Great Places to Retire?

[glurkus]

Things that you want to look at are property and income taxes, availability of health care, and how close you want to be to an airport.
I personally like northern New Mexico. There is affordable real estate in rural areas near Santa Fe or Taos. Mild winters and not too hot in the summer, and plenty of recreation opportunities.

 

[Rpbump]

There are six states with no income tax. TN, FL, TX, & NV are the ones I can recall. Being retired military you will find many major bases in these states with commissary and medical services. I would move to Texas hill country when I retire but know that the other half would not want to live so far from our kids and grandchildren so N FL is where my home will be. My only time in Alaska was a short visit to Adak, the size and aggressiveness of the mosquitos there compares to the ones in the pine barrens of NJ. Good luck to you and your family.
Ride Safe

 

[35634]

Spearfish, SD.

 

[akbeemer]

Okay, I've got my map out and I'm putting pins in at all the suggested locations. I'm looking at the gaps where there are no pins and guessing those places are really bad places to live...or the folks that live there are trying to keep their little slice of heaven a secret. What is it?

 

[35634]

Okay, I've got my map out and I'm putting pins in at all the suggested locations. I'm looking at the gaps where there are no pins and guessing those places are really bad places to live...or the folks that live there are trying to keep their little slice of heaven a secret. What is it?

look for the sigh that says "Welcome to ____. Spend your money, leave your
daughters, go back home"

 

[108625]

You don't want to homestead in Montana...
Read Lewis and Clark's journals about the mosquitoes, prickly pear cactus and grizzlies. None of that has changed. We still heat our homes with dried cowpies and make all of our clothes and sundry items out of dead animals.

 

[deilenberger]

On a vacation a year ago - I was very impressed with Lexington KY. It had a great small-town atmosphere - with some intelligence showing (2 or is it 3 Universities, and 3 hospitals..) And in 10 minutes you could be in some wonderful riding areas.

Anyone have personal experience?

 

[Vagabird]

After 24 years in the military and moving all over the place, plus another seven years of civilian work to build up savings, my wife and I did the whole bit of looking at taxes, climate, house prices, medical care, etc. Our search zeroed in on NE Arkansas. We then got on the bike and toured the states for three months. We sold our houses in Maryland and Rhode Island and moved to Laramie WY. We never would have moved here if we hadn't looked all around.

Other than being able to afford an actual house instead of living in a cardboard box, I think the main consideration given the choice is to live in a place where you are comfortable - with the climate, the terrain, the people, busy-ness or remoteness. Laramie has long winters but I always feel lucky to have found it.

Look around. You'll find your place. And, worse comes to worst, you can treat it like a military transfer and move after two years. If you've been in the military for a career you know you can stand just about anywhere for a couple of years.

 

[Bud]

Southern Illinois is God's country.

After living here for 34 years, I agree.

 

[Bud]

I lived the first 23 years of my life in Centralia, IL . . . if cjack is right about it being God's country, I wonder what he was so pissed off about. +1 on middle to eastern Tennessee.

Floyd

Hello from Nashville, IL

 

[lancew]

I grew up in Northern Vermont. In the last fifteen years I've lived in Charlotte NC, Atlanta GA, Richmond VA, and am currently working in St. Louis MO (though I haven't done much living here yet). I also spent a little time in Eastern Tennesee between Knoxville and Nashville.

If being East of the Mississippi works for you, I would take a look at the entire NC/VA border. Pick your east/west location according to your mountain vs. ocean preference, and pick your elevation according to how much "four" you want in your four seasons. Any place in there is an easy two-day ride to most of the eastern part of the country.

By the way, you're a lucky bum to have to worry about this, we should ALL have your problems! Best of luck.

 

[easy]

There are six states with no income tax. TN, FL, TX, & NV are the ones I can recall. Being retired military you will find many major bases in these states with commissary and medical services. I would move to Texas hill country when I retire but know that the other half would not want to live so far from our kids and grandchildren so N FL is where my home will be. My only time in Alaska was a short visit to Adak, the size and aggressiveness of the mosquitos there compares to the ones in the pine barrens of NJ. Good luck to you and your family.
Ride Safe

I'm originally from Houston, too flat, too humid, and the mosquitoes are big enough to carry off a small goat. Don't even ask me about the cockroaches. I later moved to far north Texas, still too flat, too windy, and the dust is enough to make you think you're on active duty in Mosul.

I next moved to the Texas Hill Country, and it's great down here. The scenery is great, good hills and twisties. The cost of living is affordable, no state income tax, and no Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger. Don't get me wrong, California would be my second choice.

I've been on two wheels in every state in the union except for the extreme northwest and northeast and it's the Texas Hill Country for me. I'm just a stone's throw from Fredericksburg, Bandera, Hunt and many other great destinations.

But it'll be a while before I'm ready to retire.

Come on down, the coffee at Clark's Bakery is on me.

Easy

 

[GILLY]

NOT Wisconsin, geez our TAXES are too high, the HEAT and HUMIDITY in the summer, SNOWDRIFTS up to your eyeballs, TWICE a day MOST months of the year, OH the construction in the 1.5 days out of the year we call summer. Dahmer, Gehin, Liberace, UGGG you DON'T want to move here. Come on up in the summer time, then go back home to "Gods Country" after the Indians have all your money.
Gilly

 

[RevWillie]

You have a mission next summer....

Gee, it sounds like you have a Real Good Reason to ride down to the National Rally in Tennessee! You will have a bunch of neighboring states to check out (VA,NC,TN,WV.SC) which include some excellent motorcycle roads. There are a lot of interesting towns down twisty roads in the Appalachians and I sure like living in the Piedmont of NC and having year-round riding!

Seems to me, you have a very good reason to come to Tennessee in July!

 

[Voni]

Almost heaven - Big Bend country of Texas!

NO state income tax, Great fall, winter, and spring weather.

Just May and June are too hot so we run away from home.

Good medical center and a small airport.

Great people. Low cost housing. Great riding. and, did I mention the GReat people!

Voni
sMiling

 

[ultracyclist]

keep it simple

Here is what my clients did:

They followed the latitude lines from N. C. to Santa Cruz, CA.

They did not want:
-coasts
-deserts
-outrageous cost of energy

They wanted:
-mild winters
-bearable summers
-good health care
-longer riding year
-Stable real estate markets vs. CA, FL, and AZ

Their conclusion: Louisville, Lexington, KY areas. NC is right behind KY for this one.

They will start scouting the areas for housing, etc in about a year.

 

[glennhendricks]

Pueblo Colorado

Take a look at Pueblo Colorado. Mild winters. Long summers. Cheap housing. Decent medical. 40 minutes from Fort Carson and the big PX.

Great riding in Colorado.

 

[corbtown]

Years ago I lived in Denver, Colorado. Then got married and moved to Ohio. If I didn't have all the family in Ohio, I would rush back to one of the mountain states. Northern New Mexico and the front range corridor of Colorado, all the way from Pueblo to Estes Park is amazing. Surprisingly, that part of Colorado has better winters than the mid-west. Other very good options are northern Kentucky, south east Indiana, both the northwest sections of the two Carolinas are also very beautiful, including some nice mountains. I also like Vancouver quite a bit if you can live in Canada--it has the coast, the mountains and a great urban environment. Have fun, and with good planning, make sure the expectation is NOT better than the reality.

 

[pffog]

If being East of the Mississippi works for you, I would take a look at the entire NC/VA border. Pick your east/west location according to your mountain vs. ocean preference, and pick your elevation according to how much "four" you want in your four seasons. Any place in there is an easy two-day ride to most of the eastern part of the country.

By the way, you're a lucky bum to have to worry about this, we should ALL have your problems! Best of luck.

If you want near the Blue Ridge in the NC/VA border area I know a guy in real estate that is an avid rider and all around good guy.

 

[ragtoplvr]

If you want golf and great riding then Bella Vista ARKANSAS deserves a look. I ride thru there a lot, lots of Golf. I can not speak as the the quality of the courses, there is quantity though. I can speak for the roads, and they are great. And there is an EXCELLENT Beemer dealer in Bentonville BMW right next door.

And if you ever want to fish or hunt. Biggest problem is all the Wal-Mart millionairs. But most of them are nice people. They have run up the property values a bit though.

Just my $.02

Rod