Where Should I Retire...?

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

2 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

Madison, Wisconsin

Like Ann Arbor, the weather.  I can handle winters in the NE but Michigan, Chicago, Minny, etc., no.

I'll plug some more for Northwest Arkansas.  The place is basically a bougie Mayberry.  Zero crime or homeless people.  Also, people are very friendly and welcoming being that everyone moved there last week or something.  Not provincial or territorial at all.  Downside is that it's still a small market and not close to another city at all.  Closest "major" cities are KC and OKC and those are three hours away.  Great outdoor options.  Not cheap anymore, at least the places you'd want to be.  That ship sailed.  

Another downside is 30 minutes in either direction, you're in the real Arkansas.

[Hornius Emeritus 12332]

40 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Like Ann Arbor, the weather.  I can handle winters in the NE but Michigan, Chicago, Minny, etc., no.

I'll plug some more for Northwest Arkansas.  The place is basically a bougie Mayberry.  Zero crime or homeless people.  Also, people are very friendly and welcoming being that everyone moved there last week or something.  Not provincial or territorial at all.  Downside is that it's still a small market and not close to another city at all.  Closest "major" cities are KC and OKC and those are three hours away.  Great outdoor options.  Not cheap anymore, at least the places you'd want to be.  That ship sailed.  

Another downside is 30 minutes in either direction, you're in the real Arkansas.

 

They have heaters.

[RDCanecutter 25890]

I would base a good retirement spot on being walking distance from a good oncologist.

[South Austin 51564]

3 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

They have heaters.

Are they all outdoors?

[Butch Had Not 2930]

Live in Phoenix currently and love it but wouldn't want to retire here unless I would be getting a summer place in the white mountains or flagstaff (which is the plan). It's hot as hell right now and I've learned to love that but it can be a little tiresome when you don't even want to leave the house. 

Lived in Albuquerque, I don't recommend it unless you put yourself in a bubble. It's not terribly big but it's easy to get into some sketchy areas. The weather can and will take some crazy turns. Snow one day and 60s the next. Awesome but unpredictable t storms. I don't know how much the entertainment has improved since I was last there. Isotopes and UNM basketball were the only sports (maybe a minor league hockey or soccer). 

 

[StassneyHorn 6429]

Great Lakes region has been having milder winters and worth a look. Gonna be a ton of investment in clean energy up there so development will occur across coastal Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

[randomhorn 1500]

I’ve got a line on a refrigerator box near an underpass. Hope to be able to own it someday.

I’m a number of years out, but have an eye towards southern Spain at the moment. Possibly Portugal. I’m tired of driving everywhere. I want good transportation to the rest of Europe and a walkable city. I want a cafe, a coffee shop and a nearby grocery 

[Indomitable 80]

I've been to Traverse City. Cool place but even in August the water was cold AF. No thanks. I prefer hot weather. 

[shnsajax 3589]

With the exception of Idaho Politics, Boise is fucking great! 4 full seasons and only really 8 weeks of summer.

Cross over of San Marcos and Austin as a city. 4 hours to Salt Lake City, 5 to Bend, 6 to Portland, and 7 to Seattle.

[billfromlaketravis 11286]

2 hours ago, shnsajax said:

With the exception of Idaho Politics, Boise is fucking great! 4 full seasons and only really 8 weeks of summer.

Cross over of San Marcos and Austin as a city. 4 hours to Salt Lake City, 5 to Bend, 6 to Portland, and 7 to Seattle.

Yeah Boise is at the top of list. Every Texas family I meet from up there acts like they just got back from a tour of the Holy Land (prior to 2023). These dry heat and cold concepts are largely lost on me. 

[po elvis 2070]

I am a big proponent of the slow travel lifestyle (travel and stay in places for at least a month). I realize it isn't for everybody, but 3 years in and I don't see us leaving the lifestyle anytime soon.

[blacklab 11818]

I've actually talked about that with my wife. 

Spend a month in LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, NYC, Boston, DC, etc...

Rent an airbnb for a few days, if it's good offer the owner a set price for the month, go visit every museum, nice restaurant and attraction in the city.

I have a cousin who did something similar when she was in her mid 20's. She and her husband lived like hermits for a couple of years, saved up a ton of money, bought an RV and over a year and a half made a big loop across the US, mainly looking for where to move to. They ended up settling in Bend, Oregon. 

 

 

[CooterBrown 17724]

On 7/11/2024 at 4:15 PM, Ghost of LL said:

So Mrs.LL and I have the same preferences, and we've settled on Manhattan

If your budget is $2M, there are a lot of nice places to choose from all over the city. The issue at isn't the purchase price but the monthly building assessment fees...they seem to range from $5,000 - $10,000+ per month. 

 

[VABuckeye 2472]

I've been doing more research on Spain and it is becoming more and more attractive as an option.  My wife is fluuent in Spanish so no issues there.

Cheap housing, cheap private healthcare, much lower cost of living, beautiful countryside and easy access to the rest of Europe.

At the earliest we are 5 years out and at the latest 7 years out.

Edited July 14 by VABuckeye

[Gil Bang 25551]

7 hours ago, blacklab said:

I've actually talked about that with my wife. 

Spend a month in LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, NYC, Boston, DC, etc...

Rent an airbnb for a few days, if it's good offer the owner a set price for the month, go visit every museum, nice restaurant and attraction in the city.

I have a cousin who did something similar when she was in her mid 20's. She and her husband lived like hermits for a couple of years, saved up a ton of money, bought an RV and over a year and a half made a big loop across the US, mainly looking for where to move to. They ended up settling in Bend, Oregon. 

 

 

Bend's pretty fucking methy.  At least it was a few years back.  My elderly aunt and one of my cousins live there. The cousin has several kids.  She's (the cousin) divorced.  Her husband had, at last count (and I shit you not) 6 drunk driving convictions.  The last one he did 3 or 4 years in state prison.  Nice guy, but I suspect he's got a drinking problem.   I'm not real close to those folks, so I don't visit often. 

True story; I visited this family when they lived in La Pine OR, which is about 30 minutes away.  My grandmother was in hospice, and we got word that the end was near.  My dad drove up, and called me and  said "if you want to see her, you better come tomorrow". I caught a flight, and I got there hours before she passed.  Anyway, she had already planned her funeral and made all the arrangements, so I decided to stick around for the service.  There isn't dick to do there, so I was bored stiff.  I decided to go to town to get a haircut.  My dad says yeah, that's a good idea, I'll get one too.  So we find this small shop with one female barber working.   She asks if I'm from around there.  I say no, San Diego.   Now, I'm used to people telling me "oh yeah..my husband was in San Diego when he was in the navy" or "oh, we went to Sea World on vacation" or whatever.  

This woman says to me...while cutting my hair "I've been to San Diego.  Too many fags there". 

 

Edited July 15 by Gil Bang

[wild_turkey 3078]

Thread is relevant to my interests. Wife and I have lived in Texas our entire lives. Most of our family and friends are here. My career (physician) is here and that’s not an easy one to start over. We have made a comfortable life for ourselves and our kid, but we’re growing increasingly frustrated and concerned by the heat and the politics of this state and our country. Also, Texas is ugly. I like scenic coastlines and/or mountains, of which our state has neither.

We talk extensively about the possibility of moving and have broken it down into 3 main options:

1. Stay where we are in Texas, at least until our daughter is off to college. Build a backyard oasis with a pool to mitigate the summers. Hopefully, in ~5 years, reach a point financially and professionally where we can take a month off each summer to escape the heat and rent a place in Europe, Colorado, Hawaii, etc. Once the kid moves on (17+ years from now), the world will be much different and we can figure out where to go or just follow her around. This option doesn’t solve our political frustrations with Texas, so we just have to hope that decent humans will somehow prevail and we won’t become victims of a mass shooting in the meantime.

2. Move within the U.S., primarily to escape the Texas heat, politics, and geography. Our leading choices would be Denver, California, or North Carolina.
-Denver - we love Colorado for skiing and hiking but we hate the cold more than the heat. My wife looks good in sundresses. I like swimming and my favorite footwear are Havaianas. We both get seasonal affective disorder. I know that Denver is somewhat milder in the winter, but it still gets cold at night for at least half the year. I don’t like sweating at dinner in Texas but I also don’t want to wear a fleece jacket to dinner in June.
-California has perfect weather and great geography, but it’s far from Europe and St. Barth, both of which we love to visit. It’s also terribly expensive but maybe we learn to be satisfied with less possessions in an otherwise great place. We’re going to San Diego next month to scope that area out.
-North Carolina is possibly a middle ground. We visited Wilmington last year for a recon trip, and we liked it but possibly too far from a major airport. Asheville also interests us but a similar problem regarding the airport.

3. Move outside the U.S. This is a last resort if things in this country get too intense, which unfortunately doesn’t seem that far fetched lately. We have spent more time in St. Barth than anywhere else but probably wouldn’t move there due to cost of living, lack of job opportunities, island fever, hurricanes, etc. Some places are great to visit but not ideal to live in permanently. With very limited knowledge of these things, our leading options are probably New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, or Spain. They all sound crazy. I need a place I can work and English speaking is helpful. I know some French and could maybe study enough to pass the French language exams, but I’m not sure we’d be any better off in France because they have their own shit brewing. I received a job posting to locums in New Zealand for 6+ months in 2025, which sounds cool except that we’ve never even been to New Zealand and we would throw away everything we’ve built here. It was hard not to respond though. Maybe on Nov 6 my answer will change. Also, our parents are aging with health ailments, so it’s hard to move halfway around the world and be unavailable to them.

So, option 1 remains the default option, but we’re working through the alternatives just to have some kind of a plan if we need it.

[Texzilla588 765]

Central Oregon and Asheville are too small.  The wife really likes Portland but we've never been to Central Oregon.  We really like Asheville but again, too small.  Relatively good weather, food scene, and outdoorsy, though.  Small airport, too.
Would like to keep in the US.  Sorry about that.

Portland has horrific weather if you or wife have a need to see the sun occasionally. Basically 44 and rain with the ceiling at 30 feet ten months a year. Huge % of women have seasonal affective disorder or cabin fever caused by a lack of seeing the sun. They have to get a light box to sit in front of. My wife despised the fact she had to sit in front of it. Had my company survived we were moving to Bend in the high desert.

We moved to Denver and loved it. Our favorite place. 4 sport city. Fantastic weather and more sunshine than San Diego. (Why not on your list?)

Have you looked at Knoxville? Columbus? Pittsburgh?

[South Austin 51564]

8 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

Most of our family and friends are here. My career (physician) is here and that’s not an easy one to start over. 

These are the two main reasons why I can only participate in these discussions theoretically.  

It's possible that my two kids and my wife's two kids will scatter after college, either out of Texas altogether or somewhere out of Austin.  And while I'd love to have them close by, that's just not the case for most families these days.  But even if kids won't be a factor, we have incredibly close lifelong friends who are an important part of the general rhythm of our life, and unless all or most of them leave Austin, I don't think we could give that up.  Sure, we'd make new friends at another city.  But it's just not the same.

Regarding career, I would think that as a doctor you have more mobility than I do.  As a lawyer, my practice depends on client and other professional relationships I've developed in Austin for 20+ years, and I think it would be incredibly hard to build that back up in a new city.  Maybe you're in the same boat as me, but I know little about the professional life of a physician.  So even if I get over the friends aspect, I can't leave Austin until I really retire, which won't be for at least another 10 years.

8 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

North Carolina is possibly a middle ground. We visited Wilmington last year for a recon trip, and we liked it but possibly too far from a major airport. 

I grew up half of my childhood about 30 minutes north of Wilmington on the coast.  It's not as bad as Texas, but you can get stretches in the summer where it's just as bad as Houston, with the humidity 10x worse than Austin.  But if you're more of a beach person, the North Carolina coast is great.  

You might also check out Charleston.  I was there for the first time in June.  Beautiful coast, fairly temperate climate, and even though central Charleston has gotten really expensive, there are really great surrounding communities in the bay area.  They have an airport right there, and I'm not sure about its volume of routes to other destinations, but it does have direct flights to Austin, which is nice.  However, if politics are a concern, then as I mentioned earlier in the thread, North Carolina may be purple, and you can find more areas that are deep blue.  But South Carolina overall is deep red.

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

5 hours ago, Texzilla588 said:

Portland has horrific weather if you or wife have a need to see the sun occasionally. Basically 44 and rain with the ceiling at 30 feet ten months a year. Huge % of women have seasonal affective disorder or cabin fever caused by a lack of seeing the sun. They have to get a light box to sit in front of. My wife despised the fact she had to sit in front of it. Had my company survived we were moving to Bend in the high desert.

We moved to Denver and loved it. Our favorite place. 4 sport city. Fantastic weather and more sunshine than San Diego. (Why not on your list?)

Have you looked at Knoxville? Columbus? Pittsburgh?

San Diego would be on the list but I didn't think we'd be able to get into the areas we wanted for $1.5M to $2.5M.  Maybe @Gil Bang can parachute in here and tell me I'm wrong but I like me some La Jolla and that price doesn't seem realistic there.

As for seasonal effective disorder or the weather sads, both of us have that in a major way.  Otherwise, Seattle/Portland would be on the list.  Love those cities but I just can't handle six months of drizzle.

[RollLeft 5038]

14 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

 

This woman says to me...while cutting my hair "I've been to San Diego.  Too many fags there". 

 

Well, that's okay if she followed it up with NTTAWWT. 

[Gil Bang 25551]

2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

San Diego would be on the list but I didn't think we'd be able to get into the areas we wanted for $1.5M to $2.5M.  Maybe @Gil Bang can parachute in here and tell me I'm wrong but I like me some La Jolla and that price doesn't seem realistic there.

As for seasonal effective disorder or the weather sads, both of us have that in a major way.  Otherwise, Seattle/Portland would be on the list.  Love those cities but I just can't handle six months of drizzle.

1.5 will get you a nice townhouse in an area like Bird Rock.  

[Chewbacca 7617]

13 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

2. Move within the U.S., primarily to escape the Texas heat, politics, and geography. Our leading choices would be Denver, California, or North Carolina.
-Denver - we love Colorado for skiing and hiking but we hate the cold more than the heat. My wife looks good in sundresses. I like swimming and my favorite footwear are Havaianas. We both get seasonal affective disorder. I know that Denver is somewhat milder in the winter, but it still gets cold at night for at least half the year. I don’t like sweating at dinner in Texas but I also don’t want to wear a fleece jacket to dinner in June.

If you get SAD, Denver is great for that.  300 days of sunshine a year. And I've never worn a fleece to dinner in June unless you're in the mountains.

[Js1 82948]

16 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

If you get SAD, Denver is great for that.  300 days of sunshine a year. And I've never worn a fleece to dinner in June unless you're in the mountains.

I was going to say, I was just there in June, didn't have to wear a fleece at all.  May, maybe. 

[Zhorn96 1772]

The wife and I are discussing this as well.  In Austin currently and bought acreage on top of a hill a couple years back out by Stonewall/Fredericksburg.  We love the area but July and August fucking suck.  We're thinking when the heat hits we take the dogs and go somewhere in the northwest, we loved Whidbey Island north of Seattle, that might end up being our Summer home with the Texas wine country being home the rest of the year

[Texzilla588 765]

I was going to say, I was just there in June, didn't have to wear a fleece at all.  May, maybe. 

15 and sun in Denver is warmer than the 44 and rain I lived with in Portland. It’s a dry cold like a dry heat which is why we love the high desert. Lived in Portland 3 years and my bones were cold the whole time.

[Js1 82948]

1 hour ago, Texzilla588 said:

15 and sun in Denver is warmer than the 44 and rain I lived with in Portland. It’s a dry cold like a dry heat which is why we love the high desert. Lived in Portland 3 years and my bones were cold the whole time.

Yeah I’ve struggled to explain to my friends who are iffy about Denver about the difference between a dry cold in Denver and a humid cold in Houston. Not to mention the sun being stronger and how quickly Denver warms up / feels warm 

[RPM 26090]

I've played driveway basketball in nothing but shorts with snow on the ground. Denver is a different kind of cold. If the sun is out and the wind is light it's very pleasant at 30°.

[GreenspointTexas 9376]

for starters, any place yall are thinking of should also include the consideration of having enough water in the future. That said,
 

Santa Fe is pretty fucking awesome. Excellent food, cheap city (can get a nice smaller house in the foothills/mountians for under a million still), weather is borderline incredible, no traffic, and extremely quiet/chill. And its very pretty with a lotta outdoor shit within an hour

 

Flame away, but I still consider Nashville to be one of, if not the most overrated city in America

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

16 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

for starters, any place yall are thinking of should also include the consideration of having enough water in the future. That said,
 

Santa Fe is pretty fucking awesome. Excellent food, cheap city (can get a nice smaller house in the foothills/mountians for under a million still), weather is borderline incredible, no traffic, and extremely quiet/chill. And its very pretty with a lotta outdoor shit within an hour

 

Flame away, but I still consider Nashville to be one of, if not the most overrated city in America

Water is an excellent aspect that I had thought about.  It was a complete pain in the ass when we lived in TX.  Any perspective on water in Denver but particularly Phoenix?  Any downsides to either of those in regards to water?

[SydneyCarton 47297]

11 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Water is an excellent aspect that I had thought about.  It was a complete pain in the ass when we lived in TX.  Any perspective on water in Denver but particularly Phoenix?  Any downsides to either of those in regards to water?

Phoenix is in a desert, and it's expansion was based entirely on trucking water in and the Colorado River, which is literally in a crisis that is about to fuck 5-6 states. I'd say if your concern is water, it's a big downside.

Water is important, and it's a reason I've got my eyes on/around the great lakes. 

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

6 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Phoenix is in a desert, and it's expansion was based entirely on trucking water in and the Colorado River, which is literally in a crisis that is about to fuck 5-6 states. I'd say if your concern is water, it's a big downside.

Water is important, and it's a reason I've got my eyes on/around the great lakes. 

Yeah, we were out there pre covid or right after (I forget which) and it was a HUGE issue then.  (It's rained/snowed quite a bit since then but that might be temporary.)  They had developers north of Scottsdale (not North Scottsdale) hitting dry wells and having to truck in water or something and in Buckeye (I think) they basically put a hold on all new development.  

Does this really impact the more central parts of Phoenix/Scottsdale?

[SydneyCarton 47297]

4 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Yeah, we were out there pre covid or right after (I forget which) and it was a HUGE issue then.  (It's rained/snowed quite a bit since then but that might be temporary.)  They had developers north of Scottsdale (not North Scottsdale) hitting dry wells and having to truck in water or something and in Buckeye (I think) they basically put a hold on all new development.  

Does this really impact the more central parts of Phoenix/Scottsdale?

Colorado River water

 

About two-thirds of Scottsdale's water supply comes from the Central Arizona Project (CAP) – a 336-mile-long system of aqueducts, tunnels, pumping plants and pipelines designed to bring about 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water per year to water users in Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties.

 

Phoenix, Arizona's water supply comes from four main sources:

• Salt River Project (SRP)

  Water from the Salt and Verde Rivers is transported to Phoenix by canals and pipelines. The SRP also manages seven reservoirs that store water from the East Clear Creek watershed. Over half of the Phoenix metro area's water supply comes from the SRP.
• Central Arizona Project (CAP)

  Water from the Colorado River is transported to Phoenix through a system of canals that run about 190 miles from Lake Havasu on the Arizona-California border. The CAP water is stored in Lake Pleasant before being pumped to five water treatment plants for filtration, testing, and disinfection. The Colorado River accounts for 38% of Phoenix's water supply.
• Groundwater

  The city also pumps groundwater from wells.
• Reclaimed water

  Phoenix uses some of its reclaimed effluent to recharge local groundwater aquifers and maintain parks.

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

Yeah, but what does that mean to me if I'm living in South Scottsdale?  Is my water bill high even though I'm not using that much?  

[SydneyCarton 47297]

30 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Yeah, but what does that mean to me if I'm living in South Scottsdale?  Is my water bill high even though I'm not using that much?  

You're talking about the water bill. I'm talking about a situation where you literally don't have easy access to water becuase they ration the fuck out of each household, or something like that, in the next 5-10 years. So if you're just worried about money, probably not a problem. 

[Dbeasy 14756]

On 7/14/2024 at 1:12 PM, VABuckeye said:

I've been doing more research on Spain and it is becoming more and more attractive as an option.  My wife is fluuent in Spanish so no issues there.

Cheap housing, cheap private healthcare, much lower cost of living, beautiful countryside and easy access to the rest of Europe.

At the earliest we are 5 years out and at the latest 7 years out.

What about distance from kids and grandkids. That’s our problem or we’d already be there. 

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

7 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

You're talking about the water bill. I'm talking about a situation where you literally don't have easy access to water becuase they ration the fuck out of each household, or something like that, in the next 5-10 years. So if you're just worried about money, probably not a problem. 

Could that happen in central Phoenix/Scottsdale?  I could see it happening if thing got really bad.  The desert isn't designed for have 10M people there.  

I know San Antonio had serious water problems when we lived there.

[GreenspointTexas 9376]

I wouldnt choose phoenix area. Temps only gonna get hotter. But thats just me

[SydneyCarton 47297]

2 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Could that happen in central Phoenix/Scottsdale?  I could see it happening if thing got really bad.  The desert isn't designed for have 10M people there.  

I know San Antonio had serious water problems when we lived there.

I mean, if I didn't think it was an inevitability, I wouldn't be mentioning it.

https://www.propublica.org/article/colorado-river-water-shortage-jay-famiglietti

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2023/02/28/colorado-river/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/happen-colorado-river-system-recover-historic-drought/story?id=98475953

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-river-water-level-60-minutes-transcript-2023-07-30/#:~:text=The drought-stricken Colorado River,the lifeblood of the region.

And if it drops too low, then it can't generate power. 

[mdmost 42316]

You're probably fighting California for water. And not the people of California. You're fighting the agriculture industry of California and other groups that hold water rights. 

[Jive Turkey 12323]

On 7/13/2024 at 8:54 AM, Hornius Emeritus said:

Madison, Wisconsin

 

On 7/13/2024 at 11:14 AM, Aqua Buddha said:

Like Ann Arbor, the weather.  I can handle winters in the NE but Michigan, Chicago, Minny, etc., no.

you're looking backwards.  you've got to look to the future.  Madison is regularly cited as a "climate haven" where people will be moving to in order to escape the heat or extreme weather events brought about by climate change.

Quote

Some of the most cited “havens” in research by national organizations and in news media are older cities in the Great Lakes region, upper Midwest and Northeast. They include Ann Arbor, Michigan; Duluth, Minnesota; Minneapolis; Buffalo, New York; Burlington, Vermont; and Madison, Wisconsin.

https://theconversation.com/looking-for-a-us-climate-haven-away-from-disaster-risks-good-luck-finding-one-211990

i'd absolutely consider Ann Arbor or Madison.  ruling them out but considering Scottsdale/Phoenix seems insane.

click on the video to see what are considered climate havens:

 

Edited July 16 by Jive Turkey

[VABuckeye 2472]

1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

What about distance from kids and grandkids. That’s our problem or we’d already be there. 

I'm not sure if grandkids are in our future.  Our kids would love a base in Europe to visit other countries although it's not a subect we have discussed with them yet.

[crash_davis 23040]

Colorado front range city for me. Arvada, Golden, Loveland, Ft Collins. Close enough to the city for modern day conveniences, close major airport, and doctors and just 15-30 mins from 9-14k feet mountains. 

If not that, then Portugal or Spain.

[Aqua Buddha 14107]

21 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

 

you're looking backwards.  you've got to look to the future.  Madison is regularly cited as a "climate haven" where people will be moving to in order to escape the heat or extreme weather events brought about by climate change.

https://theconversation.com/looking-for-a-us-climate-haven-away-from-disaster-risks-good-luck-finding-one-211990

i'd absolutely consider Ann Arbor or Madison.  ruling them out but considering Scottsdale/Phoenix seems insane.

click on the video to see what are considered climate havens:

 

Good find on the video.  I have thought for some time that we could see reverse climate retiree migrations.  Instead of working in the Northeast and the Midwest only to retire to the SE or the SW, we might see the opposite.  NYT had a story about people who moved to Houston finally having enough.  (No shit.)

Even where I'm at now, there are 4-5 months I can't really go outside.  (January and February and then maybe June through August.)  My thinking with Scottsdale is that it's 3-4 months but all at once.  (I know it sounds back asswards.)  Yes, the long term risk is that the average temps go up even more and then it stops raining/snowing again in the West.  Makes me reconsider Denver, who I don't believe has any water problems....?

Might pay more attention to Ann Arbor over the next few years....

Edited July 16 by Aqua Buddha

[crash_davis 23040]

apropos this thread.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boomers-leaving-america-retire-abroad-110000534.html

Boomers are leaving America to retire abroad in droves because the U.S. is just too expensive

Fawcett, now 67 and a Spanish resident through marriage, couldn't be happier about his decision. Though his wife still works, he spends his days playing tennis, reading, and going to the beach or cafés with expat friends in Barcelona. He and his wife are able to travel around the continent, even planning a trip to Paris for the Olympics this year.

The same lifestyle wouldn't be possible in the U.S., Fawcett says. Housing is much more affordable, food is inexpensive, and the wine is even less so. The mass transit system is a godsend; Fawcett doesn't have a car and doesn't need one to get around. Walkability is also a major benefit.

"It's a good life here," says Fawcett, who became a resident in 2019. "Outdoor dining is everywhere, the weather is amazing. Everything is very cheap."

Fawcett is part of a growing trend of retirees, spurred by America's retirement crisis, who are moving abroad instead of spending their golden years in the U.S. In December 2022, there were over 700,800 people receiving Social Security payments abroad, according to the most recently available data from the Social Security Administration. In 2000, that figure was less than 400,000.

Some move abroad because they simply cannot comfortably live on a fixed retirement income in the U.S., where the costs of housing and healthcare, especially, are becoming increasingly unaffordable. A substantial number of retirees rely almost completely on Social Security payments to make ends meet in the U.S., which average around $1,900 per month. A growing portion of elderly Americans live in poverty, with social services few and far between, if they are accessible at all.

[Jive Turkey 12323]

8 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Good find on the video.  I have thought for some time that we could see reverse climate retiree migrations.  Instead of working in the Northeast and the Midwest only to retire to the SE or the SW, we might see the opposite.  NYT had a story about people who moved to Houston finally having enough.  (No shit.)

this is a subject that is near and dear to me as i get older and look at exit strategies if things in Texas really get turnt up.  i've got little ones so i've got a lot of considerations as i get closer to retirement.  i'm definitely considering the Great Lakes area as a possible refuge. if not to move there, then to buy a little vacation home for the summers.

[Baboontyme 2681]

Chiming in on the weather in my corner of the Great Lakes (SE MI). Winters are indeed getting milder, seemingly. I love having 4 seasons, and there is nothing better than summer and fall imo in this type of weather leading into Thanksgiving and the Holidays. It just feels right. I don't mind winter, even. January. it's fun sometimes. February starts to suck because there's not a whole lot going on. But what really sucks imo is March and April. The weather doesn't turn the corner here until May consistently. It is really annoying to have 60 and 70 degree days in early-mid March and some sun, thinking Spring is here and then you get another 6 weeks of gloom and days in the low 40s. Politically I would like to hope we are in the clear and should remain solidly blue but we shall see come November. All of that said, having spent quite a bit of time there, I would take this weather 100% of the time over Phoenix/Scottsdale. My 15 year old on the other hand is already angling to try to attend ASU. To each their own, I suppose. 

[deac_tracy 513]

Have you thought about NoVa? Seems like it check off all the boxes. Definitely big but not NY or LA and you're close to Dulles airport. They have outdoorsy stuff like Wolf Trap, Great Falls, and Scott's Run nearby. Plenty of stuff to do like DC, Charlottesville, Shenandoah National Park, go to the coast or Virginia wine country. Taxes aren't insane and politics are moderate/left-leaning. The winters have been pretty mild the past few years. 

Edited July 16 by deac_tracy

[mchookem 15535]

re: CO climate...truly, somehow the dry air makes both the heat and the cold seem milder. it's glorious 😄

also...yeah, if we ever decide to leave CO for some reason in the future, VA is the next state on our list. love it there... affordable, we already have several friends there, it's beautiful, and i love visiting DC.

Edited July 16 by mchookem

[Gil Bang 25551]

buddy of mine was a Chicago guy for 40 years.  They moved to Denver 3 or 4 years ago, and they absolutely love it. 

 

However, he's returning to Chicago this week, because the grandkids have never been to Wrigley, and he cannot allow that to go on any longer. 

[Firemans4Horn 17005]

My in laws live in the Buffalo/Rochester area and the climate change has been noticeable up there. Milder winters (doesn’t mean they can’t have the occasional blizzard) and glorious (warmer) summers.