W2R
Moderator Emeritus
Most of the houses in my middle class neighborhood were built in 1972, give or take a year, since it was just swamp and a great place to hunt before that year. On my block, the original owners or their grown children occupy nearly all of the houses.
I would say 2-3 people on the block (including me) actually work. The others participate in what I regard as a real life soap opera, given that the families have known and interacted with one another for 37 years. They sit outside in their carports and wave when neighbors drive by. The wives get together during the day and gossip. The husbands do, too. Not my cup of tea! But it sounds like what you are looking for.
That is not the existence I am seeking in retirement. I plan to go to the gym each morning, to have lunch with my companion, Frank, and then maybe I or we might go shopping, garden, go to the library, or do whatever appeals to me or us in the afternoons. My vision of ER sounds pretty blissful to me. It is unlikely that I would feel lonely, but if I do then I might join a bird watching group or volunteer.
People are everywhere, doing what interests them. So follow your interests and you may find people that you like that are doing the same sorts of things. I have a list of 22 activities and interests that I want to especially focus on in retirement. These are things that I don't presently have enough time for, but always wanted to do. Examples are bird watching, brushing up on my piano playing, and taking beginning classes in finance and economics. Some of the activities and interests on my list are solitary, some not.
I would say 2-3 people on the block (including me) actually work. The others participate in what I regard as a real life soap opera, given that the families have known and interacted with one another for 37 years. They sit outside in their carports and wave when neighbors drive by. The wives get together during the day and gossip. The husbands do, too. Not my cup of tea! But it sounds like what you are looking for.
That is not the existence I am seeking in retirement. I plan to go to the gym each morning, to have lunch with my companion, Frank, and then maybe I or we might go shopping, garden, go to the library, or do whatever appeals to me or us in the afternoons. My vision of ER sounds pretty blissful to me. It is unlikely that I would feel lonely, but if I do then I might join a bird watching group or volunteer.
People are everywhere, doing what interests them. So follow your interests and you may find people that you like that are doing the same sorts of things. I have a list of 22 activities and interests that I want to especially focus on in retirement. These are things that I don't presently have enough time for, but always wanted to do. Examples are bird watching, brushing up on my piano playing, and taking beginning classes in finance and economics. Some of the activities and interests on my list are solitary, some not.