- Where are you living? (state)
- Is there snow? lol -- hoping never to see snow again when I retire
- why do you love your location?
- Is it expensive (taxes, etc.) housing costs, etc.
1. Central Illinois
2. Yes, but the road crews are equipped to handle it here. We've managed to avoid ice storms the past few years.
3. I am still working and this is where my job and family are located. I like the 4 seasons, but could do without the heat and humidity of July/August. Big cities are 2-3 hours away. Central time zone is the best!
4. My property taxes are $2500 on $120k home. Sales tax is 7.75% (State + local) and income tax is 3.75% this year. But, my parents have been retired for 25 years here. Their property taxes were frozen at age 65 ($250 when we sold the house) and they haven't paid income tax in years, so comparing costs for workers versus retirees is key.
I am enjoying this thread too. Of the places in the US that I've visited, I've always thought that Monterey, CA was the most beautiful. Not sure that I could afford to live there in retirement. I'd like to chime in on Boise. I lived there for 4 years in the mid-90s. At that time Boise was experiencing growing pains with lots of California "migrants" driving up property values. I liked Boise, but did not like that it wasn't very close to anywhere else. If outdoor activities are part of your retirement dreams, then Boise should be on your short list of places to live because the mountains and desert are just minutes from town. But, if you want to do some traveling, I think there are better home bases. I can't imagine that Boise is all that cheap either.