jrfblueeyes

OK. The kids are out and you are financially solvent. Where do you want to spend the rest of your vintage years?

I'm thinking of Utah. Utah has the most national parks and it still affordable compared to California. Heber city is close to Park City ski resorts, Sundance(Sundance Film Festivle) and Provo is a half hour away. I just got back from an 8 state fact finding trip. Hailey Idaho is nice also but pricey. Ketchum is overrated and snobish. Montana is beautiful but a little too rural for me. Yellowstone Montana is nice but sits on a huge volcano and I've had my share of earthquakes thanks. Bottom line is that whereever you go there is something that isn't quite perfect about the location. Always some kind of trade off... Therefore, do any of you have any ideal locations in mind? California is wonderful but way to pricey and way too many people. I live in the Santa Cruz California Area which is about 2 hours south of San Fransico and about 1 hour North of Monterey. Beautiful area but congested as all get out. We're gonna just rent our house here out and head out like a couple of backpacking kids and find our fortune. We will still have to work to augment our investments but not to the tune that we have in the past. Any ideas on locations to check out?

CG

I love most of the areas you mentioned and would add Jackson, WY. if it wasn't so damned expensive. I like the panhandle of ID. but the cost of living is rough also. St. George, UT. is a great little town and not far form Vegas or the UT. National Parks but it is too hot in the summer. There are areas of southwest CO. that almost never see snow but they may be to rural for you. I like the areas near Shasta, CA. but I don't mind the more rural settings.

Have you taken a serious look at Prescott, AZ.? The last time I was there I thought it would be a great place to retire. Now I'll throw you a curve ball and suggest a town that is highly rated as a place to retire. You owe it to yourself to take a serious look at Fairhope, AL. You wouldn't expect anyone to suggest Alabama as a place to retire but this is a great community with everything from golf, beaches, art, fishing, etc. going for it. Lower prices too.

paS2K

I've got about 5 years until this becomes more possible, but I like these ideas

*Fairhope, AL sounds interesting and with lower southern prices.
*As noted on another thread, I like the "thought" of southern Oregon...around Medford/ Ashland/ Bend...but need to visit again. I understand the temps are moderate and the precipitation is less than Portland/Seattle
*Another Pacific NW place that we REALLY liked is Whidbey Island WA...NW of Seattle on a peninsula (not really an island). Of course, there are also the Orcas Islands in the Inland Passage west of Bellingham WA etc.
*Fearrington Village in NC is a pretty neat place...just south of Chapel Hill NC; visited a cousin there enroute to the OBX drive in the spring. A very nice planned community with housing from 200-400k.
*The higher elevations of NM might be interesting (Taos, Sante Fe), but may have gotten too "trendy".
*If we are willing to deal with the winter weather, I think the southern coast of ME would be terrific...area around Brunswick/ Camden. A friend in my office just bought a cottage near Camden for $160k.

I would really to be on the coast somewhere...if not too expensive. Talking to the wife about renting the house for a years...buying an RV for a 12 month exploration of various parts of the country (S2000 on trailer )

paS2K

CG- Looking at the property listings...any recommendation at which communities are the nicest and would be welcoming to *damn yankees*

Smokee

jrfblueeyes, have you spent any time in the winter at most of those places? I spent one winter in Ketchum and a great deal of my time was taken up trying not to fall down on the ice and snow. I was talking to a Yellowstone resident and he said every year there is an exodus after the first really cold snap. The schools even plan on it. Don't even get me started on Salt Lake City in the winter, overcast and dreary down in that valley. Now the skiing is to die for though.

I think you'll find me in western Washington or Oregon if all goes well. Sequim, WA and Brookings, OR have become retirement towns. They are both "rain shadow" towns if you believe the advertising.

jrfblueeyes

No I haven't. I'm not sure how I will deal with the cold. Being from Arizona and having lived in California most of my life, I know I'm in for it. Gal friend likes that kind of weather. I'm ignorant about it. She's the boss if you know what I mean. We aren't setting down roots until we find a place that we both want to stay in. That's why I am gathering info. Thanks for your input and I WILL consider it. I already am. Prescott Arizona is more my speed. My S2000 doesn't like the snow either. I like the Nevada/Tahoe area also but there again it's pricey. The California/Tahoe side is outrageous. Placerville is nice but getting bloated. I'll just keep researching. Keep em coming friends.

CG

[QUOTE]Originally posted by paS2K

ralper

We've still got about 10 years to go as our youngest, Adam, is only 9. That said, E.W.A. and I think we might consider moving back into Manhattan after the kids are gone.

E.W.A. was born there and I was born in Brooklyn. I moved to Manhattan when I was in my mid twenties. E.W.A. and I lived in a downtown loft until about 10 years ago when our oldest started school. We sold the loft and moved to suburban New Jersey.

We both miss New York. We miss the noise, the tumult, the electricity that was always in the air. Its hard to get used to the quiet after so many years. Our kids love it here in NJ but the two of us feel like fish out of water.

Only two things might keep us from moving back. First of all, it might not be quite so easy for a couple in its sixties as it was for a couple in its thirties. New York is a hostile and aggressive place. Secondly, it takes a ton of money to live comfortably in NYC and I'm not sure that spending all that much makes sense. We'll see, ten years is a long time, but for now we think we might return to NYC.

OhioRacer

2 years ago, almost to the day, back when I was a young 45, my wife and I had this conversation. When we tried to decide where we wanted to spend those retirement years we concluded....who knows? At that age, how do we know where we'll want to be? And why constrain ourselves? We labored over the decision only to realize that there is no need to make a "final" decision. If you try a place and it doesn't turn out well you can always sell and move. Most property will appreciate.

Given this, we decided to buy a cluster home in a beachfront resort complex in North Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Damn thing cost more than our last house and is 1/2 the size. But you pay for that ocean bigtime. We had been vacationing at this place for 8-10 years and decided if we hadn't tired of it by then, it must work for us. Now, a lot of people may not like the commercial nature of MB. 8 gazillion restaurants, shopping, miniature golf, 125 full golf courses, etc. But we like it. I guess while we're still active people we prefer a place with lots to do. In the offseason, which is when we would be spending "retirement months" it is almost deserted except for the other snowbirds.

This city is doing things the right way IMHO. They are investing heavily in infrastructure. New roads are going in all the time to move people through the grand strand (that's what they call that whole coast). With all this investment going on, I felt that buying into this now, before the baby-boomers all move down, would prove to be a wise investment.

Being from the north, one thing we like about this place is, unlike Florida, it has a change of seasons. We like that. And yet, the change is not severe like it is here. In fact, the weather will never impact plans there like it does here. (20 minute commute turns into 2 hours in winter). When I was there last November for Thanksgiving, it was in the high 60's to low 70's. December and January are in the 50's, maybe some 40's. And SUNNY!

My last comment would be this. I want to go somewhere with other baby boomer retirees, or semi-retirees. I can't see myself EVER in Florida driving behind a big boat Cadillac with some 4' 9" 80 year old woman going 17 MPH. THAT would drive me nuts. My .02

OhioRacer

Rob, I know what you mean. I don't consider myself a "city person" but when I visit Toronto, my favorite big city in North America, I stay downtown and it is amazing. The electricity, activity, arts, entertainment...it's just great.