States to where retirees move

[Walt34]

Not so great for the local people already living there and minding their own business when all those outsiders discovered their nice area. And no doubt the local officials are all hyping the growth as a good thing.

That's exactly what is happening here and the long-time locals are not at all happy about it. Another ten years of this and we're going to have to move again to escape the traffic.

 

[Teacher Terry]

John & Walt: exactly the problem. Many CA retirees come because they can get so much $ from a tiny home and buy a huge one here with $ left over. I came here 20 years ago for a job and my DH is a native which is rare. The city leaders say growth is awesome. NOt sure what planet they live on. The state does not have the $ to address the issues and surprise, surprise spends the $ they do have foolishly.

 

[unclemick]

For some it could be:
Fat Congress pension and health care, with the opportunity to pick up speaking engagement or occasional juicy advisor contract.

Or retired military looking for a second job.

heh heh heh - not mentioning which relative/s. Meanwhile back in Kansas. Kansas!!

 

[harley]

Note that the OP in the thread mentioned this was all moves, not just retirees. And the D.C. area relies on perhaps the most recession-proof industry around, and one that isn't being offshored.

It's interesting. Every time a new administration comes to power, there's a massive influx of new hangers-on. But for whatever reason, the old ones never leave. It was great when I was selling my houses there, but I was never so happy as when I moved 3 hours away.

 

[NW-Bound]

Power and money are great attractors. Silicon Valley has only money. DC has both.

 

[Tetto]

Why would anyone retire in D.C.?

DC is great! Lots of free things to do and visit(many are free) great restaurants and a walkable city. But you have to be careful where you go too, it can be quite dangerous in certain areas.

 

[travelover]

Not so great for the local people already living there and minding their own business when all those outsiders discovered their nice area. And no doubt the local officials are all hyping the growth as a good thing.

I'll bet they don't complain when it comes time to sell their house and have all those equity rich Californians bidding against each other to buy their house. I'm looking at this now in the PNW where rents and house prices are climbing daily.

 

[John Galt III]

I'll bet they don't complain when it comes time to sell their house and have all those equity rich Californians bidding against each other to buy their house. I'm looking at this now in the PNW where rents and house prices are climbing daily.

Well, they don't want to sell, probably, since they are (or were) happy with where they live. They just keep getting higher property taxes, school taxes, cost for manual labor, etc, as the area gets citified, and now they have to wait in traffic with the newconers' SUV's and minivans. Possibly one benefit of the higher prices would be a larger inheritance for the kids. But mainly it's a bad thing for the locals once their nice area gets discovered. If they wanted city life they would have moved already, to a city.

 

[NW-Bound]

Up at my high-country boondocks home, a developer organized a drive to have the area incorporated. The locals told me that he had a subdivision where the percolate test for septic system failed because it was too rocky. So, he wanted the incorporation so that other people would have to pay taxes for a city sewer plant, which benefited him greatly. There were benefits dangling such as a major grocery chain had agreed to open a store there after incorporation.

The measure was defeated in an election. People there are happy to drive 40 miles one way to get groceries.

 

[BeachOrCity]

Why would anyone retire in D.C.?

As a long time resident of DC......

Some people like an urban lifestyle
Some people enjoy the many free museums and attractions. In fact DC has more free things to offer than any other american city
Some people call DC home

 

[REWahoo]

Up at my high-country boondocks home, a developer organized a drive to have the area incorporated. The locals told me that he had a subdivision where the percolate test for septic system failed because it was too rocky.

Does the cold make aerobic septic systems impractical? I live in a very rocky area with very little topsoil over a thick layer of limestone and aerobic systems are the standard. We rarely have to worry about frozen pipes or spray heads but I can see where that could be a serious issue in snow country.

 

[Spanky]

I am contemplating to move to San Jose, CA area where our daughter lives but totally discouraged by the cost of housing. A 1,200 sq. ft townhouse has a sticker price of nearly $900K. Rent is about $3K per month. Only people working for the premiere companies (i.e., Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Apple, etc) could afford to live there.

 

[NW-Bound]

Does the cold make aerobic septic systems impractical? I live in a very rocky area with very little topsoil over a thick layer of limestone and aerobic systems are the standard. We rarely have to worry about frozen pipes or spray heads but I can see where that could be a serious issue in snow country.

I have a regular septic system. A neighbor just 500 ft down the road had to install an aerobic system, and he is the only one nearby with it. I have not talked to him to see if there are limitations that he has to live with (holding it in when it's cold? ). He's a part-timer anyway, and may not come up at all during the winter.

By the way, even though this is at 7,000 ft we tend to have a warm spell quite often for things to thaw out. I don't know how much warming would be enough for his septic tank to work.

PS. My lot is rocky, as much of the land around here is. However, it is sandstone (I think that's what it is called), and porous enough that there's never much water standing after a rain. No body of water around here. The plus side is there are no bugs nor mosquitoes.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I am contemplating to move to San Jose, CA area where our daughter lives but totally discouraged by the cost of housing. A 1,200 sq. ft townhouse has a sticker price of nearly $900K. Rent is about $3K per month. Only people working for the premiere companies (i.e., Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Apple, etc) could afford to live there.

And those that bought in the 1980s or earlier and stayed, or inherited their parents' house.

If you want to move close to, but not in Silicon Valley, try looking farther away but in-state. And watch taxes too. State income tax is high, as is sales tax and gas tax. Property tax is relatively low.

Contemplate eastern Contra Costa County or Livermore. The houses are half the price there. BART can get you to Fremont, which is close to San Jose. The Bay Area just doesn't get that cold. You won't need snow shovels or much of a winter wardrobe. CA lifestyle is much more out-of-the-house oriented, so you don't need as much house. Heck, if you want to have a family get together and the house is too small, then have a barbecue. Just have a covered patio if it rains in the winter. My parents had 40 people at the house for a surprised birthday party for my dad. She hid the party food at the neighbors house. It was December. Our house had 1300 sq. ft. But the covered patio made it possible.

Or move farther out. My aunt's property in the Sierra foothills went for 48K last year, including a double wide (that needed repair) which the buyer junked.

 

[JoeWras]

These maps are fun, indeed. But more interesting to me is the big data behind it. ADP, for example, has gotten into the business of privately reporting job numbers ahead of the government. Now the moving companies have their own numbers.

I suspect they are making money off of this somehow. Not necessarily bad, just interesting.

By the way, NC is a terrible place. There are copperheads, black widows, termites and hurricanes. Don't move there.

 

[braumeister]

Does the cold make aerobic septic systems impractical?

Not at all. The place we sold last year had a 37 year old aerobic system (well, I replaced the motor about 10 years ago) and it was just fine. Plenty of below freezing weeks in the winter, and occasionally below zero (this was Ohio).

But despite the good service they gave, the county decided about ten years ago that they wouldn't allow any new ones, so I took very good care of mine. To replace it with a new system would have cost about $25K.

 

[Spanky]

And those that bought in the 1980s or earlier and stayed, or inherited their parents' house.

If you want to move close to, but not in Silicon Valley, try looking farther away but in-state. And watch taxes too. State income tax is high, as is sales tax and gas tax. Property tax is relatively low.

Contemplate eastern Contra Costa County or Livermore. The houses are half the price there. BART can get you to Fremont, which is close to San Jose. The Bay Area just doesn't get that cold. You won't need snow shovels or much of a winter wardrobe. CA lifestyle is much more out-of-the-house oriented, so you don't need as much house. Heck, if you want to have a family get together and the house is too small, then have a barbecue. Just have a covered patio if it rains in the winter. My parents had 40 people at the house for a surprised birthday party for my dad. She hid the party food at the neighbors house. It was December. Our house had 1300 sq. ft. But the covered patio made it possible.

Or move farther out. My aunt's property in the Sierra foothills went for 48K last year, including a double wide (that needed repair) which the buyer junked.

Thanks. We are also looking at Carson City, NV and Discovery Bay, CA, Gilroy, CA.

 

[unclemick]

Up at my high-country boondocks home, a developer organized a drive to have the area incorporated. The locals told me that he had a subdivision where the percolate test for septic system failed because it was too rocky. So, he wanted the incorporation so that other people would have to pay taxes for a city sewer plant, which benefited him greatly. There were benefits dangling such as a major grocery chain had agreed to open a store there after incorporation.

The measure was defeated in an election. People there are happy to drive 40 miles one way to get groceries.

This reminds of a not so great Tom Russell song, The Ballad of Edward Abbey with the line "if you can't pee in your own front yard you're living too close to town."

Needless to say it was an anti-development protest song.
'
heh heh heh - Long long ago (before Katrina) a govt. grant studied extending New Orleans sewer out to us 'swamp dwellers',. A certain engineer who shall go un-named pointed out that they spent 15k per household on the study when 3k per fish camp would install a three chamber above ground unit with acceptable water quality for discharge into the bayou.

But then again some crazy people like living in flyover country.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I would think this study would be more heavily weighted towards retirees than young people. When I was younger, all my moves were via U haul/pickup truck. My last one was hired and if I ever moved again, I'd pay to be moved again.

 

[Winemaker]

I noticed that a lot of the states losing population are pretty high tax states. An excellent reason to leave, IMO.

SSSSSShhhhhhhh. Pennsylvania currently does not tax SS, pensions, Ira and 401k distributions. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I would think this study would be more heavily weighted towards retirees than young people. When I was younger, all my moves were via U haul/pickup truck. My last one was hired and if I ever moved again, I'd pay to be moved again.

all of my moves were paid by my employer - companies still do relos

 

[Breedlove]

Ha NW Bound , talks about his sewage system . When I built my house in the country they came out and told me I could only put an aerobic system in . This cost was average 7000.00 and everyone I knew that has one has problems . I found a local bootleg installer , bought my septic tank and leach line at a local hardware store . For a total of just under 2000.00 I have a working septic system.
Some of these regulations are a sad ripoff. Lots of new is not better then the old just more expensive .

 

[REWahoo]

Ha NW Bound , talks about his sewage system . When I built my house in the country they came out and told me I could only put an aerobic system in . This cost was average 7000.00 and everyone I knew that has one has problems . I found a local bootleg installer , bought my septic tank and leach line at a local hardware store . For a total of just under 2000.00 I have a working septic system.
Some of these regulations are a sad ripoff. Lots of new is not better then the old just more expensive .

^ This is why we can't have nice things...

 

[W2R]

I only have one thing to say in this discussion, and you all already know what it is.

I would NEVER choose to live anywhere that doesn't have city water and city sewerage. Period. The ancient Romans had sewers in 800 BC. This is by far the greatest technological advance mankind has ever made, and I see no reason to descend back into the stone age.

City water and sewerage is my Number One requirement for a place to live. We're talking running water and flush toilets and a sewer system to take everything, well, somewhere far, far away from me. To a city girl like me, anything less is descending to sheer barbarism.

YMMV and apparently does for a few of you barbarians living out in the wilderness.

 

[W2R]

OK, I did have a little more to add.

Louisiana is a great place to retire that is completely undiscovered.

It's cheap to live here, the food is amazing, you never run the risk of freezing to death in the winter, people are friendly, and in the larger towns we at least have the bare necessities like city water and sewerage. Oh, and like our license plates say, Louisiana is the "Sportsman's Paradise". Lots of fishing and hunting and such. You can even practice your French with our Cajuns, who speak a sort of bastardized French, or Creoles, who speak another version, and in the process of speaking French to either you can learn a few new choice words. Lifelong learning is a way of life here. And then there's Mardi Gras and we do know how to party. Always something available to do.

If you get REALLY bored, or broke, here in Louisiana you can always have some fun hunting nutria. The state pays a bounty of $5 per nutria tail that you turn in. Now if that doesn't convince you to move here, I don't know what will.