Looking for mountains and ocean....

[lightspeed]

Ok, I'm relatively new to this forum so forgive me if this type of question pops up all too often. I'm 5-10 years from getting FIRE'd but always dreaming where to live. I'm 41 now, and I plan (and hope) to remain fit and active when I reitre. Here are my desires:

Family friendly; with a little luck and diligence, I hope to get FIRE'd before becoming an empty-nester.

Love to backcountry ski... would like to do this in the winter without going overnight or driving more than 1-2 hours. Would not mind resort downhill skiing availability also.

Would love to be within <= 1/2 day from an ocean.

Like four seasons... but not Southwestern 100F hot in the summer (which I could not bear) and not northern Rockies sub-zero F cold (which my spouse could not bear) in the the winter.

I run a lot during 3 seasons... would love to be in a community that is runner friendly, or generally where people tend to be more fit.

Prefer an educated, open-minded community, and but not too left wing or too right wing.

Don't mind paying taxes if they truly support and improve quality of life in the community.

I have a few places in mind but wondering what places others might come up with!

 

[mb]

Seattle and Portland

 

[haha]

Bishop, CA

 

[NotSoonEnough]

As others have pointed out, Washington, Oregon, and northern California will all fit your requirements. I am currently considering eastern Oregon myself, some very nice smaller towns such as Baker City, Burns, La Grande, etc. Low cost of living and close to lots of outdoor recreation...

 

[bssc]

We have friends and family who retired in Bend, OR and Pendleton, OR

 

[FinanceGeek]

New Hampshire

 

[LOL!]

Do you actually want to go into the ocean or just look at it?

Why not a two-location scenario? Does it have to be in US?

 

[lightspeed]

We don't surf or sail, so we just want to be able relax by it and enjoy an ocean community. A cottage near the ocean and a cabin in the mountains within 1/2 day driving distance sounds storybook to us! We do have a lot of family on the west coast so that is our inclination. And I'd feel better about at least getting the kids into college before leaving the country.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Bellingham, Washington. Squished between Puget Sound and the foothills of the Cascades.

Anywhere further north of there, also. Unfortunately, you are not welcome in Canada as a retiree.

 

[bright eyed]

somewhere on this map

Mill Valley, CA, USA - Google Maps

i am familiar w/ mill valley - that area is amazing. but might be too "bay area lefty crunchy"

but the further up north you go it may also be more affordable, conservative and more natural...that's close to mountains, beach and lake tahoe skiing...

 

[CourtneyC]

Sacramento, CA and the surrounding area could be another consideration, since it's about an hour away from skiing and the wine country. From Sacramento, it's also under two hours to the coast. It's also considerably less expensive than the Bay Area. Good luck!

 

[lightspeed]

I do like Mill Valley (might be a bit on the crowded side for us) but I think I'd have to postpone getting FIRE'd to live there. All great ideas so far, and pointing us in the general direction we've considered-- Northern CA, OR, WA. Have spent some but not a lot of time in either of these 2 places, but these were high on our list: Ashland, OR; Bellingham, WA (mentioned a post or 2 ago). Anyone here live in any of these places?

 

[Donzo]

The foothills of the Sierra mountains in N. CA have all the things you are looking for and more.

 

[Danny]

Ok, I'm relatively new to this forum so forgive me if this type of question pops up all too often. I'm 5-10 years from getting FIRE'd but always dreaming where to live. I'm 41 now, and I plan (and hope) to remain fit and active when I reitre. Here are my desires:

Family friendly; with a little luck and diligence, I hope to get FIRE'd before becoming an empty-nester.

Love to backcountry ski... would like to do this in the winter without going overnight or driving more than 1-2 hours. Would not mind resort downhill skiing availability also.

Would love to be within <= 1/2 day from an ocean.

Like four seasons... but not Southwestern 100F hot in the summer (which I could not bear) and not northern Rockies sub-zero F cold (which my spouse could not bear) in the the winter.

I run a lot during 3 seasons... would love to be in a community that is runner friendly, or generally where people tend to be more fit.

Prefer an educated, open-minded community, and but not too left wing or too right wing.

Don't mind paying taxes if they truly support and improve quality of life in the community.

I have a few places in mind but wondering what places others might come up with!

I would suggest Minnesota! We have an inland ocean in Lake Superior, don't let anyone tell you it isn't an ocean - remember the Edmund Fitzgerald?

There are mountains up there also, and you can cross-country til you keister gets blue.

Someone mentioned Marin County, having lived there, I have to tell you that is some very very expensive real estate, which is smack dab in the middle of some very expensive real estate.

You should be able to get a hecka lot more for your money in Duluth and the North Shore or for that matter in the bustling metropolis of Minneapolis/St.Paul.

We have 4 seasons. Some are shorter than they should be, but you get to see the real natural rhythm of nature here, while the Bay Area only has 2 seasons - wet/green and dry/brown. You get used to the winter cold here, we've been here 13 years.

We pay a good amount of taxes and we get what we pay for.

Very healthy active state.

Definitely family friendly and educated state. Politics should be left of center once we get rid of Sen. Coleman.

 

[Getting short]

I second Bend, OR as it fits ALL of your criteria: good snow (not the wet westside stuff), downhill skiing at Bachelor, 3 hrs from the ocean, real seasons, fit people and a blend of left wing (CA transplants) and right wing (eastern OR) politics.

The negative is very high property values.

 

[Charlotte]

North Carolina

North Carolina has the Blue Ridge mountains as well as a lovely shoreline. Cost of living is pretty reasonable too.

Charlotte

 

[mickeyd]

Alaska seems to have all of the things that you need.

 

[rickier55]

Portland, OR. 1-1 1/2 hours to Mt Hood skiing, and 2 hours from coast. The Cascode mountains, sandy beaches and rocky coastline. Hiking all over.

Rick

 

[Fred333]

I would go with Vancouver, BC. I didn't know if you were looking out of the US.

 

[FinanceGeek]

I'm shocked nobody seconded (or even responded to) New Hampshire.

Most people are recommending the usual trendy places like Oregon, North Carolina, etc. which just tells me that these places will soon get overrun and lose their attractiveness. Guess I should take my own advice about where to FIRE!

 

[W2R]

I'm shocked nobody seconded (or even responded to) New Hampshire.

Most people are recommending the usual trendy places like Oregon, North Carolina, etc. which just tells me that these places will soon get overrun and lose their attractiveness. Guess I should take my own advice about where to FIRE!

I think it's just great if everyone flocks to the trendy places and leaves the rest of the country wide open for the rest of us.

New Hampshire is beautiful. If my recollection is correct, New Hampshire is not too tax-friendly.

 

[kcowan]

I would go with Vancouver, BC. I didn't know if you were looking out of the US.

Courtney BC near the ocean. More sunshine and less rain than Vancouver. Snow and skiing at Mt Washington - an hour away. Salmon fishing and sailing at your doorstep. Lots of golf. Inexpensive real estate so far.

(I have vacationed there but live in West Vancouver, 15 minutes from the quad chairs of Cypress Mountain which gets more snow than Whistler.)

 

[A854321]

Best advice is to always rent for at least a year before buying property.

Personally, my impression was that if one more person retired in Bend, OR, the earth was going to tip over.

 

[FinanceGeek]

I think it's just great if everyone flocks to the trendy places and leaves the rest of the country wide open for the rest of us.

New Hampshire is beautiful. If my recollection is correct, New Hampshire is not too tax-friendly.

A rousing AMEN to the first!

New Hampshire has no income or sales tax. But, they gotta make their money somewhere, so property taxes and taxes on vehicle registration are high. From studies I've seen in the past the overall tax burden was fairly low for the average person, at least relative to adjoining states in the the Bos-Wash corridor.

 

[haha]

I lived in Boston. Great city, good ocean swimming but a little cold, just up the coast at Plum Island, or down the coast (traffic!) on the Cape. As the other poster said, White Mountains/Mt Washington are really fine for mountain sports and not really far.

As far as ocean goes, is one after swimming, surfing, fishing from a boat, fishing from a pier, sailing, kayaking, or just smelling the salt air?

If swimming, forget the Pacific Coast north of Santa Barbara. Likewise all the places like Vancouver where it gets warm enough to swim for a while in summer, but it is not the ocean. It's saltwater sure enough, but enclosed and protected. Excellent for sailing and fishing, just like the bays and estuaries of Washington.

If you really want ocean and mountains close enough not to be a chore to get there, LA is your destination.

If the mountains can be forgotten and you don't mind humidity, Florida is the place.

Ha