<p>
Nothing that a good old recession can’t fix. :D</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say SoCal people are friendly.</p>
<p>I agree with you on the other aspects. Also, close to Vegas, San Fran and maybe Mexico for weekend trips.</p>
<p>"The one drawback is the cost of housing " </p>
<p>“Nothing that a good old recession can’t fix.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, unless the recession can be targeted only at California, all property values will be falling, thus keeping California out of reach for most retirees. But, that’s OK with me. As a grad student in Palo Alto I thought the Silicon Valley area was heaven on earth and didn’t want to leave. Now, however, when I go back I don’t think I would want to live there even if the houses were more affordable. It seems a bit claustrophobic for me. The Los Angeles area is the ultimate in claustrophobia in my perspective.</p>
<p>^ True…I’ve just been waiting out the whole bubble to buy my first house…so I’m not complaining.</p>
<p>5 months ago a listing in my neighborhood was $635k. It was listed again just last week for $475k…25% drop!</p>
<p>I just started reading here–great thread. I just wanted to mention Polson MT where my sister retired to after living in the NE for her whole life. She and H are so happy there. Go figure. I don’t share their politics (very conservative) and I think I would not like that aspect of small town Montana. But, if that is your thing or it doesn’t matter to you, Polson is on Flathead Lake and is quite resort-y, very cheap. Many retirees there, but all of the active sort.</p>
<p>
What kind of mountains? 12k-14k foot ones with ski areas like the Rockies or the Sierra or will lower mountains of the 3k-4k altitude suffice? Various areas in California or Oregon might meet your needs. I know the beach isn’t a criteria of yours but on the west coast close to the coast tends to have a fairly temperate climate that you can fine tune to your tastes just by living right on the coast, 5 miles inland, 10 miles inland, etc. California, both northern and southern, for example, are full of microclimates (and plenty of golf courses).</p>
<p>Having seen how others answered actually casts new threads in my thinking. For the longest time I dream about retiring to Carmel/Monterey,Calif (the most beautiful place on earth). But actually now I want to be in major metro near lots of cultures and activities, and go away to Carmel for off week joints. For this scenario to work, we have to live in San Francisco. No complaint there except I prefer a place with real winters like Boston. Small problem: there’s no Carmel to Boston. The Cape doesn’t pass for Carmel/Monterey. So it’s a tough choice. West Coast or East Coast ?</p>
<p>Is Vancouver is worthy substitue. That means I will have to be a Canadian.</p>
<p>Vancouver eh?</p>
<p>If you use a little imagination San Francisco can feel like winter even in summer but there’ll be no snow. :)</p>
<p>We’re all different but I’d rather live in Carmel and then just drive to winter (Tahoe) or the big city (San Fran) when I felt I needed it. But, I don’t really like big cities at all and can easily live without whatever culture San Francisco has to offer so my input might be a bit skewed. If you like actually going IN the water, head further south. Note - I used to scuba dive the Carmel/Monterey area quite frequently when I lived in the Bay area and that water is COLD.</p>
<p>Edvest1–I’d say Nantucket is to Boston what Carmel/Monterey is to San Francisco. Agree? Disagree?</p>
<p>TheAnalyst- My Bad. I didn’t read carefully. Agree Charlottesville has 4 seasons and my elderly father and stepmother are actually going to flip coasts for about the 5th time and go back there to finish out their years. They have tried Monterey and LaJolla, but really miss the east coast.</p>
<p>As we speak, H and I are in a cabin in Glenwood Canyon not far from our retirement property. The drive from DIA was really beautiful (and easy) today.</p>
<p>One thing we considered was access to good medical care. We ruled out Durango and Crested Butte because the access to major cities was more difficult than it is from Glenwood Springs.</p>
<p>Definetely somewhere with good medical care, ie not in the boondock. H&I prefer to walk to shops, restaurants, and doctors. Anything else we can drive to, snow, golf, etc… Vancouver is also one of my favorite, but it’s not cheap.</p>
<p>I echo the sentiments of those who want NYC. I am basically a city person who wants convenience. I want to live somewhere that I can walk to restaurants, shops, groceries and use public transportation in place of the car. Actually, I’d like to live in a high rise condo with a view that has several levels of retail shops, including a big food court, down below. I’m too lazy to cook after the kids left the house.</p>
<p>We are living in coastal California not far from silicon valley. The weather is great although the winters are a bit too cold for me. We’ll probably stay put for a while.</p>
<p>I don’t see us living in the typical , Florida like environment upon retiring. I would rather move back to my roots, Cape Cod.</p>
<p>A good ‘city’ place is Bethesda, MD. Even though it’s expensive for most housing compared to a little farther out, it’s nowhere near NYC prices. You can easily walk to whatever you need/want, D.C. is a short Metro trip away for all the culture any vulture could desire. There has been a resurgence of interest and development in Bethesda and Silver Spring MD. Bethesda has excellent shopping, wonderful restaurants, and is quite beautiful in all seasons. And the medical care available is outstanding what with Bethesda Naval Hospital and NIH right there and if you don’t care for those, there’s always Georgetown Hospital.</p>
<p>I would consider moving from this big ol’ house to an apartment in Bethesda were it not that I really, really have trouble with cold these days. Even a 30 degree day seems bitter to me now. So I’m moving south in a couple of years but I’d love to find a Bethesda down there somewhere.</p>
<p>We seriously considered Bethesda but found that the houses in our price range (which didn’t seem that low!) were either too small, too far from town, or had nowhere for a car. One house would have been perfect except there was no basement and you basically had to park in the front yard. Also, it seemed like the “practical” shopping (vs the fun shopping) was not nearby. We saw Bethesda with a realtor then took a quick peek at Alexandria on our own, which looked promising. But now my heart is set on SoCal.</p>
<p>What a great thread ! Helps me with my daydreaming. All of you who are close to retirement - congratulations.</p>
<p>Does anyone have familiarity with the Virginia - Maryland area other than what’s been mentioned so far? For instance, a 2-hour drive from DC, or in Maryland but not on the ocean?</p>
<p>Houses prices in the Greater D.C. area haven’t dropped as much as they have in other parts of the country. But they’ve gone down a little. A lot of the inventory is older ('40’s and '50’s) so may skimp a bit on the modern amenities. That’s why if I were going to do it, I’d get an apartment or a condo with parking facilities and, since I don’t cook, lack of groceries wouldn’t bother me…though there is a big Giant Grocery in Bethesda. </p>
<p>Hayden – I live in Gaithersburg, MD, about 30-60 minutes (depending on the traffic gods) from D.C. What area interests you?</p>
<p>I’m not a realtor, btw.</p>
<p>As a native New Englander, I can agree with the posters who express their love for Maryland. Haven’t been to Bethesda, but love the area just outside of Baltimore…Annapolis is lovely and if you like the beach Assateague area is one of the most beautiful and pristine area of the Atlantic coast.</p>
<p>Western Virginia. As a single parent though, it’s going to be a long time before I can retire, so looks like I’m stuck in the lake effect snow belt for awhile.</p>
<p>Novel, like a lot of people, we want to be near our kids. So my S is in school in DC and I have a strong suspicion he may end up there. We love the area too - all the museums and the history are fantastic. We know that being close to DC will be an expensive proposition. So we were wondering if there were some other nice places in the 45 min - 2hr range that have housing prices in a reasonable range, vs the area we’re in now. I love the idea of being near a college for all that offers. As a result, the areas I was wondering about would be either a DC suburb or Williamsburg. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You won’t find any basements in houses in California. Not good for earthquakes.</p>