Best places to retire that are affordable for many...

Parent Cafe
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<p>As retirees, we would not have to consider job and pay opportunities. That’s a big issue for some of us. I did not want to move her to NY. Would have loved to have been most anywhere else, but it meant easy pickngs for DH to find work and the most income by far, even taking into account the expenses. When things weren’t going well at one company, an easy move to a number of others.</p>

<p>Some of our friends who made it a high priority to stay put in areas for any number of quality of life issues, have had a difficult time in the job market. In fact many of them did, and it will affect retirement as well. We will have a lot of choices financially due to living here during the heavy duty work years. </p>

<p>My biggest issue about relocating is being away from my children, who seem to want to stay here. Again, job opportunities, pay. My dear friend in Denver is sick about her daughter who will have to move away because her job is being eliminated and finding like employment there is not happening. That’s an issue in many of the smaller cities, depending on the type of work one does. </p>

<p>The idea of going somewhere out of the blue and having to start over really doesn’t sit well with me right now. It’s taken me a long time to get the feel of this area, and as I get older, I don’t feel the energy. NC, FL, TX, CO all possibilities but I just don’t feel it. It would be easier to transition to different needs with friends, family and familiarity around rather than just plopping down in a whole new place, even if it has a lower COL. </p>

<p>So I don’t know what I will do in the next few years. We are getting to that point.</p>

<p>Pluses of NYC area–1) -everything you possible want with lots of choices here, with the best of the best. And we’ve been lucky to have access to it. 2) Friends, family, neighbors, facilitators all nearby 3) easy transportation options 4) Easy to find help, have help that we know over the years 5) Lots of cultural things, many free and inexpensive . We are well connected to take advantage of all of this 6)Easy access to consulting work, opportunities even during retirement 7) Great medical facilities, and we know the ropes well to access it 8) Know the intricacies of the community well 9) great locale for more distant family and friends to visit. They just don’t tend to come by Indianapolis or even Raleigh/Durham area as much. Nearly everybody ends up coming to NYC which is near us every so many years, and would make a special trip to do so.</p>

<p>Minuses–1) Cost 2)Weather 3) taxes, related to cost</p>

<p>I don’t see myself making another infrastructure the way I did more than 15 years (will be over 20 by the time we have to face a decision) when we moved here. Too tired, no kids to open doors. </p>

<p>We’ll probably downsize drastically, and live in the area. Not what I planned to do, not what I wanted, but it’s just the way it turned out.</p>

<p>I could not care less about the politics. Few issues other than high taxes have affected us and that is the major downside here. </p>

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<p>Hey! I love NYC. If you can swing it… That would be awesome. We arent going to high school from junior high school. We dont have to move to a new area if we dont have to move to a new area.</p>

<p>I dont expect to move again until maybe I am in my 80’s. I thought I was going to have live in help during my old years until I die. After watching my parents and my wife’s parents age, I told my wife when I get old and cranky, just throw me in some group home. I can be old and cranky anywhere. My wife asked, “What if I get old and cranky first?”</p>

<p>I responded, “Sorry. I may come visit you”. :)</p>

<p>I downsized. I can downsize more. I like hotels. I can live in a studio the size of a hotel room. In NYC, I think it is worth it. :)</p>

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<p>Gas here is $3.80 or so depending on discounts, but we live within walking distance ( or public transportation) of most everywhere we need to go.
It will also be relatively easy(I hope)to pick up supplemental income.
H is very interested in SpaceX expanding to this area.
I’ve been paying attention to the people chatting in water aerobics as most are 10- 20 yrs older than myself.
One friend for instance is a widow, whose children live here.
To save on costs, she rents out her house( which she is still paying for), and lives on a small sailboat for 4 months of year, and the rest of the time on a house on the Baja peninsula.
She lives on SS and the interest from a trust set up by her parents.
Her plan seems to depend on staying healthy as the travel back and forth seems stressful as does living on a boat.
We don’t have a trust, & not really interested in moving to Mexico for most of the year.
She seems to thrive on it though, and she isn’t the first that I’ve known who’ve retired to a cheaper country.</p>

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<p>Murrieta in Southern Cal is affordable and sunny.</p>

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<p>

Unfortunately, the scenery is not nearly as nice as it used to be. Large swatches of the NC mountains have been utterly destroyed for development, and condos are springing up everywhere. Beach conservationists are also fighting a losing battle. NC has two of the top 5 fastest growing cities in the country, and it comes at a price. My hometown is unrecognizable from even 10 or 20 years ago, and finding a fellow native is as rare as hen’s teeth. I like the growing economy, but the destruction of so much of my beautiful state makes me incredibly sad. </p>

<p>Lots of northeasterners have discovered NC. Sometimes you’ll get friendly folks, and sometimes you’ll get hostility. It really depends on how you carry yourself. (In other words, don’t whine about what you miss about NYC.) </p>

<p>The Containment Area for Relocated Yankees (aka Cary) outside Raleigh has seen a lot of growth in particular, as has the Lake Norman area north of Charlotte. </p>

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<p>cpt - Denver is not all that small… there are jobs, especially for young workers willing to commute or make a small-distance move. </p>

<p>DD (econ major) had a pretty easy time finding a Denver job after college… and then another one the next year when she had a better idea of what she wanted. To me the job market seems better for young workers (lower salaries) than seasoned worker. However there is the challenge of high demand for apartments… I heard that average rent in the Denver area increased 9% since last year. </p>

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<p>@cptofthehouse‌ With your 5 kids, it would seem doubtful that they all would end up living in the same area. </p>

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<p>Don’t give up NYC. Many people I meet in FL are sorry they did. Rent or buy something here in FL for coldest months of year.
Snowbirds=FL
Half-backs= the Carolinas</p>

<p>By the way, I find many snowbirds who buy in places where their northern neighbors already have a place. One man joked that his bridge group in MA suburb would stop for 3 weeks, then resume in their FL condo building.</p>

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<p>warbler- I like that- Containment Area for relocated Yankees. Clever.</p>

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<p>Dstark, has your friend looked at Bend or Redmond, OR? East side of the mountains. Sunny. Beautiful. Too far from major airport and med center for me, but a retirement Mecca for many.</p>

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<p>Dragonmon, No. He did not bring those areas up. I dont know Redmond but I like Bend too.</p>

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<p>We went skiing in Bend once. Had a great time. There wasn’t much to do in town tho.</p>

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<p>Frankly I’d be in Walla Walla instead. Wineries, galleries, liberal politics, college music scene, great restaurants…</p>

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<p>There are nice areas around Bend. I used to vacation in Sunriver.</p>

<p>Dragonmom, you are the one that brought up Bend. :)</p>

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<p>Yeah, I brought up Bend, but have retraced the drive to major medical . No longer on our list. Your mileage may vary.</p>

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<p>And Walla Walla is no medical Mecca. I love the area but if you have conditions that require major med centers, move there.</p>

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<p>The Dalles in Oregon is said to be sunny, but no medical Mecca. Low cost of living and nice community, from what I hear. </p>

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<p>Phoenix/Scottsdale/Fountain Hills = Mayo Clinic.</p>

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<p>Though not retirement right now, now that son is settled in new city and all the parents are gone, we are looking to relocate, work there until retirement, and retire there. Son made it clear that he does not want the life we had, taking care of our elderly parents and sacrificing career and quality of life to stay close to family. He has asked us not to choose his city of choice for relocation. I am now hoping he won’t settle in Minneapolis, because we love it for its excellent medical facilities, excellent elder facilities, and fantastic job opportunities. Husband and I feel we could both find employment very easily. We are sorry we have to rule it out. I have to live by the water, and Minneapolis fits that bill, with the rivers and lakes. And the cosmopolitan city and access to air travel offers attraction and ease for family visitors. We’ve never been in winter yet, so don’t know how elderly handle that, but we have frequented the St. Anthony area near Roseville and found it to be close enough to the city, but suburban enough for safety, family life, and elder life. I had hoped that we could relocate and retire near grandchildren, but I respect son’s reasons for not wanting us to do that. I would not want him to miss out on job opportunities because he felt he needed to stay close to us, the way we did with our parents.</p>

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<p>“Son made it clear that he does not want the life we had, taking care of our elderly parents and sacrificing career and quality of life to stay close to family” - </p>

<p>Could Long Term Insurance mitigate the risk? Often the benefits are used for in term care, to prevent need for nursing home (or family care). </p>