What were / will be your criteria for choosing a location for retirement?

[Louis]

We have a lot of retirement threads, lots of them focusing on $ and how good the cycling is. I’m starting to think about this stuff, but stepping back a bit, I’m wondering what criteria you folks think are important.

I currently live in the far-west suburbs of St Louis, MO, and I don’t see myself here too long after retirement, primarily because of the weather. (main gripes are too hot & muggy in the summer & too stormy in the spring & summer, but winter isn’t that great either)

So, as I conside moving, I’m thinking of the following items (not necessarily in order of importance).

What criteria would you add or change?

1) Weather: Nice summers, but willing to have a few months of cold weather, if that’s that it takes to find an affordable location. (I don’t think I’m willing to pay Santa Barbara CA – type real estate prices to find the absolutely perfect spot – see below for more on that.) The less snow the better. Cold weather with lots of clouds / drizzle for extended periods of time (PNW) would be a downer, but of course summers in that area are quite nice.

2) Very good road cycling. Doesn’t have to be Provence or Tuscany perfect, but nice enough. Rolling hills would be ideal.

3) Affordable housing is always nice. I’ve done some poking around on Zillow and have found some places in CA where $500k buys you a POC shack on 0.1 acres. I’m willing to pay $500k, but not if that’s all it buys me. This probably rules out a lot of places on the west coast, and most likely all the ones we’ve heard of – but do let me know if that’s wrong.

4) A medium-sized city would be great, preferably with a college / university in town to lend some vibrancy and culture. Someplace where you can go out on Saturday and get some decent Thai (or whatever) and see and independent movie is nice. I’ve been in some small towns in MO where the only no-meat options at the nicest local restaurant are either a side salad or a grilled-cheese sandwich. That’s not for me.

5) I’m young and healthy enough that at this point a “good local hospital” is not yet on the radar. That will eventually change, but I’m not going to let my inevitable decrepitude drive my current choices. One of my favorite lines in “Waiting for Godot” - Pozzo: “They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more.”

So, please share your thoughts – I’ve found that when making a big decision you have to be sure to use the correct criteria, and often up front it can be difficult to know what’s important and what isn’t.

Thanks
Louis

Edit 1: I'm single (no kids) and location relative to family isn't really a driver (yet). But I know that for many folks moving to where the grand-kids are is super-important.

Edit 2: I don't think I'm going to go for "One location in the winter and one in the summer." I know that gives you a lot more flexibility, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of the constant moving and having to maintain two locations. Having one is enough trouble.

[Mr. Pink]

As far as the hospital, well, eventually, you're going to need it.

And, I've always wanted to live in a college town, but I'm really happy I'm not right now. Any college or university bringing thousands of near teenagers back into one place this fall is going to kill off a lot of the older people in that town, to start. It will be like having a cruise ship docked down the street with the passengers free to come and go to land. That may continue for a few years.

I'd consider upstate NY, but, it snows there.

[Blue Jays]

* low typical humidity
* good cycling terrain
* reasonable taxes

[glepore]

I like your criteria, its how I ended up where I am. The only difference really is that I picked a "college town" with an excellent medical school/hospital, and I'm willing to deal with heat and humidity in the summer for short winters and staying on the east coast.

Legal weed would be nice, lol.

[robertbb]

I like your criteria, its how I ended up where I am. The only difference really is that I picked a "college town" with an excellent medical school/hospital, and I'm willing to deal with heat and humidity in the summer for short winters and staying on the east coast.

Legal weed would be nice, lol.

Does it really need to be legal? (serious question).

I'm 39 but already thinking about where I would like to be when I retire (though I still have 21 years in the workforce). I feel like 90% of the participants in this forum are in the US so always think twice about posting in threads like this.

But anyway, I live in Melbourne and I'm eyeing off Adelaide...

1) Affordable housing
2) Beautiful beaches
3) Amazing road and gravel cycling in the nearby hills
4) World class wineries
5) One of the few proper Mediterranean climates in the world
6) Good population size.. not too big, not too small.
7) An annual world tour bicycle race (if life resumes with/after COVID)

[oldpotatoe]

After 20 years in the USN and 17 addresses, we chose a place we had lived or had visited. Nice thing about our 'journey', is that we lived all over the place. Both coasts, even Gulf coast. SOCAL, Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Texas(no thanks), Florida, Virginia, Arizona, Rhode Island, even Japan for 3 years so...

-Family-all my and wife's family were in Colorado
-Job opportunities-I was only 42 when I 'retired'
-Weather
-Politics
No big cities thanks, smallish, close but not same place as parents, or wife's mother.

People's Republic of Boulder..close second was San Diego but no family. Third was down by Ventura CA..we lived in Camarillo...

[kohagen]

Criteria, not necessarily in order.

Near skiing. We do 50+ days per year in a normal year. Not this past season, it was cut short, mid-March.
Good riding.
Near (enough) to a good hospital.
Near family.
(Relatively) low housing costs.
Uncrowded.

So, we're in Vermont, near Killington, about an hour away from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The grandkid lives in Killington. The roads are uncrowded, paved, dirt, and gravel. There are multiple trail riding options within a short drive. Housing costs are low relative to the NY metro area, where we were from. Vermont's population is about half of the NY county we lived in.
.

[Dave B]

My wife and I aren’t that close to retirement. I have about 10ish years left before I reach this magical formula where I can retire. My wife has longer as she is younger and has a few less years of teaching experience under her proverbial belt.

We want the following, but not in any meaningful order.

1. No children allowed in the city or state. 😇 after 3 to 4 decades (at the end) of teaching, this would be Nirvana. Ok maybe not really, but I was going with humor.

2. My wife wants to be near water. I am thinking a pool and waterfall so she can hear the water. I hate oceans and lakes and need to see the bottom of the water and have no sharks in it. My beautiful wife wants the beach. She might be insane and simply wants to collect my life insurance as she is looking for shark infested coast lines.

3. We die sire a state with ideally recreational, but at the very least medical access to marijuana. Not to relive the Cheech and Chong movie stereotypes, but for actual medical benefits that come from it. My wife want to work in the industry using our educational and my research background to help find better alternatives to traditional formulated meds as well as add an educational experience to customers as well as industry types.

4. I like seasons, so if I could see at least 2 a year that would be cool.

5. I actually want south west for the desert as I find the landscape beautiful, but we have a soft spot for Colorado, so I am hoping that is our final destination.

6. Cost of living. A lot of places out west might not be possible, but we still hope. The Midwest has its draw backs, but cost of living is pretty darn awesome.

7. While this might offend most of you, somewhere more liberal minded. College towns are great for this, but living in the education world for now half of my life, conservative mentality can often time go against educational dogma. So, liberal outlooks on things for the most part helps me feel more at ease.

8. Happiness. I want a place that makes me feel like I don’t want to ever leave. I cannot stand Indiana, but many things on my list above are here. I have just spent too long here and need to escape. I want my day to day life with my wife (when are children are on their own) where we discover new and interesting things about shared adventures and staying in our crazy deep love for each other. That sounds like a good list to begin with.

[jamesdak]

Just a word of caution.....

I studied this very point for years as I too moved around the country and world in the military. We were sorta thinking of returning to Utah so for years I kept an eye on the area, growth, the politics etc. Place I had in mind was a small rural mountain valley outside of all the cities. The valley has an official General Plan that basically said they knew growth in the Valley had to be limited due to water resources, no way to increase road infrastructures and the like. This was set policy for many, many years. Then SLC got the 2002 Olympics and I was like oh crap. Came back to the area in 2004 to check it out and things were still pretty nice in the valley. Retired from the Army and moved here in 2005. Well, then the developers swooped in like the vultures they are. And of course they were smart enough to get them and their friends elected and in power all over the state to include the Governor. What's followed has been a total rape of the area. Policy changed to now try and make the place like Park City. All the "clustered growth around set areas" is out the window. All the concerns about limited resources are out the window in favor of making money. Around 2008-2010 our property taxes went up over 120% forcing out my pioneering families and farmers. Whole areas rezoned for housing and nothing affordable for our kids is built up here anymore. We are less than 10% of the counties population but are carrying a lion's share of the taxes and they just announced they are going to shift more taxes onto us in the valley to do things like pay for parking garages in the freaking city. Bunch of crooks in power running the show. The valley is now promoted as a tourist spot by the county yet they've invested $0 to support the tourism. Traffic get's so bad in the weekend that you are a prisoner in your own house. Illegal parking everywhere that is not ticked by the cops. Crime, drunks, etc, etc. Locals are up in arms and trying to fight back but reality is we don't have the numbers or the power. So....rant over.

All I can say is choose wisely but have an escape plan. When I fully retire in another 6 years I am so out of here. Heading to Wyoming where the tax picture is great for me. Gonna find myself a town that is dying and get lost.

[unterhausen]

I had a friend that tried to merge 2 lots in Mountain Green Utah in the mid-90s. They wouldn't let him. Now looking at the satellite view, that seems a bit quaint.

[tbike4]

I'll take a place that is quiet thank you. That is possible where I live now if you go to the newly developed areas of south Orange County but they will fill in with more of everything and then traffic and it costs a zillion $$.

So that may mean the middle of nowhere in Alamance county NC where the family has some land and I could still build something where the nearest neighbor is at least 1/2 mile away. I'll grow some corn.

I have other family in MD near Annapolis but the cost of living is getting to SoCal levels there. This will be where wife and I battle it out since she grew up sailing.

[Jeff N.]

I consider myself very lucky to have made my home, and final destination after retirement, in San Diego, California...back when it was affordable. But affordable housing is a joke here now...there ain't none! Plus, it's starting to get LA-type-crowded. But my next choice would probably be Central California somewhere. We MUST be reasonably close to a sunny beach. Outside CA? Probably Northern Colorado, around Greeley or Ft. Collins. You only have to shovel snow two, maybe three times/year. Lots of folks talk about Montana...beautiful there, but it's the first place to get heavy snow in the Winter and the last place to stop in the Spring. No, thank you.

[Dave]

I've been fully retired since 2012, when I finished building my home in a small subdivision with 36 2-acre lots, just west of the Loveland Colorado city limits, about 20 miles south of Fort Collins. We moved here to be near my wife's niece and family. My 91 year old mother-in-law lives with us, in her own space :mad:.

The weather isn't too bad for cycling, but the winter lasts longer than I care for. I do have several very scenic cycling routes to Carter Lake, Horsetooth Reservoir and Estes Park, with challenging terrain. There are also MTB trails, but I'm not into that and there is no gravel in the area.

Converting two acres of weed infested cow pasture into a respectable lawn area was an enormous task and cost at least $100,000 to landscape. Some people have spent much more. Maintaining it either takes a lot of time or a lot of money if you pay someone to do it. I use a good sized John Deere lawn tractor with 54 inch mower deck to mow and mount a 47 inch snow blower on it to remove snow in the winter. We do have relatively cheap irrigation water available about 4 months a year. Without that water, most of my property would be bone dry and brown, most of the year.

We're thinking of moving to some lake front property where it's a little warmer, in the near future.

[reuben]

I'll take a place that is quiet thank you. That is possible where I live now if you go to the newly developed areas of south Orange County but they will fill in with more of everything and then traffic and it costs a zillion $$.

So that may mean the middle of nowhere in Alamance county NC where the family has some land and I could still build something where the nearest neighbor is at least 1/2 mile away. I'll grow some corn.

I have other family in MD near Annapolis but the cost of living is getting to SoCal levels there. This will be where wife and I battle it out since she grew up sailing.

Sympatico.

Peace and quiet are #1 on my list.

And living near Annapolis, yeah, it's expensive, and traffic is getting worse. But in the Baltimore/DC/Annapolis area there are lots of good roads for riding, water for swimming/fishing/surfing/lounging/kayaking, and googobs of good restaurants, bars, and music venues. So I may stay in the area, but move to a more rural part of it.

I like having four seasons, but I don't want a longer or harsher winter, so that rules out a lot of places.

Alamance county NC sounds good. Can I be your neighbor? I promise to stay 1/2 mile away and never say hi.

[eddief]

If you don't need acres. Yes real estate here is pricey but there is so much "country" property of all sorts you are bound to find a home, not a palace, in your price range. If you are single with no kids, wife, family (like me) how much room do you need? I live in mediocre neighborhood but my house is on is 3/4 of an acre with 2 houses. No cars pass the houses and I am within walking distance of downtown and can ride into vineyards right from my house.

Roads can be somewhat in need of repair like the rest of US sh*tty infrastructure but mostly road cycling is sublime.

We get 25 inches of rain but then have 8 months of mostly fine weather. And winter riding other than those rainy days can be done often. Oh, no humidity.

I have a friend who for some reason wanted to move from here to Prescott AZ. He did that last month and sold his really nice big subdivision 3 bed 2 bath house for $670K. Not country property but on the edge of being outside the city limits and close as can be to rural.

On the other hand he did the same search you are speaking of and came up with Prescott, so maybe that's a place to consider too.

Mortgage interest rates are at their lowest, buy now.

[Bob Ross]

We're 5-10 years away from retirement. The current criteria are (in no particular order) are:
- mild or non-existent winters
- excellent road cycling ...and by "excellent" we mean not just terrain and/or beauty, but also infrastructure, and local attitudes, tolerance, community/Clubs, etc.
- space. Not a lot, but a small yard, a garage, enough spare bedrooms that we can each have ouur own office and still have guests over
- natural beauty that is easily accessible and visible from the home
- predominantly "Blue" demographic, at least at the local level (i.e., we could tolerate living in a blue bubble in a red state)
- within plausible driving distance of my sister and my parents, so basically the western third of the United States.

[54ny77]

Fun thread to read. Would be cool if fellow Paceliners from outside of the U.S. chimed in. Things like, ohh, retire in Tuscany and ride Italian steel bikes every day while angels sing.... :cool:

[el cheapo]

Wanted to live on either coast but too expensive. Lived all over Florida and California but choose to go cheap...small town (but growing rapidly) Texas. Only problem it's waaaaaay tooooo conservative. If you have a different thought process from group think...good luck. If money was no object I would have moved to ....Pebble Beach, California. Riding Seventeen Mile Drive on a Sunday morning to Carmel was always spectacular.

[majorpat]

As far as the hospital, well, eventually, you're going to need it.

And, I've always wanted to live in a college town, but I'm really happy I'm not right now. Any college or university bringing thousands of near teenagers back into one place this fall is going to kill off a lot of the older people in that town, to start. It will be like having a cruise ship docked down the street with the passengers free to come and go to land. That may continue for a few years.

I'd consider upstate NY, but, it snows there.

I live in the eastern Finger Lakes and it is cycling and living nirvana...for about 5 months, then winter, lake effect, etc. the OP talked about getting one place but I keep leaning toward two like many of my NE friends. He said he’s looking at Adelaide, does Australia grant residency if you can prove a pension income! Kind of far, and my wife would have a heart attack to be away from family but he mentioned that it was a proper Mediterranean climate. I think the only areas close to that, climate wise, are in California which is probably too much $. There must be some secret location that can be shared here, we promise not to blab about it.
I’m trying hard to be done with work in 7-9 years, turning 50 in a couple months. The Florida snowbird thing is popular but I’m not so sure, maybe a foreign location might work for 5 or 6 months a year. Anyone have ideas? I liked Spain near Rota when I spent some time there, Mexico? Portugal? This thread will be fun to watch.
Pat

[reuben]

4. I like seasons, so if I could see at least 2 a year that would be cool.


Just beware of the places that have ONLY 2, or a very short third.

[2LeftCleats]

For us, we were looking for a more politically progressive area, with reasonable culture, weather, and access to water and mountains.

We retired and relocated a year ago to Eugene OR. We lived most of our lives in IN, the last spot being Bloomington which supplied most of our cultural needs. But we had toyed with moving to the PNW for many years, and our oldest has been in Portland awhile. 2-3 years before retirement, we began trips out that way, including several in the winter. Also tracked weather daily, comparing it to IN (admittedly a low bar). We’re not fans of hot humid weather, nor of nasty cold. During our trips, we spent time in cities and with realtors from Bellingham down to Eugene. This town—so far—has hit the sweet spot for us. Not a busy big city, but reasonably good culture and a university. Rain is probably less than or no worse than IN. Summers can be hot but not as humid as the Midwest, so more comfortable. 90 min gets us either to mountains or coast. Gorgeous scenery. My wife is living her gardener’s dream. Riding in Southern IN is quite good with challenging hills and nice countryside, but there’s more here and much to explore. There’s an excellent trail system for hikers here. Housing costs are high in the large cities of the PNW, but not terribly higher here than in Bloomington.

[Mr. Pink]

Fun thread to read. Would be cool if fellow Paceliners from outside of the U.S. chimed in. Things like, ohh, retire in Tuscany and ride Italian steel bikes every day while angels sing.... :cool:

The only thing that keeps me from moving to Italy is my lack of ability to learn the language, and I don't think I want to struggle with that at my age. A lot of places in Tuscany are fairly pricey, but, as long as you stay away from the trophy areas, I'll bet you could find an affordable apartment. I'd consider north somewhere in the Veneto, also, in the foothills of the Dolomites, but near a nice town and a short drive to amazing steep biking and skiing.
I'm guessing that this pandemic will make for some more affordable RE opportunities over there, especially near some touristy places, since that business has been decimated. If you can show a minimal asset base plus some income, the Italians will gladly welcome you.
Spain is also getting hit hard, and Brexit isn't helping at all, since much of the coastal apartment market is retired Brits, who will be losing their mainland health insurance. Girona would be pretty awesome place to live.

Some talk about moving south of our border, but, sorry, too third world for me. Covid is also exposing awful public health policies and inequality in many places down there. That and poorly funded infrastructures just don't turn me on. Give me Europe's history, wealth, and relative cohesion. Whenever they let us back in.

[nortx-Dave]

Retired from the Army in 2015 at 53 yrs old. Born and raised in South Texas and never thought I'd return (I dreamed of western Colorado).....but my better half had other ideas. She's totally immersed in western horse culture and North Texas (West of FT Worth) happens to be an epicenter for reining, cutting etc.

It's all good though....affordable housing - I built a 2200 sq ft house and horse barn on 5 acres in a rural gated community for $350,000.....zero state income taxes....we're a little remote being 30 minutes from grocery stores and health care but it's QUIET with my nearest neighbor being 1/2 mile distant. The riding is decent with little trafficked, rolling terrain that allows me to average over 8,000 miles/year....very mild winters with no snow (my wife has health issues that preclude cold) for the last couple of years but the summers can be brutal, as well as the chip seal used by TXDOT. I ride year round, just early in the morning during July and August. And my parents are distant, but not too far as they are in Houston and San Antonio, and we've no kids to muddle things.

[buddybikes]

1. Small but functional house with lots storage, one level - check
2. Near/on water - check, cove off Narragansett Bay
3. Near/accessable healthcare, and in case of loss employment after COBRA - a state that has adopted Obama Care. - check
4. Some privacy/land - check
4. Quiet riding - check - half mile from bike trail
5. Blue state

Desired but not got - shorter winters/lack of sunlight - no check

1698004432

[paredown]

The only thing that keeps me from moving to Italy is my lack of ability to learn the language, and I don't think I want to struggle with that at my age. ....
I'll put in a plug for learning a language--or at least not letting that stop you from giving it a try--several years ago my wife's job took her to Germany, and I was the 'trailing spouse'. One of the only perks available to me was language lessons. I was in my 50s, fully convinced I was incapable of really learning to speak a foreign language.

I started cold--to be fair I had a reading knowledge of French, but had never really learned to converse--and was convinced I lacked my wife's ability to speak foreign languages.

Happy story--with a good teacher, full immersion and making some effort, I had passable German with in a year, enough so that I could hold a serious conversation (without too many glitches) and was more than fine in day-to-day interactions. Our house was half a duplex, and we got to know the other couple--and for social occasions the language was usually German...

Three lessons a week--and they included learning more of the history and culture, so they were actually fun! I did silly stuff to stretch myself, including selling on German eBay. Nearing the end of our two years, I went on a bike tour of Hungary/Czech Republic where a lot of the older generation still speak German (and the younger ones in the tourism business learn it for business reasons) and I ended up as the defacto translator for some of the other Americans--taking over my wife's role, which seemed pretty funny at the time.

As far as functional--ordering in restaurants etc, 3 months and you would be OK.

My first trip to Northern Italy was last year, when we drove from where we were staying (close to Lucca) all the way to where our friend has been renovating an old mill into a fabulous house. They were in a small town close to Lake Maggiore and I would move there in a heartbeat!

[exapkib]

Watching my parents go through this process several years ago changed the way I think about my own retirement.

My parents had specific areas to which they always wanted to retire (driven by proximity to activities they enjoy, geography, tax implications, etc.), but when the time came to pull the trigger, their friendships and the community they had developed in their current neighborhood trumped all of the assumed benefits of their intended retirement locations. The thought of starting from scratch to rebuild a similar network of friendship, community, and support was just too much.

My father-in-law, on the other hand, wanted to retire to a place where he didn't know anyone and no one knew him. He needed some space, even from his kids. Now that he's been away for almost eight years, he's ready to move back close to family.

Somehow I never realized that the social dynamic of a retirement move is more important than so many of the other items on the lists we draw up earlier in our professional lives.

Edited to add:

Also a lesson learned from my uncle who often hosted my wife and me at his dream home in the Shenandoah Valley when we needed to escape the pressures of graduate school: one day, as we were sitting "enjoying the charm of the evening," he turned to me and said, "I should have built this place much smaller and many years earlier. I saved until it was clearly comfortable and responsible to make this dream a reality, but now I'm too old to enjoy it." Went on to talk about how important it is to create experiences for yourself and your family when they are young, even if it requires some extra sacrifice.

We've tried to follow that counsel.

[biker72]

If I was actually thinking of moving from Texas it would be the Fayetteville-Bentonville Arkansas area. Great for mountain biking but road biking is excellent too thanks to the Walton Foundation.

Lower taxes and more affordable housing than here in far North Dallas. Less stifling summertime heat than we get in Texas.

[saab2000]

I’m not at all certain I want to retire in the US. Italy would be on my list, as would France, if they allow retirees to enter and stay.

[Tandem Rider]

We moved here a little over 3 years ago. There were lots of discussions at the TR household because we didn't want to move a long distance twice. We wanted to have milder extremes, both winters and summers. Moving from IA to Central OR was a good move for us in this regard, I work outside all year round so I really do notice. Housing prices are higher but with downsizing the housing cost was a sideways move for us. Wages were a sideways move as well.

We enjoy all the seasons and really feel like we made the retirement move already. We are now considering renting a Class B motorhome and trying that out for small trips with bikes to other places in the West. If it works out, we would buy one and that would be the "retirement home".

After several years here, the things we found that we didn't like are the overwhelming crush of tourists at peak season, and smoke from forest fires. The biggest unexpected bonus is the sunshine, I no longer have to take Vitamin D in the winter and it does improve our wintertime disposition. :)

[Tickdoc]

Following the kids/grandkids to their eventual locale is our plan. (Assuming one of them will settle down AND live in a decent place is a big assumption here:)

Definitely is the main determinant of where we may end up.

Barring that, small town Colorado/NM would be my choice, anyplace with a beach would be hers.

[choke]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and my current thought is to buy a sailboat and travel the oceans. Of course for various reasons that may not be possible when the time comes.

If not, then I'll be in Wyoming. I like the solitude and the mountains and I have zero desire to be anywhere near a large city. As Jeremiah Johnson said, "I've been to a town Del".

[weisan]

Watching my parents go through this process several years ago changed the way I think about my own retirement.

he turned to me and said, "I should have built this place much smaller and many years earlier. I saved until it was clearly comfortable and responsible to make this dream a reality, but now I'm too old to enjoy it."

My dad "retired" when he was 50. He's now 80.

I am always intrigued by others and how they handled their retirements.

I have come to the conclusion, retirement is not age-dependent, or where you live or how much money you have saved up...it's a state of mind and the way you have chosen to live...every day of your life, regardless of where you are and who you are with. I been retired long time ago...

[glepore]

[QUOTE=robertbb;2759914]Does it really need to be legal? (serious question).

Well, no, other than its indicative of a liberal mindset, or libertarian. So in that way, it does matter.

[maj]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and my current thought is to buy a sailboat and travel the oceans. Of course for various reasons that may not be possible when the time comes.

If not, then I'll be in Wyoming. I like the solitude and the mountains and I have zero desire to be anywhere near a large city. As Jeremiah Johnson said, "I've been to a town Del".

Interesting meteorological factoid that, no matter what direction you travel, there’s always a cross-wind in Wyoming.

https://i.imgur.com/sRjRdDi.jpg

[T-Crush]

Following the kids/grandkids to their eventual locale is our plan. (Assuming one of them will settle down AND live in a decent place is a big assumption here:)

Barring that, small town Colorado/NM would be my choice, anyplace with a beach would be hers.

I'd opt for Colorado/NM as well, but she continues to say "there's no beach there," and suggests Hawaii. The inverse of the follow-the-kid scheme is to pick a spot that they would love to visit and use that to bring them to us. In that sense, her Hawaii idea has some merit.

Home for the last 25 years is a college town in SoCal. Not near the beach (from a weather perspective) so it's over 100 many days in August, but ride early and it's wonderful. One of the best mountain stages of the Tour de California is a at the base of my hill, so there's no lack of choices on terrain.
As much as I dislike California's cost of living, it might make sense to downsize and stay here.

Then again, the thought of a house in La Quinta, CA for 9 months and then "summer" somewhere else could work too.

[rccardr]

Our decision in where to retire was driven by our love for where we already live- Northern Virginia’s famous/infamous Fairfax County. After 50 years here, we’ve learned to live with the traffic and the taxes. Sure the summers can be hot and humid, but the winters are seldom bad and we both grew up in northern states with much worse snow and cold. Six years into retirement, still feel we made the right choice.

As a result, we’re a half hour from some of the best culture (music, art, dance) in the world, a couple hours train ride from Philadelphia, NYC or Boston, and a short ride to either domestic or international airports. Our daughter and SiL moved to DC five years ago and started having kids, so there’s that. The riding is excellent, everything from MUP’s to Skyline Drive, horse country, gravel roads, all either completely local or within an hour’s drive. Not into the MTB scene, but friends tell me there’s plenty of it around.

Also love our home. After 32 years, it’s long since paid off & we know it well and after looking at local options last year, decided to sink a bunch of money into making it better than anything we’d be willing to move into. Couple new bathrooms, a screened porch addition and some hardscaping later, we’re looking forward to staying here well into our 80’s. I’d still like to do a down-to-the-studs kitchen remodel, but that will have to wait until we’re comfortable with a construction crew inside the house for six weeks.

[echappist]

We have a lot of retirement threads, lots of them focusing on $ and how good the cycling is. I’m starting to think about this stuff, but stepping back a bit, I’m wondering what criteria you folks think are important.

I currently live in the far-west suburbs of St Louis, MO, and I don’t see myself here too long after retirement, primarily because of the weather. (main gripes are too hot & muggy in the summer & too stormy in the spring & summer, but winter isn’t that great either)

So, as I conside moving, I’m thinking of the following items (not necessarily in order of importance).

What criteria would you add or change?

1) Weather: Nice summers, but willing to have a few months of cold weather, if that’s that it takes to find an affordable location. (I don’t think I’m willing to pay Santa Barbara CA – type real estate prices to find the absolutely perfect spot – see below for more on that.) The less snow the better. Cold weather with lots of clouds / drizzle for extended periods of time (PNW) would be a downer, but of course summers in that area are quite nice.

2) Very good road cycling. Doesn’t have to be Provence or Tuscany perfect, but nice enough. Rolling hills would be ideal.

3) Affordable housing is always nice. I’ve done some poking around on Zillow and have found some places in CA where $500k buys you a POC shack on 0.1 acres. I’m willing to pay $500k, but not if that’s all it buys me. This probably rules out a lot of places on the west coast, and most likely all the ones we’ve heard of – but do let me know if that’s wrong.

4) A medium-sized city would be great, preferably with a college / university in town to lend some vibrancy and culture. Someplace where you can go out on Saturday and get some decent Thai (or whatever) and see and independent movie is nice. I’ve been in some small towns in MO where the only no-meat options at the nicest local restaurant are either a side salad or a grilled-cheese sandwich. That’s not for me.

5) I’m young and healthy enough that at this point a “good local hospital” is not yet on the radar. That will eventually change, but I’m not going to let my inevitable decrepitude drive my current choices. One of my favorite lines in “Waiting for Godot” - Pozzo: “They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more.”

So, please share your thoughts – I’ve found that when making a big decision you have to be sure to use the correct criteria, and often up front it can be difficult to know what’s important and what isn’t.

Thanks
Louis

Edit 1: I'm single (no kids) and location relative to family isn't really a driver (yet). But I know that for many folks moving to where the grand-kids are is super-important.

Edit 2: I don't think I'm going to go for "One location in the winter and one in the summer." I know that gives you a lot more flexibility, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of the constant moving and having to maintain two locations. Having one is enough trouble.

Either Madison or MSP would check boxes 2-5. We get the occasional week of hot summer, but otherwise nothing remotely as bad as the humidity in the mid-Atlantics (e.g. NoVA, Philly, and NJ). I complained about the 10-14 day stretch of constant gray skies in the winter, though I've been told that such an occurrence is uncommon. It's not sunny the way southern California is sunny, but there are a lot of sunny days.

Also, SoCal may have mild winters, but its summers can get brutal, with a few days above 100 F each year.

[Matthew]

My wife has already made my choice. I'm retiring right where we are. West Michigan. Good cycling, large enough town for things to do and close enough to Grand Rapids if you want to venture to the city. Lots of lakes and rivers, dunes and trails. We are in a custom, 2yr old home we love. Downsized from what we had with no regrets. Much of our family is deceased and we never had kids. She hates heat and humidity so that rules out the south and southwest etc. We love Colorado but there isn't much water. Here, we have Lake Michigan less than 2 miles from our house and dozens of lakes and rivers to check out if we choose. And Michigan is far more than Detroit. Head north and it is just beautiful. But winter SUCKS!!!! My only real complaint.

[texbike]

Lot's of great responses and ideas in this thread. I'm looking forward to following it.

From my perspective, I'd like a place that has a bit cooler and less humid climate WITHOUT mosquitoes (as close to a Mediterranean climate as possible). A small(ish) town (<100K people) that has decent amenities with quick, easy access to fantastic outdoor activities (hiking, biking, water sports primarily with skiing not too terribly far away).

To me, SLO is the perfect spot. I was on a call with one of the local vineyards in Paso Robles this past week and it reminded me how much I love that area. I also like the Ventura/Ojai/Oxnard/Camarillo areas. I've also been attracted to Arcata/Humboldt or something in North Marin/Sonoma. Or possibly Sequim/Port Townsend in Washington. Outside of those, I would love to hear about more ideas that fit those critera.

Texbike

[Ralph]

I've been retired since 1998. I guess we could have moved about anywhere we wished....so we stayed where we were. Central Florida. Don't live near where the tourist come...nothing like the Disney area or beach areas, love our Florida home, slight rolling hill area, huge year around cycling culture, bike trails and good routes every where, and the weather doesn't bother us. Did I mention no state income tax, and reasonable real estate taxes...and home prices if you are buying. Great medical care, because at my age 79, beginning to need it. And when we want to get away...well airplanes do go about every where. Colorado and NC Mountains are our favorite place to visit, but we prefer living here VS there. Lots of great place to spend a few months, but living there a few months not the same as year around. I know this place not on anyone's list, so maybe that will slow down growth.

My personal view is you can be happy and satisfied with your life about anywhere.

[Tickdoc]

To me, SLO is the perfect spot. I was on a call with one of the local vineyards in Paso Robles this past week and it reminded me how much I love that area. I also like the Ventura/Ojai/Oxnard/Camarillo areas.

Drove thru paso Robles From San Jose in March and Fell in love with the scenery there. Couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to live and ride there.

[Ken Robb]

Drove thru paso Robles From San Jose in March and Fell in love with the scenery there. Couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to live and ride there.
Last year we had hotel reservations in Paso Robles and plans to visit a friend at her family's winery. It was 105F as it often is in the Summer so we cancelled all Paso plans, drove over the hill to Cambria where is was 72F, got a lovely room on Moonstone Beach that was VERY dog-friendly and had a lovely time. I could imagine living in Cambria, Morro Bay, or San Luis Obispo. I was surprised to learn that two of my childhood pals and their wives have moved into new homes in Nipomo. One of them claims it has a lovely Mediterranean climate but I remember a few HOT days there when I drove through on my way to Monterey or SF.
Another of my childhood friends loves living in Half Moon Bay.

[MikeD]

Last year we had hotel reservations in Paso Robles and plans to visit a friend at her family's winery. It was 105F as it often is in the Summer so we cancelled all Paso plans, drove over the hill to Cambria where is was 72F, got a lovely room on Moonstone Beach that was VERY dog-friendly and had a lovely time. I could imagine living in Cambria, Morro Bay, or San Luis Obispo. I was surprised to learn that two of my childhood pals and their wives have moved into new homes in Nipomo. One of them claims it has a lovely Mediterranean climate but I remember a few HOT days there when I drove through on my way to Monterey or SF.

Another of my childhood friends loves living in Half Moon Bay.


I'm thinking central coast California myself. Great riding around Paso Robles. I live in the Bay Area, and the central coast is much less crowded, which is my main beef about where I live, plus in my neck of the Bay Area, the local riding isn't too good and it gets hot in the summer. The central coast doesn't have the redwoods though, and Sonoma County is pretty damn nice, although the roads are in poor condition. Gold country east of Sacramento has great riding as well. Cost of living, taxes, and housing are high in Cali though. Being able to ride year round is a plus though, unless you live up high in the mountains.

[eddief]

with 32mm tires or more. makes the rumble roads go away...almost.

[Gsinill]

A lot will depend of the 2020 elections.
About 10 years away from retirement, if things go wrong in November, it will be somewhere in the EU.
For the US, I always thought we might end up in southern WI, still close to Chicago, nice scenery, lakes... but after the recent madness there I am not sure anymore.

[Louis]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.

[dbnm]

I am 51 and we are starting to talk about things like this. I have 2 young kids and would love to have a place for us in Tuscany. We'll see. In the mean time, we live in Albuquerque and have it rather easy.

Lots of people from LA are retiring here and Santa Fe. Cost of living is low, home prices are reasonable and the weather is hard to beat.

[metalheart]

My recent move to northern Wisconsin was motivated by obligation rather than preference, but we considered a variety of places to relocate and never found anything that tempted us away from our Gold County home east of Sacramento.

Eastern Sacramento County and Western El Dorado County has four season riding and reasonable quality of life with a wealth of amenities. Also, it is not far from San Francisco if you want the big city nor is it far from the Sierra and Lake Tahoe if you like mountains and snow. Yes, housing is expensive, but if you have a budget of 500k, you can find something. Examples here (https://www.zillow.com/folsom-ca/?searchQueryState=%7B%22isMapVisible%22%3Atrue%2C% 22mapZoom%22%3A12%2C%22pagination%22%3A%7B%7D%2C%2 2isListVisible%22%3Atrue%2C%22mapBounds%22%3A%7B%2 2west%22%3A-121.13233628390935%2C%22east%22%3A-120.95037522433904%2C%22north%22%3A38.763258983455 18%2C%22south%22%3A38.636523458300736%7D%2C%22filt erState%22%3A%7B%22price%22%3A%7B%22min%22%3A40000 0%2C%22max%22%3A500000%7D%2C%22apa%22%3A%7B%22valu e%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22mf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afals e%7D%2C%22mp%22%3A%7B%22min%22%3A1410%2C%22max%22% 3A1762%7D%2C%22sort%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3A%22globa lrelevanceex%22%7D%2C%22land%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3 Afalse%7D%2C%22manu%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D %7D%7D).

There is a 35 mile or so bike trail along the American River if you want scenic flat rides, there is decent riding on local roads, and all the hills you wish if you go east. It is a four season area and it can get hot in the summer, but then you just ride early or head to the mountains for a variety of road rides. The thing about summer heat in this area is that it usually cools to the 50's in the evening from the breezes that come up the Sacramento Delta from the Bay Area. There is a very active and diverse cycling community in the Sacramento/Folsom/Rocklin area.

Paso Robles area and especially the central coastal communities mentioned above are scenic and have nice riding from my experience. Price of housing might be an issue.

Prescott Arizona and some of the smaller communities in northeastern Arizona were considerations for us before we decided to stay put -- until now -- in California. Silver City in New Mexico as well as Clouldcroft are high quality of life places, but I especially like Ruidoso. I thought each of those communities offered decent road riding opportunities. We looked at coastal and inland communities in Oregon and I especially liked the Ashland area. Good opportunities for road riding and the weather is pretty nice.

I have several friends who have moved to the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. We visited them last year. While there are many attractions to living there, road riding is not one of them. Cost of living makes your dollar go a long way and for some the ex-pat type life style is satisfying. I'm sure there are other places in Mexico that are like Lake Chapala.

If riding is high on your list of considerations for a retirement location, three to four seasons seems a must.

[Hindmost]

"...have found some places in CA where $500k buys you a POC shack..."

Hey, that POC is my home. Just kidding.

I have slowly come to realize that close proximity to critical services has turned out to be pretty important. Having the grocery store and a hardware store nearby it's nice too--maybe I'm just spoiled. Rideable roads out the front door and the nearness of trails is also important.

[Waterlogged]

Louis,

Everyone cautioned us about the rainy winters in the PNW and it’s not that bad. We ended up finding beautiful summers and mild winter temperatures in the Seattle area that allow for year round outdoor activity if you watch the weather. The total rainfall here is similar to many parts of the country, but be warned that there are fewer sunny days between October through May. That being said, the traffic sucks and the politics can be a little “different”.

[choke]

I'm always surprised when I see people say that they want to retire to CA (I can understand people who already live here wanting to stay). Not only are the housing prices high but the cost of living is crazy IMO....food, gas, insurance, power, etc. costs are all at the top end of the scale. I suppose that many of you already live in places where the COL is high so it may not seem that far out but there are a lot of places where it's much cheaper to live.

I do get that we all have different tastes though....

[flying]

My dad "retired" when he was 50. He's now 80.

I am always intrigued by others and how they handled their retirements.

I have come to the conclusion, retirement is not age-dependent, or where you live or how much money you have saved up...it's a state of mind and the way you have chosen to live...every day of your life, regardless of where you are and who you are with. I been retired long time ago...

Sooo true ;) It is a state of mind

I retired over a decade ago at age 52 & never looked back.
Yet I have many friends still working & they actually dread retirement :confused:

Work is all they have known & they cannot imagine a life without working

[Tickdoc]

Sooo true ;) It is a state of mind

I retired over a decade ago at age 52 & never looked back.
Yet I have many friends still working & they actually dread retirement :confused:

Work is all they have known & they cannot imagine a life without working

I am in this camp. Will be 50 next year and really no plans for true retirement in sight, barring physical limitations. My retirement plan is rather to cut back hours and watch others do the work for me.:banana: The work itself keeps me young and the interactions with people I meet make it rewarding. I would miss that dearly. Will Another 10 yrs make a difference? Maybe, we shall see. Doesn’t mean I don’t dream of a retirement home or of not having to go every day, but I feel fortunate that I am my own boss and can take off and travel as I see fit. Good thread.

[nortx-Dave]

Sooo true ;) It is a state of mind

I retired over a decade ago at age 52 & never looked back.
Yet I have many friends still working & they actually dread retirement :confused:

Work is all they have known & they cannot imagine a life without working

I'm another early retiree when I retired 5 years ago at 53. I have siblings that always tell me how they would be so bored if they didn't work.

I'm never bored!

[jlwdm]

I am 73 and still working as it is something I enjoy.

For me I would have to be near a race track. I started taking a car to the track 2 1/2 years ago and now it is an important part of my life.

Taxes are an important consideration also.

Sunshine is also important. After 40+ years in Western Washington I have enjoyed AZ and TX for 25 years. Not sure I could live in the PNW again.

Jeff

[2LeftCleats]

My experience with wet weather in PNW is limited, having lived here only a year. We’re told that we went through a relatively mild winter and that that’s been the trend recently (due to climate change, possibly). I also get the sense that the farther down the coast, the drier. A BIL with houses in Seattle and Eugene says he thinks winter is a lighter shade of gray in Eugene. I came from the Midwest where winter is often gray. It’s warmer here and rain tends (again in my limited experience) to be briefer without the thunderstorms back East. We find it somewhat laughable when folks back home wonder why we “want to go where there’s so much rain”, when actual amount is about the same. But we’re not sun seekers; never cared for Florida.

[bigbill]

I was recruited for a job in Kingman, AZ with the intention of working until my son finished college then retiring. But not here. Now I have a great girlfriend who is an artist and teaches art history at the local community college. We're looking at building on ten acres east of town, kind of off-grid but not really. We'll have electricity but will did a well and install a septic system. We're on the side of a mountain so the well will be pretty shallow and being 1000 feet above town, cooler nights. I'll finish up my MA in American History in February so my retirement gig will likely be at the community college as well. No more of this engineering stuff.

[metalheart]

I'm always surprised when I see people say that they want to retire to CA (I can understand people who already live here wanting to stay). Not only are the housing prices high but the cost of living is crazy IMO....food, gas, insurance, power, etc. costs are all at the top end of the scale. I suppose that many of you already live in places where the COL is high so it may not seem that far out but there are a lot of places where it's much cheaper to live.

I do get that we all have different tastes though....

So, here is my limited experience take on cost of living in California to the Northwoods Wisconsin:


Propane and Gasoline are definitely cheaper
Groceries are equal to or more expensive and the quality of store produce is inferior
Property taxes are about the same or higher
There are fewer shopping opportunities in the Northwoods so I guess that means less opportunity to spend
Electric power costs are a bit less expensive in the Northwoods
Labor like handyman and property clean up services are more costly in the NOrthwoods: I think it is a labor supply demand issue

The overall tax burden in the Northwoods is not enough different than California to make enough difference for me to consider it out of question

Depends on where you live in California and elsewhere. Over the next year we will have a better idea of the differences in COL, but so far I would not eliminate California as a retirement destination based on COL. Again, it is a big state with a lot of local variation that needs to be considered.

[T-Crush]

Is really hard to beat. We almost (index finger and thumb this far apart) bought a lot in Cambria in 1998 with the intent to build our retirement home. Deal fell through. The lot we were looking at was number 17 on the water meter list. Went back there 18 months ago for a weekend get-away and the vacant lot we were looking at was still vacant and still in the mid teens on the list.

In short, Cambria, and I'm assuming the whole coastal area from Morro Bay to San Simeon has a real water issue. Moral to the story is either buy a lot with a water meter (moving them lot to lot is fairly easy) or buy something already built.

[572cv]

Wife and I thought about many places, but decided, in the end to stay right where we are. We’re in northwestern Vermont. Yes, it gets cold in the winter, yes the taxes are high. But, we can cross country ski all winter, and our place is small and not really all that costly. The ambiance and the sense of community, the quality cycling, the great local food and beer scene, and a certain number of friends who have come to the same conclusion, have reinforced our thinking. With the current Covid situation all around us, we feel very lucky to be in a rural area, and the impact on our day to day lives has been lessened by the place, and the culture.
I still work, but since I work for myself, I get to call the shots on how much I do, and I am only taking a job( I design buildings!) when I feel I will enjoy it and contribute to the process.
So, I guess this is a suggestion to look around at what you have in the community that you might have been involved with, and make sure you aren’t giving up something that is actually pretty decent.

[prototoast]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.

I spent 5 years in Eugene. Coming from New England, summer and winter in the PNW compared favorably to NE, spring and fall did not. The length of the winters does get pretty rough, but things get pretty weird if you venture too far from the I-5 corridor, so I'd still try to stay west of the cascades.

[commonguy001]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.

I’m west of the cascades down near Mount St Helens but did decades of Minnesota winters. I’ll take PNW winter over MN winter all day long. The day we flew out to look at houses it was -28 that morning in Minneapolis and -19 when our flight left. I don’t miss the humidity and summer storms either. It’s July 19th and I’ve used the AC for one day this year, just awesome.
Eastern WA and Idaho are really conservative if that matters. Some of that here but we have Portland to offset it some.

Edit, East west brain fart

[jlwdm]

I’m west of the cascades down near Mount St Helens but did decades of Minnesota winters. I’ll take PNW winter over MN winter all day long. The day we flew out to look at houses it was -28 that morning in Minneapolis and -19 when our flight left. I don’t miss the humidity and summer storms either. It’s July 19th and I’ve used the AC for one day this year, just awesome.
Western WA and Idaho are really conservative if that matters. Some of that here but we have Portland to offset it some.

Western WA more liberals than conservatives - especially in greater Seattle.

Jeff

[commonguy001]

Western WA more liberals than conservatives - especially in greater Seattle.

Jeff

Sorry, meant eastern
100% correct

[metalheart]

I am in this camp. Will be 50 next year and really no plans for true retirement in sight, barring physical limitations. My retirement plan is rather to cut back hours and watch others do the work for me.:banana: The work itself keeps me young and the interactions with people I meet make it rewarding. I would miss that dearly. Will Another 10 yrs make a difference? Maybe, we shall see. Doesn’t mean I don’t dream of a retirement home or of not having to go every day, but I feel fortunate that I am my own boss and can take off and travel as I see fit. Good thread.

Not to be the contrarian in this thread, but let me share my experience about this particular issue. I invested heavily in my career, undergraduate, 6 years of graduate school, a year of post-doc work and then I built a career. Loved my work, got to the point where I could call my own shots. I never saw myself quitting. Then I had a heart attack. The hardest part of that event was my wife's reaction, not knowing what the outcome of the ambulance ride would be. I cut back on work and spent more time doing shared things with my wife. That was sort of working, I was still engaged, still had time to share time with wife and family, and then I had a second heart attack, despite being active and two weeks prior spending 15 1/4 minutes on a stress test treadmill. At that point my priority became time and sharing with my family. I just could not be half in my work life and feel satisfied. I miss my profession and my work but time is the precious resource and we all have to make the choices that suit our priorities.

[Coffee Rider]

I plan on staying where I am. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I'd be basically the same place I am but in a house with a great ocean view. Fortunately where I am, I can still pretty much do anything I want (ride bikes) while still working a fair amount, etc. While I'd love to afford to be able to stop working any time (have FU money), working for a long time isn't too bad if you get to have a good life outside work and like what you do most of the time, the tradeoffs are worth it. That's what I tell myself when I rationalize just how expensive it is to live here, which we call the sunshine tax.

[FlashUNC]

Retirement. Hah, that's a good one.

[gasman]

I went to college here in Eugene in the 70's. Med school in Portland and New Haven, CT for internship/residency /fellowship. Been back in Eugene since the Mid-80's. I retired just about 2 years ago. I miss the daily interaction with patients and staff, especially now. But this will change.

Eugene and Corvallis are both really nice college towns. Corvallis is about 1/2 the size and a little sleepier. Great road riding in both places. I don't know that much about MTB riding as I only go a couple times/yr. I grew up in the SF Bay area and while the weather can't be beat the traffic there now is horrendous. My adjustment to the PNW was sort of non-issue. The rain is usually light and we rarely get downpours. The summers are great, much better than the heat and humidity of the midwest. east or south.
The east side of Cascades is pretty different from the west. Much drier and colder in the winter. I really only know Bend-which is overrun with tourists during the winter. It is a pretty hopping place, I wouldn't want to live there as there is too much traffic nowadays but that's just me.
Bend has better MTB riding and also has good road riding.

[dave thompson]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.

Louis, we really need to have a conversation about Spokane.

[Louis]

Louis, we really need to have a conversation about Spokane.

Hey Dave. It's on the list...

[Tandem Rider]

Eugene and Corvallis are both really nice college towns. Corvallis is about 1/2 the size and a little sleepier. Great road riding in both places. I don't know that much about MTB riding as I only go a couple times/yr. I grew up in the SF Bay area and while the weather can't be beat the traffic there now is horrendous. My adjustment to the PNW was sort of non-issue. The rain is usually light and we rarely get downpours. The summers are great, much better than the heat and humidity of the midwest. east or south.
The east side of Cascades is pretty different from the west. Much drier and colder in the winter. I really only know Bend-which is overrun with tourists during the winter. It is a pretty hopping place, I wouldn't want to live there as there is too much traffic nowadays but that's just me.
Bend has better MTB riding and also has good road riding.

Gasman pretty much nails it. I can get from one extreme end of Bend to the other in about 25 minutes in peak traffic, if that puts a "measurement" on the traffic density. Summer is the busiest time of the year, Winter is busy but less so. The "shoulders" are delightful. East side of the Cascades is High Desert, snow and winter is much less of a "downer" here because there is so much to do in the winter that's fun. Most snow here is dry and fluffy, not the midwestern heavy wet stuff. Typical winter day feels a little warmer than St Louis (I lived in Carbondale for years), I think this is true pretty much up and down the Eastern side of the mountain range, not just in Bend. Lots of retired folks live here for the recreation and the Regional Medical Center is here. Cycling wise, good road riding, great gravel riding, and world class mountain biking.

[texbike]

Louis, we really need to have a conversation about Spokane.

I'd love to hear a sales pitch on Spokane. It's been on my list of places to visit, but I haven't made it there yet...

Texbike

[benb]

I'm amazed this thread seems to have near 0 concern for kids & family.

Perhaps just a generational thing?

You read this thread and it's like no one had any kids or doesn't care to see them more than 1-2x a year.

I'm more like 20-25 years out. A ton depends on where my parents are they'd be in their 90s then. Everything would depend on how much help they needed. My son will be nearing marriage/grandchildren age around that point.

I can't see my wife & I moving to some far away vacationland and ignoring our son + potential grand children just over how good the cycling or other leisure activities were.

Not really trying to call anyone out here.. most of my parents friends are retired, and a very large amount of them have done the "move 2-3000 miles from the children for leisure" stuff. It'll be interesting to see what happens when all of a sudden they need their kids to take care of them. Maybe it's a baby boomer thing. It doesn't seem like it was a thing with the greatest generation.

I can bike just about anywhere. I know my wife wants to be near water, but we're not that far from the water in MA. Being near the water could easily mean being near a pond or lake for her, so that doesn't ruin cycling in any way as long as we came to an agreement about not moving to some place like Florida that I would hate for cycling. That's really not an issue anyway again though, cause we have no family in the Southern or Western US so there would be very little chance we'd move that far. With climate change MA is going to turn into CA style weather according to some models, winter has been getting easier and easier here, not really a concern there.

[gdw]

I'm amazed this thread seems to have near 0 concern for kids & family.

Perhaps just a generational thing?

You read this thread and it's like no one had any kids or doesn't care to see them more than 1-2x a year.

I'm more like 20-25 years out. A ton depends on where my parents are they'd be in their 90s then. Everything would depend on how much help they needed. My son will be nearing marriage/grandchildren age around that point.

I can't see my wife & I moving to some far away vacationland and ignoring our son + potential grand children just over how good the cycling or other leisure activities were.

Not really trying to call anyone out here.. most of my parents friends are retired, and a very large amount of them have done the "move 2-3000 miles from the children for leisure" stuff. It'll be interesting to see what happens when all of a sudden they need their kids to take care of them. Maybe it's a baby boomer thing. It doesn't seem like it was a thing with the greatest generation.

An awful lot of the greatest generation migrated from NY and New England to warmer states like Florida and Arizona.

[benb]

Could be personal/family bias.

No one in the greatest generation in my family (either side) did that, the boomers are doing it, even though they in general have been far less financially successful.

[2LeftCleats]

For those with children and grandkids, there’s a strong pull to be close. But many families are geographically spread so choosing a location is more difficult. Our kids are more mobile than generations past, so moving close—difficult at any age, but harder when older—doesn’t ensure you’ll end up near them. My own kids are thousands of miles apart and none have any interest in returning to where we lived. Our attitude is go where we’re happiest which also turns out to be a place where they’re willing to visit and potentially move.

[MikeD]

After 20 years in the USN and 17 addresses, we chose a place we had lived or had visited. Nice thing about our 'journey', is that we lived all over the place. Both coasts, even Gulf coast. SOCAL, Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Texas(no thanks), Florida, Virginia, Arizona, Rhode Island, even Japan for 3 years so...

-Family-all my and wife's family were in Colorado
-Job opportunities-I was only 42 when I 'retired'
-Weather
-Politics
No big cities thanks, smallish, close but not same place as parents, or wife's mother.

People's Republic of Boulder..close second was San Diego but no family. Third was down by Ventura CA..we lived in Camarillo...


Politics? Guess that makes sense. Gotta know if it's safe to go out there wearing a MAGA hat. :-)

[dave thompson]

I'd love to hear a sales pitch on Spokane. It's been on my list of places to visit, but I haven't made it there yet...

Texbike

Sure, glad to pitch Spokane but not in public. Too many folks will want to move here and drive the property values up. :)

Drop me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to tell you why I like this place. I’ve lived in many places in the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Hawaii. I settled in Spokane 22 years ago and I’m happy.

[Ralph]

Sure, glad to pitch Spokane but not in public. Too many folks will want to move here and drive the property values up. :)

Drop me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to tell you why I like this place. I’ve lived in many places in the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Hawaii. I settled in Spokane 22 years ago and I’m happy.

My wife and I flew in and out of Spokane a few years ago....on a trip to explore around Montana ....that worked out as a place to fly in and out of for us...from Florida, and stayed around Spokane a few days. Really nice city. We especially liked a trip we took over to Cour De A"lene from there, and thought if we ever came back....especially in an RV....would like to ride that trail, or sections of it, over to and around Cour De ALene. Would take several days.

[old_fat_and_slow]

For those of you dreaming of retiring to Central Cali., be aware that many retirees from L.A. target that area as well which drives the demand and cost of real estate higher. Also you should check on the tax ramifications. California has super high income tax rates too, so just be prepared for that. If you live in a state with cheap real estate, you better be prepared for scaling way back on your expectations for how big a place you'll be able to afford in California.

I grew up in the central plains in "Tornado Alley", and moved to Cali. after college for my first job. Been here ever since. I was told several horror stories about the cost of living in So-Cal compared to where I was raised. Guess what? They were all true! Real estate, groceries, insurance, taxes, medical services, restaurants, entertainment, everything way more expensive. Yeah, the weather is pretty sweet, but we live in some of the densest zoned housing in the country. I can here every fart my neighbor feels like ripping. And there is only one weather season here.

I can't wait to retire so I can get the hell out of So-Cal. Following this thread closely, because I want retire anywhere, but California.

If you really want to move to California, my suggestion would be to look into Northern California. Pretty scenic, plenty of water, and waaayyyy fewer people.

[jlwdm]

I'm amazed this thread seems to have near 0 concern for kids & family.

Perhaps just a generational thing?

You read this thread and it's like no one had any kids or doesn't care to see them more than 1-2x a year.

I'm more like 20-25 years out. A ton depends on where my parents are they'd be in their 90s then. Everything would depend on how much help they needed. My son will be nearing marriage/grandchildren age around that point.

I can't see my wife & I moving to some far away vacationland and ignoring our son + potential grand children just over how good the cycling or other leisure activities were.

Not really trying to call anyone out here.. most of my parents friends are retired, and a very large amount of them have done the "move 2-3000 miles from the children for leisure" stuff. It'll be interesting to see what happens when all of a sudden they need their kids to take care of them. Maybe it's a baby boomer thing. It doesn't seem like it was a thing with the greatest generation.

...

I am a Realtor and being near grandchildren is a huge reason people move these days. The problem these days is everyone is so mobile you can have grandchildren spread all across the country and world.

Jeff

[benb]

Sure we all move around.

But in my family for example (big family) we basically all live in MA. My sister lives in NY, she's the furthest one away.

All my parents friends are moving far away from their kids, my parents got into the idea too and got to the point they actually looked at a place in South Carolina.

They kind of came to their senses and realized it wasn't worth the potential cheap house prices... they'd be > 1000 miles away from the whole family. Culture was weak in the area, not as much stuff to do, not sure if they were going to fit in politically (not at all), etc.. they weren't going to be near a city with the cultural stuff they were interested in, an then it turned out stuff wasn't really going to be that cheap anyway.

My aunt & uncle did move down to VA from VT to retire. But that's a different thing.. over the past 25 years they went ultra conservative evangelical and they're moving down there partly to avoid having to come into contact with anyone who isn't like them, which was near impossible in VT. And their kids had already moved thousands of miles away from VT. They actually moved closer to one of their kids.

You move thousands of miles away don't expect the kids to necessarily be able to even afford to fly out to take care of you in old age... it's a weird situation. We've had a little bit of this with my grandparents in Western MA. We can drive out to help them within 2 hours.. but my uncle has to hop on a plane. Luckily money is not an issue for him.

[gasman]

I’m lucky that both my kids live in town. They loved living in Eugene and still do.

[William]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.


Doesn't bother me at all. It's not as bad as it might seem from the outside, plus things stay green here over the winter months as opposed to other areas with more deciduous plants and trees that are gray and bleak until spring.


Can't speak about Pullman since I've never lived there, but I have lived in Corvallis and have always likee the town and surrounding area. From a cycling perspctive it was great because you have any type of riding right outside your door. Flat ride? Go out onto the valley floor. Climbs? Head into the coast range or even the climb up to Mary's Peak...higest point in the Coast Range. Plus a multitude of routes that mix it all up, many with minimal traffic.



W.

[jlwdm]

One client of mine has all four of his children within 10 miles. Sixth young grandchild on the way. They all work in his business and he is encouraging some of them to move away at least for a while. He thinks they need to take some bigger risks to grow more.

For example the son who does the design work could take ownership of that division and move somewhere else and the main business would contract with the son. The son would be forced to be responsible for a business in a new location. The location is not important.

Jeff

[jlwdm]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.


As a graduate of the University of Washington and a previous resident of Western Washington for over 40 years, I would feel sorry for anyone who moved to Pullman.

My younger sister graduated from WSU and so did both of her daughters. The black sheep in our family.

In their late 70s my parents would go to AZ for 3-4 months in the winter. My mother would not take a nap the whole time. Back home in Olympia WA the rest of the year she would take a nap every day.

Jeff

[reuben]

As a graduate of the University of Washington and a previous resident of Western Washington for over 40 years, I would feel sorry for anyone who moved to Pullman.

My younger sister graduated from WSU and so did both of her daughters. The black sheep in our family.

In their late 70s my parents would go to AZ for 3-4 months in the winter. My mother would not take a nap the whole time. Back home in Olympia WA the rest of the year she would take a nap every day.

Jeff

I'm confused as to what point are you trying to make. UW is no good? Pullman is a bad place to live? AZ is high stress or better for insomniacs? Olympia is low stress or better for the somnolent?

[cnighbor1]

NO SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!
DRIVE TO SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!
Walnut Creek, CA

[Louis]

Pullman is a bad place to live?

Doesn't look too bad to me:

https://thepalouseguy.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/dsc_0020-copy-cycling-through-the-hills5.jpg?w=500&h=284

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1728/41817410474_ebf0a0a42d_b.jpg

[old fat man]

Sure we all move around.

But in my family for example (big family) we basically all live in MA. My sister lives in NY, she's the furthest one away.

All my parents friends are moving far away from their kids, my parents got into the idea too and got to the point they actually looked at a place in South Carolina.

They kind of came to their senses and realized it wasn't worth the potential cheap house prices... they'd be > 1000 miles away from the whole family. Culture was weak in the area, not as much stuff to do, not sure if they were going to fit in politically (not at all), etc.. they weren't going to be near a city with the cultural stuff they were interested in, an then it turned out stuff wasn't really going to be that cheap anyway.

My aunt & uncle did move down to VA from VT to retire. But that's a different thing.. over the past 25 years they went ultra conservative evangelical and they're moving down there partly to avoid having to come into contact with anyone who isn't like them, which was near impossible in VT. And their kids had already moved thousands of miles away from VT. They actually moved closer to one of their kids.

You move thousands of miles away don't expect the kids to necessarily be able to even afford to fly out to take care of you in old age... it's a weird situation. We've had a little bit of this with my grandparents in Western MA. We can drive out to help them within 2 hours.. but my uncle has to hop on a plane. Luckily money is not an issue for him.

Your posts all sound like you expect your kids to take care of you in old age? That's selfish. My parents have been quite clear that they're financially secure enough to avoid being reliant on me. I watched my father spend tens of thousands to keep his elderly mother from being left outside the nursing home. Not cool.

I'm (unfortunately) probably 25 years away from retiring, but I have no intention of requiring assistance from my kids as I approach the grave. Before I get to the grave, I intend to live MY best life wherever I want to. Maybe winters in snow country and the rest of the year in a great riding spot like the Berkshires or Albuquerque.

P.S. I'd retire tomorrow if I could. I get zero pleasure from working.

[buddybikes]

Good to dream but things get in the way. Sick parents, where kids end up, financial issues. Personally, we initially wanted around Burlington VT, few back surgeries and some other health issues ended us in flat land/water.

[Elefantino]

College town, liberal town, open-minded town
Good healthcare, preferably with teaching hospital
Great roads, no traffic
Mountains close, coast close
At least an acre
Fast internet
Close to the kids


That was our checklist. Mission accomplished.

[Bob Ross]

College town, liberal town, open-minded town
Good healthcare, preferably with teaching hospital
Great roads, no traffic
Mountains close, coast close
At least an acre
Fast internet
Close to the kids


[x] Like

[Ozz]

Doesn't look too bad to me:

https://thepalouseguy.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/dsc_0020-copy-cycling-through-the-hills5.jpg?w=500&h=284

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1728/41817410474_ebf0a0a42d_b.jpg
It's not bad....it's just in the middle of nowhere....seriously. Takes forever to get there, and driving is pretty much the only way to get there.

It is pretty farmland though....Walla Walla is close enough for wineries and stuff.

Spokane is probably the closest "big" city....which you might check out. It has some "city" problems with homelessness and drug abuse, but there are some really nice parts and you can buy a lot of house for little $$.

I live on the wet side, but went to college at that basketball school in Spokane, so spent lots of time in both places. I prefer the west side (green trees, blue waters, mountains, big city stuff), but have grown to appreciate Spokane (four seasons, hot summers (no humidity) and cold winters...spring and fall are gorgeous). Lots of lakes and hiking nearby...Northern Idaho (Pend Oreille, Couer d'Alene, etc) is one of my favorite places. Rain and dark during winter doesn't really bother me....it's all I have known though really.

Sidenote: My family is from St. Louis (I was born there)....my grandfather hated the summers and move the family every year to PNW (Everett) to escape the heat. That is how my dad got familiar with the area and moved here after med school and stint in the Navy..

[reuben]

Doesn't look too bad to me:

https://thepalouseguy.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/dsc_0020-copy-cycling-through-the-hills5.jpg?w=500&h=284

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1728/41817410474_ebf0a0a42d_b.jpg

Palouse?

[MikeD]

My criteria would be: mild climate (no snow, not too wet), great cycling and other outdoor activities, low to moderately populated, reasonable cost of living, low crime rate, close enough to health care services, entertainment, and shopping. I haven't found this place yet.

[72gmc]

My criteria would be: mild climate (no snow, not too wet), great cycling and other outdoor activities, low to moderately populated, reasonable cost of living, low crime rate, close enough to health care services, entertainment, and shopping. I haven't found this place yet.

Sounds like somewhere in Spain or Portugal.

[redir]

I will leave nothing but footprints so it gives me a bit of freedom in that regard. I do like living a 3 hour drive from my parents though as they age into thier 80's. So I would imagine if I had kids I would appreciate that as well. It does seem an important criteria for retirement.

Me? I'm thinking Costa Rica. Belize is a close second.

As far as the hospital, well, eventually, you're going to need it.

And, I've always wanted to live in a college town, but I'm really happy I'm not right now. Any college or university bringing thousands of near teenagers back into one place this fall is going to kill off a lot of the older people in that town, to start. It will be like having a cruise ship docked down the street with the passengers free to come and go to land. That may continue for a few years.

I'd consider upstate NY, but, it snows there.

We are all bracing for it now. 36k 'kids' from all over the country and world will be here at the end of the month.

[Elefantino]

I will leave nothing but footprints so it gives me a bit of freedom in that regard. I do like living a 3 hour drive from my parents though as they age into thier 80's. So I would imagine if I had kids I would appreciate that as well. It does seem an important criteria for retirement.

Me? I'm thinking Costa Rica. Belize is a close second.



We are all bracing for it now. 36k 'kids' from all over the country and world will be here at the end of the month.
MTB riding in CR is great. Road? Not so much. At least not on the west coast.

[redir]

MTB riding in CR is great. Road? Not so much. At least not on the west coast.

Yup it would be all MTB from there on out. The roads are crazy enough to just drive a car on. Belize though, cycling is a national sport there believe it or not. They love it.

[oldguy00]

Located in Canada. Aside from wanting to be able to see my kids every so often.......
I think we'd get bored in one spot. I could see ourselves staying based in Nova Scotia, but spending a small part of winter snowbirding to FL, part of both the winter and summer in the Laurentians (Mont Tremblant area, gorgeous year round).
We've visited the villages area in FL a few times as my in laws go in the winter. I know it gets made fun of, but I've always thought it was a really nice area, especially to just hang out for maybe 1-2 months in winter.

[William]

Doesn't look too bad to me:

https://thepalouseguy.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/dsc_0020-copy-cycling-through-the-hills5.jpg?w=500&h=284

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1728/41817410474_ebf0a0a42d_b.jpg


Looks nice, but the wide open area reminds me of a friend from Wyoming. He says it's always windy...somtimes light, many times heavy, but rarely still. Just hope for a tailwind on the way back home.:)






W.

[zap]

College town, liberal town, open-minded town
Good healthcare, preferably with teaching hospital
Great roads, no traffic
Mountains close, coast close
At least an acre
Fast internet
Close to the kids


That was our checklist. Mission accomplished.

We are east of you across 64. We didn't want an acre.....had that in Potomac, MD but everything else on the list, check. Plus RDU airport has the flights (albiet not now) we need the most.

[gomango]

My criteria would be: mild climate (no snow, not too wet), great cycling and other outdoor activities, low to moderately populated, reasonable cost of living, low crime rate, close enough to health care services, entertainment, and shopping. I haven't found this place yet.

Kotor, Montenegro.

Can't wait to return.

Same with Trogir/Split in Croatia.

[majorpat]

I’ve done three trips to Slovenia for work and have been truly impressed with the country. The people were great, active and open. That said I have no clue as to any underlying issues, expat retirement complications, etc.
Pat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bigbill]

Kotor, Montenegro.

Can't wait to return.

Same with Trogir/Split in Croatia.

While in the Navy in 2007, we did a State Department port call in Tivat for Montenegro's one year anniversary of their split with Serbia. We spent two weeks there doing community relations work including repainting their soccer stadium, rewiring the lights in a Mosque, building playground equipment, and the like. I had a road bike with me (Pegoretti BLE) and rode all over the peninsula including up and over into Kotor. Beautiful place, I hope it didn't get spoiled. At a cemetery near Tivat, there is the grave of an American who received the Medal of Honor in WWI. We cleaned it up, leveled the headstone and those around it, and planted some perennials.

[SoCalSteve]

I'm amazed this thread seems to have near 0 concern for kids & family.

Perhaps just a generational thing?

You read this thread and it's like no one had any kids or doesn't care to see them more than 1-2x a year.

I'm more like 20-25 years out. A ton depends on where my parents are they'd be in their 90s then. Everything would depend on how much help they needed. My son will be nearing marriage/grandchildren age around that point.

I can't see my wife & I moving to some far away vacationland and ignoring our son + potential grand children just over how good the cycling or other leisure activities were.

Not really trying to call anyone out here.. most of my parents friends are retired, and a very large amount of them have done the "move 2-3000 miles from the children for leisure" stuff. It'll be interesting to see what happens when all of a sudden they need their kids to take care of them. Maybe it's a baby boomer thing. It doesn't seem like it was a thing with the greatest generation.

I can bike just about anywhere. I know my wife wants to be near water, but we're not that far from the water in MA. Being near the water could easily mean being near a pond or lake for her, so that doesn't ruin cycling in any way as long as we came to an agreement about not moving to some place like Florida that I would hate for cycling. That's really not an issue anyway again though, cause we have no family in the Southern or Western US so there would be very little chance we'd move that far. With climate change MA is going to turn into CA style weather according to some models, winter has been getting easier and easier here, not really a concern there.

The original poster said that he has no kids, nor concern about family when it comes to retirement.

[Louis]

Palouse?

Correct.

[Louis]

Looks nice, but the wide open area reminds me of a friend from Wyoming. He says it's always windy...somtimes light, many times heavy, but rarely still. Just hope for a tailwind on the way back home.:)


According to Weatherspark (which has a nice comparison feature) it's less windy there (SE WA state) than it is in St Louis.

[William]

Many thanks to all who've shared their thoughts and ideas.

I do have a question for the folks in the PNW who are on the west side of Cascades, and therefore get all the rain in the winter (but thankfully, no snow).

One of the trade-offs between W and E of the mountains, is of course warmer, wetter winters on the W side vs colder, drier winters on the E side. Is the rain and long periods with no sun something you've gotten used to, or is it still a noticeable annoyance that at times really bothers you?

The comparison here, would be, say, Eugene/Corvallis OR vs Pullman WA.

I forgot to add about Corvallis...about 40 - 45 minute drive to be at the Pacific Ocean. About and hour to hour and a half to get into the Cascades Mountains. Nestled right at the base of the Coast Range. Stellar riding, and located at a point to get to a lot of nice places fairly quickly.






W.

[William]

According to Weatherspark (which has a nice comparison feature) it's less windy there (SE WA state) than it is in St Louis.

Well, since I've never lived in St Louis I'll take your word for it.:)




W.

[MikeD]

I forgot to add about Corvallis...about 40 - 45 minute drive to be at the Pacific Ocean. About and hour to hour and a half to get into the Cascades Mountains. Nestled right at the base of the Coast Range. Stellar riding, and located at a point to get to a lot of nice places fairly quickly.

W.


My dad lived in Roseburg. He says it's in the Banana Belt (less rain and snow). Looks like good riding around there, but I've only ridden thru there in a tour.

We go to Bandon during the summer. Nice there and good riding, but little mountain biking and there's only so many roads there. I love the coast.

[William]

My dad lived in Roseburg. He says it's in the Banana Belt (less rain and snow). Looks like good riding around there, but I've only ridden thru there in a tour.

We go to Bandon during the summer. Nice there and good riding, but little mountain biking and there's only so many roads there. I love the coast.


Thanks for reminding me...McDonald-Dunn forest just North of town has a bunch of trails, fire roads, and mtb trails.

The Oregon coast is beautiful. Hopefully they still don't allow cars on the beaches unlike WA.









W.

[rain dogs]

1. Choose a place where you aren't jsut ok with the local culture, but you love the local culture. (Age tries to isolate us on it's own, don't make it easier.)

2. If a new/2nd language is involved in this location, choose a place where you WANT to learn the language, not where you just NEED to. If you only NEED to, you won't really learn it, and maybe won't learn it at all.

3. Identify your three needs that are important today, but also be cognoscente of how those needs today will affect your life in 10, 20, 30, 40 years time (depending on at what age you decided)

- Example A: If excellent cycling is important, that likely means little traffic, secondary roads, low population density. So what does that mean in 20 years time? Maybe you don't want to drive much, maybe in 20 years time you can't drive much?

For me, the answer is a place where we're within walking distance of everything, including transportation hubs and options. So, my empty roads and superb cycling haven't resulted in me being in the middle of nowhere cut off from everything/important things.

- Example B: If certain weather conditions are appealing/tolerable today, will they be in 20 years time and how will they change over that time?

Seaside location? Will it be underwater? Super warm and dry now? Will it be desert in two decades? Also demographics.... how will that region change in 20 years? How is it trending? How will that affect you?

Of course, anyone can move at anytime. But this sounds like you want to get it close and not be moving all the time either.

My choices were heavily influenced by these 10 factors (in no weighted order) and informed an international move.
1. Culture and Language
2. Great Cycling
3. Business fertile/opportunities (specific to me)
4. Mountains AND Ocean
5. Cost of living/Quality of life/Healthcare
6. Beautiful countryside/region
7. Seamlessness of integration of my personal lifestyle into "normal" local ways of doing things. (ie. Lots of walking, urban density, lifestyle pace and values.)
8. Great climate now (likely improving in 20yrs relative to other spots)
9. Low crime, high security
10. Family

[NHAero]

And where are you?

1. Choose a place where you aren't jsut ok with the local culture, but you love the local culture. (Age tries to isolate us on it's own, don't make it easier.)

2. If a new/2nd language is involved in this location, choose a place where you WANT to learn the language, not where you just NEED to. If you only NEED to, you won't really learn it, and maybe won't learn it at all.

3. Identify your three needs that are important today, but also be cognoscente of how those needs today will affect your life in 10, 20, 30, 40 years time (depending on at what age you decided)

- Example A: If excellent cycling is important, that likely means little traffic, secondary roads, low population density. So what does that mean in 20 years time? Maybe you don't want to drive much, maybe in 20 years time you can't drive much?

For me, the answer is a place where we're within walking distance of everything, including transportation hubs and options. So, my empty roads and superb cycling haven't resulted in me being in the middle of nowhere cut off from everything/important things.

- Example B: If certain weather conditions are appealing/tolerable today, will they be in 20 years time and how will they change over that time?

Seaside location? Will it be underwater? Super warm and dry now? Will it be desert in two decades? Tolerable shoveling snow today so you can live by the slopes? What about when your back is shot, you're cold all the time, you can't ski anymore?

Of course, anyone can move at anytime. But this sounds like you want to get it close and not be moving all the time either.

My choices were heavily influenced by these 10 factors (in no weighted order) and informed an international move.
1. Culture and Language
2. Great Cycling
3. Business fertile/opportunities (specific to me)
4. Mountains AND Ocean
5. Cost of living/Quality of life
6. Beautiful countryside/region
7. Seamlessness of integration of my personal lifestyle into "normal" local ways of doing things. (ie. Lots of walking, urban density, lifestyle pace and values.)
8. Great climate now (likely improving in 20yrs relative to other spots)
9. Low crime, high security
10. Family

[rain dogs]

And where are you?

Oh, right.

Asturias. Northern Spain.
Oviedo.

from Vancouver, Canada

and to jump ahead of the next question, how? - my wife is Spanish. We met while studying in Scandinavia. But, many people do international moves without being married to a citizen of the country. And we likely would have picked a similar or the same location if she was British or German (although how can we know that?) but we did enjoy nearly 8 years of living in Vancouver and Asturias shares a lot of the same qualities.

[NHAero]

And what were the down sides? Did you move there still in middle age or at what most would consider retirement age?

[rain dogs]

And what were the down sides? Did you move there still in middle age or at what most would consider retirement age?

No, no, no.... I moved here at 38. I'm nearing 43 now. But, we've bought here and our 20yr plan is to be here. Maybe in 20 years I'm writing something different about a next phase?

I'm still learning lots.

Down sides? Thankfully few. Good luck. Good research. And for fear of sounding political, white privilege (it would be REALLY hard if I didn't "fit" in) based on seeing/hearing/sharing with other immigrants - but its true. Hopefully, the few downsides are a result of making good decisions, and a little luck.

There ALWAYS is something. Little things. For example, I've never had allergies, but here I do. The first two years I had terrible allergies, like existential crisis allergies. You learn, adapt. But there's always somethings unexpected.

[NHAero]

Thank you.
I never thought of this before, but with what is happening in Portland OR now we are beginning to think about parallels to the 1930s and wondering which places will be best.

No, no, no.... I moved here at 38. I'm nearing 43 now. But, we've bought here and our 20yr plan is to be here. Maybe in 20 years I'm writing something different about a next phase?

I'm still learning lots.

Down sides? Thankfully few. Good luck. Good research. And for fear of sounding political, white privilege (it would be REALLY hard if I didn't "fit" in) based on seeing/hearing/sharing with other immigrants - but its true. Hopefully, the few downsides are a result of making good decisions, and a little luck.

There ALWAYS is something. Little things. For example, I've never had allergies, but here I do. The first two years I had terrible allergies, like existential crisis allergies. You learn, adapt. But there's always somethings unexpected.

[johnmdesigner]

Oh, right.

Asturias. Northern Spain.
Oviedo.

from Vancouver, Canada

and to jump ahead of the next question, how? - my wife is Spanish. We met while studying in Scandinavia. But, many people do international moves without being married to a citizen of the country. And we likely would have picked a similar or the same location if she was British or German (although how can we know that?) but we did enjoy nearly 8 years of living in Vancouver and Asturias shares a lot of the same qualities.

We are planning a move to Spain when (hopefully) the virus dies down and Americans are welcome again.
Hope you don't mind if we pick your brain sometime? I promise jamon and Vermouth.

[retrofit]

Never gave much thought to choosing a retirement location.

It was always where else do I want to work, having spent much of my life in the California Central Valley summer heat and winter fog.

When my then future wife and I finished our predoc internships we decided that the person who landed the first job would determine where we would live. I got an offer first to work on the California Central Coast; as it turned out she was able to get a postdoc 40 minutes away. Been on the Monterey Peninsula ever since (nearly 25 years) with no desire to live/retire/die anywhere else.

Conveniently, family for both of us is 2.5-3 hours away--just close enough and just far enough to be comfortable.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5827/21176430908_c138413d6b_b.jpg
September Morning

[Ralph]

That's a nice story. Congrats.

[paredown]

Oh, right.

Asturias. Northern Spain.
Oviedo.

from Vancouver, Canada

and to jump ahead of the next question, how? - my wife is Spanish. We met while studying in Scandinavia. But, many people do international moves without being married to a citizen of the country. And we likely would have picked a similar or the same location if she was British or German (although how can we know that?) but we did enjoy nearly 8 years of living in Vancouver and Asturias shares a lot of the same qualities.

Interesting. We started reading a little about Asturias last year. I thought it looked wonderful. (I also grew up in the Vancouver area). My wife is fluent in Spanish, so that's a leg up...

[texbike]

Palouse

Kotor, Montenegro.


Asturias.


Wow! Three beautiful places that I absolutely wasn't aware of. Thank you. I LOVE Paceline!


https://live.staticflickr.com/5827/21176430908_c138413d6b_b.jpg
September Morning

Heaven!

While in the Navy in 2007, we did a State Department port call in Tivat for Montenegro's one year anniversary of their split with Serbia. We spent two weeks there doing community relations work including repainting their soccer stadium, rewiring the lights in a Mosque, building playground equipment, and the like. I had a road bike with me (Pegoretti BLE) and rode all over the peninsula including up and over into Kotor. Beautiful place, I hope it didn't get spoiled. At a cemetery near Tivat, there is the grave of an American who received the Medal of Honor in WWI. We cleaned it up, leveled the headstone and those around it, and planted some perennials.

^This is really cool.

Texbike

[Onno]

As a dual US Canadian citizen, I'm thinking hard about where to retire. Almost certainly will go back to Canada--just can't take the politics here anymore, although there are lots of things and places about the US that I love. The riding here in central New York is fantastic, as good as anywhere I've ridden, really, and the housing is cheap. But I'm also a really keen xc skier, so I need to retire to somewhere where there is reliable snow. Ottawa is at the top of our list, with Vancouver Island or the interior of BC a close second.

[Mr. Pink]

Interesting. We started reading a little about Asturias last year. I thought it looked wonderful. (I also grew up in the Vancouver area). My wife is fluent in Spanish, so that's a leg up...

If you have access to Boudain's Parts Unknown on your cable or elsewhere, he did a show from Asturias in the final season (season 12, episode 2) that is great. The chef José Andrés is featured, a native of the region, and quite a character. He is very much in the news today in America trying to save his industry with various collective actions.

I was struck by the beauty of the region watching the Vuelta a few seasons ago. It's not as hot as a lot of Spain, but lacks the cultural institutions that are available in the rest of Spain. It's also pretty hard to get to from the rest of Europe.

[Mr. Pink]

I was just thinking of something else that may make moving to Europe, or, at least Italy difficult. Getting a driver's license is much harder over there, requiring one to pass stringent written and driving tests ( and you can see it in the civilized way most drive). The written tests (more than one) are in Italian. The whole process takes time, it's nothing like here in America, I'm told. So, in order to drive, you, need to know the language. That would be tough. I would absolutely need a car to go skiing, for one thing.

I suppose you could work out an (illegal) arrangement with somebody back home where you renew your U.S. license at their address, but, good luck with that. Maybe some euro ex pats could help us here.

[rain dogs]

I was just thinking of something else that may make moving to Europe, or, at least Italy difficult. Getting a driver's license is much harder over there, requiring one to pass stringent written and driving tests ( and you can see it in the civilized way most drive). The written tests (more than one) are in Italian. The whole process takes time, it's nothing like here in America, I'm told. So, in order to drive, you, need to know the language. That would be tough. I would absolutely need a car to go skiing, for one thing.

I suppose you could work out an (illegal) arrangement with somebody back home where you renew your U.S. license at their address, but, good luck with that. Maybe some euro ex pats could help us here.

I have no idea how it is in Italy, but I doubt it would be hugely different than here in Spain. I have had a Spanish drivers license here for about 1 yr of 5 (first 1,5yrs wasn't necessary for me to get it) it took me longer to get than I though for a variety of reasons which I will touch on. What was different from Canada:

1. They don't recognize Canadian/US drivers licenses here so you have to take the same tests as if you were 18. No way around it.
2. You MUST take the tests with driving schools. No getting you "DAD" to teach you. And you MUST use their cars. And that gets costly. I managed to find a place that let me take only 2 lessons prior and the theoretical was cheap. I heard horror stories of "thousands of Euros" I think all to;d I paid about 450.
3. Their are 4 tests (some kinda psychological thing... basic, a coordination/motor skills...basic, a theoretical/written test and a practical/driving.

The hardest by far was the written, but only because of the studying - it was very frustrating both for different ways of doing things, AND language.

4. You CAN do the tests and studying in English, but it was brutal, it was easier for me in Spanish, but neither were easy. There are dozens of trick-type questions which trip up native speakers.... for me, they were very difficult. Even though its all multiple choice. You can only get 3 questions wrong out of 25.

5. Driving test was easier, but strict. I think because I drive very little it was easier for me to overcome bad habits. And some "good habits" like shoulder checking here is frowned upon by some examiners. :confused: You can get an automatic fail for taking your eyes of the road under certain interpretations.

It definitely wasn't easy, it was time consuming, it wasn't so expensive, but it's not cheap like in Canada. I passed all the tests first try, but I studied a lot. The language part was very frustrating at times. I'm glad its over and I have it.

Another expat paid like 1200.... cause he failed so many times, both the written, then the drivers... UGH. 3 times each i think.

It mostly took me forever because I didn't have a deadline (no immediate need) and I would get frustrated with the language/lack of improvement. I also really bought into the horror stories about how hard it is and how many fail. Ended up being easier than I thought. However, I was the first to get a pass on the day I did the drivers test, and I was 8th..... lots of sad teenagers returning to the drivers school that day.

[choke]

I was just thinking of something else that may make moving to Europe, or, at least Italy difficult. Getting a driver's license is much harder over there, requiring one to pass stringent written and driving tests ( and you can see it in the civilized way most drive). This German (EC) DL had no expiration date when it was issued but it looks like some changes to the law means that it now expires in 2033.

http://misc.ciocctoo.com/ger-dl.jpg

[gomango]

While in the Navy in 2007, we did a State Department port call in Tivat for Montenegro's one year anniversary of their split with Serbia. We spent two weeks there doing community relations work including repainting their soccer stadium, rewiring the lights in a Mosque, building playground equipment, and the like. I had a road bike with me (Pegoretti BLE) and rode all over the peninsula including up and over into Kotor. Beautiful place, I hope it didn't get spoiled. At a cemetery near Tivat, there is the grave of an American who received the Medal of Honor in WWI. We cleaned it up, leveled the headstone and those around it, and planted some perennials.

We were scheduled to meet my wife's family there for a vacation this August, but that's impossible atm.

My wife's Mom was born in Bosnia and had to leave at the end of WWII. However, the family continued to vacation along the Dalmation Coast in Croatia most summers. It was a relatively easy drive from their home in the Chiemsee region of Bayern. Montenegro was delightful when we visited and we could easily see spending an extended summer there, as it has everything we enjoy in a low key travel destination.

Maybe next summer.....

@Bigbill. Thanks for your work on the headstone!

[paredown]

I was just thinking of something else that may make moving to Europe, or, at least Italy difficult. Getting a driver's license is much harder over there, requiring one to pass stringent written and driving tests ( and you can see it in the civilized way most drive). The written tests (more than one) are in Italian. The whole process takes time, it's nothing like here in America, I'm told. So, in order to drive, you, need to know the language. That would be tough. I would absolutely need a car to go skiing, for one thing.

I suppose you could work out an (illegal) arrangement with somebody back home where you renew your U.S. license at their address, but, good luck with that. Maybe some euro ex pats could help us here.

Short stay is not a problem--when we living in the UK. I forget the actual deadline for switching to a UK licence, but we just ignored it (and was lucky)--a little over 2 1/2 years on my US licence (my wife refused to drive wrong-handed!)

In Germany, there was some sort of reciprocity--we presented our US licences, and (IIRC) we were issued a German license (possibly with a set expiration--can't remember).

Oddly though the German reciprocity was state by state....

Friends who stayed ended up getting their UK licences though--not a big deal, but there is less of a language barrier.:banana:

We found out a lot about requirements reading the various expat forums, although there are fewer Americans and more Brits that move around, so less information.

[Matt92037]

Ding, ding, ding. This is it for me. Plan is to leave SoCal next year.


Bend has better MTB riding and also has good road riding.

[Mr. Pink]

Short stay is not a problem--when we living in the UK. I forget the actual deadline for switching to a UK licence, but we just ignored it (and was lucky)--a little over 2 1/2 years on my US licence (my wife refused to drive wrong-handed!)

In Germany, there was some sort of reciprocity--we presented our US licences, and (IIRC) we were issued a German license (possibly with a set expiration--can't remember).

Oddly though the German reciprocity was state by state....

Friends who stayed ended up getting their UK licences though--not a big deal, but there is less of a language barrier.:banana:

We found out a lot about requirements reading the various expat forums, although there are fewer Americans and more Brits that move around, so less information.

Humm, yeah, could get one in England, but one wonders if Brexit will nullify them on the mainland. And, yeah, no way I'm driving on the other side. I'm too old and set in my ways. There's six lane roundabouts in that country! I'd get killed and kill eventually.
I was driving to the Florence airport one morning on a three lane roundabout, which are like everywhere in Italy. All od a sudden some older fellow comes at us in the opposite direction. We made it by with others while he freaked and tried to pull over. I told a friend at home, and he said, "must have been British". I said, oh, yeah, right. That would be me somewhere in England.

[Mr. Pink]

I have no idea how it is in Italy, but I doubt it would be hugely different than here in Spain. I have had a Spanish drivers license here for about 1 yr of 5 (first 1,5yrs wasn't necessary for me to get it) it took me longer to get than I though for a variety of reasons which I will touch on. What was different from Canada:

1. They don't recognize Canadian/US drivers licenses here so you have to take the same tests as if you were 18. No way around it.
2. You MUST take the tests with driving schools. No getting you "DAD" to teach you. And you MUST use their cars. And that gets costly. I managed to find a place that let me take only 2 lessons prior and the theoretical was cheap. I heard horror stories of "thousands of Euros" I think all to;d I paid about 450.
3. Their are 4 tests (some kinda psychological thing... basic, a coordination/motor skills...basic, a theoretical/written test and a practical/driving.

The hardest by far was the written, but only because of the studying - it was very frustrating both for different ways of doing things, AND language.

4. You CAN do the tests and studying in English, but it was brutal, it was easier for me in Spanish, but neither were easy. There are dozens of trick-type questions which trip up native speakers.... for me, they were very difficult. Even though its all multiple choice. You can only get 3 questions wrong out of 25.

5. Driving test was easier, but strict. I think because I drive very little it was easier for me to overcome bad habits. And some "good habits" like shoulder checking here is frowned upon by some examiners. :confused: You can get an automatic fail for taking your eyes of the road under certain interpretations.

It definitely wasn't easy, it was time consuming, it wasn't so expensive, but it's not cheap like in Canada. I passed all the tests first try, but I studied a lot. The language part was very frustrating at times. I'm glad its over and I have it.

Another expat paid like 1200.... cause he failed so many times, both the written, then the drivers... UGH. 3 times each i think.

It mostly took me forever because I didn't have a deadline (no immediate need) and I would get frustrated with the language/lack of improvement. I also really bought into the horror stories about how hard it is and how many fail. Ended up being easier than I thought. However, I was the first to get a pass on the day I did the drivers test, and I was 8th..... lots of sad teenagers returning to the drivers school that day.

How long is the license valid and is it universal in the EU and transferable to another EU country?

[pbarry]

This German (EC) DL had no expiration date when it was issued but it looks like some changes to the law means that it now expires in 2033.

http://misc.ciocctoo.com/ger-dl.jpg

Awesome time capsule, Scott! :)

[rain dogs]

How long is the license valid and is it universal in the EU and transferable to another EU country?

10 years and then just a renewal (no exams). Yes and Yes.

All licences obtained in the EU are transferable/recognized in all other EU countries. (provided you are a resident of an EU country). At least this is what I understand.

[colker]

My criteria: less humans.

[dancinkozmo]

my criteria: Less humans.

yes !!!!!

(and more dogs)

[sjbraun]

Corvallis, OR

[many_styles]

Less people, if people, more cool people. Universal health care. That’s it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[robertbb]

Less people, if people, more cool people. Universal health care. That’s it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Seems like a good aim for life before retirement too ;-)

[bigbill]

I'm looking at a house tomorrow that is 20 minutes east of town off Route 66. It has everything I want right now; right price, up against BLM land with hundreds of miles of dirt roads and trails, city water and sewer, high-speed internet, and ten minutes from my current job and fifteen minutes from the Community College where I hope to teach in a few years. It also has nearby boarding for my girlfriend's horses and a corral for her to teach dressage. She jumps stuff on a horse, I ride in traffic, it's a tradeoff. We both wear helmets.

[Mr. Pink]

My criteria: less humans.

Well, I guess another plague and a few select nuclear strikes would do the trick.

[MikeD]

For us, we were looking for a more politically progressive area, with reasonable culture, weather, and access to water and mountains.



We retired and relocated a year ago to Eugene OR. We lived most of our lives in IN, the last spot being Bloomington which supplied most of our cultural needs. But we had toyed with moving to the PNW for many years, and our oldest has been in Portland awhile. 2-3 years before retirement, we began trips out that way, including several in the winter. Also tracked weather daily, comparing it to IN (admittedly a low bar). We’re not fans of hot humid weather, nor of nasty cold. During our trips, we spent time in cities and with realtors from Bellingham down to Eugene. This town—so far—has hit the sweet spot for us. Not a busy big city, but reasonably good culture and a university. Rain is probably less than or no worse than IN. Summers can be hot but not as humid as the Midwest, so more comfortable. 90 min gets us either to mountains or coast. Gorgeous scenery. My wife is living her gardener’s dream. Riding in Southern IN is quite good with challenging hills and nice countryside, but there’s more here and much to explore. There’s an excellent trail system for hikers here. Housing costs are high in the large cities of the PNW, but not terribly higher here than in Bloomington.


There was a rioting in Eugene this past Saturday. What's up with that?

[Mr. Pink]

There was a rioting in Eugene this past Saturday. What's up with that?

It's called protesting.

[Elefantino]

Uh oh...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ken Robb]

I'm looking at a house tomorrow that is 20 minutes east of town off Route 66. It has everything I want right now; right price, up against BLM land with hundreds of miles of dirt roads and trails, city water and sewer, high-speed internet, and ten minutes from my current job and fifteen minutes from the Community College where I hope to teach in a few years. It also has nearby boarding for my girlfriend's horses and a corral for her to teach dressage. She jumps stuff on a horse, I ride in traffic, it's a tradeoff. We both wear helmets.

So, how did it look?

[bigbill]

I'm looking at a house tomorrow that is 20 minutes east of town off Route 66. It has everything I want right now; right price, up against BLM land with hundreds of miles of dirt roads and trails, city water and sewer, high-speed internet, and ten minutes from my current job and fifteen minutes from the Community College where I hope to teach in a few years. It also has nearby boarding for my girlfriend's horses and a corral for her to teach dressage. She jumps stuff on a horse, I ride in traffic, it's a tradeoff. We both wear helmets.

That house was in escrow but another house in the neighborhood was available This one is actually better for the dirt/gravel lifestyle. We wrote a contract yesterday afternoon and it was accepted. I'm dropping off my earnest check later this morning. Ranch style, three-car garage (normal in AZ), 1800 square feet, 10x20 tuffshed with power, and a double lot. It is 11 minutes to work, all highway (route 66). I'll finish up my MA in February but not graduate until June. After that, I'll likely facilitate some online classes while still working to feel things out. At some point I'll quit the engineering gig and teach. I call teaching my retirement.

[donevwil]

... three-car garage ..., 1800 square feet, 10x20 tuffshed with power, and a double lot....

Want !

[Johnnysmooth]

Wife and I thought about many places, but decided, in the end to stay right where we are. We’re in northwestern Vermont. Yes, it gets cold in the winter, yes the taxes are high. But, we can cross country ski all winter, and our place is small and not really all that costly. The ambiance and the sense of community, the quality cycling, the great local food and beer scene, and a certain number of friends who have come to the same conclusion, have reinforced our thinking. With the current Covid situation all around us, we feel very lucky to be in a rural area, and the impact on our day to day lives has been lessened by the place, and the culture.
I still work, but since I work for myself, I get to call the shots on how much I do, and I am only taking a job( I design buildings!) when I feel I will enjoy it and contribute to the process.
So, I guess this is a suggestion to look around at what you have in the community that you might have been involved with, and make sure you aren’t giving up something that is actually pretty decent.

Great advice.
Wife and I also on the lookout though we have slightly different needs/desires. I have had enough of living near/in a city even though Boston is quite nice. She would like to stay in area, near city due to cultural events and her community services work. I on eat other hand, am ready for quite, more rural setting. Been going to Martha's Vineyard all my life and would welcome chance to live there 8-9 months of yr, remainder, could manage closer to city. Then again, maybe something in the Falmouth-Woods Hole on Cape Cod could fill the bill. Beautiful setting, strong academic enviro in Woods Hole, good year round biking and only 1hr to Boston.

Personally find it difficult to chose that "forever home" Many options, many needs/desires. Finding that balance is a trick

[520arachnid]

Lucky enough to live in Tucson so maybe I’ll get a winter home but right now I have one of the best climbs in the country in my backyard.

[chrismoustache]

$500k in Pittsburgh will get you a heck of a house in the best neighborhoods, or like 10 houses in some of the scruffy ones.

Western PA is really quite pretty in a lot of respects, and an hour drive from the city will get me within 100's of thousands of acres of public lands.

[parris]

This thread reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my Sgt's as he was getting ready to retire. He initially was going to move to a more rural area of the country with what he thought of as several advantages. He changed that up when he started to really look at the health care systems in several of the places he was looking to move not only him but his family as well. He ended up choosing a place SUBSTANTIALLY closer to where he lived due to the balance of wanting a solid health care system.

This is just another thing to consider and keep in mind.

[old_fat_and_slow]

Lucky enough to live in Tucson so maybe I’ll get a winter home but right now I have one of the best climbs in the country in my backyard.

I thought when you set up a base in Tucson, you needed a second home for the summer, not winter ??

[Fixed]

San Francisco chose me ,
I do not even know how wound up here
But the riding from my front door across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Marin headlands is way better than when I lived in Tampa Which is one of the most dangerous places in the u.s. to ride
And very grateful to live here
Cheers

[sjbraun]

We're already in Tucson, so we have have great riding, good to excellent healthcare, great food and beer scene, despite it being in AZ, a relatively well educated population all checked. What we needed was a smaller place and we've found just the ticket. A 17 unit condo development, 2 miles from the University, 3 miles from downtown, located on a major crosstown bikeway. That it comes with a two car garage (for one car and 7 bikes,) and people to do the yard work and maintenance is icing on the cake. The real estate market is very hot right now, we sold our home of 31 years in less than 24 hour hours at above the listing price.

[Louis]

We're already in Tucson, so we have have great riding, good to excellent healthcare, great food and beer scene

I've been debating if I should put places like Tucson and Santa Fe on my radar.

I don't know a whole lot about them other than they're at altitude, so the summer heat isn't as bad as the rest of AZ / NM as a whole, but I'm having a hard time getting around the "no green trees and windy country roads through bucolic farm country around here" thing. I realize that deserts have their own sort of desolate beauty, but so far in my life I haven't had a chance to experience it much (unless you want to count some time spent in Ridgecrest and Palmdale CA).

https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/images/stories/sept10/az-road.jpg

[Ken Robb]

This thread has run so long that I may have forgot if someone posted this: Will taxes enter into your decision on a place to retire? Some locations have no income tax, some don't tax pensions, some have astronomical property taxes, etc.

[Louis]

Will taxes enter into your decision on a place to retire? Some locations have no income tax, some don't tax pensions, some have astronomical property taxes, etc.

I think taxes have been mentioned by others above (as in "Washington State has no personal income tax") but IMO that's a secondary consideration. I'd be willing to take, say, a 10% hit on my annual retirement income in exchange for great weather, great cycling, and affordable housing.

All else being the same, then lower taxes are better, but if they're super low because the state does a horrible job of educating it's citizens and they don't maintain their roads, then you're still paying a price, it's just that you can't calculate it quite as easily.

[tomato coupe]

I've been debating if I should put places like Tucson and Santa Fe on my radar.

I don't know a whole lot about them other than they're at altitude...
Santa Fe (7,200 ft) is pretty high, but Tucson (2,400 ft) really isn't.

[maj]

Very fond memories of Tucson. Went to grad school there in the mid 80’s and practically lived on my bike. Wish I could’ve bought real estate there then.

Moved there from Alaska and thought I’d die from the August heat. Eventually, one gets acclimated to it and it’s just a matter of adaptation to take advantage of the incredible riding and general lifestyle. Riding just at sunrise while it’s still only in the 80s with three frozen water bottles wrapped in wet socks and then, in the early evenings, swerving around tarantulas on tires lined with Mr Tuffys.

I’m sure things have changed but Gates (Tucson) Pass was a great morning jaunt from the university area and I guess everyone knows about Mt Lemmon. My favorite ride there though was the 8-mile or so East Saguaro Monument loop road under a full moon - incredible experience, I hope you’re still allowed to do that. I don’t know a thing about about modern Tucson but Tucson in the 80’s would be an ideal place to retire.

[MikeD]

All else being the same, then lower taxes are better, but if they're super low because the state does a horrible job of educating it's citizens and they don't maintain their roads, then you're still paying a price, it's just that you can't calculate it quite as easily.


I think that's a bit too simplistic. Some states are better managed and costs are much lower, thus a tax dollar goes a lot farther. I've heard it said that paving a mile of road in California costs 5X as much as in Texas.

[pmac]

I think that's a bit too simplistic. Some states are better managed and costs are much lower, thus a tax dollar goes a lot farther. I've heard it said that paving a mile of road in California costs 5X as much as in Texas.

I don't recall having chip seal roads when I lived in CA. I'd guess that might explain at least part of that difference.

[Bob Ross]

I'm having a hard time getting around the "no green trees and windy country roads through bucolic farm country around here" thing. I realize that deserts have their own sort of desolate beauty, but so far in my life I haven't had a chance to experience it much

When my parents retired to Tucson AZ in 1998 I had never been to the American desert before. I'd spent my entire life living in the NorthEast USA, so my entire awareness of being outdoors was in the context of a deciduous paradise...the green trees/bucolic farm country you describe.

Well, 22 years later, I have come to develop a deep appreciation of the many colors in the desert. Yes, many of those colors are shades of brown. But there are also many shades of green, greens that I had never witnessed in Pennsylvania, New York, or New England. And the flowers, oh my! Spring in the desert is the proverbial explosion of color.

Long story short, Tucson is now on the short list for where the missus and I plan to retire, and not just because Mom & Dad are there (for now). It checks off all the boxes for me, including natural beauty.

[MikeD]

I don't recall having chip seal roads when I lived in CA. I'd guess that might explain at least part of that difference.


I live in the Bay Area and there are chip seal roads all over, especially on back roads. In fact, the road conditions in CA are among the worst in the country, and now we have the second highest gas tax. But, I find pavement quality is highly dependent upon the city or county you live in. Some cities and counties maintain their roads much better than others. When I first started riding, Napa County had excellent pavement quality. Now it's just average, in my opinion.

[Dave]

A properly maintained asphalt road should be chip sealed every 10-15 years. After two seals, it will probably need total replacement. We have over a mile of privately owned asphalt in my neighborhood. We should do some crack repair and cheap seal on it next year, when the road is 16 years old, for about 80k, split between 36 lot owners. This is on a minimally used road.

The problem is what's used for the chips. If it's too coarse, it can be rough. I ride a lot of county maintained roads that are chip sealed.

[Old School]

It's called protesting.

This is what a protest is like in Eugene, according to the local paper

eugene-protest-declared-riot-following-night-of-confrontations (https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200725/eugene-protest-declared-riot-following-night-of-confrontations)

I was so sure that we would be retiring to Oregon, that we already bought a house and have been renting it out.

Now, we will be selling that house, and I am reading this thread for Plan B

[prototoast]

This is what a protest is like in Eugene, according to the local paper

eugene-protest-declared-riot-following-night-of-confrontations (https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200725/eugene-protest-declared-riot-following-night-of-confrontations)

I was so sure that we would be retiring to Oregon, that we already bought a house and have been renting it out.

Now, we will be selling that house, and I am reading this thread for Plan B

While I certainly don't have any interest in moving back to Eugene myself, this really don't strike me as the kind of thing that would dissuade anyone who previously wanted to live there. Downtown was always a ****show as long as I lived there, but other parts of the town are nice.

[Louis]

Guys, I realize that for some, political inclinations can play a role in determining where you choose to live, but given this forum's extreme reluctance to discuss politics, please do your best to avoid any such topics that could risk having the thread shut down. Thanks.

[2000m2]

Great stuff in this thread.

I lived up and down the east coast, along with the gulf coast for the first 25 yrs of my life. When I got out of the military, my first job had me in D.C. briefly and then took me to Southern California. I was happy to escape hot, humid summers and rusty cars. I loved running, biking and surfing in my free time. I really enjoyed going out with a local bike club Saturday mornings in a big loop and riding down the pacific coast highway, seeing others out riding, running and surfing all over. Really spectacular views and weather. I then started grad school part-time and moved up to Seattle after graduating. At the time, I couldn't wait to get out of California due to the cost of living and job prospects (Great Recession time frame). After 6 dreary winters and some family health scares, I couldn't take the gray winters anymore (7 months of rain :confused:) and we tried to get back to Southern California. You really can't beat the PNW summers though. All the jobs at the time seemed to be in the SF Bay Area for what my wife does, so we ended up here. I am loving it so far, but don't necessarily see us here forever because of the cost of living. Otherwise, I really do like it here a lot.

High on the list for us are San Diego beach towns, Santa Barbara, or San Luis Obispo. The virus working from home has us thinking we'll go test out some of these places soon for some longer stays. We'll see what life brings us!

[Mr. Pink]

I think taxes have been mentioned by others above (as in "Washington State has no personal income tax") but IMO that's a secondary consideration. I'd be willing to take, say, a 10% hit on my annual retirement income in exchange for great weather, great cycling, and affordable housing.

All else being the same, then lower taxes are better, but if they're super low because the state does a horrible job of educating it's citizens and they don't maintain their roads, then you're still paying a price, it's just that you can't calculate it quite as easily.

True. Those taxes pay for a ton of fresh paving in upstate NY, which is essentially a rural backwater at this point, and should have many more dirt and gravel roads, considering the traffic.

[bigbill]

The home inspection was yesterday for the house I hope to live in at least until I'm 65. I'm buying a single-story stucco home in the desert in NW Arizona. Not Phoenix hot or Flagstaff cold. It closes in mid-September. I've been renting since relocating in 2018. My mortgage will be $65 more.

[Mr. Pink]

I thought when you set up a base in Tucson, you needed a second home for the summer, not winter ??

The way to deal with that is to take advantage of the off season rental market up in a lot of Rocky mountain ski towns. I know someone that lives in Florida, but escapes the heat by moving to Vermont every summer, where the living is pretty cheap in vacant ski condos.

[Louis]

It's the dead of winter and much of the country is in the middle of a big-time cold snap, so I figured I'm bump this thread and post an image I found the other day.

Time to dream about perfect riding weather, without any snow...

https://i.redd.it/gizjk3vtzua31.png

[Ralph]

I wouldn't consider moving out of Florida. As an older person, I much prefer heat over cold. And can always leave in August. I've visited about every area in USA in most of the seasons. No state income tax here, we collect our taxes from consumption. Tax spending, not income. Real estate prices still relatively low with low RE taxes. I live NE of Orlando in a small county....huge emphasis by progressive thinking County on outdoor fitness....wide smooth trails for ALL residents to use. Huge cycling culture. Road, off road, trikes, etc.

Tourists who visit Disney or beaches don't have a clue what's it's like to live here year around, just like us visitors to Colorado ski towns don't have a clue what's it's really like to live there year around. it's warm here this AM, but raining, so probably won't ride this AM, but don't miss many days. And yes...we don't have mountains to climb or their views, can't have everything, but for having a 12 month residence, with ability to to leave during hot months, would not consider leaving here. Humidity not an issue for me, have AC about everywhere I go, and 122 out of 124 homes in my community have pools....usually heated for cooler weather. I hear tourists complain about how hot and humid it is at Disney in August in afternoon....and my reaction usually is "why would you go there then"? I wouldn't take my bike to Frisco, Co in January. But have in August.

[weisan]

What were / will be your criteria for choosing a location for retirement?


Making sure my heart and mind are in the right place and primed for retirement. I am already there...and I am not even "retired!" :p

Once you get that right, everything else will follow.

[alancw3]

I lived in Florida for 20 years, Marco island and Naples, but now live in Ashburn, Va. because my only child daughter and two grandsons live there. Do I like living here? Probably not as I would still like to live in Florida. But we all have to prioritize our lives. My family needed me so that is why I am here. We can talk about weather, taxes and health but when push comes to shove family is the most important imho.

[El Chaba]

I lived in Florida for 20 years, Marco island and Naples, but now live in Ashburn, Va. because my only child daughter and two grandsons live there. Do I like living here? Probably not as I would still like to live in Florida. But we all have to prioritize our lives. My family needed me so that is why I am here. We can talk about weather, taxes and health but when push comes to shove family is the most important imho.

This.

[superbowlpats]

I retired last year. and while I hate the cold/snow of living in the NE, we are close to our kids / grand-kids and that is the most important factor for us. Well that and the fact that Mass doesnt tax my Federal pension :banana:

[simplemind]

What were / will be your criteria for choosing a location for retirement?


Making sure my heart and mind are in the right place and primed for retirement. I am already there...and I am not even "retired!" :p

Once you get that right, everything else will follow.

Well said Weisan.

[Matthew]

I hate graphs like this, partly because my color is of a darker blue! But what the hell is the difference in the top 3 blue squares? Or am I just blind? Can't they just use different colors? Anyway, we're buried in snow where I am. But summers are nice!

[Ralph]

AlanCW3 hit on most important factor I believe. Family. My wife and I have really enjoyed extended stays in Sanibel Island, Fl, N Ga and NC Mountains, Various New England towns, and really loved Martha's Vineyard (especially when tourists thin out), Bar Harbor Maine, areas NW of Chicago, Cody, Wyoming, Bozeman and Flathead Lake areas in Mt, Always wanted to ride trail between Spokane and Cour De Alene...area beautiful, spent a week on Friday Harbor on San Juan Islands in Puget sound...loved riding on the ferries to different islands, Ft Collins, Co maybe our favorite Co town, Frisco, Co, great if weather cooperates, but also like area just W of Colorado Springs, Moab, UT, Reno and Lake Tahoe were great, S California...liked San Jose in particular. Sante Fe, NM was very nice. And some other places for a few weeks at a time.

But living somewhere as a resident...maybe up to 12 months a year....not the same thing as visiting there at best times of the year at that place. And like above said....my kids and grandkids are here.

[biker72]

Like Ralph I've visited a number of places in the USA and liked them all. Texas summers can be very hot and winters can be fairly mild. That is except for this week we are having a very rare snowstorm. I can ride most days of the year.

Bottom line is that my kids and grandkids live here. I'm not moving.

[Ralph]

Like Ralph I've visited a number of places in the USA and liked them all. Texas summers can be very hot and winters can be fairly mild. That is except for this week we are having a very rare snowstorm. I can ride most days of the year.

Bottom line is that my kids and grandkids live here. I'm not moving.

Yep....My brother and I one time decided we wanted to buy a small house or condo in Moab....we liked it so much on several visits. Love the Jeep trails....rented Jeeps and did the White Rim Trail. Dead Horse canyon, etc. Then last visit....didn't enjoy it as much. Realized we don't really "fit" as potential residents and don't like Moab that much to wanna live there some. So scratch that idea.

[verticaldoug]

There isn't one retirement. In the beginning when we retire, we are probably pretty healthy and active, so being away from family is not a big deal.

Once you get into later retirement when health issues begin to appear, being near family because we are not as active is an important consideration.

If you don't want to move twice during retirement, I may chose the second home from the get go. Having said that, I haven't lived anyone place for more than 20 years in my life.
So I plan at least two retirement moves. I hope my money holds out which may be the ultimate consideration for many of us. Its amazing what care costs.

[velotel]

I've only read a small portion of this post so don't know whether this consideration for you came up or not, also one that won't be easy to fulfill with all the other ones, but then again this could be the ruling consideration over all others : close to a GOOD Alfa mechanic. I mean when you're retired that car is going to be a gem to enjoy.

Naturally that consideration instantly slaps Italy into the list, probably France too (lots of beautiful old sports cars and others in super shape over here). But if you could find a place in Portugal with a good mechanic, well there you go, won't find better than that.

Trouble is the dollar/euro exchange rate sucks for anyone with dollars. Not all that long ago, maybe a year ago, I've forgotten, anyway I was able transfer 3000$ and get damn near the same in euros. Now I barely get over 2400 in exchange. Too bad I'm not looking to buy anything in the states. Some sweet bargains available.

[buddybikes]

Get small home where your true "home" is in your heart, not some destined "perfect" place. Then travel.

[Ralph]

There isn't one retirement. In the beginning when we retire, we are probably pretty healthy and active, so being away from family is not a big deal.

Once you get into later retirement when health issues begin to appear, being near family because we are not as active is an important consideration.

If you don't want to move twice during retirement, I may chose the second home from the get go. Having said that, I haven't lived anyone place for more than 20 years in my life.
So I plan at least two retirement moves. I hope my money holds out which may be the ultimate consideration for many of us. Its amazing what care costs.

This is really true. I had no health problems until I got to 78. Then out of no where....had a heart attack...no prior warning or symptoms. So now have a stent. Stent failed in 10 months, and had to have it redone. Now on all kind of meds which really slow me down. And now I know I'm not as healthy as I thought I was. Am so grateful all my Docs....Primary care, Cardiologist, nephrologist, urologist, dermatologist, etc....are all close and I only live 5 minutes from hospital ER.....and all my Docs work for same hospital system....so have a "portal" where each one can see what other is doing. Blood work, all tests, scripts, etc....are available to all. Point is...when you get to my age....it's like Doug says....family and medical care become a big deal. I would be dead now if I lived somewhere a heart cath lab was a helicopter ride away.

[mg2ride]

My top 3 criteria:

1. Where my kids live
2. Where my kids live
3. Where my kids live

[reuben]

Get small home where your true "home" is in your heart, not some destined "perfect" place. Then travel.

This. I've maintained for years that you have a base, which is good for you year round. Then you travel, especially when the weather at home isn't in your favor.

[Tandem Rider]

Get small home where your true "home" is in your heart, not some destined "perfect" place. Then travel.

This is our plan as well. We will probably "downsize" 1 more time to a smaller place and buy a travelin' vehicle such as a large van with a CVT on top or a tiny RV. It seems like every summer the tourists and or the smoke gets oppressive at some point, we can then stuff the dog in and roll out for a break. The rest of the time we love it here.

[Mr. Pink]

Get small home where your true "home" is in your heart, not some destined "perfect" place. Then travel.

This is why I like Europe near a fast train line.

[Tickdoc]

This is why I like Europe near a fast train line.

Got a good friend who is building a house in Poland right now to use as his retirement base. Train station is super close to their house that gives them easy access to most of Europe by rail.

[bigbill]

I bought a house in a neighborhood full of retirees, mostly snowbirds. My house has an RV pad with hookups. We're looking at buying a fifth wheel RV and spending summers in Wyoming where she has ten acres with hookups, and the remainder of the year in AZ. We both plan on teaching CC remotely so internet access is important.