Retire to Warmer Climate

[Cypress]

Retirement from work is probably ten years down the road for me. However, as another New England winter approaches, it is a nagging thought to move to a warmer climate. I am considering Virginia or North Carolina. I plan to travel down to Charlottesville VA in 2018 to check it all out.

Can anyone comment on making such a move? I've lived most of my life in the Northeast. I did live in NJ for several years but got terribly homesick and returned to MA. Things are different now. I am completely on my own with no family obligations of consideration at this time. I am also in pretty good health and hope it stays this way.

It is about cost, quality of life, milder climate and hope beyond hope, friendly living environment.

I can plan all I want, but one thing I have learned in life is all the plans go out the window when reality comes along.

[sweetana3]

We moved from Alaska to Indiana and then, for awhile, down to North Carolina.

1. If you do move, give yourself plenty of time to become comfortable. At least 6 months to 2 years.
2. Take as little as possible. Use it as an opportunity to pare down, keep what is important, and get rid of the rest.
3. Realize no place is perfect. Keep in mind why you moved and remember that you always take yourself and your inner demons when you move.

We would still be in NC but the company moved us back. The only thing I really did not like were the suburbs and suburban issues. I wish we had moved to one of the cities. We did have 2 feet of snow one time that stopped the whole area for about 2 weeks. The mountains were dangerous because no one could get in or out. There were potential hurricanes but the news came early and often to give us a choice to get away. State income tax was 4% more in NC than in IN. Real estate taxes were high but services were good.

[catherine]

I'm at that stage, too. I love the Northeast. I have lived here my whole life and my family goes back to the 1600s with roots in CT and MA. So I hear ya.

I don't think I could ever permanently leave. But when I think of cost of living, even though I have always said I would never live in Florida... well, there's a reason a lot of retirees are down there. It's very cheap--no income tax, houses that are affordable, etc.

We have friends that were Boston transplants to Vermont years and years ago. Well, they both retired and got a place in Florida for the winter. They LOVE it. They said it's like an amusement park for adults. Everyone is ready to have fun. While I could see being a snowbird, I could never move to Florida year-round.

I've also looked in NC. When I did some research on really nice, livable towns in NC, I found Beaufort. Charlottesville is also supposed to be really nice.

Of course, it's pricey, but I would love to be near Asheville. I recently researched a tiny house community there: The Villages of Wildflowers. They are currently offering a plan for people to purchase a tiny home and then offer it up for rental at the property. After you complete your commitment of 2 years as an owner of a tiny house rental there, you can do whatever you want--move the house, continue to keep it there and live there, rent it and/or live there... anything you want. Their first phase is closing in January and their second phase in June. I checked out the prices, but while the ROI looks good on paper, the cost of investment (around 80k) for the tiny house seems really high. In the end, I really think I am leaning toward one of the following three scenarios: move up near the kids in VT, or move to Florida in the winter, or do a NJ/VT thing.

Just a few thoughts. I'd love to hear what you come up with because I'm always looking for alternatives to the ridiculous cost of living in New Jersey.

[Cypress]

I also might look at Delaware as an alternative. I am not sure if Rehoboth Beach has become overcrowded like Cape Cod. The area around Kennett Square PA, near the MD/DE border is really scenic. Not sure about costs of living but winters are milder for sure.

This will be on on-going project for sure. I cannot look at it like vacation trips, living trips. As long as I find a place where I can go for a swim in a clean lake in summer, I'll be happy.

[bae]

When we went through this, we elected not for "warmer" but for "very temperate". The climate here is heavily impacted by the surrounding 50 degree ocean water and the mountains on the mainland that scrape off most of the bad weather before it gets here. So, it rarely freezes, and rarely gets much above the low-70s in the summer.

[Teacher Terry]

WE have a fairly moderate climate in Northern Nevada. There is really low humidity and no state income tax. We have all 4 seasons but they are mild. When I moved here almost 20 years ago my kids were all grown and I was single so it took me about a year to make friends, etc. The COL is medium with the only 2 things being high are dentists and vets. Property taxes are low. I have been to Florida 4 times but it is too hot and humid even in Dec. We were just in Miami and it was 80. I was sweating like crazy. The retirement communities there sound fun but I could not handle the weather. The same type of communities here are fairly expensive.

[pinkytoe]

We just moved from one extreme to the other. 105 summers in Texas and now sub-zero in our new place in Colorado. What was I thinking? I am hoping the milder summers here will make up for the cold as I hate being hot and humid. I have found the city-data forums to be helpful with info on places and retirement in general.

[Simplemind]

We have been scoping out places during our travels the past several years. Right now we are tied to home due to our parents. I do love where we are most months of the year. It is Jan-Mar that have me out on the ledge. I don't need warmth but I do need sun. Our little corner of Oregon can get so dreary during the winter.

[iris lilies]

We have been scoping out places during our travels the past several years. Right now we are tied to home due to our parents. I do love where we are most months of the year. It is Jan-Mar that have me out on the ledge. I don't need warmth but I do need sun. Our little corner of Oregon can get so dreary during the winter.

See, thats the problem, no place in the U.S is really perfect. Oregon is probably my closest choice weather wise, but that lack if sun worries me a little.

if I were rich, San Francisco would be my favored climate here in the States.

I do not like the desert so many of the desert states are out.

I really just want to live in England with those beautiful light rains where the sun breaks through periodically through the day and I can grow anything and never have to water it. I suppose there is lack of sun for stretches there, too.

[jp1]

Iris, I agree with you that San Francisco's climate is pretty great. Even in the winter we get a fair number of sunny days, although sometimes my tolerance (basically 7 days) of lack of sunshine gets pushed to the edge. One of the things I love about living here is that we spend pretty much zero on heating and cooling, and can have the windows open for most of the year.

My absolute perfect climate is actually just north of the city. Much of the eastern part of Marin County runs 5-10 degrees warmer than San Francisco and gets less fog in the summer. Not enough of a difference to be uncomfortable. Just enough to mean a lot more days of lounging outside on the deck, even after the sun has gone down. We'd probably want a/c for our bedroom though.