Congrats on your retirement @ChoatieMom! I am envious as I sit at my desk at work with beautiful mid 70’s weather outside.
Like a few others here have said, we will stay in our So. Calif. town on the central coast. We are very close to the coast which gives us perfect weather, and are in between LA and Santa Barbara so there is always plenty to do. Our DD1, SIL and only grandchild live nearby and will not leave as he is taking over a family business that is local. We might downsize eventually, but did a major home re-model last year after debating about moving to a smaller home vs. re-modeling. At least for now we are here to stay.
We have been talking about buying a condo or small home near Denver where our oldest son lives. One daughter lives in Arkansas but they most likely won’t be there for long. Our other option is just AirBnB’ing several times a year for extended periods in Denver and wherever the other kids end up. We are looking at retirement in the next couple of years and need to sit down and look at the economics of our different options. We are lucky to have inherited a condo on the beach in Florida, but neither of us is a fan of the weather there so will keep it as a rental unit. The kids use it occasionally, but we only visit once a year for upkeep, and I try to stay as short a time as possible!
Will be moving to Hill Country as well! Within a hour of Austin. 10-20 acres for taking in horses and german shepherds. I probably won’t retire, but will downsize my job. My income will take a hit, but with the lower cost of property and no college to pay for, I think it will be fine. For the next 5 years at least: no changes.
I’m also outside DC. I plan on staying here and then maybe getting another place somewhere. My thoughts are an apartment in DC, we like to go to dinner, shows, museums and it might be nice to have a crash pad instead of driving home, or staying there during storms. Or, my other thought is a place in the Naples, Fl area where I can get some sun. It seems to me it’s cloudy here November through April. It’s not crazy cold or snowy here, but the gray weather can really wear me down.
For now, just one place is fine. No idea where the kids will end up, they could end up moving around a lot, who knows. They’re still in college so time will tell.
As for making friends - the key imo is to join things. Join a golf club, a spa/gym, newcomers clubs, etc.
We live in the Silicon Valley and always thought we’d move “somewhere” when we retired…but a year ago our son and his wife moved back to this area, and they are very committed to staying here…so we aren’t going anywhere.
We’ll likely stay put although I seriously want to downsize. That’s not likely to happen while H still working from home as that requires a space that we won’t need in a few years. And then there’s his baby - a Steinway grand that won’t fit in just any space - it pre-dates me.
We already did this - moved from the Chicago area to San Diego two years ago. We were in an upscale suburban town where everything revolved around school age kids and fancy charity events - never developed any social life; we weren’t really into that demographic. Our friends are mostly scattered around the country. So pretty much an empty life at that point - Chicagoland was great for restaurants, museums, et al, but I was done with winter after living there 40 years and the north my whole life.
Absolutely love living here; always something to do and we’ve developed a good social life through a very active Meetup group of people our age. We’re also enjoying our new synagogue and slowly getting to know people there. DS just moved from the Chicago area to Seattle and hopes to end up in California himself one day. Brother and SIL are still back there but don’t intend to stay for more than a couple more years; their kids are out of the house now. All parents are gone.
I just encountered snow for the first time in 2 1/2 years on the drive from Chicago to Seattle and it was pretty to look at in the hills and mountaintops, but I still don’t miss it! And if I feel the need for a bustling city environment, I’ll just go visit DS! Even though Seattle is half the population of San Diego, the concentrated downtown makes it feel much more like a city as opposed to the laid back ambience here.
Add another person planning to stay put in the DC suburbs. I don’t even have any desire to move downtown like some people I know.
And like others, if I won the lottery, I’d love to live in coastal California. I love it all, from northern to central to southern. In general, not too hot, not too cold, just right.
Staying in the DC area for the time being; 2 of 3 are local - the other on the other coast.
One of the locals talks about switching coasts; the other may consider an overseas assignment. If those happen, I might reconsider.
Did the downsize to a more urban condo 2+ years ago - Now: one level, no outside maintenance, underground parking, walkable to grocery, book store, restaurants, movies, post office, library, Iwo Jima and Lincoln Memorials!
And a Metro ride to museums, theater.
Only downside, too far from the sound that soothes my soul, the ocean.
I love where we are in the Bay Area and will remain in our house. We are bicoastal now, spending time in NYC near our grandchildren but I can’t see moving to the east coast permanently; I don’t like the unpredictability of the weather and the overabundance of overhead power lines and poles just seem like a blight to me. I love CA weather, we are used to the prices and taxes and I like my house. We are not downsizing. After staying in our NYC apt, I look forward to going back to a spacious house.
So…I received a call from a family member about a home in the “valley”. Our side of the hill has small lots. This is a little over a half acre. The house if half the cost of our home. And it is 6,000 sq ft. Not now…but…what a temptation.
We seriously considered San Diego. We hate the snow in the Midwest in the winter. However, our taxes are reasonable and we renovated the house to our appeal, Major airports are close. I think we will do Aiir Bnb for several months after retirement.
My sister’s ILs contributed to their house so they’d have a permanent bedroom. My sister claimed it as her study and it has been that forever. So, I’d only give it if it is a no strings gift and no hard feelings if it is used as desired by recipients.
We are planning to stay in Portland (OR) indefinitely. I really can’t imagine living anywhere else. My mother moved to assisted living in Florida and hated it. DH’s father and his wife moved to an island off the coast of Maine–and died prematurely because of the difficulty of accessing medical care. He waited too long to treat the pneumonia that killed him–he had to be helicoptered off the island in the middle of the night and died a month later on a ventilator. Which is a truly awful way to go. After these experiences, DH and I agree: walkable area of a medium-sized city, good access to medical care, mixed-age community We do talk about moving out of our single-family house (2400 sq feet, with a rentable accessory dwelling unit (where DD is currently living)) into a lower-maintenance apartment or condo in ten years or so, if we start to have too much problem with the maintenance.
Maybe at some point you and H could live in the ADU and have her live in and maintain the property. That’s something we may consider IF we build an ADU and IF our kids move back to HI.
@MotherOfDragons have you looked into World ARC? It’s a round the world sail in semi-group fashion. Not sure I have the nerves for it, but having no talked to someone who did it, I could be convinced.
I want to add, my husband and I have not yet discussed retirement. At all. We are in our early 50s and have been married over 30 years. I guess we like our careers. It’s not a topic that has reall come up. I feel like I’ve already been retired while raising kids and am ready/happy to work a bit longer, health and circumstances permitting.
We will probably downsize in the next few years to a condo in the greater King/Snohomish county (WA) area and spend part of the year there and part in our other house across the sound. We know too many elders who had to uproot themselves from retirement locales with poor medical facilities to want to be there full-time.
A month in Hawaii or France or another Euro locale each year is definite. Unfortunately Brexit and the current politics in England will probably keep me from getting the citizenship I always planned.