I don't want to stay in a place that's too quiet. I don't want to be 'quiet'. Not yet anyway. And we have the Cape beaches when we need peace. I can find a solitary beach on any day on the Cape or Islands, even in the height of the summer season. I'm trying to find a place that provides balance; a homebase that provides a bit of everything. Maybe this is too subjective and we will just have to visit more places!

" starrs can speak more to this than I can"

Yep. But not on this thread. ;)


OO, good descriptions. Y'all have created an ideal retirement. Sweet! :-)

Thanks, OO. Enjoy your retirement (I never referred to Savannah as an urban Anything, btw. I'm not sure where you got that. I must not have been clear.)

Florida is not for me; obviously it is a favorite to many. We sail on the Cape (race out of Block Island) so I know how important a coastal area can be.

Thanks for your help, OO!

Hello there:
I'm from CT and have visited both Savannah & Charleston. You are smart to leave CT - incredibly high taxes right now and what I personally think is a diminishing qol for the $$! Anyway, I refered to Charleston as the "Newport of the South". That's how I felt about it when I was there. Savannah seemed a bit grittier to me - but there is something about that city that tugs at your heart. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly. OO brings up a good suggestion. Know a number of CT people that are now in Sarasota - living it up!!

My bad perhaps, but when you said " we both prefer to be near an urban oasis" etc and were considering Savannah as one of your possibilities, it sounded as if you thought Savanah was (an urban oasis). Savannah is a very nice little town. It has a symphony well supported by the community, but a big part of that is the Landings community, where much of the wealth settled. We loved living there, but nice as it was, it didn't meet many of our needs.

This morning I was thinking about what's important in retirement. My apologies, because this is going to be long.

You don't mention having children, but if you do, take them into consideration, and the fact that you'll also probably have grandchildren one day. One of ours lives in Dallas and will never leave, so we are at least driving distance to them from SA. The other lives here, 10 minutes from us. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be able to go to our little grandson's school concerts, or to pop in for just a second and visit...or spend an entire day sailing with them!

Although you are young, you still need to think about good medical facilities! There are two of you, and unfortunately, the odds of one or the other getting smacked with something serious are quite real, and you don't have to be old and decrepit for it to happen. I got smacked...the one who has always worked-out, eaten well etc. healthy as the proverbial horse, then wham. And it happened when I was 66. I would have been one of those saying " it'll never happen to me".

Friends. You can make new ones but it's harder to do. We still have friends here from our 8 year stay in Tampa. We've had to start over with every move we made. Savannah was easy, interestingly. I would not have guessed that...a newbie coming into a smallish southern town steeped in tradition, but it was. It helped that DH was running what at the time was the best hotel in town. The major social functions were held there, and we were both invited onto various boards. That eased our transition for certain. It started as a symbiotic relationship, but tney became real friends. It hasn't been as easy slipping into San Antonio.

Weather. I hate cold grey winters. Grew up with it and never need to see that again as long as I live! We fell down on that aspect. San Antonio has more of a winter than I want and summers are dreadful. Summer is actually better here, partially because we are on the water.

What else? Those are the biggies for me. I have to be near a city too, and water. Oh.. One more...cost of living. Neither TX nor FL have state income taxes. Thats not high up on the list, but I'm glad it worked out that way Think hard about these aspects of retirement as you weigh cities.

Starrs, thank you. :). It's not perfect but as close as we could get at the time.

Those are excellent insights.

I do think as we get older we have a greater appreciation for those who share our histories. I can say that Charleston is an easy place to find people who share your interests. We say hey to people we don't know on the street.

The Medical University of SC is here. I get cheap dental care and great medical care at the clinics there.

I've lived in Boston (Cambridge) and in London (Kensington) by choice, and in New York (East Side and suburbs) by necessity. I now split my time between New York and Charleston, and feel most at home in Charleston. I find that Charleston shares many characteristics with Boston and London - although on a much smaller scale and in a steamier climate.

FYI - Charleston is a big sailing town. Maybe you can sail your boat down here, and avoid I-95?

Funny. Our son owned a Marshall cat that someone took from Block Island to the Carolinas and sold on. We are going to get another Marshall Cat for ourselves this year that was transplanted from New England to St Simons Island, Georgia. Different waters, different boats, I guess.

Kids: Everywhere in the U.S. and Europe and I'm not going to follow them around the world. They visit us on the Cape through the summer, we visit them...they visit us, etc. It's important that I be near an airport that can get me from here to there efficiently.

Good Health care: Need that for sure.

Friends: Many have made the move to retirement already and are living out their dreams in other states and countries.

Charleston: Sounds great. Now I have to schedule a visit there.

(Nothing wrong with a Marshall cat, Ackislander. ;) )

bowsprit: (I bumped into this because I followed your other thread on Boston dining) Considering your dilemma, regardless of what your husband thinks, I respectfully submit:

three words for you....<b>Cali-for-nia</b>.

From an old New Englander who has lived here in SoCal for 55 years.

Stu

As a former Pennsylvanian who considered retirement places other than Florida, I stand by my first advice above.
Yesterday here in Oregon we got 10" of heavy wet snow. The small snowthrower got the chute clogged many times.
This morning the temp was 33* and it was raining. I am getting a little concerned with the small cracks in the ceiling.
I decided years ago that I could not afford to live in the part of Cali-for-nia where it never snows. My DS with a good government job and a GI Bill education lives with his family in Goleta (Santa Barbara).

tower: (I haven't been over to the Boston thread since this morning; I'll take a look there in a minute)
I don't think we can afford sunny California!

Tomfuller: Is Santa Barbara affordable for the average buyer? I thought that part of CA was very expensive.

I'll look at Atlanta again.

No Santa Barbara is not affordable to purchase. DS, DIL and 2 GS's living in Family Student housing at UCSB. When he is not in school, he is at Edwards AFB doing electronics work.
When looking at Atlanta look at the southern suburbs including Jonesboro.

Thanks for the Jonesboro suggestion. I will take a look. Any other suburb I should be looking at in that area? I like places with good restaurants, bookstores, galleries, bars, entertainment, theatres etc.

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone!

Keep us posted. I can't wait to hear about your research.

May I steer you away from Jonesboro? I don't believe that area has much of what you're looking for. Atlanta midtown may be a better fit, VA Highlands, some of Grant Park, Decatur perhaps.

I'd pick Charleston for sure. Yes, homes are expensive, but think about how much you'll save in heating costs -- and when you hit the magic official retirement age, the Homestead Exemption kicks in to help with real estate taxes (miniscule compared to CT). If you want to step out of the front door and pick up a croissant, have a civilized lunch, walk along the waterfront, enjoy cultural events, good medical facilities, accessible airport, etc. you just described Charleston.

I feel safe and comfortable in Charleston, even in those areas which may be a bit off the beaten path. Can't say the same for Savannah, although I live equidistant from either city and I love visiting Savannah. But when I walk down King Street, long drapes flapping in the wind through tall windows, it feels much like Paris. And the water is just right there for those of us who count that as "musts."

The old part of Mt.Pleasant is charming; the new parts, not so much. Very sterile and cookie cutter. And it's pricey I think -- mostly because of the schools which are the best in the area.

And I moved from just around the corner of tomfuller's erstwhile home. Never looked back, never sorry.

Hi birgator!

I so agree about new Mt Pleasant. Houses were built for people who envisioned some sort of Tara. Yikes. I live in the part between Ben Sawyer and the harbor, like the cheap seats for the Old Village. It's quiet, unassuming and perfectly located for me. I have a nice mix of neighbors. And my house is all on one level with one step up into it. So when I'm an old lady I can manage it. I am so not there yet.

"Civilized lunch" is quite the understatement! Yes, very. Not to mention fabulous. And today we had my boyfriend, Stephen Colbert, at College of Charleston.

Well, Hello! What is the Homestead Exemption and what is the 'magic retirement age'?