NFT: retired folks: where did you retire to?

Moved about 45 minutes SE of Phoenix. My daughter moved to the area a couple of years ago and we wanted to be near her and the grandkids. We're in a 55+ community. I haven't made it through a summer yet, so I can't say how awful that'll be, but the winter has been great. If we had stayed in our old neighborhood in Utah I'd have gone nuts not having things to do. Being in a retirement community there are always things going on. I've been more active than at any time in my adult life and that's without playing golf.

the Phoenix/Tucson heat in the summer and have very nice winters. After one has been in the southwest for a while, the wind can get to you. Although, west Texas and New Mexico get much more wind than we do, it does get old.

NJ

But my mom just retired to Okatie South Carolina. It's just inland from Hilton Island and really nice. She bought in an over 55 community called Sun City in Bluffton county.

Really inexpensive to live (real estate taxes are under $1k per year) and very nice.

Living in SoCal (North and West of Los Angeles), about half my friends who retire leave California ("I can't afford to retire in California") and half stay ("My kids and grandkids are all here and my wife would kill me if we moved").

As of now, I'm planning to stay in my current home when I retire. Having grown up in NYC, but living in SoCal for 30+ years, I can't see myself living anywhere East of the Rockies (I HATE the humidity in the Summer). As I get older, I find my tolerance for cold weather (for me now, that is anything below freezing) is very low. That pretty much leaves SoCal, Arizona or New Mexico.

IF I left SoCal, it would be due to the high taxes and political climate (a 5th generation Californian friend of mine just moved to Virginia for both of the above reasons).

The Central California coast is a great area if you can afford it.

Cost of living down about 40% , short winters(spent most of this one in short sleeve shirts) If you like outdoor activities this the place for you.

Any areas that I shouldn't miss?

Thanks.

If you can possibly work it out financially, choose just one place. Downsize, and choose more than one place to avoid eventually becoming bored by the daily routine of a single retirement location. Our home base is Austin, Texas. We also have a fractional, which is different from a timeshare, in Santa Fe, NM. Another way to solve the daily routine/boredom problem is to retire in the Big Apple...always something, just a subway rise away, to keep life interesting.

I mean "don't" choose just one place.

but they are only a few hours apart and one is a townhouse. how do you manage two places that are so far apart? does someone watch/manage one?

In comment 12158208 markky said:

Quote:

but they are only a few hours apart and one is a townhouse. how do you manage two places that are so far apart? does someone watch/manage one?

you can always get someone to manage a place when you're away

Austin is 700 miles, approximately an 11 hour drive to Santa Fe. The fractional in Santa Fe, is managed by Fairmont. We've personally used it 15 weeks in 2014. The quarterly fee is $1500. The place in Austin, our home base, is a condo. We're there approximately 30-35 weeks during the year. It's managed by a homeowners association. The monthly fee is $400. Travel to other places fills out the calendar. The bottom line for us is, avoiding boredom, monotony, having the same old routine, getting into a rut. Try to keep life interesting, with new experiences, after retirement.

appreciate the info. can't wait to downsize.

years ago in my late 2o's to west central, SWF Florida. Been around the country a few times for a year, etc: here and there.

Would I like to down size? I don't know? Growing up on a small farm and having the same now, feeding the animals every morning and night is something I can't imagine not doing.

traffic, beautiful topography. Vegas IS NOT THE STRIP!

of Orlando, mother is in Vegas.

they picked those spots deliberately.

For a long time I felt like under no circumstances would I leave the northeast, but now, after these past two winters with the ridiculous polar vortex last year and 7 feet of snow and cold again this year, I'm starting to plant the thought in my kid's heads that after college (the oldest are in 7th grade) they should move to South Carolina.

Once I left the NE, I never once thought about returning.

To each his own.

I can't handle these winters in the NE anymore

but we are so glad we made the move 15 years ago. The cold down here is bad enough. I can't imagine being up north again. Not just the weather, the cost of living and just the overall congestion. I just couldn't do it. Love visiting NY though.

but getting older and planning on move from upstate NY to mid Atlantic area - Maryland to South Carolina. Winters are major pain in the ass.

all I know is we won't end up in NY. Musing about either the Wilmington/New Berne (NC) area or somewhere near Sedona. Wildly different I know and mostly based on short visits where we went' You know, I could live here...". Suggestions and cautions are very much welcomed.

Not sure where the break even point is but one thing I have to consider is that my pension and a chunk of my deferred comp are non-NY state taxed, so state income taxes (plus other state taxes and fees) all have to figure into any decisions.

In comment 12158692 ctc in ftmyers said:

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Once I left the NE, I never once thought about returning. To each his own.

Yep, like I said there was a time I that thought wouldn't even enter my mind, and now I'd say I'm 50/50 to retire somewhere south, south west

Some interesting observations made here. One friend told me that before you buy a place for retirement, you should just rent there for a year or so and decide if it really suits your lifestyle in that location. Sounded like good advice

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