Hey birgator! Great to see you posting :)

<i>Stephen Colbert, at College of Charleston,</i>
Or as Salinger would say..."catcher in the wry"....

Bowsprii...it would help if you would consent to at least ballparking your range. Then we could come up with several California locales that could possibly fall into such a range..once we know. I'm thinking of communities like Ventura...a nicely situated seaside city (marina, newish yacht harbor, outstanding stretches of beach, continuing mild gentrification of it's pleasant downtown streets. My grandchildren still live there, including my granddaughter and her husband (he's a Vermonter, and they both graduated from my alma mater in Boston). My son and wife(musicians) live in nearby Ojai, a resort-like scenic community with notable music and art festivals and the heralded Ojai Valley Inn. Of course "affordable" is today's jargon for "subjective calculating"..if you will.

Between Santa Barbara and Ventura lies a smaller beach town, Carpenteria, which would give you the option of going to nearby Santa Barbara for theater, big-store shopping, cultural events and a yearly Film Festival..or to Ventura for similar needs. Freeway will take you into downtown L.A. or Hollywood or Beverly Hills in a matter of 60-75 minutes from Ventura. (there is also frequent Amtrak service to Hollywood and downtown L.A.) En route, I'd invite you to drop into my little "insider biz mall" nea Mulholland Drive, where if you're not selling a script idea, writing a script, promoting a flick, or yourself, you must be from Bakersfield.

Besides, the large SoCal Fodorite contingent is the nicest of the nice...including the peripatetic Mai Tai Tom.

stu (web pages follow)

http://ci.ojai.ca.us/index.asp?Type=...6AE6C083A0D%7D (OJAI)

...and finally. just to show you a thread that gives you a feel for the dining scene, in greater L.A....written by SoCal Fodorites.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...os-angeles.cfm

Oh, I'd love to be in California, tower! My husband is the hold out. That's just not going to happen. Your corner of the world is lovely, I know. It has everything.

Hi back at 'ya all!

Magic retirement is 65. The Homestead exemption gives you a deduction of $50K of your home's assessed value for property tax purposes. Ie. I live in Walterboro, where taxes and property values are very low to start with. My real estate taxes this year were $77.04. Yes, the decimal is in the right place. Last year's were $450, still nothing.

A 3 BR 50s brick rancher, one floor for my old age (yes, Sue, you will like that down the road), hardwood floors, big fenced in front and back yard, front porch, mature trees, huge garage/workshop with power -- it all worked for me but had I not been a vagrant antique dealer who needed the room and the low purchase price more than that civilized lunch, I would have picked Charleston.

My friend the antique dealer from Hampton, CT in contrast gets an 11K tax bill every year for his home (no doubt a Tara-esque abode, but still).

South Carolina uses your federal tax return as its basis for income tax, and does not tax social security benefits. There is also a tax break for income from other qualified retirement plans such as private company retirement funds, IRAs etc. Check carolinaliving.com for cost of living comparisons nationwide (may be skewed, but still gives a reasonably close idea of average costs.)

Most of Atlanta really is not that walkable. My son lives in the old 4th Ward (close to Carter Center), but drives to TJoes, lunch, etc. They are moving to Grant Park, which I really like, with lots of restaurants etc. within reasonable walking distance. But not sure I consider that particularly urban either. And Atlanta is colder in the winter than Charleston and not much cooler in the summer either.

CT taxes are ridiculous. 11K in property taxes a year in CT would be right for a house above modest but not a mini-mansion. It's ridiculous.

Atlanta is out.

I know that Florida is almost certainly out but is there anyone with opinions about/knowledge of Gainesville?

Don't know much about Gainesville but my dad lived in Tropical Haven across NASA Blvd from the Melbourne airport. The lot rent was cheap and there were some nice manufactured homes and some not so nice.

Gainesville is a college town in the middle of Florida. Nobody moves to Florida to not live on the water, unless they have to.

My Manhattan neighbor has a second home in Gainesville! I always wonder about the appeal but rarely see her as she spends most of her time there now. Maybe she hates the beach.

I remember it as a pretty town with some "culture" from the school...probably low prices now ,too. But I've not been there in decades, so just wondered. I started a thread about Florida awhile back..

Isn't Sarasota a popular retirement city with culture and good medical facilities?

bowsprit: Whatever you finally decide..the best of luck and enjoy your retirement.

stu

I lived in Gainesville as a child while my dad was teaching ata UofF. Back then, there were so many beautiful gardens and live oaks! It was idyllic.

The town has spread out a lot since then, but is still quite lovely. In addition to the university, Gainesville has the advantage of being close to both coasts, as well as to interior lakes and springs.

Suewoo, I hope you will not mind if I also send you information about housing needs for you to pass on to your realtor friend. I've decided it's time to leave the Shenandoah Valley, though I hate to do it, and move down to the coastal area.

I will probably be coming through the area in mid April or mid May unless something eyecatching comes up.

Is Boston similar to Charleston? I don't mean the weather, but how about the climate?

In terms of actual (meteorological) climate? Charleston does have a marked season change, unlike some points futher south. High humidity with moderate air temps makes winter chilly in Charleston. We sometimes get short-lived snow.(Winter in Charleston reminds me of winter in London - surprisingly bright warm days when the sun is shining, but bone-cold when the clouds close in.) Wind off the ocean is "brisk" in winter!

Of course, the lowcountry's vegetation differs from that of the Boston area. Although we do have some deciduous trees, autumn is more marked by changing color in the marsh grass and purple plumes on the sweetgrass than by brightly colored leaves. Spring, which arrives earlier and lasts longer, is absolutely breathtaking! Summer is hot and steamy.

I find the cultural climate of Charleston quite similar to Boston (where I lived 30 years ago!), even though Charleston is a much smaller "town". Like Boston, historic Charleston is one of the great colonial ports - rich in history, and still always looking to the sea. In colonial times Charleston was the richest city, and considered by many in Europe the only civilized city, in North America. In both cities, the arts are highly valued. Both cities have a "neighborhood" orientation and feel. Both cities appreciate open space and are accessible to unspoiled natural surroundings and outdoor activites. In the 21st century, like in Boston at the dawn of the high-tech era, influx of new industry is expanding Charleston's metropolitan reach and bringing in new blood. Charleston is a growing, thriving city, which still remains close to her routes.

Wish there were an "edit" feature! Obviously, I meant "close to her ROOTS" ... (as well as "routes").

You really do need to spend some time in Charleston! Please come visit. ;-)

kiawahvilla: Thanks for that assessment. I was referring to the cultural climate of both places and you've described it quite nicely. We spent a short amount of time in Boston this weekend and I wondered if it was similar to Charleston in its cultural affinity. Thanks again, Bow

Thank goodness for my dear friend kiawahvilla. She knows more about stuff than I do! I went to Boston once and thought my eyeballs would pop out of my head from cold. My eyes were the only part of me that was unblanketed. I met nice people, but it

I cannot speak about the political climate at this moment.