[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

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.

[Chickensoup]

thanks for sharing your list. I hear Myrtle Beach is pretty bad. But the rest sound interesting.

I like snow and winter, just not as much as I have been experiencing. I plan on taking my Jotul with me.

[KC Burke]

I have a cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks and Eric in the Ozarks also lives there full time. We both love it as far as price is concerned.

[Aquamarine]

Savannah Ga is on the coast and not prone to take a direct hit from a hurricane because of its curved coastline.
You could drive to Charleston SC for the weekend although NYC would be too far.