Where did you retire?

[mickeyd]

Have lived in Texas for 30+ years and decided to retire here also. We retired (finally) to a CCRC not far from where we had a house. Last night DW said (out of the blue) " You know mickeyd, I don't ever want to leave this place."

We are probably here to stay.

 

[Koolau]

For those who pursued F.I.R.E in USA:

Where did you decide to retire? Did you stay at the same vicinity or chose another destination and why?

What major city and/or small town in USA gives the best bang for your buck in retirement purely from a financial perspective?

Heh, heh, sort of did both - stayed in same vicinity AND another destination.

As I write this, I'm sitting in the same house I grew up in beginning 70+ years ago. I call it the "homestead" (it's an old farm house that was built, beginning just after the Civil War.) We spend most summers here.

Shortly following FIRE, we moved "full time" (as in changing state residence) to Honolulu (Oahu) Hawaii. Fall, winter, and spring are spent in the Islands.

No idea of what a good "bang for your buck" area would be. Our homestead is much cheaper than Honolulu, but since Kupuna (elders) have many tax advantages, Hawaii is manageable to those who have reasonable income/savings AND are adaptable. YMMV

 

[Librarian]

Not sure!

DH just retired & I'm planning to in 2 years.
Have lived in Nebraska our whole lives & have wanted nothing more than to move somewhere warmer & less humid. (I have arthritis; he LOVES to golf)
We have always said Vegas.
Would still like to, tho some concern about future water issues.
We are only 55 & 58.
DM76 who is a go getter & always in good shape was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in Feb. Doing well for now but it is a roller coaster with lots of unknowns.
DF76 had prostate cancer a few years ago, treated, did great, now numbers r starting to rise.
SO--we shall see how the next 2 years go. No interest in going anywhere for now.
DS26 is in CA--would love CA but not interested in the housing in my budget. DD23 is in Fort Worth--do love FW but hate the summer.
DS20 still in college.
Suddenly we are like--WHO KNOWS??!!
But our retirement goal otherwise is no different--travel, travel, travel.
We have done it as much as possible w/in our schedules & budget over the years, and intend to continue.

 

[Gumby]

Retired in the same place we have been living since 1989. On the Connecticut shoreline. Are there cheaper places? Yes. Are there better places? No.

This is my city - https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/By-boat-train-and-car-tourists-flock-back-to-16304556.php

Mayor Ben Blake said the city is the kind of place that when people visit they end up wanting to live here.

 

[F.I.R.E User]

A big area so you’ll have to narrow it down there’s no blanket assesMeant that can be made

Oh ok. It was in Embarcadero I think.

 

[Letj]

This is my city - https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/By-boat-train-and-car-tourists-flock-back-to-16304556.php

I just did an epic tour of New England including some nice spots near the water in Connecticut. I don’t see how anyone would want to leave that place (the history, old homes, coast lines, clean air, beautiful scenery, artisan shops, the food, etc, etc). I imagine your town has a lot of that.

 

[Koolau]

I just did an epic tour of New England including some nice spots near the water in Connecticut. I don’t see how anyone would want to leave that place (the history, old homes, coast lines, clean air, beautiful scenery, artisan shops, the food, etc, etc). I imagine your town has a lot of that.

DW and I both enjoyed our tours of the area (East coast New England.) But since they have winter there, I don't think we would have ever considered settling down. YMMV

 

[Letj]

DW and I both enjoyed our tours of the area (East coast New England.) But since they have winter there, I don't think we would have ever considered settling down. YMMV

Lol. That’s my issue. Too darn cold in the winter. Love love the area in the summer though. Thoroughly lives up to its reputation.

 

[jr6035]

I moved to the best kept secret in SoCal, Ventura County. Before we met, DW had found a home in a +55 park, and when we married, I moved there from the San Fernando Valley.
The temperatures are much cooler, and the topsoil is great, compared the adobe in the Valley.

Which town? And are there any on the market? I'm ready to leave Sherman Oaks.

 

[jr6035]

I worked as a cop in Dallas for 26 years. Lived in Plano, never went into Dallas except for work.

 

[jr6035]

By far. Lived there 20 years.

 

[Ally]

We retired in a city in West Texas. We stayed here, because our home was paid off, we are a medical and educational hub, and family are nearby.

 

[citrine]

We semi retired (both have our businesses) and moved from the east coast to NM four and a half years ago. We are in the high desert between ABQ and Santa Fe....have 2 acres in a nice neighborhood with mountain views. Hopefully will have a paid off home in the next 7-10 years. Cost of living is way lower than the east coast and there is so much to do that is low cost.

 

[rwdflynavy]

We retired to Roanoke Virginia. My wife is from here and we both attended Virginia Tech which is about 40 minutes away. Love living in the mountains.

 

[ElizabethT]

We retired in place in inland Orange County, CA, then moved to coastal S. Orange County four years ago. We see the ocean from our home, and R&R by it almost daily. The change that modest inner-county move of 30 miles has had on our lifestyle is almost impossible to overstate. I can only offer that we have not yet met anyone who doesn't feel immensely fortunate to live so near the Pacific.

 

[Montecfo]

We retired to Roanoke Virginia. My wife is from here and we both attended Virginia Tech which is about 40 minutes away. Love living in the mountains.

That is a nice spot. Heading down there for a visit here in a month.

How much snow are y'all getting annually?

And curious where you retired from?

 

[Montecfo]

Retiring TO California from elsewhere

Great thread.

Have seen a lot of folks retire FROM California. But only one person retiring TO California from somewhere else.

Like San Diego area? I mean, if you are going to move maybe go where weather is considered by many to be best in continental US?

 

[Out of Steam]

We retired to Roanoke Virginia. My wife is from here and we both attended Virginia Tech which is about 40 minutes away. Love living in the mountains.

We're about 150 miles east and, despite being in a roughly similar climate to where I've lived for the past 40 years, I'm finding the heat difficult this summer.

 

[ElizabethT]

Great thread.

Have seen a lot of folks retire FROM California. But only one person retiring TO California from somewhere else.

Like San Diego area? I mean, if you are going to move maybe go where weather is considered by many to be best in continental US?

California is expensive. Were money no object, or if homes were priced evenly across the US, it would be very interesting to see where people elected to go.

I love coastal OC, however, if homes were equally priced everywhere I'd live in a heartbeat in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, in Mill Valley specifically. Aside from the county borders touching both the Pacific Ocean and the Bay, it has dedicated almost 85% of it's land mass to Open Space areas, making it a walking/hiking/bicycling nirvana, all three of which I enjoy.

But for now I just dream, because it currently runs $844 per sq foot in Mill Valley, vs $660 per sq foot in my coastal OC community.

 

[Montecfo]

^^^^^^
Yes it's expensive. But my question is: given the costs and benefits, has anyone retired to Socal after living elsewhere during working years?

If so how has that worked out?

 

[daylatedollarshort]

^^^^^^
Yes it's expensive. But my question is: given the costs and benefits, has anyone retired to Socal after living elsewhere during working years?

If so how has that worked out?

I can't speakto SoCal, but retirees do move to the Bay Area. We're friends with some of them in our senior clubs and in our neighborhood. Most of them are pretty well off so housing prices aren't a huge issue for them. The retirees we know seem happy to be here. Usually they have kids and grandkids or other relatives here.

As I've posted elsewhere, statewide, there is an influx of rich people moving into California and and outflow of middle and lower class moving out.

 

[Koolau]

I can't speakto SoCal, but retirees do move to the Bay Area. We're friends with some of them in our senior clubs and in our neighborhood. Most of them are pretty well off so housing prices aren't a huge issue for them. The retirees we know seem happy to be here. Usually they have kids and grandkids or other relatives here.

As I've posted elsewhere, statewide, there is an influx of rich people moving into California and and outflow of middle and lower class moving out.

We see the influx/outflow situation in Hawaii also. But much of the outflow is for younger folks seeking empl*yment. If you can live in Hawaii as an empl*yed person, you will have typically ended up with housing which is the single most difficult financial issue in the Islands during retirement. And, oddly enough folks who've spent their life in the Islands don't want to leave during retirement. Of course, YMMV.

 

[novaman]

We see the influx/outflow situation in Hawaii also. But much of the outflow is for younger folks seeking empl*yment. If you can live in Hawaii as an empl*yed person, you will have typically ended up with housing which is the single most difficult financial issue in the Islands during retirement. And, oddly enough folks who've spent their life in the Islands don't want to leave during retirement. Of course, YMMV.

My friend grew up in Hawaii and has spent his entire working life there. When he retired he couldn’t wait to get off the island. [Mod Edit] The increasing crime, of which he had been a victim many times over, got to him. He is now happily enjoying retirement stateside on the West Coast.

 

[novaman]

I can't speakto SoCal, but retirees do move to the Bay Area. We're friends with some of them in our senior clubs and in our neighborhood. Most of them are pretty well off so housing prices aren't a huge issue for them. The retirees we know seem happy to be here. Usually they have kids and grandkids or other relatives here.

As I've posted elsewhere, statewide, there is an influx of rich people moving into California and and outflow of middle and lower class moving out.

Exactly my dream. I’ve been California dreaming for most of my life. I’m retired now and have been blessed financially. I could afford to retire there on the coast, but my family is here and it would be tough to leave them, so the timing is not right….. yet.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Exactly my dream. I’ve been California dreaming for most of my life. I’m retired now and have been blessed financially. I could afford to retire there on the coast, but my family is here and it would be tough to leave them, so the timing is not right….. yet.

Some of the retirees have second homes here - usually a condo. One does the reverse and has a large home here and a smaller place in another country due to kids and grandkids in California and parents in their birth country. Just a thought.