusually low or high. Here they are.

Overall cost of living, including but not limited to taxes, can very low in southwestern Missouri. Housing prices are especially low there compared iwth many areas. From what I understand salaries are appallingly low and jobs are scarce, making it a better place for a retiree than for a working person. Some other negatives are that Springfield is a long way from an international airport, for those who travel, and it does snow there plus it is subject to tornados and ice storms. We love the area despite all that. It is a quiet town without much going on IMO, which may be a negative for some but which translates to "peaceful" for us.

Can't tell you much about Columbia; maybe CorporateOrphan can fill you in on that.

Thanks for the info- very helpful. And it looks like the taxes are pretty average in general, although the property taxes are below average. I found this map of property taxes by state- pretty interesting. The Tax Foundation - Median Property Taxes Paid by County, 2005-09

 

[Mulligan]

Anyone here looked into Columbia, MO to retire to? It used to be rated high on Money Magazine's lists of places. We went to school there and I loved it. Moved back to St Louis, worked for 30 years and am now FIRE looking for a place to move to.

Don't like the bad air and rude people in St Louis. Also would like to be able to walk or bike more and leave the car in the garage.

I grew up around Columbia, and still go there a couple times a year. They have several walking parks and Katy Trail on southside is very nice. I wouldnt consider it a walking town, though, unless you a referring to moving into a neighborhood that has a Hyvee grocery store nearby. Columbia has had an increased crime level over the years, but I wouldnt classify it as dangerous by any means at all. Just stay out of a few areas that you would figure out quickly. The south side has all the nice new development.
Excellent medical facilities, a major regional hub in this area, along with the university are the major employees, so there are plenty of professionals employed in Boone county as opposed to surrounding counties. Tax wise and cost of living wise, Mo cant be beat. MO is one of only a few states that have a AAA bond rating because they balance their budget. The statistics may not show its true entirety. Cheap electricity, very low gas tax, very reasonable health insurance rates compared to other states and smoke to your delight at only 17 cents a pack tax. People could fly in from New York City, buy their smokes by the cartons and save tons of dough
But you know how it is, to each is own, and one mans paradise is another persons hell hole. Ive lived near all 3 basically my entire life and way prefer being near STL, than the other 2, but that is just my preference.
Springfield is a well layed out town and overall a very safe town, but was just too Ozarkian for my tastes. Not a compliment or insult, but probably the biggest town over a 100,000 population Ive ever been in that has almost no ethnic diversity.
W2R, if you ever move there, the airport is great if you want to go to Vegas, Phoenix, or Florida. They have direct flights from there a couple times a week. Brand new airport. Went from my car to seat on the airplane in less than 20 minutes. Even the TSA agents will joke with you there. One threatened to arrest me for wearing a California Angels t shirt (Big time Cardinal country, though its about 180 miles away from STL)

 

[W2R]

Mulligan, my brother agrees with you about St. Louis, and he and his DW still live there. The snow gets to him so they "snowbird" to their condo on Maui and spend a lot of time out of the country as well, but they like St. Louis and he hasn't given up his house there.

You're right of course, in that Springfield does have a small airport with a few flights every day. We really don't travel at all, but some have told me in the past that the airport situation eliminated Springfield for them as a retirement location.

Like you we like the layout of Springfield a lot, and its safety and peacefulness would be especially nice as we grow older. The crime rate in New Orleans is pretty tough on the elderly. But for now, we will stay in New Orleans and wait to see if the crime gets worse or not in our marginally safer suburb. For now, we are happy here.

Panacea, thanks for the link to property tax information. The property taxes there are higher than here, but homeowners' insurance is far less so it seems to balance out.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Anyone here looked into Columbia, MO to retire to? It used to be rated high on Money Magazine's lists of places. We went to school there and I loved it. Moved back to St Louis, worked for 30 years and am now FIRE looking for a place to move to.

Don't like the bad air and rude people in St Louis. Also would like to be able to walk or bike more and leave the car in the garage.

Daughter and her family live in Columbia and we have given some thought to moving there some day. Easy living. Climate is unappealing to us, used to subtropical weather. But lots of activity revolving around the Mizzou campus. Sensible cost of living.

You could do worse.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Stateside, given a choice, I favor north of the 42nd parallel and west of the great divide.

 

[Huston55]

Stateside, given a choice, I favor north of the 42nd parallel and west of the great divide.

Interesting way to describe location choices for a guy living on the shore of the world's largest closed drainage basin. How is Baku these days?

 

[kat]

Did anyone here decide a northern place, with seasonal cold, was a good place to retire? I'm asking because most of these "best" places are not near me, and when I think of retiring I look at one of the other northern states. (Close to where I want to get back to about once a month.) Just curious.

 

[Lsbcal]

We live in the best place.