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Do you currently live where you would like to retire? How did you choose your location? Do you want to move and why? If you could live anyplace in the world where would you live?
We are living here because my spouses's job brought us here. We like it very much, but do not want to retire here. I'm always wondering about where the best place for us would be to retire, but I'm not really sure there is a best place.
Our list of priorities (in no particular order); good healthcare, low crime, good schools, car-free, variable seasons, good libraries...
iris lily
10-19-11, 10:51am
If I was filthy rich I'd live for a while in England, both north and south. I would want to have a garden in that climate for a while. Being filty rich I would also have a place in San Francisco, love that city.
I've always liked the idea of New Zealand and I know that I would be happy there, even though I've never been there! DH has visited NZ. I enjoy Zoebird's descriptions of NZ.
I'm pretty sure St. Louis, where we are now, will be where we retire. Depends on if the weather gets hotter. It's been lovely the past few years with lots of rainfall for the plants at the right time, but this year was wicked hot.
I will not retire to a 3rd world place because I need libraries and movie theaters and theater districts, etc. Sitting around in a warm climate doesn't appeal to me.
Also, I have a real need to have architecture of significance around me and I would have a very hard time leaving this city.
Do you currently live where you would like to retire? Absolutely. A true four season climate (which I love), and all the natural resources anyone could ever ask for.
How did you choose your location? Born and raised here (Canada British Columbia).
Do you want to move and why? Never.
If you could live anyplace in the world where would you live? Right here is still my choice. Once you experience what Canada has to offer, there is no substitute. Sure, there are many beautiful places in the world, but we have everything anyone could ever dream of having, right on our very doorstep.
P.S. If I were filthy dirty rich, I'd live on the waterfront (oceanfront) Vancouver BC. (Possibly the Island). That, or in a turn of the century mansion in the neighbourhood of Forest Hill, Rosedale, or Bridal Path. (Posh Toronto Ontario residential neighbourhoods). Or, in an old stone/brick mansion in Westmount (old Montreal).
Thanks for this thread, as I am actually seeking info about two areas of the country to which I might end up moving for a new position. I would love to hear about any experiences in MAINE or OREGON. The first is in south central Maine, about 2 hours from Portland, ME. The 2nd is in western Oregon, about 2 hours south of Portland, OR :) (Yes, it is uncanny that I have been looking all over my Midwest home state and all across the US, and the two most promising choices are both near 'Portlands' and the ocean, albeit different oceans!) I enjoy the ocean, but Love the Mountains!
This would be a Major Move for our family, as I have children still in grade and middle school. It is likely that this would be a place I would Retire in, as I would want to make a long-time commitment, and I'm in my early 50s.
Please share any experiences - good or bad - you have had in these areas of the US!!
We've considered Oregon too EarthSky, but I don't know much about living there. For us I think it is too far from family, and i worry about future earthquakes along the coast.
Without obstacles (money/citizenship) I would probably have a home in either Manhattan, Vancouver or Toronto.
Southern Ontario is the place for me and I have done some travelling so have some places to make comparisons. I don't want hot or third world but love four seasons, access to quality theatre and art plus good gardening for a steady food supply with adequate water and wood for heat to supply our needs.
madgeylou
10-19-11, 9:03pm
i want to be a little nomadic for a while. like, spend a few months in scotland, spend a few in costa rica, a few more in montana, a few in new york.
right now i'm in pittsburgh mostly because my grandma needs me, and my fiancee owns a home and has a job here. but neither of us wants to be here for the long haul. it's a nice enough town, but i feel like i've been here long enough. our long term plan is to build location independent businesses and explore a bit.
Where would I want to be? Any place without snow. No, make that some place without so much wind. We're seriously considering the full time RV life for a couple years, but that's in the future.
Being close enough to family is very important to us, so we'll land wherever the kids do, or in between. Most likely some place with snow...and wind.
Kansas is a great place to raise kids! Salt of the earth people, I love 'em!
I can't wait to move to a cohousing community. Considering these: Puget Sound area (where we are now - several to choose from), Boulder (I am a 4th generation Coloradoan; and there are several cool ones. My top 2 are Wild Sage & Harmony Village in Golden), or Santa Fe. Retirement into a multi-generational cohousing neighborhood is my ideal. Affordability is key for us, as we need to wait till housing prices go up a bit as we're on the edge of being underwater in our current place, and would like to have a down payment from selling it!
A small coastal town in BC is paradise. We will stay here until we drop I think. We may and go explore teh sun a bit, but Canada is so huge and so diverse and so interesting.
iris lily
10-20-11, 12:42am
Vancouver would be lovely, I know. What's this I heard about Toronto not selling wine after 9 pm or something like that? Just heard it this week. What is THAT about?
I live in a beautiful ozarks hills and lakes resort area and a lot of people retire here not to mention everyone that vacations here. I've been waiting to move for over 20 years now.
rosarugosa
10-20-11, 9:18am
EarthSky: We live near Boston, and we're about 2 hrs south of Portland. Portland is a favorite weekend getaway for us. I could never imagine leaving New England, but if we were to relocate within New England, it would have to be near Portland. It is such a wonderful city! It has it all, but on a smaller, more human, less harried and crowded scale than Boston. I do understand that Maine has a pretty high tax burden, so that might be something to take into account.
EarthSky
10-20-11, 10:15am
Thanks for your insight, rosagugosa!
Israel. That's where we're moving to, and that's where we intend to stay for the rest of our lives. (As we are moving close to the Lebanese border, however, means that might not be for very long, LOL!) We intend to participate in every cultural thing Israel has to offer (books, movies, music, theatre) by learning Hebrew fluently. There are great places to vacation in Israel, but we're also a stone's throw from affordable holidays in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, and the rest of Europe. It offers affordable and universal healthcare, lots of jobs, and a good system for support of senior citizens. Can't wait! :)
I'm happy living in the PNW--Cascadia--but I've never lived anywhere else, so what do I know...
I do think it's easy to live simply here, because people traditionally go their own way without too much emphasis on conspicuous consumption--at least in my experience. The herd mentality is not as evident here as elsewhere.
The scenery is lovely, library systems--at least in the cities--are generally outstanding, people are cool (in more ways than one--Google "Seattle freeze"), locavore food gets high reviews, educational opportunities abound...I suggest scouting out a few places on line, then visiting for a couple of weeks in the off-season.
Gardenarian
10-20-11, 5:20pm
I live right outside of San Francisco. We do not plan to move, as we have many close connections in our small town. Within a few block of our house are a state park with nature trails, library, restaurants, market, park & rec activities for dd, swimming pool, park where they give free concerts and have festivals, dog park, the SF Bay (kayaking), and lots of nice neighbors. We are about 10 minutes from downtown SF. We have a good sized lot for the area, pretty views, and a sturdy, sunny house. There has lately been a huge increase in airplane noise, which is really unpleasant.
If I did it over, I would have moved a little further south - either in the outskirts of San Jose or the Santa Cruz Mountains. There are more homeschool opportunities in that area and it is not nearly as congested - not as expensive either.
It makes me sad that most of my neighbors plan to move elsewhere when they retire. I think that is peculiar to the United States - this unsettled-ness. I often have dreams that we are moving to a new house. Who knows?
Most of us descended from restless people. It's in our genes.
Gardenarian
10-20-11, 6:21pm
Most of us descended from restless people. It's in our genes.
Well, I never thought of that! Ha!
treehugger
10-20-11, 6:34pm
My DH and I are both native Californians. I've lived in both SoCal and Norcal, and in 5 different cities, but now we live in the same city (the same house!) where DH grew up. For lots of reasons, we would both like to leave the Bay Area. We are really drawn to the Seattle area, again, for lots of reasons.
My company used to have an office in Bellevue, but this year they moved to downtown Seattle. That was exciting since being able to transfer there would go a long way towards making a move possible.
Kara
I lived in Bellevue briefly--right on the main drag--and talk about walkability! I had an immediate positive response to Bellevue, and eventually to the whole East Side. I recommend it highly.
Another native Seattlite -- and that is where I am most pulled to, largely because of family and friends in the region but I also love it there and miss it terribly. I like West Coast life, and would probably be most happy living anywhere within 100 miles of the Pacific Ocean, as far north as Juneau and as far south as Santa Cruz. Love Vancouver, Portland, and the Bay Area. Do not enjoy hot weather and would prefer to avoid that. Liked Hawaii a lot during our visit there this summer, but distance from other places might be a drawback.
Like living in Asia generally, but find Beijing hard to love. I would probably like living in Hong Kong if I could live in a decent sized apartment where I wanted -- outlying islands or mid levels -- and had money to send my kids to good schools. Not going to have the money for that anytime soon, unless some investment bank decides to hire me away from my non-profit job!
Most European capitals would probably agree with me. Would probably be happy anywhere in the UK.
Never been to Central or South America, or to the Middle East, Africa, Australia or New Zealand. From Zoebird's descriptions and my sister's accounts of her trip there, I think I would LOVE NZ. Like the Pacific Northwest but with the seasons flipped around.
Russia doesn't appeal at all -- like China but with cyrillic instead of characters. And cold. India is intimidating. Nepal, maybe. Bhutan -- definitely, but not going to happen in this lifetime. Maybe I'll just reincarnate there :)
lhamo
yeah, welly is like portland, or and/or san fran weather-wise. a bit more wind.:)
Lhamo, I used to have HK on my list, but I really dislike the competitive schooling and parenting style there. But aside from those things and the prohibitive prices, I love HK and especially the outer islands.
shadowmoss
10-21-11, 12:09pm
I'm currently working in Honduras. No, I have no plans to retire here. The underlying need to be constantly vigilent for the random violence/theft is a big turn-off. I would like to visit some of the other Central American countries while I'm down here. The weather is basically nice and for the most part the people are really friendly. The 3rd world issues are difficult to deal with, but most other than the violence could be dealt with. I would need a largish travel budget, though, to visit back to the US often if I lived down here permanently.
I'm a bit young to be thinking about retirement, since my adult life is only just beginning!
I have lived in various places throughout my life, due to my dad's last job and my studies. We've always lived far away from one side of my extended family or the other. It hasn't always been pleasant and I wish I could see my paternal extended family more often (there's an ocean separating us!). Because of this, I want to make sure I bring up my children close to both sides of their extended family, so my partner and I will be remaining in the vicinity of where we currently live (apart from some possible temporary stints abroad...). The weather's rubbish here and the population is distinctly lacking in diversity, but I want my kids to know their relatives!
I am currently living in Southern Calif but have my house up for sale and plan to do the full time travel thing soon. Right now I don't have any desire to put down roots, but I know that I will eventually - maybe in 20 years when I'm early 70ish ;-)! I've lived in many different place in the USA, including Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, Maine, both North and South Calif. Pennsylvannia, Massachutetts, and even in Canada and a few places in Europe - and, after pretty much any place in Europe, love Maine the best - especially around Portland. It has all the big city things in a small, easy accessible area with a small population (64,000 in portland). I love the 4 seasons, beautiful coastline with many islands, great neighborhoods and historic areas, and lots and lots of outdoor recreation nearby. I love everywhere in New England but Portland, Maine would be my first choice. The only drawback for me would be the high taxes and high heating costs and possibly the high home prices - which are very inexpensive compared to SoCal but much higher than other parts of the country. But I have been thinking that I may not buy anything permentent again anyways - just rent where ever I feel like it and maybe spend part of the year in one area of the country (world) and another part of the year elsewhere - at least until I'm old in 20 or so years. As a somewhat youngish, single, childless, retired person I can do that fairly easily and cheaply. My only family, a sister around my age, lives in SoCal and I'd be able to spend part of the year with her, and part of the year travelling or loiving somewhere I liked (don't like SoCal) the rest of the year, if I left myself footloose and fancy-free!
I definatly live where we will retire. We love our home and community. The convience to things (40 mins to Boston south, The ocean east. 40 minutes to the mountains west. 90 mins to the lakes region north and so on. Our state is frequenty chossen #1 state to retire in as well. Our city was voted the #1 city to live in twice. The following is from Money Magazine 2010, 10 best states to retire to.
1. New Hampshire. It's a safe and cheap place to live. Its cost of living is 89% of the national average and the average state and local tax burden is 7.6%, putting it among the lowest in the U.S. in both categories. The state ranks 48th in the nation in violent crime and in property crime. The only criteria it didn't score well in was climate.
We didn't choose our location, it chose us. Circumstances brought us across the MA/NH border in 2002. We just love it here. I don't think I would want to live anywhere else.
I definatly live where we will retire. We love our home and community. The convience to things (40 mins to Boston south, The ocean east. 40 minutes to the mountains west. 90 mins to the lakes region north and so on. Our state is frequenty chossen #1 state to retire in as well. Our city was voted the #1 city to live in twice. The following is from Money Magazine 2010, 10 best states to retire to.
1. New Hampshire. It's a safe and cheap place to live. Its cost of living is 89% of the national average and the average state and local tax burden is 7.6%, putting it among the lowest in the U.S. in both categories. The state ranks 48th in the nation in violent crime and in property crime. The only criteria it didn't score well in was climate.
We didn't choose our location, it chose us. Circumstances brought us across the MA/NH border in 2002. We just love it here. I don't think I would want to live anywhere else.
I have also thought about NH as the place I might live. I like all the state - well I LOVE all of New England - but like the Portsmouth area the best. I knew that taxes were lower there then in Ma or Me but didn't realize they were that much lower. Burlington, VT was another place I thought of living permanently too. I like that town and area aloty but. again, high heating costs.
I have also thought about NH as the place I might live. I like all the state - well I LOVE all of New England - but like the Portsmouth area the best. I knew that taxes were lower there then in Ma or Me but didn't realize they were that much lower. Burlington, VT was another place I thought of living permanently too. I like that town and area aloty but. again, high heating costs.
One thing I love about living in NH is that I'm close to everything. It doesn't take long to drive to the ME coast, mountains of VT or the Cape and Islands. We can day trip most places and long weekend getaways are ideal.
Twelve years ago I bought a house, now paid off, in a rural area, about 100 miles from the DC suburban area I work in and maintain an apartment in. I originally thought I'd retire in the house, but I really like the walkability, diversity, and progressive outlook of my suburban city. Not to mention the excellent libraries, universities, ethnic restaurants, opportunities for arts classes, access to first-rate medical care, and extremely easy access to the subway, Amtrak, and two airports. So I'm on the fence now about which would be better for me in retirement.
JaneV2.0
10-23-11, 12:50pm
Your current living situation sounds idyllic to me--the only thing missing on your list is a solid network of thrift shops! First ring suburbs are the best, in my book.
catherine
10-23-11, 2:14pm
Your current living situation sounds idyllic to me--the only thing missing on your list is a solid network of thrift shops! First ring suburbs are the best, in my book.
I agree! As much as I love Vermont, the only thing I'd be nervous about is not being close to a lot of amenities. If I moved there, I think Manchester or Burlington would have to be my destinations, because they are both not only walkable, but have things to walk TO. I'm just not the rustic-cabin-in-the-middle-of-nowhere type. In fact, if I need a car for basic necessities, I feel very claustrophic.
I've raised my kids in a NJ suburb that happens to not be an ideal walking community (there's no center of town, and everyone drives even a half a mile to get what they need), but I CAN walk to everything. I can walk to the church, post office, pharmacy, convenience stores, gym, and a huge Asian supermarket. The school my kids attended is literally in my backyard, as is a big park where I can walk the dog off-leash if no one is around.
OTOH, as I've mentioned, if it works out, I'd LOVE to retire in Ocean Grove. Now, THAT's a walkable community, on the beach, great people, so convenient, homey, cozy, sweetly nostalgic.
I have NO desire to go to warm climates, like Florida. I"m with Mrs-M on that one. I don't like winter, but it makes the spring so much the sweeter!
I imagine us living here in the Minneapolis/St Paul area and traveling a lot. Maybe get an RV and head out when winter gets to be too much. I love it here.
I've enjoyed this thread.
Acorn, your description of small house/big life rang true to me. I had a too-big house and too-big yard (American Dream) and my home took up too much of my life. When I compared the satisfaction I got from it to the time and money put into it, it just didn't add up. I think it is easier in two-adult households maybe.
Artist, your comment hit home too. "there's so much more to life than stuff and having the idyllic home setting. I miss my yard at times and am torn about buying again. (I rent a very nice little condo within walking distance to almost everything I need, plus it is on a walking trail along the river). But my analysis comes to the same conclusion you have....most of the time I'm in my easy chair on my computer or reading. How much time do I spend on that grass that I fertilize, water and mow? Not much. I'm looking out on trees and grass now and it is not my responsibility, but it is shared lawn (that hardly anyone walks on).
I'm a renter and with my options open I ponder this topic often. I also do not feel like I'm in my final spot (city) so that keeps me from buying. Of course, once one buys, one gets used to being in a spot and probably quits thinking of all the options like I do now. I've been surprisingly satisfied being a renter after owning three different homes over 25 years. I think I want to paint walls but I hate to paint....so I'd hire it done. Is it that important to me to own and hire it out? Pondering.
My top 2 are Wild Sage & Harmony Village in Golden), or Santa Fe. Retirement into a multi-generational cohousing neighborhood is my ideal.
I have friends in Harmony Village and they are absolutely in love with it. And of course David Wann is there (also a terrific person to have as a neighbor! :) )
I've got the network of thrift stores, in both places! The ones in the rural area generally have lower prices and better sales. Quality is approximately the same in both locations.
The rural house has been one long ongoing fixup project. Mostly for things like blown in insulation, siding, replacing windows with energy efficient ones, and upgrading the former 60-amp electrical service. Both bathrooms need work. I have a water reservoir under the kitchen that I have cleaned periodically (and I plan to get a pitcher pump to be able to draw water from it when the power is out). I pay a local person to mow the acre around the house every two weeks in the summer. I wanted to replace the 35+ year old propane furnace this year but that's not going to happen for a number of reasons, and the cost of propane is very high.
Catherine, if I can ever get some time to do it, I plan to visit Ocean Grove based on your recommendation. I would love to walk on the beach and hear the sound of the ocean; season doesn't matter except for the very coldest time of year.
Three stores I really like about my suburban area: Trader Joe's, Wegmans, and Costco! (Wegmans is less than 2 miles away so technically I could walk it.) On the other hand, parking is sometimes an problem in my apartment complex.
omg, i love thrift shops. when we get our car, i'm planning on some thrifting (when i have money to buy the things I need, which are on my list).
I'm a renter and with my options open I ponder this topic often. I also do not feel like I'm in my final spot (city) so that keeps me from buying. Of course, once one buys, one gets used to being in a spot and probably quits thinking of all the options like I do now. I've been surprisingly satisfied being a renter after owning three different homes over 25 years. I think I want to paint walls but I hate to paint....so I'd hire it done. Is it that important to me to own and hire it out? Pondering.
I had to buy a house because I had 3 dogs and found it difficult to rent. But, now with only one small dog left, I am selling and have decided not to buy again until I have sown whatever wild oats I want to sow (too many!) and when I know I am somewhere I want to stay put in forever. And then it will have to be some place that is easy to care for and doesn't break the bank everytime I need something taken care of I can't do myself. A place I can grow old in and remain as independant as possible, as long as possible (i.e. no stairs or big yard to maintain, close to everything to walk to or take public trans in case I am no longer able to drive, close to a VA hospital, etc...) - things I won't need for(hopefully) 2 or 3 decades but things I'll want in my "last" place. So for me that will rule out owning a home with a yard again. WAY to much work and expense for me alone - and will be even more work as I age and need to hire out someone to take care of the place. All that yard work, trimming and pruning and mowing and edging and planting - never ends! So this is something you may want to think about before deciding to buy a house again. Look at the long term situation as well as the short term.
As for myself, I have decided tthat when it's time to buy again (if I even decide to buy again - may just rent forever) I'll just enjoy what other's have planted and whatever shared green space (which I won't have to maintain) there is around me so living in a small apt, condo or co-op would be best for me. Right now I've decided to just rent as I like the flexibility of not owning, not having to maintain or repair a place, not having to pay insurance and property taxes, being able to just lock the door and go without having to worry about things, and most importantly, being able to just up and move when ever I want without the hassle and expense of buying and selling. I plan to be travelling 6 months or more a year and this way I won't have to pay for a place I'm not using while I'm gone - just get a 6 month lease (or do the vacation house rental thing during the low season) - and by leaving myself free, I can go where ever I want until I find the "dream" spot that I want to live in forever.
we are thinking of renting forever too, just because it is so-so affordable comparatively here. houses here cost a fortune. well, in wellington anyway, and they are a mess, in need of a lot of repairs. so, no real point in buying a broke-down $850k house that needs about $150k of repairs, kwim?
unless, like, you're peter jackson and you own 1/3 of the peninsula. :D
we are thinking of renting forever too, just because it is so-so affordable comparatively here. houses here cost a fortune. well, in wellington anyway, and they are a mess, in need of a lot of repairs. so, no real point in buying a broke-down $850k house that needs about $150k of repairs, kwim?
unless, like, you're peter jackson and you own 1/3 of the peninsula. :D
pinkytoe
10-29-11, 11:44am
First ring suburbs are the best, in my book.
We live in a first ring suburb in a very large city and it is the only way I could be comfortable here. Kind of like living in a small town since everything we do is within a few miles radius. Yesterday I had to venture beyond for an errand and was absolutely blown away by the massive amounts of speeding traffic, ribbons of overpasses, ugly sprawling development, etc. I couldn't wait to get back to my little hood.
First ring suburbs can offer the best of both worlds in my opinion. I like the outer boroughs of NYC for that reason.
I'm torn between putting down roots and buying a small place in order to have a hub and the carefree living of renting. Both have their own redeeming qualities.
HappyHiker
10-29-11, 3:48pm
I saw a very cool house, kind of cabin-y looking and rustic but cozy for rent recently on an acre of pretty land within walking distance to a lake for $575/month. But we own a house currently so could not entertain renting it...but thinking about the cost of repairs/maintenance/insurance and property taxes on our current house, this rental seems, at first blush, to be a great deal...as we move along the age continuum, renting just might make a lot of sense...
Though we own our house "free and clear," the cost of repairs and etc. make it not so free after all.
Ditto on kally's post (we live in the same town). Some folks think that being one the far end of a ferry run - no road access - is a problem that needs to be fixed, but I see it as a feature, not a bug!
we are thinking of renting forever too, just because it is so-so affordable comparatively here. houses here cost a fortune. well, in wellington anyway, and they are a mess, in need of a lot of repairs. so, no real point in buying a broke-down $850k house that needs about $150k of repairs, kwim?
unless, like, you're peter jackson and you own 1/3 of the peninsula. :D
I think in the long term buying is probably always more financially better but renting does give you the freedom to just up and move as well as freedom from all the possible work and repairs and those expenses. Also you can often afford to live in an area of the country (world) that would otherwise be too expensive to buy in. This is especially true if you are flexible and are free to move often or can live somewhere seasonally. I've been looking online at areas I thought I'd like to hole up in later this sping when I am free to travel (i.e. house sold) and many very expensive areas like Aspen, Colo are really inexpensive in late spring and early fall. The ski season is still going but not great so the vacation houses are availible at a GREATLY reduced price (like 75% or more off the prices in winter) if it's on a monthly basis. It's also a fun way to check out areas you'd maybe want to live in permanently without having to make the big move. While I don't know if I'd like doing the endless vacation house rental thing year after year, always moving someplace different - although I guess you could always go back to the same place each time - but it seems like a fun way to combine travel and regular living in cool places without the financial burden or hardship of ownership - or even permanent rentals. I like the vacation rental places mainly because it ISN'T long term (although most can be if you want) and the places are completely furnished with everything you need and includes utilities. No hassles at all, and no need to "move" stuff each time. Just pack up my vehicle with my clothes and go. Once I'm older I may want to settle down in one place - maybe even own again - but I don't think so. I'm defienetly leaning towards permanently renting.
This has been an interesting thread to follow. We're both in our 40's and nowhere near ready to retire financially so I hesitate to think what I will want at that point. After all, I certainly had different desires 20 years ago, and in 20 years when we're actually retiring goodness only knows what'll matter to us.
Currently we live in san francisco in one of the outer, more suburban older neighborhoods (if anything within SF city limits could be called suburban). We have amazing transit, plenty of decent, basic restaurants, etc, nearby, safeway across the street, plus a 20 minute lightrail ride into downtown. If price wasn't an issue I could see living in this city forever. But unless I win lotto price is definitely an issue as far as retirement goes. And I'd probably want to live in a sunnier neighborhood, which would be even more expensive. Part of the reason I don't mind living on the west side of town is that I leave the fog every morning to work downtown in a much more sunny neighborhood.
All that said I'm pretty sure I will want to retire to an urbanish environment. I grew up in a house with a yard but have never lived in one in adulthood. And frankly, I don't miss yard work and all the work that went with living in a house. Nor do I want to have to get in the car to get a gallon of milk or go out for a quick dinner when we're both too lazy to cook. And I love the world class library SF has. Pretty much any book I read about anywhere is/will soon be owned by the library so I just add it to my request list and constantly have a supply of interesting books delivered to the library a few blocks from us, free of charge. It was the same in NYC where we lived before. I've never bought a lot of books, and consider a good library to be one of the most worthwhile assets a city can have of which I will take advantage.
So, to answer the question, I have no idea where we'll end up. There are lots of good possibilities. We're not wedded to any particular place because of family or anything, so I expect the decision will get made closer to the time we actually plan to retire, but most likely it'll be somewhere that has an active street life, is not insanely expensive, and has apartment-type housing so that we don't have to spend much of our life's energy taking care of stuff like a house.
San Onofre Guy
11-8-11, 5:25pm
While I am against Association living be it condo or homeowner, when we retire, my wife and I will likely sell our house in Orange County and buy a small Condo or house in Palm Springs. We will have it set up so that we can just close the door and leave for a few months which is why a condo is a possibility. We will probably opt for a small house with a pool as we so enjoy being pool side like a chicken.....NUDE! Can't do that in most condo pools. Small condos and homes in Palm Springs are 1/3 the price of our house so that even with increased utility costs, ownership will be much cheaper than current. Our children will likely be within 2 hours so they could keep an eye on the place on weekends when we are away
Lol Sam Onofre Guy. Nude is fine in your own backyard, but from my experience, you have to be wary of your interested neighbour's windows.
I have considered a condo for retirement simply for the ease of locking up and walking away as needed, but I can't stand those condo fees. I guess you can't have it both ways. I think a townhouse might be a good example. Easier to leave than a single family home, but not as maintenance heavy.
San Onofre Guy
11-9-11, 8:04pm
Those of us who like to go nude don't give a hoot about people looking at us, from windows or otherwise. When you have a shared pool in a condo association you have to live by their rules
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