Help in finding my "perfect" place
 

I'm trying to escape California. Apparently I'm looking for a place that doesn't exist, but I'm hoping that someone might be able to offer some input/assistance. These are some of my bullet points:
* WEATHER: I cannot deal with heat or humidity. I prefer cold over heat. That being said, the less the snow, the better, although I'll take snow over heat.
* My preference is for a smaller town/city, but relatively close to medical facilities.
* Since I'm retired, I'd prefer living in a town with a higher median age, and I certainly don't care about whether there are schools in the area (that includes colleges or universities).
* Affordable housing is a necessity. I wouldn't mind an area where I could place a mobile/manufactured home. I do NOT want to live in an apartment.
* Outdoor activities are not a necessity, although the area needs to be one where I can walk daily, preferably on relatively level ground.
* Although the town might be small, I'd like to have local (or nearby) amenities -- a Walmart, or a Costco, or a Kmart, or other large department-type store, along with more than just a neighborhood market.
* Low taxes and an airport within driving distance are a plus.

My preference is the Idaho/Montana/Oregon areas, but I would look into any suggestions in any states at this stage of the game. Just help me get out of California.

Thank you for any input offered.

If you don't want snow, cross Idaho and Montana off your list, also Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington.

Western Oregon and Western Washington both meet many of your criteria, but you'll have to find a small town away from Portland or Seattle, both of which have high housing prices.

Initially I was going to suggest Park City (UT). It's a ski town with a lot of retired people, not humid, minimal LDS populace (if you aren't LDS you'll find this important) but it's expensive. Minimal low-income housing, cheapest place you could find without govt. subsidies would be around 500k.

However, look into Heber (UT). Higher LDS populace but nothing like Provo. Housing is less expensive, and it would fit your other reqs.

Topping this one since for some reason you decided to start a new thread and already had responses here . . .

You say you can handle snow but don't want that much of it . . Then say you are leaning to Idaho/Montana . . . which get a lot of snow.

Have you at all considered staying in CA but going far north -- like Siskiyou county?

I keep seeing New Hampshire coming up as an ideal retirement place to live.

Eugene, Oregon seems to be well placed on retirement lists. The university would be a plus for me, although maybe not for you.

Of course, the Research Triangle area in NC, where I live, also tops a lot of retirement lists, but given the very hot and humid summers I cannot recommend it.

Look at the Willamette Valley south of Portland. Springfield (adjacent to Eugene,) Lebanon (central part of the valley) and Salem were included in a list of affordable Oregon cities - http://www.movoto.com/guide/or/most-...ble-in-oregon/ .

Of those I'd probably pick Salem. It's big enough to have plenty of variety, and it's close enough to Portland for day trips, the airport, etc. It's the state capital and has a pretty mixed demographic makeup; the Willamette Valley wine country, Cascades and coast are all within fairly easy reach.

It would help if you could define in terms of actual dollars what you mean by "affordable housing". Without a dollar point of reference we have no idea what you can actually "afford".

Also, are you looking to rent or purchase your "affordable home"?

I wouldn't let the need for having someplace with "level ground" for walking be a deciding factor on where you relocate as it has been my experience that unless you live on the slopes of a very steep mountain you can always find someplace near where you live that has relatively flat areas for normal exercise type activities. you might have to drive a few minutes away from your home to find such places but the do exist just about everywhere.

As far as being near a Walmart, Costco or Kmart - that too should give you too much worry. There are some 4,700 Walmart stores currently operating across the US so there's bound to be one near where you live. There are fewer Costco's (about 510 across the US). K-mart, of course, is suffering from poor sales and while a few years ago, they had over 1,400 outlets in the US that number has dwindled down to about 730- still a respectable number. So, you can find the locations of all three outlets on their respective websites. A little bit of research will tell you which towns in every state have these stores. You'll probably find many towns that have 2 of the 3 stores near by and some that have all 3. Doing that research will help you narrow down your "ideal location".

The need for low taxes means you'll want to be in a more rural area and that translates to making some compromises on being close to some of the other amenities you want. On the plus side, you'll find manufactured homes tend to be more prevalent in rural areas vs. in bigger cities.

I think the biggest factor you have to deal with is balancing the type of weather you are seeking with everything else on your wish list. First, you really have to determine how much snow you are willing to deal with and as others have pointed out your original post seems to give contradictory messages on that front. Idaho and Montana get a lot of snow - we are talking "feet" not "inches" and it can last anywhere from 4 to 5 months. Will you be comfortable living in that type of climate? Which brings up another question - How much "walking" will you want to do in all that snow?

The coastal areas of Oregon may fit your needs as they get less snow but if I'm not mistaken it can be pretty "rainy' there throughout the year. Are you OK with that?

Sorry if I can't give you specific locations to consider but at least you'll have some more "food for thought".

Good luck finding your "perfect" place.

thursdaysd and Gardyloo have given very good advice. Anyplace between Eugene and Woodburn Oregon will meet your needs.
Yesterday I spent some time geocaching in the great town of Mt. Angel while DW was up at the monastery for a Master Chorus concert. I did see a couple of houses for sale and I saw a trailer park which may have some availability.

Perhaps I'm wrong but in talking to friends who live in Boise, it was not my impression that they get all that much snow, at least not like other parts of the state. This seemingly supports that:

https://www.tsheets.com/living-in-boise/climate-weather

Of course that doesn't address the other things on the OP's wishlist.

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_es...s-retire-2017/

As I suggested take a look at New Hampshire

I would add RoamsAround to the list of nice replies here.

New Hampshire can be wonderful. Last I looked, there was no sales tax and no income tax. Most of it is beautiful. There are wonderful college towns that would be good for retirees, Keene stands out, Plymouth is more mountain/country. The University is in Durham, but Durham is within commuting distance of Boston.

The area along the Massachusetts border, from Nashua east to the coast has high property taxes. I don't know how they compare with California, but they are high for New England. Most of the people along the border have moved from places with a lot of services and expect to keep those services. Without an income or sales tax, all you can tax is property.

In other parts of the state, services are less important than low taxes. You take your own trash to the dump, and there is no hurry to plow your road or fix your potholes or pave your road in the first place. Most locals like it that way. There are reasons why Subarus are the State Car in NH and VT.

Government on the local level is by direct democracy: town meeting. One day a year, every voter in town can come to an auditorium and vote on changes in budgets, taxes, zoning, and pretty much anything else. You can argue for anything on the Warrant (agenda) or you can argue against it. At the end of the day, every attendee gets one vote,whether they are a Ph.D. at Dartmouth, a rich landowner, or a brush cutter whose only sets are a chainsaw and a truck. All are created equal, and everyone gets the same number of votes.

The state motto is "Live Free or Die"; the working rule is "You mind your own business and I will mind mine."

From Ackislander: The state motto is "Live Free or Die"; the working rule is "You mind your own business and I will mind mine."

Hilarious AND accurate!!!!

It's really quite humid in a lot of Oregon--rains all winter. That might be OK as long as it's not coupled with heat, but thought I'd mention it.

Maybe someplace in Colorado? Boulder or Colorado Springs?? Median age is fairly low there, though.

Also, it's too bad that heat is a deal breaker, because you seem to be looking for the kind of retiree-centered towns that abound in Arizona and Florida.

My married son, California born and raised, moved to Boise almost two summers ago. He and his wife could not afford California housing. They ended up purchasing a new home (over 3100 sq ft) for just under $330,000 in a Boise suburb.

While it does get some snow, it does not get nearly the amount as other areas in Idaho. One of their cars is 4 wheel drive and they never had problems in the snow with it. This past winter saw more snow than usual, just like California had so much more rain. Otherwise the weather is beautiful.

It has all the other requirements you listed.

The only issues my son had to get used to is that Boise (as well as most of Idaho) is very conservative politically and alcohol sales are regulated by the state (same as Oregon).

Boulder area lodging is rare and sky high right now. Maybe Fort Collins?

Boise winters aren't bad, true.

But it isn't any cooler in the summer than most of California. Chief problem the OP has is she wants both mild winters and mild summers. And no humidity. So I can't think of anywhere that has all three...

Depends on where in California the OP lives. Inland, mild winters, hot dry summers. Coastal, mild year round, but more humidity. Mountains, mild summers with cold snowy winters.

Oregon has no sales tax, but property taxes are high (Hubby and I have a vacation home there).

Hope OP finds their paradise, but I think some concessions will have to be made.

You don't mention where in Calif you live. Calif is a large state and there are some beautiful areas in Northern CA that have cooler weather year round.

I agree with those that mention Oregon south of Portland - Salem, Eugene or maybe also check out Corvallis (about 85 miles south of Portland).

>>Like the rest of the Willamette Valley, Corvallis falls within the dry-summer subtropical climate zone, also referred to as cool-summer Mediterranean (Köppen Csb). Temperatures are mild year round, with warm, dry sunny summers and mild, wet winters with persistent overcast skies. Spring and fall are also moist seasons with varied cloudiness, and light rain falling for extended periods.>>

Go to THIS site and take the "quiz."

Believe me, this guy has done a LOT of extensive research about the so-called "best places."

http://www.bestplaces.net/fybp/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvallis,_Oregon

meant to post this earlier

That is a great quiz, but after taking the quiz it said my match was Fairbanks, Alaska. That is one of the last places I'd want to live!

That paints a really rosy picture of Corvallis. I love it there as I lived there for 4 years during college and then our kids just did that as well. The summers are glorious, but the winters can definitely be anything but mild. They have often times had more snow than we have had (we are in a sw suburb of Portland).

The cost of housing etc is rising rapidly here in the Portland area. The state has not been addressing addressing important issues very well, IMO, and so OR is nowhere near as nice as it used to be, IMO. I am an OR native, so have seen the changes over many years.

nanabee--LOL that quiz said my match was Fairbanks as well. I could definitely live there!

The quiz is fun but doesn't address weather at all, which is odd, isn't it?

<Chief problem the OP has is she wants both mild winters and mild summers. And no humidity.>

I agree, but she does say that she'd rather have cold than hot. I also agree that there are areas of California that fit the bill.

Maybe the OP will come back to tell us what's negotiable, and why the entire state of California is off limits.

Agree that weather is important! I live in one of the top retirement (and work) areas, but hate the summers. When I said anywhere in the US would do, it sent me to some place I never heard of in Utah! (Not a state I would consider.) When I picked the far west I got Spokane WA, which is too close to Montana.

I'm betting this isn't what you want to hear, but I would reconsider your absolute of no apartment. You have already suggested mobility issues. As time goes on, if you have one of the cute HGTV homes on a lot, who is going to maintain the lot and clear the snow off the drive and car? Good luck finding your dream retirement destination.

Lol. I WISH that was an accurate description of Corvallis.

That quiz might be fishy. I got Fairbanks as well, and weather ain't the only reason I decided to not move there..

Really, out of the entire "far west", how did it come up with that?

The quiz also told me to move to Fairbanks. Very odd.

Nanabee, mms, Kathie, I just took Dukey's quiz too and it also put me in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fat chance. So much for quizzes. Maybe it's sponsored by the Fairbanks C of C.

I got Ogden, Utah. I didn't specify a region.

Look at western Washington state.
Visit small towns such as Yakima, Ellensburg, Richland, Walla Walla.

I took the quiz and it came up with Ithaca,NY. Which would probably suit me. I could see living there.

The OP hasn't returned so I guess the perfect place isn't a priority.

I took the quiz a couple of times and put in different areas I should live in Fairbanks, or Lewiston, ME. Been to both and they're so far from any place I would want to live I think they must have paid the quiz developer to suggest them.

Ileen- you realize you suggested Western wa but none of those are western wa? Not to mention- Yakima, Richland, and Walla Walla are boiling hot during the summer.

Also Yakima sucks in general.

And ellensburg is freezing in the winter and the very definition of a college town. Quite nice otherwise though.

<I took the quiz and it came up with Ithaca,NY.>

I went to school in Ithaca, and it would be the perfect place for me if it weren't for the winters.

For me, it came up with places in Texas, Mississippi and Utah, none of which I would even consider.

marvelous mouse--Tell us what you really think of Yakima;) I only say that as I totally agree! LOL! I have lived there, as well as Toppenish, and you couldn't pay me to live anywhere near there.

<Chief problem the OP has is she wants both mild winters and mild summers. And no humidity.>

San Diego has relatively mild weather year round - our summer months are Aug/Sept/Oct and you might need A/C during that time frame depending on where you lived.

I saw pictures on Facebook of crazy college students at University of Alaska - Fairbanks in January standing by the temperature sign that read -40F. They were wearing swimsuits.
If you don't like the idea of the Willamette Valley of Oregon, check out Wilmington Delaware. The Bidens still live there and the Amtrak station is named for Joe.