Retire where?

[rver98]

Originally Posted by tdst51

My wife and I were born and raised in the Ventura County (Thousand Oaks)/San Fernando Valley area, and moved to southern Missouri about 17 years ago. I would never ever even consider moving back there. Once you get away and into the REAL America, you ask yourself how could I have ever lived there so long. [moderator edit] Number two reason- the people- everywhere you go, nothing but people. Everything you do, you stand in line for. Number three- trying to drive anywhere. Everywhere you go- traffic. Sitting in it. Always. There are plenty of other places that have sunshine and warm weather. Texas, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi. Yeah, big cities there, too, but also tons of small wonderful little towns that are just a pleasure to drive through. Now, don't get me wrong- California, as they say, is a great place to visit. We love going back and seeing friends and family. And California has the best restaurants (arguably) in the country. The Sierrras, the redwoods, the desert, all great places to visit. When we retire in a few years, we'll be going back to all those places again. But as far as ever living there again- never happen. Okay, rant over. Good luck with your life choices!

Dave and Theresa

I appreciate your opinions

[ArmandV]

Originally Posted by jfran304

The good thing about living in middle Georgia is that within 3 hours I can be in the mountains or on the beach (Atlantic or Gulf). We are also close to Atlanta if you want a major city or an international airport. Taxes aren't bad either if you are retired.

Retire Here, Not There: Georgia - MarketWatch

Jon

My fiancee and I have been talking about moving to Georgia from California. Both of us were born in California (although she's about half my age) and lived here all our lives.

The main issue about moving is dealing with that stupid healthcare law. I am getting Medi-Cal. Does Georgia have something comparable? Nothing like being forced to buy something for no other reason than being a U.S. citizen.

[sbleiweiss]

Originally Posted by rver98

I currently live in So. Cal and I am trying to decide if I should move out of So. Cal and move somewhere less expensive. Which city and state would you chose and why? I enjoy hiking, biking, golfing, gym time, the ocean and the mountains. Not looking to full time.

Thanks!

We are just leaving IL to retire to AZ. I meet a lot of AZ retirees that moved from CA for just the reasons you cite. AZ has all the climates. Just depends on whether you choose southern AZ or northern AZ.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by ArmandV

My fiancee and I have been talking about moving to Georgia from California. Both of us were born in California (although she's about half my age) and lived here all our lives.

The main issue about moving is dealing with that stupid healthcare law. I am getting Medi-Cal. Does Georgia have something comparable? Nothing like being forced to buy something for no other reason than being a U.S. citizen.

Keep in mind there's all kinds of stupid.

I believe you get Med-Cal in CA because CA went for Medicaid expansion as part of that awful ACA ("Obamacare").

However, 22 states did not (mainly the Confederacy) and you won't find Medi-Cal in those states:
A 50-State Look at Medicaid Expansion | Families USA

[ArmandV]

Originally Posted by TechWriter

Keep in mind there's all kinds of stupid.

I believe you get Med-Cal in CA because CA went for Medicaid expansion as part of that awful ACA ("Obamacare").

However, 22 states did not (mainly the Confederacy) and you won't find Medi-Cal in those states:
A 50-State Look at Medicaid Expansion | Families USA

Yeah, that's the problem. I qualified for it (Medi-Cal) as it is based on income which, in my case, is Social Security. I have three years to go before I am 65.

[jfran304]

Originally Posted by ArmandV

My fiancee and I have been talking about moving to Georgia from California. Both of us were born in California (although she's about half my age) and lived here all our lives.

The main issue about moving is dealing with that stupid healthcare law. I am getting Medi-Cal. Does Georgia have something comparable? Nothing like being forced to buy something for no other reason than being a U.S. citizen.

I don't know about the health care for civilians since we are retired military. We have TRICARE and MEDICARE . Maybe somebody else from GA will jump in with information.

Good Luck,
Jon

[dix39]

We moved from WV to N CA (Hoopa) in '73 when I was 34. We lived there for about a year before moving to Central OR (Prineville). About five years later we moved again to just South of Medford, OR along I-5 near the CA border.

When I retired in '94 we had made 30+ trips across the US to WV and back as well as a lot of North and South deviations to get there. We had seen much of the US. After considering all the places we'd been, as well as WV where we grew up and spent the first part of our lives, we decided that there was more here for us than any other place we'd been. There are many other places that have some of these things in spades, but not all of them.

The coast is a place we love and from the early '80s through the '90s spent a lot of time hauling our boat over there and fishing. Now it's mostly day trips to beachcomb, relax, and visit friends.

I always loved hunting and fishing, but in '80 some friends at work introduced me to bow hunting for elk and deer. I grew to love that and my wife would go along first to follow me around through the woods and later to ride one of our Honda Trail 90s on the many logging roads. We stayed in the TC then.

Much of this was done near Coos Bay about 160 miles from where we live. Boondocking at it's best, IMHO. We still do this although neuropathy has limited my hunting/walking significantly.

We also have a smaller boat, canoe, and inflatable pontoon boat we use on the local lakes and rivers.

We also have a couple of larger motorbikes that we ride locally and to the coast. Most of our lives have centered around the outdoors and this place has filled our needs.

I would agree that, as others have said, anyplace in Western OR or WA would fill your needs. Keep in mind that precipitation along the coast is high increasing as you go North. The water is also cold. Precipitation generally decreases as you go East over the mountain ranges.

Best of luck finding your spot.

Steve

[530ktm]

Seems many of us share the same thoughts and desires to move out of SoCal. Wife and I just returned from South Carolina where it is very nice but the 12% growth rate is a bit concerning, Charleston area to be exact. Huge developments going up everywhere. I need to stick to the west coast area and find a good place like some of the above mentioned areas.

[Cat320]

We looked at retiring all over the country...well almost...ruled out the rust belt, NE and NW. Ended up staying where we are...the kids are close, D/W will not even consider moving.

[doc]

Originally Posted by jfran304

I don't know about the health care for civilians since we are retired military. We have TRICARE and MEDICARE . Maybe somebody else from GA will jump in with information.

Good Luck,
Jon

We have a VA facility here in N Georgia, another in Atlanta and a great one in Augusta. For small problems, you can pretty much walk to the one near Athens.
No state taxes on SS in Georgia. Property taxes vary from county to county with the rural areas being the best places to live and the taxes the least. We live in a rural area, small town and have all the good stuff and not traffic and crowds. Biggest traffic lately was an antique tractor parade.

[530ktm]

Originally Posted by Cat320

We looked at retiring all over the country...well almost...ruled out the rust belt, NE and NW. Ended up staying where we are...the kids are close, D/W will not even consider moving.

And where is where we are now?

[Raining Star]

We debated long and hard for the option in our retirement plan. First it was snowbird vs sunbird. We choose sunbird because even when we can no longer travel we'd be better off with hot summers than freezing winters.

Then it was southwest vs southeast. We preferred the southwest having lived here for decades. Your preference may vary, but for us Arizona was the clear cut winner. Beautiful areas to travel to in three of the four compass directions, as well as endless variety within the state itself. Also the low property rates in modern retirement centric communities allowed us to build a wonderful new home in a gated adult community that didn't break the bank.

For us Arizona was the clear choice but we did consider every alternative.

[wnytaxman]

Deciding where to go for retirement is a tough decision. We had a client that moved from Western NY to Arizona. They were both retired educators with retirements paying them about $130,000 a year. That retirement was exempt here in NY but fully taxable in Arizona. Others moved to the Carolinas where they get clobbered by the personal property taxes. Now you can add the confusion of the health insurance and it becomes kind of a crap shoot as far as what place is the "best" place to retire.

[jmcarter]

Some of the advantages mentioned relative to Georgia also come into play if you look at South Carolina, preferably up around Greenville. Incredibly close to the mountains, amazing amount of hiking along the Blue Ridge and Appalachian trail networks. Not far from Asheville (taxes higher in NC as a rule) and many historical and scenic sites along the East Coast. Also, not far from the Outer Banks and the coastal islands of south GA. Easy trip further south to escape some of the colder periods that can occur.

BTW, OR wouldn't be a bad alternative, the Bend area is attractive for many reasons. Lived in the Seattle area many years but winters are pretty dismal, many Californians have a hard time adjusting.