Best Place to Retire in about 10 years? Suggestions

[Hugh R]

I'm 55 and wifey is 53. Our plan is to sell our house in El Aye (I think it's solidly worth $650K now (once was about $900K) and I think in 10 years it will return to that range. What I'm pretty sure of is that I'm going to move out of Cali, too expensive between taxes and general cost of living. I'm thinking of looking to buy a place now somewhere else, since the market is pretty low most places. I'd rent it for ten years, or if a great place, maybe even a vacation home.

My criteria, low or no state income taxes, property taxes are not a killer, so leave out New England, New York, New Jersey.

I want not humid, not oven door hot and not feet of snow in the winter (don't mind a little snow, but I grew up in Boston and had 25 years of it before I moved to SoCal.

I'm thinking Oregon, Washington State, northern Arizona, New Mexico.

I'm starting to do some looking, but with Pelicans all across these fruited plains, I figure you guys are a good place to start for initial direction. Donna and I would go and visit good prospects.

I've been told its good to be around or at least near a university town because they tend to be a little more alive, and probably have a better selection of doctors. No health issues, yet.

[jjwood]

Austin, Texas...but you didn't hear it from me.

[campbellcj]

Subscribed...we're only 42 but I have a growing suspicion we'll be itching to get out of here in the next 10 years or so as well. Crap, we paid so much in Calif tax alone last year, it probably would have bought a friggen HOUSE in some parts of the country. And it's only getting worse.

[Dueller]

So what are your/wife's interests? Don't laugh but Oxford Mississippi (home of Ol' Miss) was ranked as one of the top 10 places to retire recently by Money magazine.

Thatr being said I don't think you can go wrong with Ashville, NC or the general area.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jjwood

Austin, Texas...but you didn't hear it from me.

Word.

If you like horses, outdoors and golf come up my way a bit N of Dallas.

[red-beard]

Austin

[Noah930]

Austin sounds like a good recommendation. I looked at jobs in TX, before coming out to California. Had I found a job in Austin, I would have strongly considered it. It was the TX city that my TX-born friends most commonly recommended for me to look at. No state income tax in TX.

Oregon is a nice place to live, too. No sales tax. 8% income tax, IIRC? And another 1% if you live in Portland (Multnomah County). It's not as wet as people make it out to be. But it does stay gray for awhile. No real snow (maybe 2-4 days per year). Summers are perfect. Tons of outdoor stuff to do, year-round. But the liberal slant of PDX might rub you the wrong way. 50% of Oregonians live in PDX. I suppose the other 50% live in smaller towns and seem to lean towards the other political spectrum. I lived in Portland during the Bush-Gore election, and that's the way the voting seemed to turn out, IMO.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Austin sounds like a good recommendation. I looked at jobs in TX, before coming out to California. Had I found a job in Austin, I would have strongly considered it. It was the TX city that my TX-born friends most commonly recommended for me to look at. No state income tax in TX.

Oregon is a nice place to live, too. No sales tax. 8% income tax, IIRC? And another 1% if you live in Portland (Multnomah County). It's not as wet as people make it out to be. But it does stay gray for awhile. No real snow (maybe 2-4 days per year). Summers are perfect. Tons of outdoor stuff to do, year-round. But the liberal slant of PDX might rub you the wrong way. 50% of Oregonians live in PDX. I suppose the other 50% live in smaller towns and seem to lean towards the other political spectrum. I lived in Portland during the Bush-Gore election, and that's the way the voting seemed to turn out, IMO.

9% income tax in Oregon, Noah... Many live in Washington State, which has no income tax, then shop in Oregon, which has no sales tax. Vancouver Washinton has grown rapidly because of this....it's just North of Portland, across the Columbia River.

[porsche4life]

I gripe about the weather all the time but OK has some really nice places. Home prices arent bad.

[tabs]

High Propery tax in WA

The great Zion..lots of Brits

Prescott, AZ
Tucson AZ... good choice, lots of amenities. U AZ..
Albuquerque, NM
Reno, NV

NC would be a place to check out...

[krichard]

can't go wrong with Austin. Well actually I'd look a little further west, dripping springs, Blanco, Fredricksburg among many great places. Plus if Perry gets his way we will be our own nation in the next couple years I live in SW Austin, dripping springs/driftwood area on a couple acres. It's nice, close enough to the big city and the cost of housing is extremely reasonable. For what you could sell you house now for you could get a very nice house on 10-15 acres..... Oh did anyone mention there's no state income tax?

[pwd72s]

Nevada might be a good state to look into. My retired pilot buddy uses Reno (Actually, Sparks) as his home base, also owns a condo in Yuma, Arid-zona for his winter digs.

[Dottore]

Anyone thought of going overseas?

Thailand for example? Some of the best and most accessible medical care on the planet, and great retirement communities?

Portugal is also very popular, as are Turkey and Greece.

You could also do very well in Argentina or Chile.

Or Poland for that matter.

[HardDrive]

Seattle fits your bill, but it rains for about 6 months out of the year. Oddly, its not what I would call humid. Its typically cool when it rains here, so the humidity is not that bad. The summers are fantastic and long.

[artplumber]

I wouldn't go to a university town because of docs. If the docs are really there because of the U, it's a pretty big town. Exceptions do exist. Overall there is more "culture" in a u town which can occupy time and enliven the remaining neurons.

Austin is getting huge. No longer a "town". Now if you mean cities... Sounds like you are staying west with those weather requirements. I suggest you look at some coastal southern towns. The humidity isn't as oppressive as you might think. And you should know that it's good for your skin If you can stand some humidity, take a look at Athens and Chattanooga.

Tabs should have included Flagstaff (UNorthernArizona) which gets some snow if he was going to include Tucson (I don't care what they say - 115 degrees is 115). Tucson is also no longer a town although they won't build some more freeways because they want to keep it a "town"

[Hugh R]

Wow, great responses. I've been looking at AZ, CO, NV, NM, ID, OR, WA, ID. TX and TN.

In general, I want a low tax state with mild weather. Idaho and Texas look good, Oregon and Colorado have really high property taxes. I should add that I'll own the house free and clear a year or two before I "retire"

[KNS]

Prescott, AZ is nice (I lived there for many years) but it has made "best place to retire" list several times and is now over-run with so many SoCal retirees and geriatrics that it looks like Sun City or Del Boca Vista.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by artplumber

if he was going to include Tucson (I don't care what they say - 115 degrees is 115). Tucson is also no longer a town although they won't build some more freeways because they want to keep it a "town"

Pansy

Tucson is Austin with less humidity and lots more mountains. Austin is Tucson with a river (with water!). I thing the two towns could be physically swapped and no one would know.

[Hebrewhomeboy]

What's your preference as far as city/rural?

I'd love to retire in CO one day, maybe a tad bit too much snow in some parts, but it's beautiful out there. Plus pike's peak is out there, which would give me an excuse to buy a race car (hill climb car!). And prices aren't too too bad.

Anywhere in the southeast you're going to have to deal with humid summers and in many cases large temperature variations throughout the year. However in many cases the cost of living is less than on the west coast.

My mom grew up near Albequerque NM, not much out there, but if you like the desert then it's good stuff.

Personally I love the west coast, but it always seems too expensive. I'll have to check out Oregon. Of course, I still have at least 15 years before I consider retirement, but it's always nice to plan ahead I guess.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I'm 55 and wifey is 53. Our plan is to sell our house in El Aye (I think it's solidly worth $650K now (once was about $900K) and I think in 10 years it will return to that range. What I'm pretty sure of is that I'm going to move out of Cali, too expensive between taxes and general cost of living. I'm thinking of looking to buy a place now somewhere else, since the market is pretty low most places. I'd rent it for ten years, or if a great place, maybe even a vacation home.

My criteria, low or no state income taxes, property taxes are not a killer, so leave out New England, New York, New Jersey.

I want not humid, not oven door hot and not feet of snow in the winter (don't mind a little snow, but I grew up in Boston and had 25 years of it before I moved to SoCal.

I'm thinking Oregon, Washington State, northern Arizona, New Mexico.

I'm starting to do some looking, but with Pelicans all across these fruited plains, I figure you guys are a good place to start for initial direction. Donna and I would go and visit good prospects.

I've been told its good to be around or at least near a university town because they tend to be a little more alive, and probably have a better selection of doctors. No health issues, yet.

Check out Utah. When i was there a few years back it seriously hurt me to leave.

What a beautiful place.

Originally Posted by porsche4life

I gripe about the weather all the time but OK has some really nice places. Home prices arent bad.

I hated Oklahoma (i was stationed there)

IMO the term "god forsaken" was invented for that place. Most of the women were dog ugly too.

Given Hugh's former MOS it's likely he's already seen that place anyway.