Little old ladies wear hunting camo in Walmart.
I would prefer a place that has a conservative base. Every location on the lists of best places to move are leftist s***holes.
I am hoping for a place with four seasons, albeit, not as severe as the northeast. Elevations are fine, beauty is important, and so is the need of good, friendly people.
Any ideas?
Bookmark
Can you drive? Have a vehicle? In good health? There are beautiful areas in TEXAS, as long as you stay far from the southern border. We here in North Texas have seasons, which at times can be extreme. But we do have lovely springs. One disadvantage is tornado season, they gravitate here/Oklahoma as metal to a magnet. Public transportation would be considered extinct to those from big cities in other parts of America. Not ALL Texans (1) wear holsters and guns; (2) have an oil well in their back yard. North Texas has recently opened a wonderful hospital in McKinney. The Legacy Heart Center is in FRISCO and McKinney - these folks are first class. Stay away from cities such as Austin, Houston, Dallas, and even Ft. Worth. (the cow town is becoming a sugar foot town)
After looking over all 57 states, we settled on East Tennessee. We were looking for a place where land was inexpensive, people friendly and accepting but most of all conservative, with a history of voting right so taxes would stay low.
We are mountain people, so wanted the beauty of water and mountains right outside our backyard. Or close. With good weather for growing crops. And enough rain for natural greenery.
We were escaping Mexifornia so all border States rights the list, as her any state three states in from the border states. I’ve had enough of the invasion. And having grown up and libed all over Texas and travelled to Arizona New Mexico and lived in California, they are all ruined in my opinion. Some people may like them, but I wouldn’t move there. Although it’s important Texas stay red. But with the invasion she is turning purple sadly.
I wanted to live the last part of my life around Americans. Anyway we just up and moved. No jobs, just left because we had enough. The plan was to go Galt but ended up finding some pretty good jobs because we wanted to join the Trump economy. Will go Galt again if a Democrat gets in office.
Of course, your priorities might be different than ours. I had spreadsheets after spreadsheets of various criteria. Taxes, median property values, the price of a 2000 square-foot house, the price of land, sales tax, state income tax, personal property taxes, if Social Security is taxed, ,Demographics, how people voted in the last election, and the trend over the last 10 years – very important, economic growth in the area – we actually wanted little economic growth. That way property values would stay reasonable and it would keep illegals out. Weather – highs and lows and the duration, humidity which I didn’t think I would like but it’s not bad here.
We wanted to be outside of a small town, for that small-town atmosphere but not too far from a larger town that would after everything we need. Most especially medical for older years. Having to travel 2 to 3 hours for a doctors appointment was not an option.
I also drove on an 8000 mile relocation scouting trip, from California to Tennessee, looking at Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Then drove through Ohio, Iowa, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Then back to California but Washington and Oregon were not on the list.
Anyway, I can only say what worked for us. And that it has worked out fabulously. i’ll never move. Only wished we had moved earlier. But then we wouldn’t of had any money… lol!
My coming retirement means escaping from California.
I was all set to move to Virginia Beach, before the recent bloodbath showed me that Virginia is now a liberal state. RATS! So now I am back to square 1 on my search for place to retire.
My reasons for selecting Virginia Beach still exist, but my ability to fulfill those reasons may not.
I want to live on the east coast.
I want to live on the beach if affordable or very near if not.
I want to live in a city, not a town or village.
I want moderate to low crime.
I hate snow — no northern or mountainous locations.
I want lush landscape.
I want reasonable taxes and costs.
I wanted to be central for travel — drive to Manhattan, NYC one weekend and Charleston, SC the next.
I wanted lowered hurricane/tornado risk.
I want thunderstorms to be plentiful.
Medical access is of course a must for us old farts.
I don’t needs sports, concerts, museums, art, antique shopping.
So now I am looking all over the map because Virginia is off the table. I am basically at a loss and I hope on my retirement travels I just find a place east of the rockies (preferrably east of the Appalacians) that feels like home, doesn’t snow, has low crime, moderate costs, good medical, etc.
I am now open to lake living instead of beach front.
In the meantime my short list has become:
Mount Pleasant, SC
Orange Beach, AL
White Lake, NC
Lake of the Ozarks, MO
Morgantown, WV (too much snow?)
North Myrtle Beach, SC (but I hears it is high crime and run down)
Nothing in Florida appeals to me.
I live in Texas. The town I live in has good medical, a university, thriving cultural scene, a nice river, a military base with a city population of about 100k. Housing is getting more expensive but property taxes are moderate with homestead and age exemptions. Crime getting worse. A little isolated.......not on an interstate and air travel connects through DFW. Not a bad place..actually it is my hometown that I moved back to some 14 years ago and have not regretted doing so. Where do I live?
Western North Carolina!
The ticks are mouse size...and the chiggers are bigger than small frogs.
The weather in the summer is hotter..than Death Valley..and colder than Hillary's heart in the winter.
Tornadoes every spring that wipe out hundreds of people...
And it's going to be 6 degrees tonight.
Reduce the choices for simplicity, for example:
The rest of the process is a piece of cake...Just list your "good" criteria and choose...Or buy a motor-home and travel...
156 posted on 1/15/2018, 12:48:02 PM by SuperLuminal (Where is another agitator for republicanism like Sam Adams when we need him?)
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SuperLuminal in post #156 has a good idea how to get started. As you narrow down the locations you like, I would suggest to you to go and visit there at least for a week. Best if you can do it ones during summer time, and ones during winter time.
We left San Jose, CA and moved to Boise, ID. Never looked back. Now we have two conservative families, friends of ours from the Bay Area, CA, who already moved here and are very happy including their school aged kids.
Little old ladies wear hunting camo in Walmart.
Freepers are going to laugh or worse, but New York City is ideal for a certain kind of retiree. You know all the cultural benefits—you’ll never, ever run out of things to do, even free things to do. The public transportation is excellent (current problems with the subway excluded). You can walk to a lot of things, because New York is more 3-dimensional than other cities.
And there are an enormous number and variety of programs for the elderly, anything your little heart desires, from excellent city-run programs to small church community groups. Our Department of the Aging is the gateway to a fabulous collection of services.
OK, go ahead and shoot.
Interesting book by Dave Stebbins ... Relocate! 25 Great Bug Out Communities: Safe Places to Live if Bad Thinks Happen
Don’t know if they are all good as far as climate goes. OK has some nice small towns, but it is hot in the summer and there are tornadoes to worry about. NW Arkansas is quite pretty.
One problem with living in too small a place is the lack of hospitals. Something to think about.
College Station, TX is quite hot in the summer but has some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Sheridan, Wyoming. ...if you don’t mind snow.
I may have missed it - did anyone post anything about Southern Indiana?
I’d guess most of it is fairly conservative. Parts I’ve driven through seem nice. However, outdoor recreational locations seem rather limited compared to S. Illinois or much of KY or the Ozarks area (MO, AR).
A very timely and useful thread; Ms. Spook is already retired and I’ll make the transition in 6-7 years. We currently reside in Virginia, but you don’t have to be a political analyst to see where the Old Dominion is heading. Our new governor, “Ralphie” Northam laid out his vision for the state and everyone reflexively reached for their wallets, since his programs will mean another rise in taxes. The commonwealth (tax-wise) will look like Maryland or Massachusetts within the decade, and that’s a shame, because Virginia has much to offer. But, since I like hanging onto my money whenever possible, we’ll be leaving as soon as I hang it up.
We’re looking at several potential landing spots. Much of what we’re looking for matches the requirements outlined by other FReepers; affordable housing, low cost of living, low taxes, conservative values, four seasons (without too much winter), access to quality healthcare within a short drive and (as a military retiree), relative proximity, so I can take advantage of the BX, commissary and gym.
We’ve already looked at a few places. One of my assignments during my USAF career was as an ROTC instructor at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Bought a house there and held onto it for almost 16 years. Great community, relatively affordable housing (though real estate prices are going up fast) and the benefits that come with having an SEC school within a few miles of your house. The downside is that the city is becoming Berkeley south, but the surrounding area is very much Trump Country. Unfortunately, Oxford is about 100 miles from the closest base and that makes a difference, particularly in health care. We’ve learned that the farther you get from a military community, the less likely doctors are to accept Tricare for armed forces retirees.
Our second choice was Ocean Springs, MS, on the gulf coast, across the bay from Biloxi. We lived there during another assignment (Keesler AFB). Quiet, affordable housing and little crime (at least when were there 25 years ago). Also home to a unique arts scene and the greatest donut shop in the western hemisphere, Tato-Nut Donuts. Also close to Keesler and the Navy SeaBee base in Gulfport. The downside is that every 10-20 years you’re going to have to rebuild after the next major hurricane blows through.
If we decide against a return to Mississippi, we’re looking at Clarksville, TN, just outside Fort Campbell. I’ve read a lot of good things about the community and it seems to have what we’re looking for. Very favorable tax structure (no state income tax); housing seems very affordable, and Nashville is about 45 minutes down I-24. Would be interested to hear from FReepers in the Clarksville area, particularly those who are military retirees. Would you recommend the area to somone in my situation?
ping
Western Colorado Mesa County. Approx. 295 days of sunshine annually, high desert type climate, four distinct seasons winters are generally mild, terrific vistas. Colorado River irrigates award winning vineyards and peach orchards, also other crops (if you get my drift ;). Mesa County is one of the more conservative counties in Colorado and voted for Trump. Much to the chagrin of the local paper, which, per usual in the journalistic world is top heavy with liberals.