When looking for a place to retire, "I could not live in a place that has..."

1. 90

   Rochelle Frankposted 8 years ago

   When looking for a place to retire, "I could not live in a place that has..."
   
   ...earthquakes, lots of insects, too many people, no running water, no Starbucks , etc.

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2. 79

   dashingscorpioposted 8 years ago

   I guess there's always Scottsdale, AZ. if you want warm weather.
   "Too many people" is a subjective thing. Do you mean a town with less than 10,000 or less than 50,000?
   Every state has it's share of small and tiny towns.
   Personally I need to live within an hour's drive of a major city and a large body of water. (ocean, lake, or river). I love the various activities and things to do that a major city has to offer.
   I use to live in Dana Point, CA which was about an hour away from San Diego and an hour away from Los Angeles. Naturally being Orange County there was always something to do and I lived in a small beach town.
   Del Mar, Carlsbad, and La Jolla are just north of San Diego and they're all nice areas. Even living in a high rise in San Diego within walking distance of shops, restaurants, Horton Plaza, the Gaslamp area, and Seaport Village along the marina would be fine with me!
   Right now I live about an hour from Chicago. What I paid for my house would buy a nice 1 bedroom condo in Dana Point, CA. and if my house were located in Dana Point it would cost over $2 Million!
   The biggest challenge is living on retirement income in Southern California! Unless your house is bought and paid for and your income more than covers your property taxes you're most likely going to have to relocate in order to live at a higher standard of living or maintain the one you had when you worked full-time.
   Unless a major influx of cash comes into my life my best bet will be to continue to live out here and maybe rent a beach condo in California or Florida during the winter months.

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   1. 57

      feenixposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      dashingscorpio, I live in one of the best areas in Manhattan, NYC, and I retired back in 2006. Fortunately, I can afford it; however, I am ready to return to my place of birth; Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps, I can pull if off; my entire family lives there

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   2. 79

      dashingscorpioposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      feenix, Are we related? When's the next family reunion!
      Maybe if I cashed out I could manage to get a condo in San Clemente. Seriously CA is my favorite state. There's something for everyone there. Beaches, Mountains, desert, big/small cities.

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3. 83

   Venkatachari Mposted 8 years ago

   I don't like to live in a place with rats, ants and flies.
   A peaceful place with greenery and water canals or river beds nearby is a good place. Plenty of light and air should be there with blue sky visible in mornings and evenings not hindered by skyscrapers and polluted atmosphere.

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4. 86

   B. Leekleyposted 8 years ago

   Consider Kalamazoo, Michigan. Our earthquakes are gentle and very rare. We don't have a lot of insects for such a woodsy place. It's a small city with mostly single family houses. If by running water you mean faucets and flush toilets, the buildings here have those. If you mean streams, rivers, and lakes, we have those. We have Starbucks all over town and in next-door Portage, and we have better coffeehouses, such as Biggsby and Water Street. This is a college town, a retail center, a manufacturing center, and a cultural center. Kalamazoo is on I-94, is an Amtrak train stop, and shares an airport with Portage. Lake Michigan is less than 40 miles away. Housing costs are significantly below the national average. Kalamazoo has four seasons, so if you love to see flowers in bloom after months of snow and gorgeous fall leaves and cooler weather after the heat of summer,k you'll like being here. (Note -- when my wife retires before many months, we might become snowbirds.)  For more information, see my Kalamazoo hub, which I am thinking of updating this coming week or soon.
   
   If you would like even fewer people and a lot more snow, consider northern Michigan, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, or northern Minnesota. See, for instance, my hub on Marquette, Michigan.

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5. 53

   islandanglerposted 8 years ago

   Away from the US I can suggest our lovely island of Malta.  Full of culture and lovely climate. 
   
   There is only one problem .. NO Starbucks!

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