<p>I always though Oregon had a pretty high cost of living?</p>
<p>Hugcheck,
Your list screams Charlottesville, VA to me.</p>
<p>Calaveras County, Ca.</p>
<p>The top of my list is Medford, Oregon. Southern Oregon U is in Ashland 15 miles to the South. There is a very large Osher retiree program with about 50-70 courses at any one time. Ocean is a couple of hours drive. Other water is the Rogue River which flows through the town. The Rogue has some very isolated, wild portions and is a major vacation attraction. Nearby mountains plus Crater Lake are close. Climate is fairly dry, warm but low humidity in the summer, a little snow in the winter. Lots of wineries and pear orchards. Biggest negative is the winter cloud cover and fog, but with minimal rainfall. Ashland is a much more upscale town but considerably more expensive. Lots of visitors for major theater programs. Including the cities/towns of Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland and the surrounding area the population is about 250,000 with corresponding services including major healthcare. A relatively new 3BR ranch is about 180,000-230,000 and prices continue to drop. Property taxes would be about $2000. There is no sales tax but income taxes are fairly high, but still very reasonable for retirees.</p>
<p>toneranger–not Cape May City, but the County of Cape May. We live near the Del. Bay, about four miles from Cape May City. Houses in our neighborhood start at mid 100s, taxes start under 2000/yr. I think that would be affordable for many people.</p>
<p>We love being near the Bay. It’s a kayaking paradise. The sunsets every night are spectacular–it’s hard to find anything like that on the EAst Coast. Love watching the dolphins go by, sometimes right by the kayaks.</p>
<p>Cape May itself is a fantastic place to visit, with lots of arts stuff, great ocean beaches, cute shops and restaurants. We couldnt afford to live there in a million years, but we can drive there in 5 minutes, or easily bike over.</p>
<p>Best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Hugcheck…Davidson, NC or anyhwere else in the Lake Norman (NC) area.</p>
<p>OK, H and I, both turning 60 this year, are starting to discuss eventual retirement locations.
Here’s my list:
– walkable town – good walkability with sidewalks; should be able to walk (my preferred form of exercise) to do most routine errands (grocery shop, go to library, etc.); hope to be able to have just one car for the two of us
– no further North than NYC or perhaps CT and preferably mid-Atlantic region; would consider MD or D.C. area; do not want Boston, Chicago, etc. Prefer to stay on East coast, as assume kids will remain there (realize no guarantee re that)
– want an aesthetic location with good services (currently live in a town on the “Main Line” train line near Philadelphia; nice location but not walkable; too car dependent for my taste)
– would like access to a sophisticated city or location with decent theater, etc.; otherwise perhaps a nice college town
– good medical care services
– low crime rate; friendly neighborhood with good interactions
– recently visited and ruled out Asheville, NC because the city/downtown did not have much greenery and it also has developed an issue with street people and crime
– townhouse living OK as long as it is “in town” or else a VERY low-maintenance home – but do hope to garden, including maintaining a vegetable garden, which I love; currently live on an acre and want much less property to maintain in future
– willing to pay up for home if the community is really attractive/appealing to us; have no mortgage on current home so could simply flip that to retirement home</p>
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<p>That was my thought exactly.</p>
<p>Garland- I love Cape May County. My aunt has a retirement house there. ( think it may be near the point. We grew up going to Cape May. Both my mother and aunt were queens of the famous Baby Parade back in the day.</p>