Brookings, OR or Ventura, CA

Old Jun 23rd, 2011, 04:30 PM
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Brookings, OR or Ventura, CA

Hi plese help my mom and I relocate to the BEST place to retire either Ventura, CA or Brookings OR. It must be something near the coast as she currently lives inland and hates the heat. I'm getting severe asthma from being inland. She currently lives close to Sacramento n is ready for a change. I breathe best when I am around moisture and I do not have problems with mildew. I am sick n in hospital with pollen and grass. Please don't be shy. Thank you.
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Old Jun 23rd, 2011, 05:56 PM
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There is so much we don't know about you and your mom that this is just about impossible to answer.

Do either or both of you need to work even part-time?
Will you buy or rent?
Does your mom own property in Sacto (and would hope to transfer a low property tax rate)?
How/why did you pick these places, and is it just between the two?
Do you like rain?
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Old Jun 23rd, 2011, 08:20 PM
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Jean is right. We need a little more info.
What I can tell you, Brookings is often call the "Banana Belt" of Oregon. It is often the warmest town in Oregon because of the warm air flowing down the Chetco River valley.
Another interesting town a little way up the coast is Gold Beach at the mouth of the Rogue River.
I have never liked the tax situation for living in CA and I think it is only going to get worse.
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Old Jun 24th, 2011, 09:41 AM
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"Hot" is a subjective term. What is considered hot in Brookings would be mild in Ventura. Knowing nothing more than you have posted, I vote for Brookings...I'm just not into Southern California congestion. Besides, Ventura does not fit my definition of "on the water."
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Old Jun 24th, 2011, 08:00 PM
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I'm sorry I did not give enough info I will try to do so now. Yes we own property in Sacto area n she wants to sell it to buy something in the new town. Once retirement comes Mom only wants to work for something to do. Isolation is bad for anyone especially seniors so the new town must be friendly to retirees. I too am working I'm currently working towards being a Marriage n Family Therapist. Mom has been looking at different places and she really likes the real estate prices and "bannan belt" of Brookings. It must be coastal due to severe asthma. We are also looking at Ventura because we use to live there before the State moved her up here. Do we like rain? Some yes but not a daily average which is one reason we are shy of Oregon. All we here is how inundated you are with fog, gray clouds and rain, we are Californians we do need the sun.It does not have to be on the water just coastal with cool sea air to breathe and refreshing moisture in the air not hot humidity. Taxes are very important or the lack of them, and breathing is too as this move is being prompted by severe athma. I thank you so much for any and all help. Please ask me more questions it it helps. Thank You.
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Old Jun 24th, 2011, 08:51 PM
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If your mom intends to buy elsewhere in California, she should investigate the real estate tax implications. Median home sales prices in Ventura are significantly higher than Sacramento, and it's likely her property taxes will go waaay up.

Likewise, if your mom intends to buy in Oregon, she should understand what taxes, if any, apply there.

In terms of you and your career goals, where will you continue your studies in/near Brookings, OR, and how easy will it be to find a job in Marriage and Family Therapy in a town with a population of 6,000?
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Old Jun 25th, 2011, 06:34 AM
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Good questions how far is it to Portland? I may need to finish my education there and then work there. Once she is settled I will be much more at ease. Yes with the right help I'm sure my mom can learn about the taxes she is highly intelligent. We had not found the populatin for Brookings yet, thanks for letting me know. It's much smalller than I thought sure sounds beautiful though. How much fog, gray clouds and rain does it receive? Thanks for replying.
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Old Aug 28th, 2011, 06:11 PM
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Ventura gets my vote, hands down. It is much warmer and drier. Brookings gets over 9 inches a rain in November, December, January, February, and March--58 inches more rain each year than Ventura.

Ventura is a pleasant town which is only 30 miles from Santa Barbara and 65 miles from L.A. and all those cities have to offer.

Brookings, on the other hand, is 250 miles from a city of any size (Eugene, population 156,000).

When I think of Brookings, I think of a 60-something woman working at a store there who, when I asked her how she likes the town she said, "I'm trying to find a way out of this ***#!! place."
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Old Aug 28th, 2011, 06:39 PM
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What's best for your mother may not be what's best for you.

My mother benefited immensely from a warm, mild climate and a social group that she found at the local senior center. That gave her an identity independent from me and provided her with outings and programs she really enjoyed. I can't emphasize enough what these peers did for her mental and physical wellbeing that I could not have done.

Brookings, to me, is very very isolated. It is not easy for an older person to independently get to major shopping or a major health facility. There are probably not readily available specialists for her medical problems.

Ventura certainly isn't a paradise, either. Very high cost of accomodations. But I would agree the climate is warmer and drier, and she would have more access to activities.
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Old Aug 28th, 2011, 06:55 PM
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I would speak to a real estate agent in the various cities in Oregon that you might consider to find out what the annual real estate taxes on property would be.

In California the annual RE tax is about 1% of the sales price of the home. In some states it can be anywhere from 5-14% for your annual property tax rate. That could be a real money grabber.
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Old Aug 28th, 2011, 07:04 PM
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Take a look at Bend OR before you jump on anything in Brookings.
Bend is now over 80,000 people many of them from CA. They have a great Medical Center and senior center.
On the other hand in CA, The families of Navy retirees tend to retire to San Diego.
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