Posted on 08/16/2022 2:23:38 PM PDT by AbolishCSEU
If we still have a country left I will be retiring mid November from my main gig and planning a drive down to Biloxi MS, then head over to Mobile for Mardi Gras 2023. (Feb 21st)
Hubby and I will be driving to NOLA after that (don't want to be in crime ridden NOLA during Mardi Gras) then returning back home to the Peoples Republic of NYS.
While we are down there we might be looking for a winter home and rental property in AL.
Any thoughts, tips, etc? We are foodies of a sort.
I’ve heard Fairhope is really nice.
Battleship park military museum in Mobile
Mobile for Mardi Gras .... the first Mardi Gras.
Have a couple of friends down there. Said its actually really nice. Much more laid back and more “family” friendly than NOLA.
Spent some time down there for a class. Everything on the east side of Mobile Bay, is where you might want to look.
As babble-on said, Fairhope, Daphne areas. Drive around and you’ll notice a very different demographic in the city and west side of the bay, as compared to the aforementioned areas.
I hope you’re ok with humidity.
And if you’re walking around the street where all the restaurants are, don’t remember the name of it and there are quite a few, watch out for the squirrels. There’s a park where they post up on the oak trees and look like they’re going to pounce on you.
Plenty of good eating in Mobile especially if you like shrimp and crab. The US Alabama is a must see, if you like military history. Enjoy your retirement and remember you can leave that communist state anytime.
Take a look at properties in North Alabama, particularly Huntsville. Very high tech, good recreation, and good places to dine.
I was OTR trucker for a few years and found Alabama to be the friendliest state in the lower 48. All the Yankee assholes who moved to Texas to that honor away from the Lone Star State.
Ping.
https://www.hendersonparkinn.com/
Dauphin Island maybe.
Fairhope is awesome.
I have lived in or around Mobile for many years. In preparation for retirement, after a divorce, I bought a 950 square foot brick house, in good condition, on an acre of land, for $55,000. If you’re a typical yankee retiree, you won’t want that. You’ll probably want to buy a mcmansion. You can join your fellow yankee retirees in Baldwin County, across the bay from Mobile. That’s probably where you would be most comfortable. I’m sure you consider yourself a conservative, which you may be in comparison to others in your home state, but it’s a whole different level down here. Be prepared. Generally, we are the friendliest, most helpful people in the world. Anything else you want to know?
Check out the Foley/Gulf Shores area down on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Great restaurants, including Lambert’s Throw’d Rolls and Lulu’s (Jimmy Buffett’s sister), DeSoto’s, and Tacky Jack.
Plenty of accommodations, from fairly cheap to expensive.
Also a great retirement area.
Nope. We currently live in a rural area between two dairy farms next to a swamp. The well never runs dry. We turned a dump into a nice log cabinesque ranch and built the 2 story gambrel roof garage ourselves. We’ve rehabbed 2 rental duplexes so far in a town 30 min away but it is militantly pro tenant here. Thinking of investing in Alabama from here on out.
Oh and we are to the right of Genghis Khan. I personally would like to see public guillotining of all Demonrat politicians.
Cmon down to Gulf Shores.
We love Jimmy Buffett a lot more than Warren Buffett down here.
RLTW
I live in Fort Walton Beach FL, not too far from the Alabama Coast. I'd be happy in Alabama along the coast too but AL has a state income tax and FL doesn't, so it's Florida for me. After I retire Alabama might be in the running but while I'm working the income tax costs too much. That's why I left Mississippi for FL.
“Nope. We currently live in a rural area between two dairy farms next to a swamp. The well never runs dry. We turned a dump into a nice log cabinesque ranch and built the 2 story gambrel roof garage ourselves. We’ve rehabbed 2 rental duplexes so far in a town 30 min away but it is militantly pro tenant here. Thinking of investing in Alabama from here on out.”
I apologize for assuming too much. You can buy some really cheap houses down here for renovation, but you have to pay attention to location, just like everywhere else. I got involved with rentals a couple of times. I had mixed results. Some good tenants, one really bad one. Evictions are relatively not bad here. I paid a lawyer $850 to get the initial eviction order. It only took a couple of weeks if I remember correctly, then I (nicely) persuaded the guy to leave and didn’t have to go to court. I am retired and have spare time. If you need any help or information that I can provide I would be glad to assist. Good luck.
Yup. It is often mentioned as one of the best small retirement cities.(Crime,enviroment, education, income, etc) The east bay is best...doesn't have the minorities and ghettos like the west bay does.
Check out Dauphin Island though....and, If you liked Forrest Gump go to Bayou La Batre and see the shrimping fleet where the shrimping scenes were filmed.
I've compared Fairhope to Mobile as Sausalito is to San Francisco.
The beaches beginning at Dauphin Island going south are the whitest beaches in the world for a hundred miles or more.
A nice day trip is to take the ferry from Dauphin Island across the bay to Fort Morgan/Gulf shores and drive down the coast to Destin, Florida. You'll see what I mean by white sandy beaches. (BTW, the fort on Dauphin Island, Fort Gaines is worth a look too.)
Fairhope and Dauphin Island have Mardi Gras parades too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.