"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" - Gordon Lightfoot
Posted
I was visiting my dad in Pulaski, VA last week. Pulaski is a very small town about 45 mins SW of Roanoke and not all that far from the Virginia Tech campus. The elevation at my dad's is about 2,200'.
It's such a quiet and clean town. One thing that really strikes me when I visit there is how even the teenagers are very respectful. No loud stereos or cars racing around.
Most of the yards there are kept very well groomed.
I'm guessing by the low flying USAF jets I've seen, there must be a base nearby for the veterans to use.
I just thought that maybe there are some soon-to-be retirees that are searching for a nice and peaceful place to retire. Hopefully others will post other locations here to help those with their search for a place to plant some roots.
There used to be a site on the internet that that took a person with a house valued at 150k, 50k yearly salary and broke it down to the cost of living (state taxes, sales taxes, etc.) in that state. There were some surprising figures.
I don't know if I will ever satisfy my wanderlust but Florida has been home for the last 34 years.
One of the things to look at is what benifits does the state you initally started in have for retirees. Other things are taxes, home costs etc. I settled here in Lower Alabama and am very happy. There is no tax on pension funds this includes military retirement/SBP payments. Sales tax runs 8%-9% But the tax on homes is low. 165,000.00 home $400.00 a year. Basis are close depending where you live. Mobile County has Keesler, AFB about 30-40 minutes. Baldwin county has Pensacola NAS 30-40 minutes.
It really depends on your lifestyle and just how retired you want to be. As for myself, I'll stay as far out in the country as I can get. Some folks like small towns and some like the city life. My advice is to decide what kind of lifestyle you (AND YOUR WIFE) really desire then jump into the pool. Life is an adventure worth living. Dave
I doubt I could afford a home there at the present but Jupiter, FL always struck me as a beautiful place to live. Nice and clean, the ocean and inlet right there, the CG exchange at the Jupiter Lighthouse.
As far as Oregon and the West Coast, I just don't have any experience out there to say....only a visit to Hunnington Beach, CA when I was 15.
As far as Oregon and the West Coast, I just don't have any experience out there to say....only a visit to Hunnington Beach, CA when I was 15.
Forget about the Western states. Too crowded, too smoggy, too hot, the water is poluted and unfit for living things, waters are either over fished or too poluted to sustain fish populations, people are all grouchy, very high levels of crime, street gangs in every community, schools suck, gasoline is too expensive making everything else too expensive, too many government regulations, taxes are sky high, law enforcement officers are mean, too many dangerous earthquake faults making homeowner insurance exorbidant, droughts that last over six years, beaches are infested with more species of bacteria that you can shake a stick at, the ocean waters seem only to support the Great White Shark, average commute time in the bigger cities is 45 minutes for a 10 mile drive, 2 or 3 volcanos that are on the verge of "the big one".
Otherwise, the west isn't that bad.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: <M_Wood51>,
Consider me the anti-chamber of commerce for the Western States. I think that in the future, my photography will no longer reflect the dissappearing beauty of the west but instead, show all the freeway gridlock, dark brown smog, and the growing amount of gang graffitti. Then I'll produce some scenics promoting the beauty of Hoboken, New Jersey and Debuque, Iowa.
Driving down from visiting with my sister's family in the Sierra yesterday, we encountered more than three gridlocked stop 'n go jams on the roads and freeways - on a Sunday. No accidents or LE action. Just too many people wanting to be at the same place at the same time.
Yes, but they always take the time to say, "Have a nice day!"
When I first moved from New York to California, and visited the local megamarket, the checker greeted me with, "Good morning. How are you today?" My knee-jerk response was something like, "Do we know each other?" When I visit back east, I find that the locals also sprinkle their conversation with "nice days," and other pleasantries. At least I know they are insincere, and really don't care. . .
Whatever you do, do not consider Arizona for a spot to retire. It's WAY too hot here. And there are rattlesnakes everywhere. And Scorpions where there aren't rattlesnakes. Anf coyotes that will eat your pets and small children. And it's just horrible, just horrible!
Arizona ROFLMAO!!!!!! In the high country of the great square state of Colorado we have the coyotes that carry away medium size dogs but the Eagles and Owls carry away the small dogs and cats. Lost two cats this year so we tend not to get too attached to them. Not many dogs like Paris Hiltons last long here if they get out on their own. As for small children and large dogs we have the Mountain Lions, Bears, Lynx and now they want to re-introduce Wolves back to the habitat after the ranchers worked so hard to get rid of them. And if the Cow pie smell and flatulence doesn’t get you the Skunks here could knock a maggot off a gut wagon. Couple all that with the lack of O2 up here at 8200 Ft. above sea level and you can pass a good time without not even knowing it.
As far as Oregon and the West Coast, I just don't have any experience out there to say....only a visit to Hunnington Beach, CA when I was 15.
Forget about the Western states. Too crowded, too smoggy, too hot, the water is polluted and unfit for living things, waters are either over fished or too polluted to sustain fish populations, people are all grouchy, very high levels of crime, street gangs in every community, schools suck, gasoline is too expensive making everything else too expensive, too many government regulations, taxes are sky high, law enforcement officers are mean, too many dangerous earthquake faults making homeowner insurance exorbitant, droughts that last over six years, beaches are infested with more species of bacteria that you can shake a stick at, the ocean waters seem only to support the Great White Shark, average commute time in the bigger cities is 45 minutes for a 10 mile drive, 2 or 3 volcano's that are on the verge of "the big one".
Otherwise, the west isn't that bad.
Yeah! What he said!!!! Or-E-Gun's motto has been and always will be Come and visit, spend your money - then GO HOME!!! Oh! If your a hemp sandaled tree hugger - stay home. We have already filled our quota of those!!
Back in the 60s I had a tee-shirt that read: The honorable Tom McCall, Governor of the state of Oregon, cordially invites you to visit CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON or IDAHO. dAVE
All in all, if you are aware of the best place to retire, it is best just to keep it to yourself, else it will no longer be a good place to retire anymore.
