Best Place to Retire

[donn]

It's not worthless.   The original question was asked because there's a tradeoff between high-tax places and low-tax places for people living on fixed incomes ....  Retired people on a pension can't afford to have their little bit of income redistributed with high sales and property taxes.

Not only was that not the question that was asked - as rodekyll already pointed out, there wasn't even really a question - but the following discussion hasn't talked about tax structure either.  As you imply, retired people with small fixed incomes would be better off in a state that funds most of its obligations with a progressive income tax, and worse off in a state like mine that uses sales tax, property tax and a various random typically regressive taxes.  But no one seems to care, from what I can tell, and the one guy who's been most actively treating it as a serious question came out for supporting civil infrastructure - education, etc. (which also rules out Washington state, as I believe our legislature is officially in contempt of court for failing to support education to the extent mandated by state law.)

Worthless political commentary - exactly right.

[betres]

if you have the resources, i would think that you should live or continue to live where the people you care about live.  you do so because they are important to you and as an added reason, you live longer and better and how do your debate that?   lower taxes, cost of living issues etc those are crucial to some folks, but not all folks. what is important is to maximize your access to those important folks in your lives.   you really need to be right there or as close as you can given your resources......fish ing, hunting, riding, etc. may or may not be important to you but people you care about.....that is at the top of the list.  on the other hand,  if there is only one person who is really important to you and that is your partner, if it were me, i would pick a place that had a great neighborhood bar, with terrific food, clientele, and owners who saw themselves as the luckiest people in the world....yep,   i would go there with my honey.......

[travelingbyguzzi]

Bill -- What's up with Lakeview that they're having cluster earthquakes all the time (except oddly, standard holidays)?  Is it an mining/oil/fracking area?  The only other part of the lower 48 I see with near that much seismic activity is north-central OK.

Not any fracking going on to my knowledge. Not much activity of that sort going pn. It might have to do with the Abert rift which I think is the largest upheaval in the US. Maybe moving again.

[LowRyter]

he reminds me of Lannis

[hammick]

Holy shit.  Can we stop with the politics please and get back to posting photos of beautiful places to retire.

[jetmechmarty]

I picked my place and moved there before retirement.  Now, it's just a matter of staying here.





Great weather, motorcycling, kayaking, trout fishing, hiking, and a Moto Guzzi dealer.

[rboe]

I read in paper of all things (this was over twenty years ago so it was still relevant) that, at least with Minnesotan's - because I was living in Duluth at the time, that moved to Florida (or Arizona) to retire, moved back just before they died - to be with family. AKA their support group.

We have family all over the damn place but my siblings stayed in Duluth. At times, that is a good reason to avoid the place.  :BEER: But other than family, an area that supports your hobbies and interests, for those of us with a social bent, things to do with other wackos around our age and interests is also very important. Socially active folks tend to live longer.

Some folks like to escape the cold, I'd like to escape the heat. Otherwise, weather is not all that important to me unless it prevents me from doing something outdoors that I like to do. Such as skiing (need snow), canoeing (need rain fall somewhere in the watershed), motorcycling (can't be raining or snowing all the time!), taking pictures (should not be too hot or too cold or I stay inside - I ain't crazy).

Taxes and politics? Meh, we make enough to cover our share and as long as things aren't too far left or right and in general a good mix of both (don't like Yes people and still get the urge to tell someone they are an idgit  ::) ) to keep each side honest suits me just fine. Good ideas are pretty neutral.

I do tend to prefer a college town; the youngster tend to add a nice vibe to an area and I'm still young at heart; who wants to be stuck with a bunch of old people? They can't hear, fart too much, opinionated, and have too much time on their hands.  :wife:

[Wayne Orwig]

Great weather, motorcycling, kayaking, trout fishing, hiking, and a Moto Guzzi dealer.

And now Shenanigans has reopened.  :BEER:

I wish I was a good bit closer to there when I retire.

[jetmechmarty]

And now Shenanigans has reopened.  :BEER:

I wish I has a good bit closer to there when I retire.

Yes, it has!

[Vince in Milwaukee]

I hope to go to the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Knew a guy from Texas who said his home was God's country.  I'd say he was off by a good 1000 plus miles.  There's something about the Great Lakes that just draws me in.  I'd love to move to the U.P. of Michigan when I retire, but Barb wont have any of that. 

[blackbuell]

jetmechmarty,

I posted earlier that we have planned to retire in New Mexico, but alternatively we are also considering Dahlonega. My wife and I have spent a few weekends there and loved the area. I do have a few questions for you:

Are the winters very mild? Are you able to ride throughout most of the winter?

What is the housing market like?

Thanks,

Jon

[NorthRider]

After seeing that picture of Dahlonega, I too am intrigued about northern GA.
I'm currently in Florida and now planning a MC road trip up there in March. Only 600 miles away! :bike

[smartin108]

Last November my wife and I were driving to Athens, GA to visit the kids for Thanksgiving and I talked her into taking the scenic route with the intention of stopping at the dealership in Dahlonega.  Unfortunately they were closed all week but we were nevertheless impressed with the town and the local area.  I am interested in hearing what the housing situation is like as well.

[Lannis]

if you have the resources, i would think that you should live or continue to live where the people you care about live. 

Yep.  That's why the "grandchildren" factor ... !

Lannis

[Buckturgidson]

I am fortunate to more or less be in the spot I want for half the year, that's eastern Plumas County Ca./Reno for summers. My question is what to do Nov.-April. If I got motivated enough to spend 6 months getting my voice going again I would have a decent chance of being hired as an opera chorister in Phoenix/Tucson. That's the high road. The low road is living on the cheap a few winter months in Puerto Vallarta indulging in too much cervezq and tequila.

[Dean Rose]

Last November my wife and I were driving to Athens, GA to visit the kids for Thanksgiving and I talked her into taking the scenic route with the intention of stopping at the dealership in Dahlonega.  Unfortunately they were closed all week but we were nevertheless impressed with the town and the local area.  I am interested in hearing what the housing situation is like as well.

http://www.zillow.com/dahlonega-ga/

Dean

[Lannis]

he reminds me of Lannis

Whoever he is, I wonder if he often thought (as I do) that the recreational whining about supposed "political content" on the list is often more intrusive and distracting from the subject than the actual content itself?   

I'll bet there's less of it on the Isle of Man.  I'm off, I'm emigrating ....

Lannis

[jetmechmarty]

jetmechmarty,

I posted earlier that we have planned to retire in New Mexico, but alternatively we are also considering Dahlonega. My wife and I have spent a few weekends there and loved the area. I do have a few questions for you:

Are the winters very mild? Are you able to ride throughout most of the winter?

What is the housing market like?  

Thanks,

Jon

Hi Jon,
If winter isn't mild, it's short.  We get a few warm days and several to enjoy sitting beside the fireplace.  I ride my motorcycle all winter.  There may be a few days when it is parked due to ice and/or snow, but that isn't often.  I own no snowshovel.  Compared to the Atlanta area market, I find housing a bit on the high side here, but it appears to remain a bit depressed from the last slump where Atlanta has bounced back.  Finding a house can be a bit of a challenge due to the size of the market.  Dahlonega has 5,000 residents.  The University of North Georgia campus has 7,000 students.  There are about 30,000 in the county and that population is mostly in the south part of the county.  If you use MARTA, you can make ATL in two hours. (1 hr drive + 1 hr train)  Due to Atlanta's proximity, we get visitors.  Visitors mean business. For a small town, there are plenty of dining out options, not so much grocery store options.  Gainesville, and it's regional medical center and population of 25,000 is less than 45 minutes drive.

Oh, I turned on the AC in late August to dry out the house.  Otherwise, we enjoyed open windows all summer.  The occasional snow day isn't too bad.

We haven't had any yet this winter.  The area motorcycle resorts open 1 March!

Contact me by PM and I'll give you all the help I can.  I love it here!

[Cheese]

http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/US/GA/Dahlonega.html

[drw916]

Dean, 

Love the link.  I have been looking up each of the noted cities in Zillow as this discussion progresses. 

[gary martin]

had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a very nice looking, well dressed woman at a recent Dylan concert in Pittsburgh.  through her ex-husband's work she was friends with Les Paul, knows Willie Nelson, and has connections in the music world.  After their divorce her ex blew himself up along with his house and a collection of over 100 guitars. :o  Anyhow after retiring from a career of teaching on Rikers Island (!) she said she decided to retire in Pittsburgh.  When I expressed surprise at her decision she said I must be a Pittsburgh native because that's what she hears from everyone from here.  She said based on the research she did (cost of living, quality of life, medical care, cultural attractions, etc.) and her fondness for four seasons weather she moved from a condo overlooking the Hudson to one overlooking the Allegheny.  For now she'll depend on public transportation and her fold-up bicycle for getting around.  I didn't think of offering my services for rides, car or bike, outside the city. That's me . . . Mr. Smooth. ::)

[oldbike54]

Gary , I read nice things about Pittsburgh . Interesting places to eat , museums , good live music .

  Dusty

[Cheese]

Gary , I read nice things about Pittsburgh . Interesting places to eat , museums , good live music .

  Dusty

I've had some great rides just west of there on both sides of the Ohio River. A bit of fracking/lots of trucks in Ohio last fall but they'll be gone after wells are finished.

Peter

[jetmechmarty]

I've had some great rides just west of there on both sides of the Ohio River. A bit of fracking/lots of trucks in Ohio last fall but they'll be gone after wells are finished.

Peter

The first oil well was in Northwestern Pennsylvania, and they're still pumping!  It doesn't appear that it will be finished any time soon.

[fotoguzzi]

did someone ask for more pics?

[Cheese]

The first oil well was in Northwestern Pennsylvania, and they're still pumping!  It doesn't appear that it will be finished any time soon.

We have observed that most of the heavy truck traffic carrying sand and water during well development in Pa and WV disappears shortly after gas production occurs. Then the local roads go back to pre-frack traffic which is typically light. This may not happen in Ohio but I hope so!

Peter

[Rich A]

We plan to relocate from Kentucky to New Mexico in a few years; probably to the SW part of the state, maybe near Silver City. Wonderful MC roads and great scenery, best Mexican food in the USA, inexpensive housing, not too hot in summer (effect of altitude), short winters. I lived in the big QQ for 15 years, but moved east in 1985; sure miss that part of the country.

Jon

Just saw this--50 best small town downtowns (Silver City = #4): http://www.bestchoicereviews.org/50-best-small-town-downtowns-in-america/

Rich A

[Wayne Orwig]

I've had some great rides just west of there on both sides of the Ohio River. A bit of fracking/lots of trucks in Ohio last fall but they'll be gone after wells are finished.

My wife and I are from the southeastern Ohio area. We were there in early December, and I drove around and got lost in the country roads. Fracking equipment was everywhere. Signs telling them what bridges they can and can't use. What roads they can use. I sure hope they don't damage the water table, because most of those people rely on well water.

[Wayne Orwig]

I posted earlier that we have planned to retire in New Mexico, but alternatively we are also considering Dahlonega. My wife and I have spent a few weekends there and loved the area. I do have a few questions for you:

Are the winters very mild? Are you able to ride throughout most of the winter?

I ride year round, and I am about an hour away from Dahlonega.
You DO get all four seasons here. And last year everything was closed down for a few days because of snow and ice (no salt or snow removal equipment). Having lived in Ohio over half of my life, no salt on the roads is a GOOD thing. The bad part is that the really hot part of the summer lasts a LONG time. About two months, compared to Ohio's two weeks.

[Dean Rose]

Our summers last longer here too but it's only really HOT for maybe a couple of weeks to a month. But then we have some snow and cold weather for a few months. It's worth it for the roads we have to ride on here.

http://www.usa.com/24141-va-weather.htm#HistoricalSnow


Dean