Help me find a retirement area

[Bigfoot]

Okay. I can retire next year with 30 years at my job and I'd love to move from my area. (Northern Va.) The traffic alone is killing me as well as the summer heat/humidity and cost of living. We plan on staying along the east coast but I prefer to be i the mountains or very close to them. My goal has been to move to New Hampshire but I can see the wife getting a little worried now about this move. We have one married daughter who is married to a Marine and I already know she doesn't want to move back to this area when he's done. My son is in college and he really hs no need to come back here if we're not here. We need to be somewhere close to doctors and a hospital and fairly close to an airport. I'm looking for someplace that's a little cooler, on average, then what we see in Va. I hear there are places in the Mt's in NC, VA, Tenn where people claim the temps are always 15 degrees cooler in the summer time. Any suggestions?

[Squidley]

I guess a good idea would be to hop on the bike and head to areas that you think might be appealing. It's a 2 fold solution actually, you get to see 1st hand the area you might want to be in and you get to ride to do it

[ctraylor]

It's not on the east coast but Mountain Home, AR where we live is one of the top retirement towns in the U.S. The town sits between two lakes, Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes, we are near 3 rivers one being the White River rated the #1 trout fishing river in the U.S. by some magazines. The taxes are low here and the people are great, schools are phenominal if your siblings want to raise their children here. My wife is the high school counselor here in town. We have a 2000 sq. ft. home on 4 acres and our property taxes are about $900.00 yearly. Retired people get a tax break of about $300.00 I think. Just a nice place to live and we have mountains.

 

P.S. There is a hospital here in town that specializes in the elderly with a heart clinic right next door.

Edited August 3, 2008 by ctraylor
Left out the part about the hospital

[Riderduke]

Wayne,

I grew up in Manchester, NH and Visit as often as I can. The winters are very cold and the riding season is short. Cost of living isn't bad. Now the western part of NC and VA is nice. Lower cost of living. Great riding there very central and easy to get to other areas in the country then from NH.

Like squidley said take a ride. I think I would contact a realtor in some of these areas and see what they say. If you want me to get a name of a realtor in NH let me know and I'll call my Dad or one of my sibilings for you.

Just my 2 cents

[Condor]

Too bad you're stuck on the East Coast. It's gonna be tough excaping the humidity, winters, or heat. But if you do Prescott AZ might be a consideration. Mild winters, mild summers...yeah I know it's in Az, but it's up in the mountains..., and low humidity. Here's a weather read out. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?azpres

[mini-muffin]

Well you can find some nice places in the mountains of NC. Just avoid the valleys and you should do ok with the temps.Gets a bit steamy in them. Let us know when you have some time to ride, we can show you around. We have a few folks up in the mountains that could give you info. 1rooster lives in Marion not far from the big population areas. You should talk to him. Might be a good spot for you.

 

Margaret

[GeorgeS]

If by chance you are interested in the " Left Coast " Houseing in Phonix is now at Record low prices !!!

However, its to Hot there !! But if you like Hot ! might be worth a look

[granby]

The mountains of NC are beautiful, especially between Boone and Asheville. Both have nice retirement areas, some real estate is pricey but with a good realtor you should be able to find something not too expensive. Boone has Appalachian State University that crowds the main area, but surrounding towns aren't so bad.

Asheville has a larger hospital, Boone has a small one but is just over an hour to Winston-Salem that has 2 very large hospitals (I work at one of them). The Blue Ridge Parkway is close by with lots of great riding close to both cities.

Hope you find a gorgeous place to live and retire (I'm envious, gotta' work at least 10 more years).

Good luck, Becky

 

[dray]

the Big E-fishin-C is allways talking how nice it is at his place and i here not much traffic

 

Dray

[1rooster]

Come on up to the mountains of NC.Asheville is about 30 minutes away,great hospitals,airport,and lotsa tristy roads and if you get tired of them then we have more twisties and more twisties and a few more twisties.I'll check with the neighbors and see if there have any caves for sale:farmer:.

[Venturous Randy]

As stated, western NC and I want to also add eastern TN. I am about 20 miles from VA and 35 miles from NC. We also do not have a state Income tax and NC is like VA, they like to tax everything.

RandyA

[Bigfoot]

Wayne,

I grew up in Manchester, NH and Visit as often as I can. The winters are very cold and the riding season is short. Cost of living isn't bad. Now the western part of NC and VA is nice. Lower cost of living. Great riding there very central and easy to get to other areas in the country then from NH.

Like squidley said take a ride. I think I would contact a realtor in some of these areas and see what they say. If you want me to get a name of a realtor in NH let me know and I'll call my Dad or one of my sibilings for you.

Just my 2 cents

 

This is definitely one of the areas I'm looking at. I love the state of NH and could see me living there. I have a friend who is a real estate egent there and she's always looking for something for me.

[Bigfoot]

Thanks for all the responses. I do love the looks of the weather chart for Arizona but the wife would never move out that way. I'll can see myself possibly moving to Tenn or south west Va. NH is still my first choice.

 

 

And by the way. When I say retire I mean retire from my current job of 30 years and go get another job. I wish I could actually retire but it won't happen.

[Skid]

Everyone is looking over the beautiful State of West Virginia. This State has great riding potential and the cost of living is a minimum. Wintertime is not bad, and the mountains keeps things cool in the summer......

West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful !

[Bigfoot]

Everyone is looking over the beautiful State of West Virginia. This State has great riding potential and the cost of living is a minimum. Wintertime is not bad, and the mountains keeps things cool in the summer......

 

West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful !

 

 

Skid,

 

I definitely do like riding in West Va. Some beautiful riding areas in your state. Not sure if the jobs are there though. I won't cross it off my list though.

[roadwarrior]

My recomendation would be the mountains of Southwest VA.I have a place in Meadows of Dan but that might be a bit remote, but Roanoke or Charlottesville would be nice and cool.All are great places to ride and land and housing is cheap in meadows of Dan.

 

Western NC is nice, but property values are a little rich for my taste.

[Skid]

Skid,

 

I definitely do like riding in West Va. Some beautiful riding areas in your state. Not sure if the jobs are there though. I won't cross it off my list though.

 

 

Jobs? I thought you was retiring.....

[Freebird]

I have no idea about the job availability here but I'm currently on business in the London, KY area. Today I drove from London over to Hazard. I drove the Hal Rogers Parkway to Hazard which is a beautiful drive. Then I came back on various roads one of which was SR80. Fantastic road that had me wishing that I was on the bike. I've been to this area a number of times and always think that I might like to live here.

[treeman]

Go to the center of the USA Here in Effingham, Illinios GR8 riding. Big city west of Eff. ST. Louis 100 miles North Champaign 80 MILES EAST IS Terre Haute 65 miles & south is all good riding. GR8 town

[MikeM8560]

Okay. I'm looking for someplace that's a little cooler, on average, then what we see in Va. ?

 

I left NH myself 4 years ago. I had enough of the cold. up there my friends are talking about puttign there boats away prety soon (october) and I had many a cold ride home after work on the bike. I vote Fl, southwest but i hear the panhandle is nice also.

If i could do 6&6 months ide summer in NH but lifes to short to hibernate 1/2 the year

Edited August 5, 2008 by MikeM8560

[az1103]

Hmmm "Bigfoot"..... Aren't you supposed to be in the North West forrests?

[PBJ]

Big foot what ever you do don't look into Southern central New York . Especially around the the Finger lakes. The winters are so mld that wineries keep popping up here like weeds. There are just too many beautiful homes old and new and your right in the middle of miserable riding areas like the Adirondack to thre east , The Catskills and Pocono and all those awfull twisty roads in western Pennslyvania. YUCK!. Theres a major medical complex in rochester NY but that a whole hour away. Okay 15 minutes by helicopter, But do you OWN a helicopter? And some of the town have really low taxes, who needs that? Right?! So don't ,I repeat, don't think about This part of New York . we already have enough Venture Rider people here we don't need any more! ....... Well okay we could use a few more. Just don't tell anybody else about this place.

[sgn]

the mountains of upper east Tennessee - as a native of metro Atlanta, this is heaven!

Great people, beautiful land and fairly low cost of living - riding is the best!

 

Second jobs for retirees are to be had - we have a below national average jobless rate.

 

Miss my family in Georgia - would not move back - even though we have members from my home town (Newnan)

 

Look at Kingsport, Johnson City or Bristol - the Tri-Cities

 

Come for a visit and stay for a lifetime!

[Mariner Fan]

I want to retire at Sun River Oregon.

 

From what I've heard, Tennessee is a great place to retire.

[Ferrantelli]

It looks like you have a lot of exploring to do. No need to make your mind up in a hurry, you and the wife just have to go and visit all the places first.

I know it sounds like a lot of hard work.

 

I am tired of New York City and the cold:cold:. When I am ready I'm looking in NC between Charlotte and Lake Norman, places like Cornelius and Huntersville. Close enough to Charlotte for what ever needs and far enough from the traffic. But most important close to all that wonderful riding.