<p>We are circling in on St Augustine, FL for retirement for the following reasons. </p>
<ul>
<li>Weather. We hate the cold and love the water. While it does get in the 40s during the winter, there’s no snow</li>
<li>It’s 45 minutes to Jacksonville, with good medical care and a reasonable airport.<br></li>
<li>2 hours to Orlando airport, for international trips.<br></li>
<li>lots of cultural stuff in the area. Flagler College attracts speakers.<br></li>
<li>probably the ‘blue-est’ part of Florida.</li>
<li>cost of living is far cheaper than NJ. (this can apply to most anywhere, except SF, HI, DC & NYC)</li>
</ul>
<p>Can anyone tell me what’s not to like about this area?</p>
<p>St. Augustine area is really nice…by the ocean and not too far to Jax. If you want a quieter community in that area, go on other side of St. Johns River to Green Cove Springs. It’s a sleepy undiscovered town off the beaten path, yet still not too far to amenities</p>
<p>My mothers home in western PA is worth $15000 2 bedroom one bath , basement and finished attic with detached one car garage. Wood floors bungalow about 1000 sq ft half acre circa 1950s. The house next to her sold for $13000. The only reason I am pointing this out is that even on a modest income it is doable. Apparently Pittsburgh is using this area as a bedroom community. I equate it with the Buffalo NY in weather and environment. Just not for me.</p>
<p>We’ve been fortunate enough to have 2 high paying nyc jobs and bought our current home as a fixer upper, so we will be able to afford an ocean view house. We have micro-focuses don a small community called Vilano Beach, which is over the A1A causeway. The only pause we have is storm surge, so we are considering building a home that is up to current hurricane building codes. </p>
<p>My parents’ old Florida home located directly on Gulf of Mexico was destroyed by a tidal surge years ago. They didn’t rebuild and moved inland! I wouldn’t consider a home along coasts in Florida unless it was at least 14-16 feet above sea level.</p>
<p>rockymtnhigh, Pittsburgh gets a lot less snow than Buffalo! I was surprised moving here from Cleveland how little snow. It was really cold last winter though, making us think about becoming snow birds in a few years when H retires. The other 3 seasons are good and I expect we may keep this as our home base until we need to move into something geared toward older people in 20 years or so.</p>
<p>I think we’d like to stay here in CO, in our affordable 20 year old house / neighborhood that we like. But… not looking forward to the stress and expense of the renovations it needs. But musing over this thread has helped convince me it would be worthwhile. </p>
<p>I haven’t read all posts on this thread but I’ve read many. Has Boulder, CO been discussed? I’m guessing it’s fairly expensive? Does anyone know about the North and South Carolina “smaller” beaches? We visited Wrightsville Beach last year, and the location, on the water, but with Wilmington, a college town, nearby seemed pretty nice. I’m with the crowd that says good medical care is important to have nearby, and I want to be within about an hour of an airport, for ease of visitors and visiting.</p>
<p>Boulder, CO is lovely… but pricey. We are about 20 miles away from there, much cheaper. There is good access to airport, Denver healthcare (if highly specialized care needed), and the beautiful mountains. For folks with health issues, the high altitude (lower oxygen) might be an issue.</p>
<p>Shawbridge, your Canadian wife probably wouldn’t like it ( opposite of Vancouver Island) but for anyone else thinking Albuquerque is on the list, also check out Grand Junction, CO. Much warmer and dryer than most of CO, artsy community, affordable, major medical center, great recreation nearby. It’s high desert, though. Not green or lush at all. </p>
<p>Yes, higher altitude can be an issue for folks who have breathing problems, but National Jewish in Denver, CO is one of the best respiratory hospital in the US, if you need them. Cold weather and snow can be a big issue for folks as as they get older as well, especially snow and ice can make it tougher to get around.</p>
<p>HImom - You are right about the snow and ice concerns.</p>
<p>Having lived in upstate NY for 30 years, I can affirm that winter is MUCH easier in CO. We get about 300 days of sunshine. Yes, we do get snow. But it often melts in a day or two. (In my town, half the streets, including mine, don’t even get plowed unless a lot more snow is predicted w/o warm weather… a few times a year or less). We do get fierce winds, but only a few times per year. </p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s generally true, but I find as I get older my skin has been getting dryer. Colorado is beautiful, but when I stay there my skin literally hurts because of the dry air. I suggest that people thinking of retiring in the dry climates make sure the aridity agrees with them before buying.</p>
<p>tom1944–thanks. We are glad we bought it when we did. We were able to keep it rented to good people until we could finally move in ourselves. Good news is that is one of the smallest homes in the neighborhood. Lovely street that draws walkers from all over town.</p>
<p>Yes, CO is very dry! (We are soooo not used to humidity - Boston visits in July zap our energy). But we are used to it. It seems a good place for us to stay put, especially with on kid in the area and the other liking the recreation opportunities for visits. But it’s not an especially good place if you don’t have connections. It’s affordable, but not cheap. </p>
<p>I am aiming for a college town in the Carolinas. Not Chapel Hill or Columbia, but not near the beaches either. Love the water but I’ll save money by just spending a vacation day or two at the beach. Just found out that there is no tax on retirement income in SC. Perhaps Greenville SC or Raleigh NC. Only downside are the humid months, but perhaps the comfortable fall and spring will make up for it.</p>