Jon

We are 5 years from retirement and would like to start researching or visiting potential cities/states for residing in 8-9 months of the year. We intend to keep our home in Wisconsin for the summer months. Ideal climate would be warm (not too hot)with mild 50-65 degree winters. Inland water frontage or access to an inland lake would be a plus in choosing a state. I realize this is a very broad question but am hoping someone can guide us to several states to begin our search. We would welcome any insight or suggestions anyone might have. Thank you.

cedar

Check out the" best city to live in" on the forum below.

cedar

It is in the 2nd list of 50 questions..."Best Place to Live?"

Al

Selecting a place to retire is like hunting ducks -- you need to lead the flock. And that is what you are doing -- looking five years ahead. I might suggest you check out the web site: sedonachamber.com for Sedona, AZ. Lots of active midwesterners, winter weather to meet your specifications, great outdoor activities, etc. Small town of 16,000. Low taxes. Excellent transportation, medical, and cultural facilities. My word of advice: avoid so-called "retirement" communities where you must be 55 years or older. Check 'em out and you will see why.

tarheel

Two words, all possibilities: North Carolina

Carlie

We are early retirees....We live in N.`MI. and rent in NE FL. for 3 months.
We moved to the Traverse City area to retire because of the natural beauty and quality of life.... and just travel from there.
I like the idea of not being trapped into a location. When you are retired, your thinking shifts...you no longer HAVE to be on a schedule, or HAVE to live in a place because of a career.
Flexibility gives you freedom.
For the time being, the St. Augustine area works for us from Jan.
thru March.....not crowed, great winter weather, lots to do and see and ....ocean and intracoastal waterway.
I did a lot of research before we retired....The Places Rated books are very helpful.

Karyn

Message to Al,
Am very interested in your comment about
retirement communities for people over 55. My parents are looking at relocating closer to us in the New orleans area and there is a community such as this that we were thinking about. Anything I should know? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Christie

Sounds like you'd enjoy Texas!! We do have the mild winters like you're looking for, plus, many of our smaller cities have other retirees like yourselves. We also have NO state income tax, and property taxes are usually reasonable in most cities.

Some cities I'd recommend:
Almost anywhere in the Hill Country (Canyone Lake and Inks Lake both have large numbers of retirees
San Angelo (HUGE retiree community, very small town feel, and a big lake)
East Texas- Athens, Palestine, Tyler (all three have good lakes nearby)
or San Antonio (Large numbers of military retirees love it there!)

Good Luck!

lisa

I second the nomination for North Carolina. I lived in Charlotte for three years when I was in my twenties and liked it very much (ended up moving to Washington, DC for work, which I actually like even better, but that's neither here nor there). My mother, who is in her late 50s, moved to Charlotte almost two years ago and thinks she died and went to heaven (we are from Michigan originally). The weather is remarkable -- sunny and clear blue skies almost all the time. Yes, it's hot in the summer but not terribly humid (certainly more comfortable than Washington DC), and the winters are mild (one winter I never took out my heavy coat) with highs in the low 50s in January. Charlotte is only a couple of hours from the beautiful mountains in the western part of the state, and about 3 hours to the beaches in the east. There are two good-sized lakes just outside of Charlotte: Lake Norman and Lake Wylie. Charlotte is also a comfortable place to move to because it is full of transplants as it is growing at a booming pace. In fact, the booming growth has led to one of the few downsides of the city: the increasingly heavy traffic. Other than that, it's lovely. You might also want to think about Asheville, NC, which is very pretty and has lots of retirees (but a harsher winter climate). Good luck!

gburg

If you want to feel like an outsider all the rest of your life, go south of the Mason-Dixon line. Oh, they will drip honeyed words all over you. But if you weren't born there, you will be like a round peg in a square hole forever.

casey

Isn't Charlotte a bit too conservative?

sue

Stay away from the Ozarks...Branson area...it is the end of the world!!!!!!!Everyone is either a native or really OLD!

teri

How about southern California? Maybe Orange County or San Diego...mild weather all year round for lots of outside activities. Teri

Hal

I would say So. Fla. is a no-brainer. Plenty of other "Snowbirds" who migrate down en masse for the winter (80 degrees/little humidity in February). The So. Fla. west coast is less populated than east (Ft. Lauderdale), and more affordable in general. A lot of your fellow Snowbirds will be from WI, MI, MN, Germany, Canada, England, to name a few. Ft. Myers, Naples, Bonita Beach, Sanibel and Captiva are all different but neighboring towns. Worth a look I promise.

Christie

Texas is also a haven for the "Snowbirds" in the wintertime! I know Del Rio, Brownsville, McAllen and Harlingen actually have big "Welcome Snowbird" Festival events! Most of these Snowbirds do the RV thing- there are hundreds of RV parks, and many offer organized activities, such as shoppng trips to Mexico, square dances, bingo, etc. that cater to them.

However, if I were looking for a place to purchase real estate, these cities wouldn't be too high on my list. NAFTA has brought many more white-collar managers to the border cities to work inthe maquiladoras in Mexico, and these folks are making property values soar! Finding a good, yet affordable home is quickly becoming more difficut.

I still recommend the Texas Hill Country- you will find plenty of other retirees there, plus it's really beautiful and has wonderful lakes and weather!

Al

It takes a hurricane like Floyd to make one realize that eastern North Carolina is a great place to go boating...in your front yard.

judy

We retired very young...and one thing you do not want to do is be somewhere that everyone is alike. I would stay away from "retirement" havens...and be young...live somewhere that feels good, and check out Northern Idaho...beautiful place...

Delawarean

Somehow I read your query when looking for information about Texas Hill Country, which I've visited before and loved it ----- just curious, did you decide on a retirement location?

travleis

Clinton was still president when this was first posted. I'll gues that "Jon" has made his decision and has moved on by now.

ronkala

Wherever you THINK you would like to retire, research it well and spend two or three weeks there before you retire. Make sure it suits all of your needs. If you travel, you will want easy access to the interstates and not be too far from an airport. Having a hospital nearby is also important, as is food shopping.