Anyone Retire to Another State?

[Sam S.]

If so, where and why? Currently, I live smack dab in the middle of the country (Nebraska), and am getting tired of high taxes, cold in winter and hot/humid in the summers. Have a few years to go working, but guy can plan and research can't he? Anyway, post your experience or thoughts. Where, and Why.

 

Thanks!

[grasshopper]

a lot depends on what you want.

What do you consider necessary?  Cultural opportunity, hospitals, quiet ....Do you like outdoor activities?  Are you a city or country type? or wanna be.

 

I am retired, out in the sticks. Cut wood for heat... have unreliable electricity, phone and net service...it's 40 miles to a supermarket. We have a general store, post office and bar... 5 churches  2] Baptist, a Catholic church, an all faiths and a Baha'i.. Prolly some Sun worshippers and Wiccahs

and i within 15 miles of the Mexican border

I wouldn't live anywhere else.

[BigStewMan]

Left Los Angeles and went to Oregon. State income tax for me is HIGHER in Oregon -- which caught me off guard so I found myself owing several thousands of dollars when I did my taxes.. No Sales tax here though. Weather not even close to being as nice. Housing a lot cheaper. 

Never realized how much weather can affect my mood, so this move has been rough. 

there are things that I don't miss about SoCal, but things that I really miss a lot.

I didn't think Oregon was going to be a better place, and it's certainly not -- I just wanted to experience something different. 

Do a lot of thinking about what really matters to you. Sadly, sometimes those things aren't realized until we no longer have them; but one can only do the best they can.  I thought I could deal with the weather; but have found that this constant dampness is maddening. 

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I'd like to live in a place that meets the following:

 

small town - Maybe up to 100K but less is OK

a home depot (must have)

Good internet (must have)

supermarkets

a strip mall or two

a farmers market that has good produce

Other farming such as chickens, beef etc available from farmers

Hopefully decent weather.  I like the dry heat of the desert, but know that winters will be worse. 

low taxes (hopefully)

Plenty of water

 

 

[grasshopper]

That was Kauai when I was there.  ~50,000 people on the whole island.

 

I hear things have changed for the worse there. I dunno. Haven't been back in 20 years.

[BigStewMan]

15 minutes ago, grasshopper said:

That was Kauai when I was there.  ~50,000 people on the whole island.

I was there circa 2007 ... rented a car and drove the entire island.  A lot of chickens running around. 

[Srinath]

26 minutes ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I'd like to live in a place that meets the following:

 

small town - Maybe up to 100K but less is OK

a home depot (must have)

Good internet (must have)

supermarkets

a strip mall or two

a farmers market that has good produce

Other farming such as chickens, beef etc available from farmers

Hopefully decent weather.  I like the dry heat of the desert, but know that winters will be worse. 

low taxes (hopefully)

Plenty of water

 

 

South Carolina to a T. Many other places too I'll bet. Add cheap good seafood, good BBQ, etc etc and you start to get interestingly more SC.

Its not a dry heat - its random heat. dry, semi dry, humid, same with winters.

BTW this place has a lot of bugs. That's the biggest problem IMHO. Northern SC is better for that - charlotte through Spartanburg arc I believe, closer to the coast and its similar to Columbia where I am.

 

[Sam S.]

Interesting responses. Thanks to you all. Srinath: Never thought much about SC, but hear it's "tax friendly" overall for retirees. Interesting that you mention bugs, as I went out to my yard this AM for about 10 minutes and got destroyed by mosquitoes (I have the blood type). For kicks, I checked weather of Columbia compared to Lincoln. Unscientific I know, but today:

 

Lincoln: 88, 60% humidity, heat index 96.

Columbia: 92, 40% humidity, heat index 97.

 

I'd like to spend a year or 2 post-retirement traveling and visiting places. Never been to SC, so that can go on the list.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Bugs are going to be an issue for me.  Mosquitoes love me and I hate them. 

 

You can leave your windows open here and and no bugs.  Big advantage of the desert.  Also, when it is really hot, like 108 to 110, as soon as the sun goes behind the mountains, it is still hot, but feel really nice to go outside in the evenings.  I grew up with snow where there was no relief fro the cold. 

[Tarheel]

Good thread Sam!  I like to hear the pluses and minuses of different areas.  I'm in NC and just four miles from the ocean but for the first time could consider a move. 

[BigStewMan]

34 minutes ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

Bugs are going to be an issue for me.  Mosquitoes love me and I hate them. 

 

You can leave your windows open here and and no bugs.  Big advantage of the desert.  Also, when it is really hot, like 108 to 110, as soon as the sun goes behind the mountains, it is still hot, but feel really nice to go outside in the evenings.  I grew up with snow where there was no relief fro the cold. 

I lived in the desert for a while and you're right about the nights. nothing better than a warm desert night and I'll take black widows over mosquitos -- far fewer black widows. 

[Srinath]

Mosquitos aren't the bugs I was cautioning you about.

The part of SC that doesn't border North or western NC will have in abundance, termites, fire ants which eat termites, spiders, roaches, other bugs affectionatly called palmetto bugs, cos we're the palmetto state, and other crap you've not even heard of.

Its not even like they're getting in your house to eat food, that can be prevented by hygiene - they're just getting in for no good reason.

Of course out state bird is the gnat, so those are abundant as well especially if you have a plant in the house.

On the bright side 1000's of edible weeds grow here, 100's of farmers raise and sell various things including raw milk, and you find a farmer every other block and @ the flea/farmers market organic meat is almost cheaper than Walmart meat. 

 

@Tarheel - 4 miles from the ocean, in SC you're paying an arm and both legs for that in any of the metros. BTW it all metro when its on the ocean. Charleston, MB, Hilton head yea all $$$.

BTW the only 1/2 decent school districts - I know you wont have kids but without that your property values would tank - but of course buying an existing house, its all priced in - Near Spartanburg, fort mill, near Charleston and Richland 2 and Lex/rich5 are the only 5 1/2 decent ones. So build a house and you'd lose your shirt outside of these. Buy an existing older house and you can get that same discount when you buy. Make sure you count that in and don't let the realtor say - "you don't have any kids going to school, so don't worry about that now".

[dbomberger]

Grew up in Lincoln, lived in North Platte, and Omaha (mostly) until 4.5 years ago when I retired and moved to Green Valley, AZ.  A half hour south of Tucson.  20 minutes to home depot, a retirement community of about 30,000.  I've always wanted to live in Arizona and when I retired it happened.  This is the Sonoran Desert at about 3000 feet.  Great place really at least from my perspective. I actually bought my home about four years before I retired and spent plenty of time there before.  The annual monsoons started yesterday, and they are a great experience. It does get hot, but much more comfortable than Omaha in the summer. 

[Jeff Matthews]

St. George, Utah looks like a great small city.  It has all kinds of new everything.  Plus, great outdoor adventure in all directions.

[babadono]

@grasshopper , @dbomberger you guys is practically neighbors

[Coytee]

I grew up in Ohio, via work...lived in Sioux City Iowa then Indianapolis.  Left to get into current business and moved to Charleston, SC.  Changed firms and moved to Knoxville.

 

Tennessee doesn't have state income tax.  Not as nasty cold as you might get in Ohio, Iowa or Indiana.  Can be hot/muggy, but not as bad as Charleston.....then again as I reflect, it might actually be worse because we're in the Cumberland Valley and it might sit here verses blowing away.

 

None the less, you get all four seasons but no single season is as extreme as it might be if you went north/south.  So, winters are much more mild.  Many winters, I just wear a (lined) wind breaker....then again, I walk to car, drive to office and walk inside so it's not like I'm doing a lot outdoors at work.

 

Still, nowhere near as ugly as Ohio, Michigan, Iowa...  Summers are warm/hot but not as muggy as you might get in Texas or Louisiana. 

 

Sitting (in Knoxville) on two major arteries....  I-40 east/west and I-75 north/south.

 

Best thing in Knoxville is you wouldn't have to put up with me!!!  I live in Greenback.

 

Edit to add:  You might look  up Maryville, TN.  At one time, I think I read that it was the fastest growing city in the country.  Then again, maybe they all say that but, it IS a nice small town with all the goodies and close to Knoxville.  You are at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.

[grasshopper]

uh huh

dbomberger is where the supermarket is... ~40 miles.

in the cactus desert. 

we have plans to listen to each others stuff when things settle down.

 

it is about 1000ft higher and 10` cooler in the AM, and 5` cooler for high temps here. 

[grasshopper]

@Coytee

are the winters wet and cold/ish? Not so much snow as cold rain?

[Coytee]

Generally rain but can get snow.  If it snows, it usually won't last long HOWEVER, it has lasted a while from time to time.  One thing I think is funny....  "today is WEDNESDAY and you are watching the 6:00 news....  forecast is for FRIDAY, to have 1/2" of snow...."  so they will usually call school off for Friday  I think I witnessed once where they might have cancelled school on THURSDAY, the day before but my memory is foggy on that.  I DO know they'll usually call school off in advance if it's forecast to be about 1/2" snow.

 

When you've grown up further north where they won't call school off in anything less than 5-6 inches....  it's a bit comical.  

 

As much as I'm OVER cold winter weather, the winters here are generally very nice and doable.  I remember the day I moved to Sioux City.  Fresh out of college, had my moving trailer behind my 4-4-2.  Started to pull all my lowely belongings out of the trailer and carry them into the apartment.  There was zero snow out.  Within about two hours, by the time I got done emptying the trailer, it had started snowing and by now, the snow was up to my knees.  I remember thinking to myself "what HAVE I gotten myself into???"

[grasshopper]

we deal with snow the same. We get it a couple times a year. ... and stay in until it's gone... usually by noon.

 

when I was working in GreenValley, I kept food/water and a change of clothes in the car.  The summer rains can fill the dry creek beds [washes] and we have to wait for them to subside. We call those gatherings "wash parties". You are never stuck alone. Meet your neighbors.