Where to retire II

[rayinpenn]

I've started a new topic because we've come to far afield. The Knoxville area seems to be a viable option, we vacationed in an incredible cabin in the hills near pigeon forge a few years back. We took a wrong turn on the way home and was a bit disturbed By some of the of poverty we observed. Same thing happened in Florida oh my those shacks...sad.

My kids and relatives are will be on the East coast so let's forget loverly California for a bit. I've focused my wish list a bit..
1. Single floor living - prefer if I didn't have neighbors too close but if there is a clubhouse I'm flexible.
2. Crime - obviously I don't want to move to a war zone gated community might be nice.
3. Don't want to continue pay $9k in property taxes
4. My wife needs some kind of shopping within 1/2 hour (Home Depot/ Lowes for me)
5. Some kind of entertainment/culture venues within 45 minutes. We seen over the past two years - Billy Joel, Jersey boys...Jack and the dream catcher...
6. Fishing.. Not to far - I gave that up to get my kids in a great school district. Yeah It paid off.
7. Friendly people... My two next door neighbor finally met after living across from each other for 15 years. That to me is sad.
8. Better climate ..looks like Knoxville averages 7 degrees warmer every month in the winter then here in SE Penn. This morning my gas stoves are keeping it toasty inside; we shut the main heat off - now that seems a bit optimistic (home my tomatoes don't freeze in the green house) - it's 40 outside. I note it is 54 in Knoxville. I studied the monthly average temperatures and it Seems like winter is considerably shorter there. Hey one thing to consider there are no right and wrong answers ... Personal Preference is way too diverse.

Lots to consider thanks to all who made suggestions... Now how to I get the Mrs to make a 9 hour drive to Knoxville area. For a more serious look see.


.



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Which Roger]

Duluth, MN meets all of your criteria, with the caveat that to me, "better climate" means coolish-summers without stifling humidity, and I enjoy winter.

 

[rayinpenn]

Minnesota? With all due respect- Dude are you crazy? I hate the cold. Very often the weatherman says its minus whatever in international falls ...

I don't want to go anywhere where the car needs an electric blanket...Sweet Moses No!


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Midpack]

I found these sites very helpful for narrowing the options, especially the first two, the third is more helpful for subsequent research. You can enter your specific wants & needs and the sites will give you places to consider.

Find Your Spot | Find Your Spot

Best Places to Live | Compare cost of living, crime, cities, schools and more. Sperling's BestPlaces

City-Data.com - Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more

I don't find the periodic web/magazine article/lists to be very useful, because they're unlikely to be based on wants & needs of the reader, and often those criteria are not even disclosed.

Best of luck...

 

[Gumby]

I found these sites very helpful for narrowing the options, especially the first two, the third is more helpful for subsequent research. You can enter your specific wants & needs and the sites will give you places to consider.

Find Your Spot | Find Your Spot

You should be aware that you will need to "join" Find Your Spot by creating an account and giving them information. You don't find out about this requirement until after you have run through their multi-question survey.

 

[W2R]

Lots to consider thanks to all who made suggestions... Now how to I get the Mrs to make a 9 hour drive to Knoxville area. For a more serious look see.

Maybe ask her about her dreams for a new retirement house, if she has any? Get her involved. Oh, and also make it seem more like a vacation than a chore to go there. Think of some things she might like to do there. Use the words "explore" and "adventure" a lot.

At least, that is what would work for me.

 

[rayinpenn]

Manipulation! How do you live with yourself?
I'll do it. Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Amethyst]

This is an issue in NC also...developers acquire a parcel of land and build a couple dozen beautiful houses, conveniently adjacent to those who are bound to resent them and/or see them as treasure boxes for burglary.
Come to think of it, the same thing is found in western PA where we were looking for a while.

I've started a new topic because we've come to far afield. The Knoxville area seems to be a viable option, we vacationed in an incredible cabin in the hills near pigeon forge a few years back. We took a wrong turn on the way home and was a bit disturbed By some of the of poverty we observed. Same thing happened in Florida oh my those shacks...sad.rum

 

[Moemg]

I would look at Venice , Fl. It has tons of friendly people . A historic downtown with outdoor restaurants , shops and a nice theater . It has recently been discovered and is building up which is the only downside otherwise it is perfect . Your wife will be in shopping heaven with the local stores & a nearby mall . You will be in fishing heaven & home depot is there.

 

[GravitySucks]

I saw a nice ranch in gated golf course community in Myrtle Beach last trip that meets everything on your list. I am going to continue looking. Seems the whole town revolves around golf though - Not my sport.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[heyyou]

For mild, four seasons of weather, I look where latitude meets altitude--towns in the edge of mountains, perhaps an hour or two from a larger city with urban amenities. Some of them have more expensive real estate in a cheaper state, so the cost is not high, just above the state-wide average.

 

[Midpack]

You should be aware that you will need to "join" Find Your Spot by creating an account and giving them information. You don't find out about this requirement until after you have run through their multi-question survey.

True, thanks I'd forgotten, though all they asked for was an email address IIRC.

 

[RE2Boys]

Trying to leave SE PA? Do they have winters there? Just kidding, but move up to NW PA and you'll get to know real winters. The daffodils are finally out and my sugar maples have just a hint of green on the end of the branches. And Lake Erie lost it's last ice today!
During my "career" job, spent 20 years in Huntsville, AL and grew to love it. About 200K folks, many who moved there supporting the space program. Fishing & boating nearby at Lake Guntersville, went on a lot of backpacks in Tennessee (Big South Fork, Smokies, AT, property taxes were 30% of what I pay in PA. (but they collect other ways). Real winter measured in a few weeks at most. Two hours to Nashville, Chattanooga, or Birmingham. Per capita income very high for Alabama as standard for newcomers they were either software specialists or engineers. DW and I have talked of , once boys out of HS, spending like two months of winter in Huntsville. It's far enough from the gulf that humidity is not bad, would rather spend a summer in Huntsville than in steaming DC.

 

[W2R]

True, thanks I'd forgotten, though all they asked for was an email address IIRC.

Surely it is more than that. I don't actually remember what they required, but I do know that I wouldn't mind giving out an e-mail address. Even this forum has that from me. But I did mind their requirements and therefore have not joined despite filling out their survey numerous times. I am so forgetful.

 

[AllDone]

I read through the last thread, but didn't comment. Someone mentioned culture as an important variable to consider and I think that was spot on. The thread deteriorated into a lot of California bashing and defending, but if you know the players, it was red view vs. blue view respectively. I have lived in Alabama and Georgia briefly and was not comfortable in either. I could, however, happily live in any of the cities between San Diego and Vancouver, BC. You really need to take those cultural issues into account when you make your decision as well as weather issues, etc.

My parents were shocked when they moved from "high tax" California to a "lower tax" state and discovered that the taxation of SS and other increased taxes and expenses (MC supplement, car insurance and reg) actually increased their total outgo, despite the lower top income tax bracket (which they don't pay, anyway). Trying to project total expenses can be difficult and articles like the Forbes (IIRC) article about tax-friendly states for retirees often distort the real situation along the usual red-blue divide. I saw an article by some academic economists a few years ago that rated "high tax" California as the 17th highest tax state for the average person, but you would never get that impression from Forbes and certainly if you are very high income then Forbes is accurate.

If I couldn't afford to live in San Diego, San Francisco, Portland or Seattle, then I would probably give Albuquerque serious consideration, but that reflects my cultural bias. Happily, I can afford to live anywhere I darn well please!

P.S. The headline on this Thursday's (far-right owned and editorially opinioned) San Diego U-T was "Crime in County Hits 35-Year Low" which should tell you about the "rampant crime" in SD.

 

[Midpack]

Surely it is more than that. I don't actually remember what they required, but I do know that I wouldn't mind giving out an e-mail address. Even this forum has that from me. But I did mind their requirements and therefore have not joined despite filling out their survey numerous times. I am so forgetful.

As I thought, all that's actually required is an email address, to receive your personalized list. The other "required" info can be pure fiction (no way they can verify), and would have been when I did the quiz (made up name, address, etc.). And of course optional can be ignored.

Since I have a second "throwaway" email address just for things like this, I didn't give any personal information. FWIW, I didn't get any spam/solicitation that I know of, though one can never know for sure...

 

[W2R]

As I thought, all that's actually required is an email address, to receive your personalized list. The other "required" info can be pure fiction (no way they can verify), and would have been when I did the quiz. And of course optional can be ignored...

Oh! You are more devious than me. Your attachment shows it asks for first name, last name, street address, city, state, and zip code, and all of these have asterisks denoting that they are required fields to complete. That was probably what stopped me in my tracks.

 

[Midpack]

Oh! You are more devious than me. Your attachment shows it asks for first name, last name, street address, city, state, and zip code, and all of these have asterisks denoting that they are required fields to complete. That was probably what stopped me in my tracks.

Only as counter-devious as any devious site I encounter...

 

[Mulligan]

I read through the last thread, but didn't comment. Someone mentioned culture as an important variable to consider and I think that was spot on. The thread deteriorated into a lot of California bashing and defending, but if you know the players, it was red view vs. blue view respectively. I have lived in Alabama and Georgia briefly and was not comfortable in either. I could, however, happily live in any of the cities between San Diego and Vancouver, BC. You really need to take those cultural issues into account when you make your decision as well as weather issues, etc.



My parents were shocked when they moved from "high tax" California to a "lower tax" state and discovered that the taxation of SS and other increased taxes and expenses (MC supplement, car insurance and reg) actually increased their total outgo, despite the lower top income tax bracket (which they don't pay, anyway). Trying to project total expenses can be difficult and articles like the Forbes (IIRC) article about tax-friendly states for retirees often distort the real situation along the usual red-blue divide. I saw an article by some academic economists a few years ago that rated "high tax" California as the 17th highest tax state for the average person, but you would never get that impression from Forbes and certainly if you are very high income then Forbes is accurate.



If I couldn't afford to live in San Diego, San Francisco, Portland or Seattle, then I would probably give Albuquerque serious consideration, but that reflects my cultural bias. Happily, I can afford to live anywhere I darn well please!



P.S. The headline on this Thursday's (far-right owned and editorially opinioned) San Diego U-T was "Crime in County Hits 35-Year Low" which should tell you about the "rampant crime" in SD.

I have come to the conclusion its often more rural vs city as opposed to red and blue states. An interesting look is a heat map of presidential elections county by county. If a person thought each county was equally populated, you would reach a conclusion the US was 85% red!

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/2012-election-county-by-county/



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[haha]

I read through the last thread, but didn't comment. Someone mentioned culture as an important variable to consider and I think that was spot on. The thread deteriorated into a lot of California bashing and defending, but if you know the players, it was red view vs. blue view respectively. I have lived in Alabama and Georgia briefly and was not comfortable in either. I could, however, happily live in any of the cities between San Diego and Vancouver, BC. You really need to take those cultural issues into account when you make your decision as well as weather issues, etc.

My parents were shocked when they moved from "high tax" California to a "lower tax" state and discovered that the taxation of SS and other increased taxes and expenses (MC supplement, car insurance and reg) actually increased their total outgo, despite the lower top income tax bracket (which they don't pay, anyway). Trying to project total expenses can be difficult and articles like the Forbes (IIRC) article about tax-friendly states for retirees often distort the real situation along the usual red-blue divide. I saw an article by some academic economists a few years ago that rated "high tax" California as the 17th highest tax state for the average person, but you would never get that impression from Forbes and certainly if you are very high income then Forbes is accurate.

If I couldn't afford to live in San Diego, San Francisco, Portland or Seattle, then I would probably give Albuquerque serious consideration, but that reflects my cultural bias. Happily, I can afford to live anywhere I darn well please!

P.S. The headline on this Thursday's (far-right owned and editorially opinioned) San Diego U-T was "Crime in County Hits 35-Year Low" which should tell you about the "rampant crime" in SD.

Good post. For the past ~50 years I have lived in several large cities, all within at most 10 miles of Pacific salt, except for a year in Eastern WA.

I am what is today called a fiscal conservative, but a social liberal. In spite of always living in extremely Dem districts, it has never bothered me, because if I don't talk about politics who would know my ideas on spending, taxation, etc? What people notice is your social style, and how comfortable or uncomfortable you are with those who have different lifestyles. And red and blues, they are pretty much all similarly prejudiced against the other. Different feelings about what is proper will always lead to conflict. That is why there is a lot more political and social conflict in USA than there is in Switzerland.

Ha

 

[Midpack]

I did a thread on that several years ago. I am also a fiscal conservative (social moderate, environmental liberal), but the most interesting cities to me are anything but. Asheville, Portland, Austin, Berkeley, Boulder, Burlington, Chapel Hill, San Francisco, etc are WAY more interesting places to me than any majorly 'conservative cities.' YMMV

 

[Mulligan]

I did a thread on that several years ago. I am also a fiscal conservative (social moderate, environmental liberal), but the most interesting cities to me are anything but. Asheville, Portland, Austin, Berkeley, Boulder, Burlington, Chapel Hill, San Francisco, etc are WAY more interesting places to me than any majorly 'conservative cities.' YMMV

This is not a snarky comment at all, but a question... I have often heard the term "fiscally conservative, social liberal". But they appear to be mutually not compatible to me. A socially liberal government would need high taxes to support all the issues. Unless the meaning is liberal in non-taxable issues such as gay rights, sports betting, relaxed drug laws, etc as opposed to increased welfare benefits and other low income subsidies supported by increased taxation?
Like I said I was just curious, not criticizing. And I have no room to criticize as I guess I would have to be described as a "fiscally conservative, libertarian".


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[gerntz]

I've started a new topic because we've come to far afield. The Knoxville area seems to be a viable option, we vacationed in an incredible cabin in the hills near pigeon forge a few years back.

Since you're thinking there, I think you're missing the boat if you don't go 75 miles to the other side of the mountains & check out Asheville - as I said in the other thread. Upstate SC ain't bad either.

 

[haha]

This is not a snarky comment at all, but a question... I have often heard the term "fiscally conservative, social liberal". But they appear to be mutually not compatible to me. A socially liberal government would need high taxes to support all the issues. Unless the meaning is liberal in non-taxable issues such as gay rights, sports betting, relaxed drug laws, etc as opposed to increased welfare benefits and other low income subsidies supported by increased taxation?
Like I said I was just curious, not criticizing. And I have no room to criticize as I guess I would have to be described as a "fiscally conservative, libertarian".


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am not sure about Midpack's stance, but you have put your finger on mine. I don't care what Bobby and Sue and Gertrude like to do for fun, but they have to be self financed or I would rather they lived where they were in someone else's pocket.

I've found that it helps to stay off of social media. There are so many interesting people including very attractive females where a fiscal conservative is much happier not knowing any details of their political attitudes.

Ha

 

[Mulligan]

I am not sure about Midpack's stance, but you have put your finger on mine. I don't care what Bobby and Sue and Gertrude like to do for fun, but they have to be self financed or I would rather they lived where they were in someone else's pocket.

I've found that it helps to stay off of social media. There are so many interesting people including very attractive females where a fiscal conservative is much happier not knowing any details of their political attitudes.

Ha

That is the way I pegged it, but I never really had a true interpretation. Nongovernmental involvement Liberalism. That resonates with me also.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk