Where to retire
 

We are looking for a nice place to retire. We have lived in Pennsylvania our whole lives, and the cold winters are too much for us anymore.

We are looking for:
1.) A relatively safe town
2.) Warm weather
3.) Within an hour's drive to the ocean
4.) Good shopping
5.) A reasonably priced town

Does anyone have some ideas they would like to share?

Thanks,

Rachel

Other than "good shopping" -- exactly the criteria I used when I moved from PA a few years ago. Ended up in Walterboro, SC, which is an hour from Charleston, an hour from Savannah, an hour from the beach, very safe, very inexpensive.

B/

I was thinking Summerville, SC, a beautiful, beautiful, small town on the outskirts of Charleston..not so sure about the prices but it has everything else you want! It was like driving through a dream town.

You may want to try www.findyourspot.com. It asks you are a series of questions about your preferences (weather, cultural events, cost of living, etc.) and provides recommendations.

Great shopping in Charleston which is about 20 minutes from Summerville. Beautiful little town.

May I suggest closer to the water? Without the ocean breeze I think it is miserable in the summers.

Also look at McClelanville & Beaufort, SC as well as Southport, North Carolina.

Sounds like Dothan, AL could fit the bill!
There are MANY retiree's there(mostly Army related due to the nearby base, Ft. Rucker).

They were ranked in the top 10 places to retire in the US just a few years ago! Belle.

How is affordability in Beaufort now GoT? DD's in-laws retired there (grew up there, lived all over the world as adults working for Exxon, then returned when they retired)...Lady's Island, and we'd sort of looked when we lived in Savannah. I LOVE the marsh. Found a marsh lot for 100,000 on one of those islands, can't remember which...hemmed and hawed about it but then never acted. :(

Lots and lots and lots of people are retiring here in Williamsburg, VA. The only draw back is that it isn't warm year round, but we do have four definate seasons and the winters are normally very mild. We are approximately 1 hour to the ocean and 2 hours to the mountains. I love it here!

Wilmington, NC.

The summers in the South are as bad as the winters in the North.
There are still a few affordable areas in California, Sacramento is 90 minutes from the ocean and about the same to the mountains. The summers are hot but not humid like the South.

I am a CPA so I always consider the economics of an issue IN ADDITION to other criteria. When I retire, I will be looking at sales tax rates and state income tax factors along with the ones you have already mentioned. You might want to consider that you now live in one of the few states where there is no sales tax on the purchase of clothing and no state income tax on retirement benefits. Depending on your age, South Carolina state tax is somewhat retiree friendly. I don't know about their sales tax rates. There must be a web-site that explores these issues.

Also, keep property taxes in mind! Some states (i.e. Texas) don't have a state income tax but property taxes more than make up for it.

Rachel - there is a magazine that is called "Where to Reture" or something like that. I signed up for it somehow. It's free. Try google...

Fairhope Alabama

You can go to www.wheretoretire.com to find out more about that publication, and also to subscribe. However, it is not free.

For good weather without the humidity I like Los Angeles. I moved here from Phila. 27 years ago and have no regrets; It is no more expensive than any other large city.

I would remember with the warm winters, comes hot and humid (very!!) summers! We moved to central VA about 7 years ago from NJ and the first summer was so Humid!
I think the weather is getting more extreme every year everywhere. If possible can you have two places??? A small one near grandchildren(if you have them) for the summers and then a winter condo near the beach down in FL. You can pack up and leave for the north for the summer/and hurricane season and return for the nice warm winters. I know that is expensive, but it is the ideal way to go if you can swing it! Just a thought!

Thank you so much for all the input. I have checked out most of the towns you suggested and will be receiving information in the mail soon.

Investigate Aiken, S.C., as well. It's a bit out of your one hour drive to the ocean criteria, but you can be at Hilton Head in about two or so.

The terrain has a bit of elevation and roll, less humidity, and more to do than Beaufort, Summerville or Walterboro, but I would live in any of them, quite honestly.

Jim

I strongly suggest you don't come to Florida. There are too many of us here already, and I'm afraid a few more arrivals will sink the entire peninsula.