Where in the West to retire?

[LARS]

Bend Oregon. Lived there for ten years. Great place.

 

[hankster]

I second the suggestion of Spokane, WA/Coeur d' Alene ID area.

 

[brewer12345]

If I left Colorado I would be considering Idaho or Montana. Stay away from Denver. Traffic, expense, etc. are compounded by the fact that the city is now one of the worst heat islands in the West, which means the summer temperature extremes keep getting more and more extreme.

 

[kcowan]

How about old Poway?

RE in Poway CA

 

[Fedup]

Oceanside and San Marcos Ca have some houses in the $300k-$500k.

 

[explanade]

Look into Flagstaff, Arizona.

Four seasons - check
Hiking nearby - check
International airport nearby - Phoenix is 2 hours driving time
Big enough for a decent health club - population is 69,000
Reasonably affordable - I've seen several houses listed in the $400k range

I have similar requirements and the best place I've found to live year round so far is Flagstaff.

Does Phoenix have direct flights to Europe or Asia? Or would you have to connect through LAX, SFO or some East Coast airport?

Does it even have direct flights to South America?

 

[explanade]

Oceanside and San Marcos Ca have some houses in the $300k-$500k.

Just saw a House Hunters episode from last year where someone bought a 1 bedroom house in Highland Park, which is suppose to be pretty near LA, for around $230k.

It was renovated home originally built in the 1940s I think, but it was tiny. Tiny kitchen, bathroom, bedroom.

Maybe not much more than 500 sq. ft. Had tiny back or side yard, which might be appealing for people who want low maintenance.

They said lot of nice restaurants and stores nearby.

 

[Fedup]

Does Phoenix have direct flights to Europe or Asia? Or would you have to connect through LAX, SFO or some East Coast airport?

Does it even have direct flights to South America?

I think it does have direct flight to London. My niece and her family just came through that way. Several Airlines with flights direct.

 

[Ian S]

Certainly look at Flagstaff - the airport there has American Eagle flights to Phoenix or as others have said the drive is about 2 hours or so. Flag is also a university town with the amenities that go along with that. You might also consider Sedona which is a bit closer to Phoenix and at 4000 feet elevation, a bit warmer than Flag. It has great outdoors activities along with awesome scenery. Smaller than Flag though and very touristy.

Albuquerque and surrounding area might also be attractive with its high desert climate and laid back lifestyle. Decent airport too. Homes are reasonably priced.

As an addition: having lived in Phoenix since the 1980's one thing I've grown to appreciate is living in a single story house. As I get older, multiple levels with stairs would be one thing I'd want to avoid. YMMV.

 

[haha]

Orange County, CA. The housing is more expensive but the weather is amazing and you have 2 airport choices, Orange County and LAX-1 hour drive

The only place I have ever been sorry that I left was LA. I lived in Venice, but if I were going back today I would strongly consider Huntington Beach.

East or west, nothing in america compares to Southern California.

BTW I guess it is OK to identify Mormons as an issue in choosing a home? Not an identified
and protected special group I guess. I never met a Mormon that was hard to get along with, or that didn't take care of his bills, home and neighborhood. Also, a Mormon from Utah taught me to tie very effective flies for trout.

Ha

 

[zinger1457]

Does Phoenix have direct flights to Europe or Asia? Or would you have to connect through LAX, SFO or some East Coast airport?

Does it even have direct flights to South America?

I recall reading in the Phoenix newspaper a couple years ago that there were no direct flights to Asia and only one to Europe (London) from PHX. I doubt anything has changed since then. When going to Asia I always get a flight from TUS or PHX to LAX, plenty of cheap Southwest Airline flights to choose from. I've flown to Germany a few times for work and most of the time had to fly to Denver and catch a direct flight from there.

 

[CaliKid]

Lots of good recommendations so far. I would vote for St. George UT or Auburn, CA. Both can be a touch hot in the summer but otherwise check your list pretty well I think.

 

[braumeister]

if I were going back today I would strongly consider Huntington Beach.

A great friend, who unfortunately died not long ago, lived in Huntington Beach and loved it. I used to visit occasionally and I have to admit that as long as you could stay fairly local it was a delightful place to live.

Alas, for anything not available locally, there is the impossible LA traffic to deal with. Having lived there a long time ago, that is something I know I don't have the patience for anymore.

 

[Fedup]

Just saw a House Hunters episode from last year where someone bought a 1 bedroom house in Highland Park, which is suppose to be pretty near LA, for around $230k.

It was renovated home originally built in the 1940s I think, but it was tiny. Tiny kitchen, bathroom, bedroom.

Maybe not much more than 500 sq. ft. Had tiny back or side yard, which might be appealing for people who want low maintenance.

They said lot of nice restaurants and stores nearby.

That used to be my favorite show but I think it disappears from my radar lately.

 

[Fedup]

A great friend, who unfortunately died not long ago, lived in Huntington Beach and loved it. I used to visit occasionally and I have to admit that as long as you could stay fairly local it was a delightful place to live.

Alas, for anything not available locally, there is the impossible LA traffic to deal with. Having lived there a long time ago, that is something I know I don't have the patience for anymore.

You don't have to go to LAX, there's a John Wayne Airport. For my trip to Hawaii, I'm flying to Phoenix and then from there to Hawaii. There is direct flight from LAX to Hawaii but we were not sure we can get up that early and get to the airport in time.

 

[Souschef]

You don't have to go to LAX, there's a John Wayne Airport. For my trip to Hawaii, I'm flying to Phoenix and then from there to Hawaii. There is direct flight from LAX to Hawaii but we were not sure we can get up that early and get to the airport in time.

We just got sandbagged by American Airlines. We booked a flight from LAX to the Big Island that left at 10:50 AM on a Saturday. No problem getting there in time, so we thought. I recently checked our reservation, and they had changed us to an earlier flight that leaves at 8:30AM
The options we had were to leaver home at 4:30 AM, or come to LAX the night before, which wass what we will be doing $$

 

[Fedup]

We just got sandbagged by American Airlines. We booked a flight from LAX to the Big Island that left at 10:50 AM on a Saturday. No problem getting there in time, so we thought. I recently checked our reservation, and they had changed us to an earlier flight that leaves at 8:30AM
The options we had were to leaver home at 4:30 AM, or come to LAX the night before, which wass what we will be doing $$

I would stay at a hotel too. I was thinking of 9:30AM direct flight but that means I must get up at 6:00am to get ready. Not a chance in my retirement years.

 

[zinger1457]

A great friend, who unfortunately died not long ago, lived in Huntington Beach and loved it. I used to visit occasionally and I have to admit that as long as you could stay fairly local it was a delightful place to live.

Alas, for anything not available locally, there is the impossible LA traffic to deal with. Having lived there a long time ago, that is something I know I don't have the patience for anymore.

Did many bike rides and stops to Huntington Beach when I lived in S Cal and agree with the above. Cost would be a factor for most, I doubt you'll find much under $750K and even at that price you're looking at a ~1200sq-ft home on a small lot.

 

[braumeister]

Did many bike rides and stops to Huntington Beach when I lived in S Cal and agree with the above. Cost would be a factor for most, I doubt you'll find much under $750K and even at that price you're looking at a ~1200sq-ft home on a small lot.

Yeah, I didn't think about that. Just googled his old house and it's now over $700K. He bought it in 1979.

 

[MRG]

You don't have to go to LAX, there's a John Wayne Airport. For my trip to Hawaii, I'm flying to Phoenix and then from there to Hawaii. There is direct flight from LAX to Hawaii but we were not sure we can get up that early and get to the airport in time.

+1
On John Wayne airport. I frequently was at a client in the area, saved hours by going through there,

 

[Starsky]

So I'm finally at the point where I think all my numbers work, but I am having trouble deciding where I should retire to. My wife and I currently live in the Midwest. Almost every vacation we take, we go out west - California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado etc. we are looking forward to moving out there permanently but are suffering a bit from analysis paralysis.

Our main requirements for a retirement place:

- four seasons but no excessive heat/humidity in the summer and not really long winters. A drier climate is a plus.
- excellent hiking nearby is a must. Close by cross country skiing would be a strong positive
- not too far from a major international airport since we are from the U.K. originally and still travel back there annually to visit family
- preferably a big enough town to have a decent health club, decent shops etc. close by. i.e. Not way out in the sticks
- reasonably affordable. Which I think rules out most of California. Ideally we would find a nice 3 bedroom house for $400k or less but we could stretch that a bit if necessary.

So currently the front running state is Colorado. Originally we were looking at Fort Collins or some of the other Northern front range cities. But then we realized these places are still a bit of a drive to decent hiking, so we are now contemplating more west of Denver so we would be right in the mountains, but still pretty close to a major city.

Feedback from others who live somewhere like where we are looking for would be very much appreciated!

If you want to live in CA, there are plenty of places that are affordable as long as you stay away from the coast. I grew up in Claremont, CA - a small college town near Los Angeles - which would be a great place to retire (91711) and fits most all your criteria. There are several cities against the mountains near LA that are very nice - Glendora, Arcadia, Glendale. They get more expensive as you get closer to LA. You could probably also afford certain cities on the Central Coast. Ventura is great.

The Reno/Tahoe area is nice too, if you need snow. Areas around Sacramento - like Roseville - are also very nice and would also meet your criteria since they are at the foothills of the Sierras. Another worthy place to check out is Bend, OR. I've never been there, but I've researched it heavily and it is a magnet for retirees. Have fun and good luck!

 

[NoOneGetsIt]

I lived in Colorado..agree with those about housing prices are high. Know that Mr Money Mustache lives in Longmont. The I 5 corridor is not fun to drive at all. I would not move to Colorado Springs...very violent crime wise.

We live in Hood River oregon now and it is beautiful but expensive housing and taxes and VERY liberal...not our forever home.

We have looked all over the country and if I had to suggest to you somewhere based on your requirements I would say Boise

We r looking towards Bozeman Montana now to check it out...we have different requirements

 

[euro]

Stay away from Oregon. Particularly SW Oregon. Nothing but mountains, rivers, forests, 4 seasons, including RAIN, (lots) only one larger city with an International airport a long ways away. Nothing to see here folks, move on...

 

[explanade]

I lived in Colorado..agree with those about housing prices are high. Know that Mr Money Mustache lives in Longmont. The I 5 corridor is not fun to drive at all. I would not move to Colorado Springs...very violent crime wise.

We live in Hood River oregon now and it is beautiful but expensive housing and taxes and VERY liberal...not our forever home.

We have looked all over the country and if I had to suggest to you somewhere based on your requirements I would say Boise

We r looking towards Bozeman Montana now to check it out...we have different requirements

Isn't there a lot of military and ex-military in that area?

In Colorado that is.

 

[Fedup]

My friend opened a business in Colorado Springs, she was robbed cold turkey, almost was left to died in a fire. She had security installed too.