Where Should I Retire...?

[bluto 4,804]

Cherry creek/wash park seems like it tickles most fancies 

[6th Street 6,270]

Yes Wash Park and Hilltop should be considered 

[mchookem 15,535]

Wash Park is a gorgeous neighborhood! i love riding over there. same with Park Hill, Montclair, and Hilltop/Crestmoor neighborhoods... just beautiful areas.

tbh i haven't spent too much time in the LoDo area, just when folks have visited, we've gone down to Union Station and walked around, spent time hanging out in Confluence and Commons parks. we only moved here two years ago so i don't know what it was like pre-covid...but i didn't find the area too trashy, no worse than Austin honestly. like, i've been down there by myself and felt safe. it's all in perspective and what you're used to i think. 

 

[MrX 683]

Plenty of great golf courses in Denver. 

[CycleTex87 2,944]

You talk about tax rate as a criteria. By that I assume you mean property tax rate rather than income/sales taxes.  We have lived in Texas and Colorado.  Your $1.5-2.5MM property investment in Colorado is cheaper in the long run than Texas for sure.  Don’t know about the other options. 

[miguelito 11,095]

I saw this documentary about Albuquerque.  It looks like a sketchy place.

 

Found the link:

 

 

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

12 hours ago, Okie State said:

Following because we just got back from Santa Fe and I'm trying to figure out how we can retire there. We're still about 15 years away though so plenty of time to consider our options.

Why Santa Fe?  Just curious...

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

11 hours ago, Bearlyhangingon said:

I live in the Belle Meade area of Nashville.  Moved here from NYC in 2006.  Before that lived in Austin.  Grew up in East Texas

I'm biased but think Nashville checks more of your boxes than you think.  Like Texas, no state income tax.  Percy Warner park has tons of trails for hiking, horseback and mountain biking.  There are a lot of state parks within an hour or so, particularly on the Plateau that offer tons of hiking.  

The food/entertainment scenes are great, as you mention.  Remodeled airport opened this year.  Direct flights to London now and I'm told Paris and Tokyo soon (Tokyo, because Nissan and Bridgestone's headquarters are in Nashville)

I don't spend much time in the Franklin/Williamson county, so I don't see much of the MAGA nonsense, but I know it is heavy there.  

Seems to me that the Belmont/12th South areas, as you mention, might be good spots to look.  I would also throw out my neighborhood and Forest Hills.

We've been flying in and out of there for awhile and you're right, that airport blew up.  They just finished the Hyatt.  I wish it were a hub for someone besides Southwest, though.  Still very good airport.  Good people watching on Sundays with hungover bachelorette parties shuffling through the terminal wearing sunglasses.

Nashville and Austin are probably the two cities who handled their growth the worst.  Everyone keeps moving there and they're doing nothing.  

I only mention Franklin because we like downtown Franklin.  Otherwise, it's a McMansion subdivisions and faux gentleman ranches with wedding barns for people from small towns to drive in and have an Instagrammable weddings.  Pretty MAGA, though.  I remember one of the worst school board meltdowns was in Franklin and the leader was like a 25 year old who lived with this parents or something.

To your point, Nashville also has a bigger corporate presence than most people think but since we're talking retirement here, that's a non issue.  

 

 

[Foosters 17,637]

4 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

You talk about tax rate as a criteria. By that I assume you mean property tax rate rather than income/sales taxes.  We have lived in Texas and Colorado.  Your $1.5-2.5MM property investment in Colorado is cheaper in the long run than Texas for sure.  Don’t know about the other options. 

I was going to ask this as well. CA actually has pretty cheap property taxes...

 

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

11 minutes ago, Foosters said:

I was going to ask this as well. CA actually has pretty cheap property taxes...

 

  

We're not down with living long term in a place with frequent natural disasters.  (It's one of about 50 reasons Florida is not on the list.)  

[Foosters 17,637]

Just now, Aqua Buddha said:

  

We're not down with living long term in a place with frequent natural disasters.  (It's one of about 50 reasons Florida is not on the list.)  

Fair enough, but I think this is a tad overblown. I've lived here 17 years and on 2 occasions we've had to deal with smoke from wildfires in the region. That's it. I've also never once experienced a power outage due to disasters or heat, but ymmv.

[DoobieWah 1,374]

From upthread:

 

PORTUGAL

 

Look into it and then spend a week in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve. 

Great food, great weather and wonderful people. And the rest of Europe at your doorstep.

I can’t stress it enough.

 

[Chewbacca 7,617]

I'll echo what a lot of others have said.  I think Cherry Creek/Wash Park/Hilltop neighborhoods in Denver would fit what you want really well and you should be able to get something nice (but probably not that big) within your budget.  Maybe LoHi as well, but make sure whatever you get has parking if you do that.

[Bolero88 249]

My two cents: Arkansas and Arizona have politics at least as conservative as Texas. Tennessee isn't much better. Denver has an even worse homeless and drug problem than Austin. For what you are looking for I would recommend Richmond and Sacramento (depending on your income situation the taxes may be too high here). Maybe Charlotte/Raleigh, although NC is still quite right leaning. 

[Chewbacca 7,617]

2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Why Santa Fe?  Just curious...

Man, I just don't get New Mexico.  It's just depressing every time I go there.  And terribly hot (which may or may not bother you).

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

7 minutes ago, Bolero88 said:

My two cents: Arkansas and Arizona have politics at least as conservative as Texas. Tennessee isn't much better. Denver has an even worse homeless and drug problem than Austin. For what you are looking for I would recommend Richmond and Sacramento (depending on your income situation the taxes may be too high here). Maybe Charlotte/Raleigh, although NC is still quite right leaning. 

Arizona’s statewide politics are much different than those other two.  Phoenix (like Atlanta) is big enough to counter the rural parts.  But yes, the rural parts aren’t f AZ are batshit insane on a level above TX.  Those people live by themselves in the desert for God’s sake.

I’ve read about the homeless problem in Denver.  Is the news overblowing it?  Is it only in certain areas?  Maybe @mchookem can fill us in….

[VABuckeye 2,472]

We have been talking about splitting our time between Spain or Portugl and the US.

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

47 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

We have been talking about splitting our time between Spain or Portugl and the US.

We have friends who are retiring permanently to Spain.  It was never on my radar until meeting them.  They love it.  Said the weather is much better than the rest of Europe, it's cheaper, pretty, easy flights back, and most people speak English and if they don't, it's Spanish which they can work through.

Also, they've talked about getting a euro citizenship or something through Portugal because it's easier that way.  I don't know the details.

[mchookem 15,535]

34 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Arizona’s statewide politics are much different than those other two.  Phoenix (like Atlanta) is big enough to counter the rural parts.  But yes, the rural parts aren’t f AZ are batshit insane on a level above TX.  Those people live by themselves in the desert for God’s sake.

I’ve read about the homeless problem in Denver.  Is the news overblowing it?  Is it only in certain areas?  Maybe @mchookem can fill us in….

i mean yeah, there are areas where it's more prominent, where you'd expect - downtown and immediately adjacent areas mostly. the areas where there were 'tent rows' a year ago seem to have been cleaned out mostly though, the new mayor has done a few things that do seem to be working. the city seems pretty good about providing services and shelter for people like the immigrants Abbott keeps sending here - and that is actually something that you can pretty clearly see that is a bit different - there will be a family of immigrants panhandling on a corner or outside a store, versus a homeless vet or crackhead. i mean, for comparison, i lived in Wooten/Allandale vicinity in Austin, and nothing i have encountered in Denver has been any worse than spots like Burnet/Anderson, 183/Ohlen, Anderson/Mopac, etc. 

i will say driving down Colfax can be an adventure...'there's always something going down on Colfax!' haha. but again, not any worse than stuff you'd see around North Lamar/Runberg area. my hairdresser is across the street from a methadone clinic on Colfax, so there's usually some interesting characters hanging out there lol. 

i would say it's confined to certain areas - hanging out in the big parks like Washington Park or City Park, or the higher end neighborhoods, i've never encountered anybody or anything that made me feel unsafe. same with riding along Cherry Creek trail - i've taken it all the way down to Confluence Park before and not been bothered. in fact...the first time i did it i was expecting to run across all kinds of craziness based on NextDoor...which, yeah, i should have known better, b/c i didn't encounter anything lol.

anyways...i'm no expert and my perspective is based on living where we did in Austin for 25+ years. i wouldn't walk down parts of east Colfax alone at night but i have no hesitation doing so in my neighborhood  

[Mo Horn 8,696]

57 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

We have been talking about splitting our time between Spain or Portugl and the US.

We are going to Valencia, Spain for at least a year or two and then we'll see if it's permanent. Our plan is to be there by 2026.

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

Man, I just don't get New Mexico.  It's just depressing every time I go there.  And terribly hot (which may or may not bother you).

There was a Santa Fe thread on here at one point that said while it's nice and all, it's a small town and everyone is either rich or poor with no in between.  It's just too small for me either way.

[Chewbacca 7,617]

2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Arizona’s statewide politics are much different than those other two.  Phoenix (like Atlanta) is big enough to counter the rural parts.  But yes, the rural parts aren’t f AZ are batshit insane on a level above TX.  Those people live by themselves in the desert for God’s sake.

I’ve read about the homeless problem in Denver.  Is the news overblowing it?  Is it only in certain areas?  Maybe @mchookem can fill us in….

Little to no homeless in the areas you'd be looking at, but downtown has definitely had problems since the pandemic.  City is working hard to remedy that though housing and services.

[Chewbacca 7,617]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

We have friends who are retiring permanently to Spain.  It was never on my radar until meeting them.  They love it.  Said the weather is much better than the rest of Europe, it's cheaper, pretty, easy flights back, and most people speak English and if they don't, it's Spanish which they can work through.

Also, they've talked about getting a euro citizenship or something through Portugal because it's easier that way.  I don't know the details.

Portugal has a Golden Visa program where you invest a minimum of 500k Euros in Portugal based funds and after 5 years you get residency. Used to apply to real estate but they shut that down as it caused a housing crisis in the popular areas.  Spain used to have one as well, I believe.

[South Austin 51,564]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

We have friends who are retiring permanently to Spain.  

On the plane? Lotta rain.

[Chopper 16,341]

24 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Portugal has a Golden Visa program where you invest a minimum of 500k Euros in Portugal based funds and after 5 years you get residency. Used to apply to real estate but they shut that down as it caused a housing crisis in the popular areas.  Spain used to have one as well, I believe.

Portugal has a D7 visa program for retirees with a certain level of guaranteed income. For someone who plans to live there full-time it might make sense. There'd be tax considerations to analyze but it's a popular program. It offers residency, not citizenship, unlike the Golden Visa (aka Non-Habitual Residency program) but it's also with reach for a lot more people. 

[Mo Horn 8,696]

24 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Portugal has a D7 visa program for retirees with a certain level of guaranteed income. For someone who plans to live there full-time it might make sense. There'd be tax considerations to analyze but it's a popular program. It offers residency, not citizenship, unlike the Golden Visa (aka Non-Habitual Residency program) but it's also with reach for a lot more people. 

Spain has this, which is what we're doing

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/losangeles/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Visado-de-residencia-no-lucrativa.aspx

[Brew 2,917]

17 hours ago, Bearlyhangingon said:

I live in the Belle Meade area of Nashville.  Moved here from NYC in 2006.  Before that lived in Austin.  Grew up in East Texas

I'm biased but think Nashville checks more of your boxes than you think.  Like Texas, no state income tax.  Percy Warner park has tons of trails for hiking, horseback and mountain biking.  There are a lot of state parks within an hour or so, particularly on the Plateau that offer tons of hiking.  

The food/entertainment scenes are great, as you mention.  Remodeled airport opened this year.  Direct flights to London now and I'm told Paris and Tokyo soon (Tokyo, because Nissan and Bridgestone's headquarters are in Nashville)

I don't spend much time in the Franklin/Williamson county, so I don't see much of the MAGA nonsense, but I know it is heavy there.  

Seems to me that the Belmont/12th South areas, as you mention, might be good spots to look.  I would also throw out my neighborhood and Forest Hills.

Agree on Nashville. The politics in the City will remain blue/purple, the state will remain red. It is what it is. There is plenty to do outdoors once you know where to go which isn’t any different than any of the other cities mentioned. It will also continue to improve in the things to do category as more and more headquarters relocate to the area. I fly out of the airport regularly and have very rarely had a problem getting anywhere I want easily. Healthcare is also a significant plus in Nashville. The industry has been one of the reasons Nashville has grown the way it has. I would take NYC, Chicago, and several other places, but it is worth considering. Nashville is probably better suited for the young person at this point, but there are still benefits in retirement too.

[orange dream 1,200]

Knoxville, TN

Metro is approaching 1MM

University Medical Center is there.

Most "left" part of TN

Foothills of Smokies, lots of trails, etc.

Decent live music

Airport is probably the weak link, but they have multiple daily flights to DFW / ATL and  Charlotte from which you can reach the world.

[gofuckyourself 8,057]

[Grimas 652]

We're leaning towards west coast of Spain south of Barcelona.  Can get a 2500-3000 sq ft house with pool close to the beach for 4-500K.  Helps that I got my EU passport - thanks to grandfather being displace during WW2 - so I can get on national healthcare system and then supplement with top private for 3K a year. It's our plan B if I get laid off for some reason before medicare kicks in... (COBRA would cost me 3k a month if I had to go on it right now...) Would be looking at moving there right now if the kids would have decided to go to school in Europe...

Edited July 12 by Grimas

[Updawg 2,245]

My grandparents came over from Ireland so I have dual citizenship. You can get it from some countries if you are second generation.

I’ve been keeping that in the back of my mind and trying to convince my daughter to go to college in Europe

Spain would be awesome. Love it there

[VABuckeye 2,472]

3 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

We are going to Valencia, Spain for at least a year or two and then we'll see if it's permanent. Our plan is to be there by 2026.

For us it is Makaga or Seville.  Milder winters.  We loved both cities.

[Okie State 3,696]

7 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Why Santa Fe?  Just curious...

Some of it is probably recency bias, but I loved the town. We went 15 years ago, but didn't really have a chance to explore like we did this time. The weather was perfect. People complain about it being dry in mountain towns, but I much prefer it to the humidity. It's small enough to get anywhere you want to go in 10 mins and traffic was never an issue except on the 4th. Tons of outdoor hiking, camping, biking nearby. Haven't been for skiing, but there is some of that too. Lots of history which I always enjoy. I liked the aesthetics of the architecture and how they haven't let strip malls overrun the place. Albuquerque was a relatively short drive if you need the amenities of a bigger city. Can also ride the train between each for like $9.

I know the houses are expensive, but I haven't researched what that means. I'd gladly downsize significantly in retirement. I also don't know what winters are like there.

Edited July 12 by Okie State

[Okie State 3,696]

4 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Man, I just don't get New Mexico.  It's just depressing every time I go there.  And terribly hot (which may or may not bother you).

It wasn't hot at all in Santa Fe. Albuquerque was pretty warm, but felt like heaven compared to Houston.

I don't know much other than our experience. My wife's family is from there and have pretty much all stayed for some reason.

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

The unknown variable for most (if not all) of us is future health care.  @Ghost of LL touched on it earlier but he had trouble finding specialists in Austin, which is a +2M person market.  I know here it's damn near impossible.  I've needed a neurologist and a GI doctor in the last five years and they were like six months out.  Sure, they're here but there are like 2 of them or something.  Those aren't wild specialties, either.  I know people here that go to Dallas, OKC, Houston, etc, for fairly routine things.  That's one reason he was going to NYC, which has everything.  

I know Nashville is legit for health care and I'm pretty sure about Denver and Phoenix.  (I could be wrong.)  

[Gil Bang 25,551]

On 7/11/2024 at 12:41 PM, Ollie Slatt said:

Out of those choices, Denver would be the easy choice for me.  But if you already like where you live and have built a community, I would consider investing in a less expensive second home where you can spend the few months per year when the weather is bad in Arkansas. 

Santa Fe/Albuquerque could also be an option.  Boise is worth looking at.  Lot of good candidates in California if you can stomach the taxes.  

 

6 hours ago, Foosters said:

I was going to ask this as well. CA actually has pretty cheap property taxes...

 

Yeah...and unlike most other places, the property taxes are pretty much locked-in for life.  There are no substantial increases after you purchase a home.  Sales taxes do exist, and are around 8% most places. 

6 hours ago, Foosters said:

Fair enough, but I think this is a tad overblown. I've lived here 17 years and on 2 occasions we've had to deal with smoke from wildfires in the region. That's it. I've also never once experienced a power outage due to disasters or heat, but ymmv.

I've lived her damn near 60 years, and my experience is similar. 

[Mo Horn 8,696]

57 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

For us it is Makaga or Seville.  Milder winters.  We loved both cities.

We considered those, and are great choices. Valencia has a metro and we don't plan on having a car, so ability to get around easilyis important. I prefer the mediterranean coast rather than the southern coast.

[We’reTexas 1,467]

28 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

 

Yeah...and unlike most other places, the property taxes are pretty much locked-in for life.  There are no substantial increases after you purchase a home.  Sales taxes do exist, and are around 8% most places. 

I've lived her damn near 60 years, and my experience is similar. 

Yeah was going to California is not a retirement destination for most because of the cost, but if I had $2.5M to spend and wanted access to a city and outdoors I’d be thinking something like Coronado or Sausalito. 

[Chewbacca 7,617]

It wasn't hot at all in Santa Fe. Albuquerque was pretty warm, but felt like heaven compared to Houston.
I don't know much other than our experience. My wife's family is from there and have pretty much all stayed for some reason.

It was hot as fuck when I was in Santa Fe earlier this summer. But I'm coming from CO, not the seventh level of hell that is Houston.

[Chewbacca 7,617]

The unknown variable for most (if not all) of us is future health care.  [mention=656]Ghost of LL[/mention] touched on it earlier but he had trouble finding specialists in Austin, which is a +2M person market.  I know here it's damn near impossible.  I've needed a neurologist and a GI doctor in the last five years and they were like six months out.  Sure, they're here but there are like 2 of them or something.  Those aren't wild specialties, either.  I know people here that go to Dallas, OKC, Houston, etc, for fairly routine things.  That's one reason he was going to NYC, which has everything.  
I know Nashville is legit for health care and I'm pretty sure about Denver and Phoenix.  (I could be wrong.)  

I've never had trouble getting in with specialists in Denver. Finding a PCP can be challenging, though.

[Okie State 3,696]

25 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

1 hour ago, Okie State said:

It wasn't hot at all in Santa Fe. Albuquerque was pretty warm, but felt like heaven compared to Houston.
I don't know much other than our experience. My wife's family is from there and have pretty much all stayed for some reason.

It was hot as fuck when I was in Santa Fe earlier this summer. But I'm coming from CO, not the seventh level of hell that is Houston.

Yep, all relative. Colorado will likely be unobtainable for anyone but the wealthy in 15 years so I'm just going to assume it's not an option. Who knows though.

[RollLeft 5,038]

I don't know what the fuck i just read.  When i get old i want a more rural place where i can get even more narrow minded and yell at the clouds where no one can hear me for miles.  If i want entertainment i will use my phone to laugh and live vicariously thru you assholes.  Lastly, fuck you and your healthcare also.  I want to be able to fall and not be able to get up because again there is no one for miles.  I assure you that as I'm on the ground dying a slow and agonizing death there will be some random asshole driving along, smelling of his most recent BBQ meal, taking pictures of snakes and old shit only to see me and snap a few photos of me thinking I'm dead.  Alas, i will muster with my last breath M U L E D I C K.     

Edited July 13 by RollLeft

[Carl Spackler 3,456]

15 minutes ago, RollLeft said:

I don't know what the fuck i just read.  When i get old i want a more rural place where i can get even more narrow minded and yell at the clouds where no one can hear me for miles.  If i want entertainment i will use my phone to laugh and live vicariously thru you assholes.  Lastly, fuck you and your healthcare also.  I want to be able to fall and not be able to get up because again there is no one for miles.  I assure you that as I'm on the ground dying a slow and agonizing death there will be some random asshole driving along, smelling of his most recent BBQ meal, taking pictures of snakes and old shit only to see me and snap a few photos of me thinking I'm dead.  Alas, i will muster with my last breath M U L E D I C K.     

Yep, this is Surly.

[txduck87 972]

Subscribed. Retired last year and wife doing the same in 6 months. Last kid graduates from high school next May.

I’ve got evergreen Colorado, Chappel hill nc, Knoxville tn, on my shortlist. Plan to travel to each for a month to test the waters next year.

Will miss TX but it’s just too damn hot for us. We love the outdoors too much to not be outside 5 months out of the year.

[Chewbacca 7,617]

Subscribed. Retired last year and wife doing the same in 6 months. Last kid graduates from high school next May.

I’ve got evergreen Colorado, Chappel hill nc, Knoxville tn, on my shortlist. Plan to travel to each for a month to test the waters next year.

Will miss TX but it’s just too damn hot for us. We love the outdoors too much to not be outside 5 months out of the year.

Make sure you visit Evergreen in winter. It may be close to Denver but it is in the mountains when it comes to weather. Some (including me) love that. But not everyone. It's still winter in April and early May.

[StassneyHorn 6,429]

I’ve lived 3 months in Nashville, 6 months in Denver, and 2 stretches of 6 months in Scottsdale AZ.

I didn’t like Nashville. It was mid January to mid April when I was there and it mostly rained and stormed. When it was sunny, it was ok but more humid for reasons I don’t understand. This won’t make sense, but the food sucked and the restaurants are nice. Was mostly in the Germantown area north of downtown. East Nashville was more my scene, but the roads that connect downtown to east Nashville have light failures on the highway and don’t paint stripe the highway well so traffic gets fucked up pretty common. Might try going back there sometime tho. The city is lib, but conservative influencers are everywhere. A very specific breed of “margarita moms” party there.

Denver is a hard no. Stayed downtown in the Ritz Carlton building. I wanted to love Denver but was ready to leave after a couple months. Body never adjusted to elevation and constantly woke up in middle of the night dying of thirst. Ballpark and RiNo area near me for bars fucking sucked. Giggling Grizzly (not a gay bar) has good wings though. Became a regular there and never felt more VIP than after the Finals two years ago when all Denver shut down and I cut to the front of line and they closed the bar down after I got there, so I got that. Lot of rampant petty crime that nobody gives a shit about. Bars are dude central and women do not actually exist. Go to Boulder instead. To live, not party. Nobody drinks anymore.

Love Scottsdale. The heat isn’t bad at all if you lived in Houston, San Antonio or Austin. Might make more sense to put a down payment down instead of buying outright as property taxes are laughably small. If you golf, you’re in Mecca. Constantly thirsty though so you’ll always need water there. The suburbs of Phoenix are better than the city, although downtown is getting better. Can expect grocery prices to be higher since it’s the desert. Rent and home prices fluctuate like crazy. Obviously sunscreen is a must, but so are sunglasses at every turn. I’ve had phone covers and sandals melt.

Edited July 13 by StassneyHorn

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

2 hours ago, StassneyHorn said:

I’ve lived 3 months in Nashville, 6 months in Denver, and 2 stretches of 6 months in Scottsdale AZ.

I didn’t like Nashville. It was mid January to mid April when I was there and it mostly rained and stormed. When it was sunny, it was ok but more humid for reasons I don’t understand. This won’t make sense, but the food sucked and the restaurants are nice. Was mostly in the Germantown area north of downtown. East Nashville was more my scene, but the roads that connect downtown to east Nashville have light failures on the highway and don’t paint stripe the highway well so traffic gets fucked up pretty common. Might try going back there sometime tho. The city is lib, but conservative influencers are everywhere. A very specific breed of “margarita moms” party there.

Denver is a hard no. Stayed downtown in the Ritz Carlton building. I wanted to love Denver but was ready to leave after a couple months. Body never adjusted to elevation and constantly woke up in middle of the night dying of thirst. Ballpark and RiNo area near me for bars fucking sucked. Giggling Grizzly (not a gay bar) has good wings though. Became a regular there and never felt more VIP than after the Finals two years ago when all Denver shut down and I cut to the front of line and they closed the bar down after I got there, so I got that. Lot of rampant petty crime that nobody gives a shit about. Bars are dude central and women do not actually exist. Go to Boulder instead. To live, not party. Nobody drinks anymore.

Love Scottsdale. The heat isn’t bad at all if you lived in Houston, San Antonio or Austin. Might make more sense to put a down payment down instead of buying outright as property taxes are laughably small. If you golf, you’re in Mecca. Constantly thirsty though so you’ll always need water there. The suburbs of Phoenix are better than the city, although downtown is getting better. Can expect grocery prices to be higher since it’s the desert. Rent and home prices fluctuate like crazy. Obviously sunscreen is a must, but so are sunglasses at every turn. I’ve had phone covers and sandals melt.

Thanks.  Good feedback.

I have more exposure to Nashville and Scottsdale and I'd agree with all that.  The last time we were in Nashville, it was hot/humid AF.  Laughed at the "margarita moms."  For some reason, it and Scottsdale are ground zero for gal group trips.  

As for Denver, I've heard it's a sausage fest, like you said.  Buncha dudes wearing flannel or Patagonia.  I'm married so that's not a huge issue but if I were single, hard no, which would lead to....

Scottsdale, hard yes on that front.  Rich MILFy types everywhere.  If I were 55+ and single, I'd set up shop there and latch on to some rich divorcee/widow.  You're right about the property taxes, though.  If the Zillow Machine is right, a $1.5 to $2M house is only about $2K in taxes...?  Is it because they don't have a huge budget for schools due to everyone being someone's nana and papa?  What part of Scottsdale did you live in?

If I were to do Denver, I'd live there for a few months in an AirBnb first.  With the other two, I'm familiar enough already but Denver is interesting because there seems to be a love/hate thing going on.  

[RPM 26,090]

I'd choose Chicago over NYC and I fucking hate Chicago. Denver is the correct answer.

[Aqua Buddha 14,107]

A city that I gave honorable mention to was Ann Arbor.  Hits all the metrics.  30 minutes from a major airport and downtown Detroit has things going on.  But the winters?  Bruh.

[Hornius Emeritus 12,332]

On 7/11/2024 at 2:22 PM, Aqua Buddha said:

Some background, first.  We’re in our early 50’s and looking to retire in the next 8-10 years.  No kids so we don’t have to chase grandkids around the country to watch them play soccer games or something in a generic suburb. 

 

Preferences:

• Big city but too big, if that makes sense.  No small towns or mid-sized towns unless they’re within 30 minutes of an actual city.
• Good airport
• Things to do on a random weekday.  A raison d'etre for a city, if you will. 
• A relatively outdoorsy place.  By that I mean, we like outdoorsy stuff but no camping. 
• A workable tax rate.  We’re not going to slavishly chase a low rate but it does matter.
• Politics, both state and city.  Prefer left leaning.  (This exempts the South and Texas.)
  • We are moderates.  We like open minded people but not like walking through homeless encampments.
• Relatively good weather.  (This exempts the South and Texas.)
• House budget -- $1.5M to $2.5M
  • House preferably in a relatively walkable (or short drive) neighborhood close to shopping, dining, etc.

 

A few places that we’ve narrowed it down to, in no particular order.

 

Phoenix/Scottsdale

• Lots of outdoor stuff (hiking, biking, golf, etc.)
  • Fairly extensive trail system in the city along with some hiking.
• Great airport
• Solid food scene
• Weather*
  • *Yes, a blast furnace in the summer.  However, it seems from about mid-September to mid-May, it’s fairly nice.  (Is that accurate?)
  • We know someone there and they said during the summer, they just know to wake up early, do things in the morning, nap/hunker down in the afternoon, and go out at night.
  • We could also decamp in the summer to an AirBnb in La Jolla or someplace.
• We’d look at South Scottsdale.  North Scottsdale looks like a moonscape and is full of olds.
• The politics outside of Phoenix are insane but Phoenix metro is enough to keep them in check.

 

Denver

• Lots of outdoor stuff but not much golf, which isn’t a deal breaker.  (I like golf but I’m not playing 3-5 times per week.)
• Great airport
• Solid food scene
• Weather:
  • Not as cold as people think.  Yes, it snows in the winter but there are also a lot of sunny 50 degree days.  Summers are nice and even if hot, it’s dry.
• Seemingly good food scene
• Party train to the slopes on a Friday or something.
• We’d look at Cherry Creek.  Downtown/Union Station area seemed nice last time I was there but that was 2019 and I’ve heard it went to shit after Covid.
• Workable politics all around.

 

Nashville/Franklin

• Surprisingly little outdoor stuff to do.  No real trail system to speak of
• Good but not great airport.  Directs to most everywhere in the Central and Eastern time zones.  Airport is at least close to the city, unlike Denver.
• Great food scene.
• Great entertainment scene.  Lots of shows at all levels.
• Weather:
  • Temperate but at this point that means you’re not outside for two months in the summer and two months in the winter.  At least Phoenix has the 4 months all in a row.
• We’d look at The Gulch, 12 South, or downtown Franklin
• Politics are largely in insane, both at the state and city level.  Nashville, unlike Phoenix, is not big enough to balance out the rural parts of the state.

 

Northwest Arkansas

• We live there now.  (Also, some on this board have ties to there.)
• Serviceable airport.  It’s small but AA has directs to every major AA hub.
• Below average food scene
• Very below average entertainment scene.
• Great outdoor activities 9-10 months per year, weather permitting.
• Weather
  • See Nashville
• We know where we’d look.
  • Those areas are the same price points as the other cities and neighborhoods mentioned.
• Politics are insane at every level unless you’re in a very specific blue bubble. 

 

What are the thoughts from this august body on either the options above or if I’m missing anywhere?

Madison, Wisconsin