How to Decide Where to Retire
My husband retired a couple years ago and we’ve been on the hunt for where to live ever since. We bought a trailer to see the sights but mostly to visit towns and see what we liked. To be honest, we have spent more travel time vacationing in our trailer, but we do consider every town for it’s potential.
As background, 
Here are a few important things we’re keeping in mind as we look for the “perfect” place to retire if such a place exists.
Proximity to good medical care
The older we get, the more likely we will require medical care so it needs to be top notch and easily accessible. Living in a remote place with a podunk clinic that may necessitate being medevaced out for emergencies, is not our idea of smart.
Accessibility to big box stores
We buy many of our staples at Costco, Target and other big box stores. It saves money and makes life easy. Living too far from those stores means we will pay more for what we need and settle for less than what we want.
Crime rate
The older we get the more vulnerable we become so the crime rate is important. I don’t want to feel unsafe heading for my car in the evening when leaving a grocery store.
Climate
The older we get the less tolerant we are of weather fluctuations. Extreme heat, high humidity, freezing rain and constant clouds are not our idea of fun. A temperate climate without massive swings in temperature is high on our list. That said, we do love the change of seasons.
Cost of living
Living on a fixed income that isn’t adjusted for increases in the cost of living mean we want to live where our dollar goes furthest. Traveling in our trailer we have seen gasoline swings as much as $2.00 a gallon!
Cultural and recreational resources
Our idea of retirement is not sitting on the couch watching endless hours of television so we want to live in a place with options for both entertainment and physical activity.
Proximity to family and loved ones
The older we get the more precious our time spent with loved ones becomes. Our daughter lives in Canada and our son lives in the Sacramento area. It would be so much simpler if they lived closer together.
We’ve visited quite a few small towns in the last 2 weeks and ruled most out because they didn’t meet enough of our criteria. It’s hard to say with certainty which of these is most important so we judge each location individually.
What do you think most important when deciding where to live in retirement?
Thanks for reading ladies and have a great day!
Oh my, I’m so glad to see you all write about this subject. My husband and I, and most of our friends discuss this frequently. The main floor bedroom is about all anyone can agree on! My children all live in Philadelphia which is 3 hours away, so I’m looking in that area but who knows!
Good luck with your hunt, it’s a tough one. If my children lived closer together I would be living by them.
Being in our early 70s, close, great medical care is most important for my husband and I, who are both retired. When one ages and might need specialized medical treatment, you don’t want to have to be driving long distances for those treatments, nor to visit your loved one if they end up in the hospital.
Also, a suggestion for those traveling to check out potential retirement towns, visit during all seasons, and stay awhile. What looks perfect at one time of year, may be a real deal breaker at another. We’ve had friends do some long term rentals in places they were considering so they could get a taste of what to expect during all times of the year. Good luck with your search, Jennifer!
I agree that moving to be near family is risky and we did just that only to have the family move away! Our list also included close proximity to a golf course for my husband. We traversed Canada twice over our working careers and when we retired, after the ‘close to family’ failed, we resolved that ‘west was best’ and settled in Kelowna, BC in a friendly and active golf course community (adult focused but not restrictive). I share your challenges but moving frequently and looking at each move as a new adventure helped facilitate becoming established. Winters do have cloud cover which we break up with a trip away. I now get to drive home amongst the orchards and vineyards compared to driving on busy (unattractive) highways. That said, this summer has been frustrating with the smoky skies but then again, weather is changing everywhere; we just returned from a wonderful holiday in central Europe with extreme high temps and low water levels on the Danube. Good luck in finding somewhere ‘perfect for YOU’.
Safe, reliable, and varied forms of public transportation….and a reason to use them! When my mother felt she should stop driving, her mental and physical health took a steep decline. Her independence had been such a driver of her vitality. She had relatives to ask for help, but it just wasn’t the same for her. That being said, living in a place that offers real personal growth and stimulation is important. I guess I am talking about an urban setting, with easy access to parks and outdoor recreation. A central travel hub too. Hey…I live in a place just like that…..Washington DC. Surprised?
Great point about the transportation!
Moving to be near family can be risky as grown children often have to move to be where the jobs are. Life is unpredictable. My husband wanted to retire to a rural area and so we did only to have him die within a short time. I was stuck as I could not sell our house. However, almost ten years later I am happy here and like the country. You just do the best you can and things have a way of working out.
Thanks for sharing with us Jill. It’s a challenge many women don’t anticipate but will have to deal with. I’m so glad you’re doing well. We do have to do the best with the hand we are dealt.
Hallmark Village. The one with the big waterfall at the end of the village. If we can find it, let’s be neighbors❤️
Lol! Sounds great
Hi Jennifer,
This is a topic that is on all of our minds. I agree with everything you mentioned on your list and I am sure each one of us would place certain ones as more of a priority than others. I personally cannot handle the heat so it would be important to me to live in a milder temperature. One comment I would make is that moving close to family isn’t always a long term living solution. In fact I don’t have one friend that wants to move next to their kids at this point in their lives. I saw a few of my parent’s friends do this and here is what happened. One couple moved to Portland to be next to kids/grandkids and then a few years down the road the daughter’s husband got a job transfer and the family moved out of state. Another couple moved close to family and said they were miserable because 15 years later the grandkids were grown up and had all moved out of the area. Also, my mother-in-law moved to a retirement community in Seal Beach 17 years ago to be next to her daughter and now her daughter just retired and moved to St. John, UT. Now at 87 years old my mother-in-law is having to move again to follow her. I think the most important thing is to do what is best for you both. A lot of us are in our 60’s and twenty years from now kids may not be in the same town, some may get married and move on, there might be job changes, etc… I think you are so smart to think this all out and study all your options.
Thanks for sharing this Annette! Following our children is not always fool proof. Few people stay put long term so we need to decide what location makes us happiest.
We retired a couple of years ago, and created a similar list to yours, but it also needed to include dark skies for my husband’s astronomy hobby. We chose Auburn Lake Trails in Cool, CA. Not so far from you, based on your local travels to places like Nevada City. It is not as fancy as the community you are living in , but it has a variety of property sizes and storeys. Pool, golf, horses, trails, mixed age community- very friendly and inclusive. 20-ish minutes to medical and Costco in Roseville, 6 miles to Auburn for Target, Michaels, Home Depot. Reasonable home prices, especially compared to LA or Bay Area!
We couldn’t be happier to be here – closer to grandchildren in the Bay Area – we were previously in Los Angeles. In fact, I am off to the water exercise class!
It sounds wonderful Anne! That’s a gorgeous area. Being in shooting distance to all these things makes things much easier
Good morning, I understand your dilemma, and it is a process to find the right fit for living in retirement. I have lived in my house for 50 years. I think I have shared this with you before. My husband and I lived in Santa Clara from 1950 until 1964. We could see the handwriting on the wall, and today I am happy we made a move, but I was homesick for 30 years. Until Macy’s came to Redding, Ca. Funny how one thing can take away the pain of leaving my family and friends forever. We live in the heat from late June until early September. But the heat is dry and not much humidity. Redding was a beautiful place until last month when we had the Carr fire. Our beautiful lakes are chard with black dirt. But now to the best part of my story. We have housing, Costco, MACY’S and dignity health care providers for Medicare, and we are close to Ashland and the Oregon coast. We have friends who take their RV and park it at Trinidad for the two hot months in the summer. The best of both worlds. Shasta, Trinity, Modoc, and Lassen counties offer many activities, and the Sacramento airport is two hours away. I wish you the best of luck on your journey. The perfect place is waiting for you and your husband.
Joyously,
Betty
The fire was beastly!! You make excellent points. Compromise is part of everything in life. Housing is no different. You’re a trooper Betty
This is list a good start especially if your thinking of moving to an unfamiliar area. Access to family and health care were my top factors when choosing our home several years ago. I love being close to my grands and living in a semi rural area. My peaceful setting does come with some trade offs but I love the peace and quiet. I wish luck with your search.
Peace and quiet is why we sold our home in May. The traffic had become hectic and the noise level stressful. I know there will be trade offs to every location.