Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How do you decide where to retire?

Thought about moving to a more conservative place when I retired, but added it up and decided this place was OK.

I'm 61 and Been here 26 years, and born in this county, actually 4th generation native, so my roots run deep.

Got 15 acres that are 7 miles away from liberal Eugene Or. (hate that but close to medical facilities) and 1/2 mile from my nearest neighbor.

90 minutes from the coast and 90 minutes from the mountains. Gobs of lakes and streams all around me.

Just over three years to pay on the place, and she's all mine.

Good enough for me!

Virgil B.

I know of one of those 'cabins' built near Sun Valley quite a few years ago. They even built it over a creek so they had the creek running through the living room. Then someone discovered that after the creek went through the living room, it also went under the bathroom and that was their septic system. All hell broke loose needless to say.

jnyork - Happens here, too. Folks built huge McMansions all around sleepy little Huntsville. Property values suddenly jumped to GEEEEZus... People who had lived in Huntsville since the Mormons arrived suddenly couldn't afford to pay the tax on their house (built in 1847). Took several years for the city/county to get it equitably adjusted, but by then a whole lot of people had been forced to sell at firesale prices.

As to the original question, we've already decided - and we've already retired. Staying right here. Realized that moving closer to one daughter meant moving farther from the other - and also realized that either of them might change jobs and states at any time. House was paid for years ago, it suits us, and selling it to buy another one made little sense. So we did a whole-house renovation that thrills us to the bone.

As with many other locals here the USAF was primarily responsible for establishing our new roots in Nebraska.We enjoy the Midwest and now have lived here longer than my younger days in West Virginny.Still miss those hills and hollers on occasion tho...

Come on over to Wyoming, we have REAL hills here.

Here....everything I own is paid for, so I am not leaving....

That's how my wife ended up in Anchorage for 35 years. Her father was Air Force. He spent 25 years trying to get to AK and finally did for his final hitch before he retired.

Well you hit the timeframe for my memories perfect. Always thought it was nice place except for the smell. Sounds like it's improved so I'll keep it on my list of places to go.

Saw this on Google news. Seems relative to your question.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/ret...spx?ec_id=cmct_01_comm_PF_image_headline

That was an interesting link. Like the man said . . . If you're in a position to choose, "What kind of lifestyle would you like around you?"

Interesting to note that almost all of those states have lower that average crime rates, some of them WAY lower, yet these same states have the nation's fewest draconian gun laws. How is this possible?

There is a lot I like about Nebraska, and our son and his family live there, but the taxes are a deal killer, especially for retirees. Iowa never held much appeal for me, never felt like home; seems you have to be a native to appreciate it. Inheriting a farm and being a Cyclone or Hawkeye fan helps.

Midwest weather sucks.

We've been in SW Utah for a year, love it. Very gun-friendly too; seems Mormons don't have any problem with guns.

To each his own.

Paul

I retired about 12 and a half years ago at 51 years old to a place where my house was paid for. We have fishing for lakers, walleys, and northerns and bass 1/4 mile from our front door, and I have shot a moose 140 yards from my back doorstep. Five does walk through the yard most every day, and there are always a few noce bucks to be seen. Other than that, nothing to really hold us here, though.

I think I'll quit working next year at 65.

Why go anywhere? We retire where we live.

Of course it'll hopefully involve long summers and falls in Alaska for the "vacation" every year.

But i'd not want to move again. Moved once out of Houston when I was a kid. Couldn't have been more thankful.
Moved from Moms down to a trailer about 200 yards... then about 75 to a house. All on our property.

Of course I wished we were even more remote in many ways. And that we couldn't see houses. Used to not see any, but can see 1 now, 2 or 3 if we look really hard from the right place...

I think it is a shame to have lived ones entire life in the same place. Folks that have do not know, at all, what they have missed.

The real shame is that I have lived my whole life in Montana and you don't know what you missed...

LOW taxes, sun, few gun laws, sun, cost of living, low humidity, sun, ---Oh, and did I mention sun??

You just did a pretty good job of describing SW Utah, where we moved a year ago.

It isn't utopia, and the Mormon influence isn't to everybody's liking or comfort, but it's working for us. Sure love the sunshine and scenery (including as a bonus factor the two legged variety).

Desperately in need of good gunsmithing, but that's the case just about everywhere.

Paul

I agree, everyone needs to retire and go to Utah.

IF I were to move it would be a little further south and west to be closer to some friends, but no more than 150-200 miles at the most. in the mean time the Black Hills aren't a bad place to be.

One of the "secrets" about Utah is that its reputation for being overwhelmingly Mormon and conservative seems to keep it from being overrun with liberal immigrants, despite its attractions. Lots of Californians, but the ones I've met and made friends with are good people with solid traditional values. I lived in Colorado for over 25 years, and I've seen the changes. Colorado in the 60s and 70s was as close to utopia as I've ever experienced, but that is gone forever.

One of the biggest contrasts with Colorado is the dearth of bars in Utah, especially in the resort areas. Can't even find a pizza joint where you can have a beer. Weird, even for a light drinker like me.

Paul