Any suggetion where to retire?
 

My husand and I are looking at several different cities to retire. He is 52 & I am 45 stil fairly young retires. We are currently looking at Ashville,NC;Williamsport,PA;Birlington,VT. Does anyone know of any web sites to check out which they compares states income tax rates,education,hospital & doctor care and rate different areas. We prefer a cooler climate or somewhere near mountains. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Eileen

Eileen: If you can visit your library or bookstore, look in RETIREMENT PLACES RATED by David Savageau. Much of the information in these types of books is slanted towards the author's preferences but there is info on state income taxes. For example PA gives full exclusion to public and private pensions. We just took early retirement and moved to a place we are not happy with. E-mail me if you want to hear the details and my advice. Check the website of realtor.com to get a feel for cost of housing in various areas. And you can view photos of the homes. Good luck. Nancy

We are early retirees and moved to Traverse City, MI....near the Great Lakes and hundreds of inland lakes. In the winter we rent in warmer climes. You have to set your priorities...How do you want to spend most of your time? Remember, If you are looking at small towns, you most certainly going to experience a more narrow way of life and thinking. I, also, recommend the above book....and load of other retirement books! <BR>

May I suggest that you try someplace other than PA or VT. They are extremely expensive and not reaaly a lot of retired people move there as a result. I would suggest NC or GA areas along the coast if you don't mind a few hurricanes once in a while.

We are 50 and 51 and thinking of selling and moving out of California in the next year or two also. This state sucks the you know what out of ya! But if I could I would retire up near Paso Robles or Atascadero, California. Beautiful rolling hills, open farmland, not to far from the ocean. I think we will be gearing our search towards Southern Oregon. We visited Ashland, Oregon in our 20's and loved it. Home of the Shakesphere Festival. My other thoughts are the higher altitude areas of New Mexico. Love the East Coast but not sure if I'm ready to retire there. Didn't like the humidity in New Jersey in the summer or the cold in the winter. So if anyone has retired or lives in the above places would love to hear about it!

Anywhere as long as it is in the great state of California. Hundreds of small towns with great scenery and a reasonable cost of living.

The most important thing to know in choosing a retirement site is...yourself. If you are in good health, you will have a big chunk of your life ahead of you. Choose wisely. <BR>You need a good public library because your mind needs stimulation. A junior college nearby is a plus. You need opportunities for exercise, so a mild climate helps get you out of doors. You should avoid communities filled with only the elderly, such as those that require residents to be of a certain age or older. You should avoid communities dominated by persons with the same background (such as the military) unless you are of that same background. Some communities are predominantly from the same religious background. In such cases, if you are not of that career or religious background, your social life will be restricted or you will feel left out. Find a place where you can give freely of your time as a volunteer. Find a place where money is not the predominant common element, unless, of course, you are rich. Know yourself.

My husband and are also looking to retire and wanted to stay on the West Coast. We currently live in Portland, Oregon and love it, but too rainy. After much research of other areas (Arizona mostly), we decided on Bend, Oregon. It is beautiful with mountains and rivers everwhere. The town is has about 45,000 people and it is big recreational area for people in California and Oregon. It is a fabulous spot - especially for us because we own horses and there are millions of acres of BLM and Forestry Wilderness for us to ride. It is high desert so it's a bit cold in the winter (but, clear) and a bit hot in the summer (cool evenings tho), and never humid (like on the East Coast and South). Perfect for us! <BR>Any more questions, please let me know. <BR>

I am young so I am not sure how much my opinion matters but I just had a mentor retire to port townsend, Washington. He loves it and has a great house. he swears that it is the greatest decison he ever made. I have seen pictures and just love it. Also, I live near Bear Lake (which sits on the border of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming) It is a quiet, laidback town far from the hussle and bussle. Only 15 minutes down the Mountain from Beaver Mt. Ski Resort, 40 Minutes from the nearest college (with an extension center in bear lake) and just under 2 hours from Salt Lake City and about 2 1/2 hrs from Pocetello ID!