Climate Change considerations on where to live?

[Canoeboy]

Wondering if/how folks are taking climate change implications into account when planning where to live in retirement. Recent article from ProPublica looks at various impact projections down to the county level in the US.

https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration/

A few years ago when I was planning where to live in retirement climate change was a secondary factor I took into consideration. Main factors were COL, taxes, and getting away from deep winters (upper Midwest) when selecting the region to live in. However, I have taken climate change concerns - increased severe weather events - into account when selecting a house, both micro-location and structural build. For example, buying outside of Hurricane evacuation areas, sticking to higher elevation, being slightly inland from coast/rivers, reinforcing the structure, installing drainage, standing seam metal roofing, oversize gutters, etc.

Just interested if/how others are factoring climate change projections into account when retirement planning. Please don’t turn this Thread into a political debate on climate change. Thanks!

 

[Montecfo]

I think weather has long been a large consideration for retirees and others in terms of where to locate.

 

[Navigator]

I originally thought about moving to Florida for the warm weather, low taxes and beaches. However, the forecast that it will soon start seeing more hurricanes due to warming ocean temperatures makes me hesitate.

 

[Ronstar]

We still plan on retiring to Arizona. I haven’t noticed much climate change in the Phoenix area in the 18 years that we have been going there. It’s usually hot in the summer, nice in winter.

But I’d like to retire somewhere north of Phoenix where summers are cooler. Maybe northern Arizona is a little warmer than it used to be, but that’s ok.

But in Illinois, I think that our winters are not as brutal as they used to be, making the need to get out not as desperate as it used to be.

 

[Rianne]

For a long time I thought about moving to a resort area, ocean, mountains. I think we'll stay right here in the mid-west. We are experiencing a beautiful fall, temperatures are perfect, high 70's to low 60's at night. I"m getting used to the beauty of prairies and flowers. The vast country roads that follow miles and miles of corn/bean fields. I'm starting to appreciate our flat boring landscape.

 

[skipro33]

I agree that weather in general has been a major factor when choosing where to retire. While in the military, I was stationed in the deep south. I considered it uninhabitable because of the heat and humidity. I'm sure acclimation happens, but still, it felt like I could never dry off after a shower until the cooler weather in the fall hit. How folks keep from fungus rotting away, I don't know.

Another military assignment to Alaska had me convinced that long dark winters are also a non option. I was Air Force and on several occasions we sat out on the runway, cleared for take off only to have the frozen air almost instantly freeze up the engines and controls we had to be towed back into a hanger and try again later. Living out West has been fairly tolerable but this year's fires have me rethinking that too. I've always loved Hawaii weather though.... but no family and the health care, especially emergency care is lacking. I had a buddy who's parents lived on Maui. He had a heart condition and needed surgery. On the day of, it was cancelled. Surf was up and not enough staff on hand to assist in the O.R. I guess some things are just more important than others?

 

[braumeister]

I was fortunate while on active duty to live in every sort of climate, from hot and humid to cold and snowy. That let me find out what I could and couldn't tolerate. Where I live now is sort of a compromise -- neither ideal nor unsupportable, but we're happy enough and see no reason to uproot ourselves at this stage of our lives.

Climate change here in northern Kentucky is definitely noticeable, especially in the last 5-10 years, but slow enough to be tolerable.

Just on our street we have several neighbors who spend six months in Florida to get away from the cold, and one who spends four months in the UP to get away from the heat. So I guess very few find anything to be perfect.

 

[MRG]

So glad we didn't move to the coast. At 7750' if we get sea water here it's pretty deep.

We have turned on the AC more this year than the previous years here. It ran for most of the afternoon for at least a week.

 

[rodi]

BIL and his wife are planning a move to Florida. They've asked my husband's advice on what to look for in a house. They are looking at new construction. (Hubby was an architect). He's talked to them about the improvements in the Florida building codes so the main thing they need to consider is elevation. He is suggesting a minimum of 10ft above sea level. That little bit can make a big difference.

That advice will be ignored if SIL sees a kitchen she falls in love with. Lol.

We are happy to be almost 350 above sea level. But we live on a canyon so fire risk is very real. We have focused on defensible space and fire hardened changes. (Smaller mesh screens in soffet vents, replacing wood siding with hardy board, metal clad windows, etc.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

BIL and his wife are planning a move to Florida. They've asked my husband's advice on what to look for in a house. They are looking at new construction. (Hubby was an architect). He's talked to them about the improvements in the Florida building codes so the main thing they need to consider is elevation. He is suggesting a minimum of 10ft above sea level. That little bit can make a big difference.

We would recommend a concrete block home vs stick, in an "X" flood zone. Otherwise insurance could be prohibitive. All homes must have an elevation certificate if close to the beach, otherwise insurance companies will not write policies.

 

[Chuckanut]

I recently returned from a short trip to the Pacific Coast. I noticed that the newer houses built in some of the resort areas have elevated the living areas a good 6-10 feet above the ground. The garage and/or parking are on ground level. Perhaps an amphibious vehicle might make a good new car.

https://awesomestuff365.com/amphibious-vehicles/

What started out as a reserve of the military community has now grown into a fully-fledged line that encompasses the unique demands of today’s versatile vehicle owner. These vehicles open up endless possibilities for travel and recreation giving unlimited access to the most secluded spots.

 

[Gumby]

So glad we didn't move to the coast. At 7750' if we get sea water here it's pretty deep.

We have turned on the AC more this year than the previous years here. It ran for most of the afternoon for at least a week.

I read that if every last glacier on earth melted, sea level would rise 230 feet, so you should be golden.

 

[HF63]

As I get older and noticing how things are changing, the best solution is to continue with my plans but not buying a house. Not having a house allows for more options and minimum stuff to worry about.

 

[Aerides]

BIL and his wife are planning a move to Florida. They've asked my husband's advice on what to look for in a house. They are looking at new construction. (Hubby was an architect). He's talked to them about the improvements in the Florida building codes so the main thing they need to consider is elevation. He is suggesting a minimum of 10ft above sea level. That little bit can make a big difference.

Most new homes are built with hurricane-safe(r) windows, so for sure get that included in a new build. If they end up buying an existing home, factor in the cost of full-house window replacement or at least full-house accordion shutters.

We're at 13ft above sea level, about a mile in from the intracoastal. Another thing to think about as you go inland is the increased manmade lakes that were created as each new town was drained and established. You want to look at local reports on flooding, etc., to make sure it's done well, and drainage/flooding issues vary by neighborhood, even inside the same neighborhood.

Homes near the entrance of our development have much more of a risk of flooding in heavy rains - those that back up to the main entry road, after a crazy afternoon of heavy rainfall, actually got flooded-by-wake of incoming traffic creating waves which crossed their back yards.

 

[FlaGator]

I originally thought about moving to Florida for the warm weather, low taxes and beaches. However, the forecast that it will soon start seeing more hurricanes due to warming ocean temperatures makes me hesitate.

And I have heard that for 20 years, and still haven't seen a definitive trend.

This year will end up as active or more so than 2004 and 2005, but that was 15-16 years ago.

Having lived though a hurricane in 2005 and had several tropical storms roll over my house, it's not the "more hurricanes" that matters (if that ends up being true), it's the one that rolls over the top of you that counts. And that is as random an event as one can find.

 

[Montecfo]

I originally thought about moving to Florida for the warm weather, low taxes and beaches. However, the forecast that it will soon start seeing more hurricanes due to warming ocean temperatures makes me hesitate.

Better radar and storm tracking are leading to more hurricanes and tropical storms. Storms that 50-75 years ago would never have been known are now identified instantly and named.

And living on the beach has always carried storm threat. Nothing new there.

 

[Aerides]

Better radar and storm tracking are leading to more hurricanes and tropical storms. Storms that 50-75 years ago would never have been known are now identified instantly and named.

And living on the beach has always carried storm threat. Nothing new there.

Yeah, ok, maybe 75 years ago? But for as long as most all of us have been adults there have been satellites and radar, so we've known about the ones that "died on the vine", and tracked every tropical wave coming off the coast of africa for at least the last 40 years.

There are more storms on average for the last 15-20 years than the 15-20 that preceded those. And they are reportedly bigger, and higher intensity, in the past 5 years than the 5 before that. So, pardon me as a floridian, the concern is greater in 2020 than it was in 2000.

 

[timo2]

Wondering if/how folks are taking climate change implications into account when planning where to live in retirement. Recent article from ProPublica looks at various impact projections down to the county level in the US.

Climate change was just one of the factors we considered. But it wasn't the climate change itself, but places to live that might avoid the reactions of the human population to the consequences of climate change events, as in a hopefully safer place to hide out.

 

[HI Bill]

As a geologist, I see the largest impacts from climate change over the next 20-30 years: coastal areas experiencing sea level rises, increased severity/frequency of storms/hurricanes/typhoons, and increased severity/frequency of fires due to droughts and warmer weather. So, if you're really worried, I'd stay away from ocean beachfront properties, build for hurricanes (if in a hurricane area), and not buy a house in a forested area subject to forest fires (also, no shake roofs).

I'm almost done buying a house at 150 feet above sea level on Hawaii Island, where hurricanes almost never hit, hurricane insurance is cheap, volcanic hazard is moderately low, and severe earthquake hazard is moderately low. I'm not really worried about much, except for flash flooding that could bring soil down from the hill above the yard, into the yard, and possibly, up to the house.

All that said, health concerns as I age weigh much more heavily on my mind than climate change over the next 30 years.

 

[retire to nature]

I was gonna more south for warmer weather, but I may stay in STL or MO for my retirement since I hope I live up to 2070. Actually, my retirement would be simpler because I was gonna land search for may states. And that made me more confused of my rental properties to keep or sell, etc.

Thank you for the link. I had searched the same kind info, but it has been somewhat a bit old. Also, this CA fire would change the climate more dramatically in my opinion.

 

[Montecfo]

Yeah, ok, maybe 75 years ago? But for as long as most all of us have been adults there have been satellites and radar, so we've known about the ones that "died on the vine", and tracked every tropical wave coming off the coast of africa for at least the last 40 years.

There are more storms on average for the last 15-20 years than the 15-20 that preceded those. And they are reportedly bigger, and higher intensity, in the past 5 years than the 5 before that. So, pardon me as a floridian, the concern is greater in 2020 than it was in 2000.

New and better satellite systems are launched over time which improve detection and better measure changes in intensity. A new system was launched last year as an example.

Storms run in cycles that appear to be random. And 15-20 years is a very short period of time. There are many 5 year periods in history when you can say there were more and bigger storms than the prior 5 years because they seem to arrive in bunches.

In fact, the last 15-20 year period you mention has actually included the longest drought of major hurricanes landfalling in the continental US in history, 2005-2017.

 

[Bigdawg]

New and better satellite systems are launched over time which improve detection and better measure changes in intensity. A new system was launched last year as an example.

Storms run in cycles that appear to be random. And 15-20 years is a very short period of time. There are many 5 year periods in history when you can say there were more and bigger storms than the prior 5 years because they seem to arrive in bunches.

In fact, the last 15-20 year period you mention has actually included the longest drought of major hurricanes landfalling in the continental US in history, 2005-2017.

Be careful. Might get into trouble with this crowd.

 

[Midpack]

We definitely did. Wanted to be on the east coast but stayed inland to avoid serious hurricane damage/disruption which will reportedly get worse (frequency and strength). And I’ve lived in TX & FL, but if temperatures increase, we won’t want to be there in summer. So we choose a place that’s a couple hours from the ocean, a couple hours from the mountains, near a large enough metro area to have good culture-restaurants-shopping, reasonable COL and not too far south but enough to enjoy very mild winters. Never lived here before and didn’t know anyone, thrilled after 13 months...

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

The small forest community in Oregon in which we planned to buy a house burned entirely to the ground a few days ago.

So, yes, our plans have definitely changed!

 

[retire to nature]

We would recommend a concrete block home vs stick, in an "X" flood zone. Otherwise insurance could be prohibitive. All homes must have an elevation certificate if close to the beach, otherwise insurance companies will not write policies.

Haha, there is another reason to hate an insurance. it has to fit to be covered. I was thinking to build a cob/earthbag house or earthship house etc.