ksucat

Gorgeous patio homes/condos and homes in SD on golf courses for under $300k..Rancho Bernardo and Carlsbad.
La Jolla is nice but too cold and lots of marine layer.
There are so many great deals here that with the weather situation, I don't understand why anyone would go anywhere else.
They don't call it America's Finest City for nothing..

islebethere

There must also be a good reason that Boston has billed itself at various times as the "Hub of the Universe".

fmpden

But Greeley is in the middle of nowhere. No thanks.

PeaceOut

A friend who went to UNC one semester in Greeley said she couldn't take the horrid smell in the air a lot of the time. She transferred back to Denver.

fmpden

It is called the smell of money. One of the largest feed lots and packing companies in the US. When the wind is wrong you know it.

sf7307

PeaceOut, what was the smell from - did she ever find out?

I, too, couldn't live anywhere that's in the middle of nowhere (scratch Greeley!). It's interesting reading some of the "checklists" because my DH and I have already figured out that at a minimum we need to be near 1) a fairly major airport, and 2) pro baseball and hockey, or a vibrant college sports scene. Moving somewhere where the cost of living is much less than here (the SF Bay Area) would be a huge bonus (fwiw, we have no family here, and our son will likely end up in DC).

So, although we aren't retired yet, and retirement is probably pushed back a couple of years now due to the state of the stock and housing markets, we do think we should be narrowing down our choices, because now is the time to buy a house elsewhere if we can swing it.

sf7307

fmpden, I posted and then saw your reply. If it's anything like the one near Harris Ranch on I-5 in California, yuck, living near it would be nightmare.

PeaceOut

Yes, fmpden is correct. I grew up in Kansas City when these smells were rather common, too. They are really noxious. Our friend didn't think Greeley offered much entertainment, either. Fort Collins might be better, of the two. I still wonder if Golden might be a good choice.

fmpden

There is little difference location wise between Golden and any of the western suburbs of Denver. While Golden is a nice foothills town, there is little else to recommend it over any of the western suburbs. Having grown up in Nebraska along the Platte, the smells of feedlots and alfalfa mills in the summer made for interesting smells year around,

MichelleY

fpmden: You must be from a livestock background. My dad used to say the same thing about the Harris Ranch.

MY

PeaceOut

I think Golden has a nicer, small town feel than Denver suburbs do. More history, too. I wonder if it's more or less expensive.

fmpden

I did, the Sandhills of Nebraska spread across six sections. And If I never see another horse in my life, I will be perfectly happy. Ranching is a tough, tough, hard business but we go back to the 1850s. Pushed a lot of cows across a lot of ground.

historytraveler

fmpden, Well we are completely off the O.P.'s subject, but I have to ask if you've read Robert Day's "The Last Cattle Drive"? Mr. history's family are cattle ranchers from western Kansas and he was recently given a copy of this book. He claims it as one of the best he's read. The drive went through the area where his family lives, so it was particulary interesting for him.

fmpden

No, but I will look it up. We have a lot of family tales -- folk lore -- about cattle drives but mostly relate to the Union Pacific when it came through central Nebraska. You can contact me directly if you like so that we don't continue to high jack this thread.

arc830

As everyone here,I have my own opinions and lifestyle. I would never try to tell you where you should live...but I do have this advice: ask yourself what you are looking for. I live in Az. and no one could ever tell me to move where there was cold(snow, ice etc) weather 9 months out of the year and bugs all summer. I love Arizona because of October to May! But I am still not stuck in my house all summer(as others would be in the winter), have to shovel snow or carry and umbrella for the other. I can swim in my pool, go to the mall...or drive to the beach(Mexico or California) to cool off. I can also drive north 1.5 hours and sit in the cool pines!

arc830

After reading what I wrote, I don't want everyone to think I was saying Az. is the only place to retire...what I meant, was for me, this is my best choice...so it should be that for you...not what everyone else tells me. So basically, to re word what I didn't say very well, is make sure you look at your lifestyle and what you want and would miss about where you live now.

Austin

DH and I have time to go before retirement but are considering leaving Austin - tho many think Austin is a great place to retire. I think it is for the most part but we do not like to be slaves to air conditioning from May to September. We want to be outside. I have been here 25 years and can't handle the heat any more and the traffic and property taxes are some of the worst.

We would love CA but cant afford it. We are going to visit potential places to live - and while it's tempting to go during the nice times of year, we will check them out in the "off" seasons.

LSky

Consider also, transportation. San Diego has been mentioned but it has lousy transportation if you can't drive.

Are you considering a retirement/ over 55 community? My mom lives in one. It's nice everyone has a one story house with small lawns and a clubhouse where there are activities. Not a big factor if you're only 60 or 70 and still getting about but as you reach into your 80's and your driving might be more limited.

After she had a stroke last year, we considered having her move closer to me but she opted to stay in her home. It was a good decision, so far, as she really does have friends who are "in the same boat". The one disadvantage to this community is that it's in a small town and the grocery store is further than she can get to on her own.

Sometimes I think it might be better to live in NYC as you get older for the public transportation alone. The city is at your doorstep.

sjde53

I think Golden homes are about the same cost as Denver, maybe a little less.

Some consider Denver to be in the middle of nowhere.

I lived in San Diego for 2 1/2 years about 20 years ago. I loved it. It truly has the most pleasant climate-not too hot, not too cold. But having grown up in Wisconsin I did miss the snow and change of seasons. And it was so expensive. And then there are the earthquakes. So we moved to a southwest Denver suburb, which for us was the perfect blend. Now it is home, and our children and grandchildren are here and we wouldn't leave. We do however, talk about going away in Jan and February at some point. San Diego? Florida? We'd like a small, charming place- not high-rise city like Destin, etc.

Sue

jumbonav

You must consider the Greater Albuquerque area. Yes, its a "bigger" city but like any Metro area, crime, traffic, and other variables change greatly depending upon where you are in the city. You can live about 6000' in the "East Mountains" or at 4000' down at the Rio Grande. The hiking trails in the "Far Northeast Heights" go directly into the Sandia Mountains. I have hiked there on many occasions after work on a weekday and once you get more than a mile up the trail, there is not another person in sight. The climate is great and while summer days do get hot, the evenings cool right down. ABQ has a great airport, good healthcare, a huge variety of cuisine, a good symphony, and is the only US metro area with a tram that accesses a ski area in the winter (the snow is not always great there however). Ski Santa Fe and Taos ski areas are within a couple of hours. If there is one drawback, I'd have to say the city has surprisingly few golf courses for such a great climate...