Researching a Move to Another State--What Resources are Avaliable?

[imoldernu]

The very last place anyone on ER would recommend, but looking at all of the parts of retirement, is a good way to find what is most meaningful.

This won't be your choice, but spending an hour on this website may open some possibilities for a full life that most people never get to enjoy. Some live webcams.

https://www.thevillages.com/

[meleana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu The very last place anyone on ER would recommend, but looking at all of the parts of retirement, is a good way to find what is most meaningful. This won't be your choice, but spending an hour on this website may open some possibilities for a full life that most people never get to enjoy. https://www.thevillages.com/

My brother just sold his condo on Palm Coast to a couple who live in the Villages. They bought it as a second home because they hate how crowded the Villages get. LOL!


On another note, a woman I worked with, and her husband, who are only in their 40's want to move to the Villages from NY in a couple of years. Loves it there. Her mom lives there and loves it as well.

[morriss003]

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Originally Posted by Qs Laptop Yes, I learned that when Minneapolis was ranked in the top ten cities to retire to. Actually #2 on Sperling's. The climate is terrible. The taxes are high. The cost of living in moderately high. These are some of the main things I want to escape. Number one for me is climate. I need sunny days. No snow, or very little snow. Moderate to low humidity. This criteria cuts down a lot of territory. Number two would be low to moderate cost of living. That eliminates another big chunk. (California.) Closely related to number two would be low taxation. That gets rid of another bunch of states. But, when I put these criteria into the databases I get places like Oklahoma City, Arkansas, and parts of Texas. I just never considered places like that when I think about retiring. If money were no object I would move to Santa Barbara, CA.

If you don't need access to a major airport then visit Roswell, New Mexico. It's a city of about 48,000 in southeast New Mexico. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but doesn't receive much snow normally. It's mostly flat and about 70 miles east of the southern Rocky Mountains. It has a huge runway on an old Air Force Base but only one airline, American, with flights to Dallas and Phoenix. It's very popular with retirees.

[RVplusDog]

We FIREd, sold everything, and moved into a large RV for a couple of years. We drove all over the US looking for those ideal retirement spots. Natural beauty is important to us, with trees, Lakes, rivers, parks, and trails high on our list. We also LOVE mountains, and I personally hate the desert.

We put over 50,000 miles on the RV and the tow cars. When we found an area we loved, we took closer looks at the livability and practicalities for our personal preferences and situation. I love NW Montana: not good enough health care for us, common forest fires, and not easy to travel to. We loved the areas outside of Seattle & Portland - too expensive, awful traffic. Florida’s too hot, crowded, crazy traffic, too many hurricanes. The list went on.

So, totally not to the OP’s taste - but we ended up in North Central Ohio. Fabulous people, really inexpensive housing, great weather many months, hundreds of parks & wooded trails, world-class health care, easy driving, culture, and more. We will RV north from the heat & south from the cold.

At any rate, you’ll no doubt find your place - perhaps consider planning on part-timing in different areas to check all your boxes.

[Qs Laptop]

Three of my potential spots...

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Boise and Reno Capitalize on the California Real Estate Exodus

For some Californians, the state’s punishing housing costs, high taxes, and constant threat of natural disaster have all become too much. They’re making their escape to areas such as Boise, Phoenix, and Reno, Nev., fueling some of the biggest home-price gains in the country. While the moves are motivated mainly by economics, they’re also highlighting political divides as conservatives from the blue state seek friendlier areas and liberal transplants find themselves in sometimes hostile territory.

About 29 percent of the Idaho capital’s home-listing views are from Californians, according to Realtor.com. Reno and Prescott, Ariz., also were popular. These housing markets are soaring while much of the rest of the country cools. In Nevada, where Californians make up the largest share of arrivals, prices jumped 13 percent in August, the biggest increase for any state, according to CoreLogic Inc. data. It was followed closely by Idaho, with a 12 percent gain.

https://www.bloombergquint.com/pursu...dus#gs.SL0EPmc

[Qs Laptop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by morriss003 If you don't need access to a major airport then visit Roswell, New Mexico. It's a city of about 48,000 in southeast New Mexico. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but doesn't receive much snow normally. It's mostly flat and about 70 miles east of the southern Rocky Mountains. It has a huge runway on an old Air Force Base but only one airline, American, with flights to Dallas and Phoenix. It's very popular with retirees.

I think I looked at it and thought it was a possibility, but worried about adequate health care facilities. Crime seems to be a bit high. I'm keeping it on the list.

[COcheesehead]

When we picked where to build our retirement home, half the people we told got it, the other half didn’t, but then when you talked to them you realize they want something different. ShOcKiNg.
We all have different desires in our retirement town. We scored our choices as well and that really helped bring clarity. It’s a personal choice and if you listen to too many opinions of others it just makes the process harder. Trust yourself.

[deserat]

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Originally Posted by Another Reader Phoenix and environs are far different today than in 2004. Same with Tucson. The increase in the state population has changed everything. The Valley is really the most easterly suburb of LA now.

^^^^^^^YES!!!!! Phoenix is very large, lots of traffic - I grew up there but don't like it now. I live in Tucson, which has its own issues, but the size and where I live works for now....I have thought about another place, but will hold off for now. House is paid for and I have a view of my mountains. And it is easy enough to fly to where I want to go...

[Pointby2]

Once you've narrowed your search to a few potential cities, you may want to get on reddit and subscribe to the city threads there. You'll learn directly from current residents and you can ask questions about any concerns.

[woodguy00]

We have many of the same criteria that you do. Currently on the road in an RV finding the “perfect” place.

Check out Payson AZ in addition to Prescott. We left there yesterday after a week and are now in Prescott for a week. Moving on to Sierra Vista after that. Then on to Ruidoso NM. Show Low AZ is gorgeous, lower cost but a bit too far from the Phoenix Metro in major medical or shopping is needed.

Good Luck.

[Teacher Terry]

The rural areas in Nevada are conservative but Vegas and Reno not so much. Housing costs are a concern.

[Pointby2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qs Laptop Three of my potential spots... -------- Boise and Reno Capitalize on the California Real Estate Exodus For some Californians, the state’s punishing housing costs, high taxes, and constant threat of natural disaster have all become too much. They’re making their escape to areas such as Boise, Phoenix, and Reno, Nev., fueling some of the biggest home-price gains in the country. While the moves are motivated mainly by economics, they’re also highlighting political divides as conservatives from the blue state seek friendlier areas and liberal transplants find themselves in sometimes hostile territory. About 29 percent of the Idaho capital’s home-listing views are from Californians, according to Realtor.com. Reno and Prescott, Ariz., also were popular. These housing markets are soaring while much of the rest of the country cools. In Nevada, where Californians make up the largest share of arrivals, prices jumped 13 percent in August, the biggest increase for any state, according to CoreLogic Inc. data. It was followed closely by Idaho, with a 12 percent gain. https://www.bloombergquint.com/pursu...dus#gs.SL0EPmc

So, I was raised in Wisconsin, spent 10 years in MN, ten years in Reno and now the last 20 in Orange County. I've been looking a lot of moving back to Reno to retire. We've visited Reno and Carson City this last year. If the spouse didn't love Disney so much I'd still leave OC for Reno. So much to like, with Tahoe a short drive away virtually no bugs/mosquitos to speak of and a change of seasons that includes about one month of winter. Lots of things to do with the casino entertainment and constant special events like the balloon races and air races. Add in fishing and hiking in the Truckee with mountain lakes and reservoirs and it's kinda got it all.



On the downside, the city is larger than I remembered and property values in Reno have been going crazy, now it's almost as expensive to live there as it is in OC. Reno politics were also more to my liking but Californians are driving changes there as well.

[Teacher Terry]

Point, property taxes are crazy low here. Based on age of home so because our house was built in 1950 and worth 350k our property taxes are only 700/year.

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by Pointby2 On the downside, the city is larger than I remembered and property values in Reno have been going crazy, now it's almost as expensive to live there as it is in OC. Reno politics were also more to my liking but Californians are driving changes there as well.

I had heard the new Amazon center blamed for the high real estate prices. Maybe Californians are coming to work for Amazon. ;-)

[zippy2020]

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Originally Posted by Qs Laptop I'm looking at Prescott AZ, or Prescott Valley, AZ (very close to each other). Flagstaff AZ is intriguing but they get a lot of snow. I don't know how long it sits on the ground, though. I'd like to be within an hour and a half or less from a major metro area. Sparks NV is a suburb of Reno. Might be a candidate. Otherwise NV is just too dang hot. I'd look at Santa Fe, NM or areas around it. Same thing with suburban Albuquerque or areas around it (Rio Rancho, for example). Utah should be a candidate but I can't find a happy median between snow to the north and desert to the south.

Ummm......you need to visit AZ in the summer if you don't like heat, LOL. Higher elevations have cooler summers but snow in winter.

Be aware desert = dust. Some people's allergies work overtime there - certainly did for me and DH! Loved NM but wow, we had to travel around with a box of tissues for the whole 10 days.

Also - water is a Big Political Issue in the West. VERY BIG. Droughts are a regular occurrence and we are not talking a one-year deal. Droughts these days are more the 5-7 yr kind, where garden watering and washing the car are restricted, and sometimes the quality of water from your tap can look or smell questionable.

One of my bosses had a good motto - "Don't let the tax tail wag the dog!"

Don't be so fixated on low vs high taxes. The important thing to look at is "what do you GET for your tax dollars?" Are the hospitals nearby and well-funded (hospital consolidation is a big issue in many parts of the US)? What are the public services like - are the police and fire depts well funded, or suffering as many are?

Live out in the semi-rural areas, as many retirees do, for lower cost RE - only to find fire danger every year (did you know the average FEMA reimbursement for disasters is only $20K?) and if you do need police or emergency you call the county, because you don't have any municipal police force.

I live in coastal CA and love it altho it is expensive. But it is what we get for our tax dollars that matters, so you have to be careful to look at what happens when things go wrong for you. When my DH had a stroke, we were 10 min from the emergency room (and fortunately already in the car, having just left the house).

And yes, don't overlook the social element. You can't really choose a place to live with statistics. This is a long-term project for you. You can refine it with data, but you shouldn't set your heart on someplace that in the end, won't really ever feel like home to you or your spouse.

[ShokWaveRider]

^^^^^^^ Those are very good points. Most states / Locals with higher Taxes tend to have more comprehensive services. You get what you pay for. Life is not just finding a LCOL area with Low Taxes. The Higher COL areas do have better services and amenities, at least in our experience.

[gerntz]

You sound like a UT person to me. Not too hot, humid, not too cold - at least by MN standards, low taxes, safe. And hard to beat the scenery.

[Bruce]

This is a useful site to compare the cost of living by state, by category - it is updated quarterly.

https://www.missourieconomy.org/indi...ost_of_living/

[RHONDAVE]

We did the same thing on March 2017. Purchased new house in Goodyear, AZ in the Estrella Mountain Ranch HOA. Very nice clubs, pools, mountains, trails. We would visit the area during the winter and for us that led us to believe is was just the thing. In just a year I wanted to sell and go back home to our careers (that we both left after 35 years). I found after just 1 year it was the commute times, crime, dust did it for me. Now after being turned down for employment (64 in a few days), thinking I/We should have stayed in AZ. I am also looking for that perfect place to retire to. Does any one else end up in therapy sessions like us?

[ivinsfan]

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Originally Posted by RHONDAVE We did the same thing on March 2017. Purchased new house in Goodyear, AZ in the Estrella Mountain Ranch HOA. Very nice clubs, pools, mountains, trails. We would visit the area during the winter and for us that led us to believe is was just the thing. In just a year I wanted to sell and go back home to our careers (that we both left after 35 years). I found after just 1 year it was the commute times, crime, dust did for me. Now after being turned down for employment (64 in a few days), thinking I/We should have stayed in AZ. I am also looking for that perfect place to retire to. Does any one else end up in therapy sessions like us?

Sorry you had this experience as for the OP, I did suggest he rent in his "perfect spot" for this very reason, but he had shot down that suggestion. Maybe he will reconsider after reading your experience. Good luck..hope things turn around soon.