Hi Diane,
We haven't retired yet, but we have bought our retirement home. It is only 3 hours from home and we will move there as soon as we get the last 2 out of college and "repair" this place so we can sell it. (Very 70's still) Our new home is on a lake and is "up north". Our honeymoon was spent up north, so it is fitting that where we both want to go is north! Up north is turning into a retirement community. Many of our friends are headed that way, though, surprisingly many don't know what they are going to do yet. I will say "they're not getting any younger!" Recently, on the news, there was a survey that said, 1/3 of retirees are going south, 1/3 north, and 1/3 staying where they are.
Interesting!
Looking forward to retirement, Kathy G in MI

Diane,
That is a very interesting question. We are new at retirement, but we have thought about it for many years.
We have always lived, lower middle class, and could never afford to take vacations annually like most people.

We plan to stay where ae are. We love this area about 3/4 of the year, and survive the other 1/4. Our children and grandchildren are around here, and we would miss too much if we were far away. Our income will be about the same, but everything is pretty much paid for and fixed up, so we hope to be able to take a couple trips a year and see this wonderful USA.
Hayjud

I'll probably be moving up north to the south as it's way too expensive to live here retired & the health care is really poor here.

Don't care to own property any more so I'll go into a rental.

I plan to relocate in the next year. I am about 6 years away from retirement and would like to relocate while I am still working so that I can make new friends and get settled in. There is no way that I can afford to live here in the SF Bay Area when I am retired (I rent) so I plan to relocate to Boise, ID just as soon as my cousins in NJ buy their home in Boise. We have another cousin in Ketchum, ID and my DS said he will move to Boise when I do. I will have to get used to cold winters but I feel that the low cost of living is a good tradeoff.

We're going to stay right here in central NY--all the kids & their families live within visiting distance, we have ties to the community,our home will be paid for in 3 yrs & while the yard itself is too big to comfortably take care of we figure with all the time we'll have we'll be able to maintain it on a " bit at a time"basis-we built the house in 1990 so "things" are in good shape(hopefully won't need major replacements )& DH,sons & stepsons are all "handymen"-when we built the house(one floor plan ) we put in extra wide hallways & large roomy master BR & bath with the thought in mind that both of us have Rheumatoid Arthritis & may eventually end up in wheelchairs .I'm going to break down & get a cleaning lady in every 2 wks to start & I have a couple of teen aged grandchildren I " hire" to do the heavy gardening work that's beyond me now.

i havent yet, but will when i retire shortly iam in s.e. mi. now and will relocate to fla. prob st.pete or ft myers. no 1 reason i just plain hate living in mich. no 2 reason i like temps in the 70s to 80s.

When we retired 4 yrs. ago we relocated on a lake, we had a place there for yrs. and bought a nice home to retire in. We stayed 2-l/2yrs. Missed city living, grandkids, etc. Moved back where we came from. Bought a huge new home on a busy street. Love it. People think we are nuts. We still haven't given up the thought of maybe a warmer climate. Who knows, Florida???? We never say "this is our final retirement home", ha ha.

We have lived in 6 states so when it came time to decide where we wanted to live after retirement we had a good idea of what we wanted and didn't want.

Our two children were not near us......states away from us...so we didn't stay where our last residence was to be near family. We had visited where we are now and had a boat here for years. We decided we liked this area...not too big and the weather was great. We still have seasons in SC and having lived up north for a lot of years, I WANTED some seasons. So we built a house and here we are. :~)

Do you know if you uproot and old tree most of the time it dies.To move to another state at a late age I dont think you will be happy.I live in a senior apartment it took a lady a month to get boxes and move to newyork stateI think she was gone six months and the movers were bringing her back.You would have thought she was in heaven she was so happy.I have seen others move to florida to stay with kids and they too are back in six months.think about it and pray.

Bill,
Regarding your wanting to move to FL when you retire, cause you like temps in the 70's and 80's.........think 90's and up in the summer. I suggest you do some research first.
Best of luck wherever you decide.

90s even better! but i know the fort myers weather, i spend 2 weeks there in aug, and another 3 weeks in nov. anything would be better than mich. i moved here for my job 22 yrs ago have about 6 more yrs to go, hated mich. when i moved here, and nothing has changed.

I can't see us ever moving away from Louisiana. We love our home, although it is quite large and getting harder to maintain. If anything happens to my husband before me, I know that it will be awfully hard for me to keep up the land and the big house. I guess I will just have to hire someone or hopefully, my son will help me even though he has his hands full just starting a business and taking care of three acres and a famiy. He and his two children are within walking distance of us, and my daughter is buried nearby. We have many good memories in this house and would hate to leave it for any reason. If we ever left the house, we wouldn't go far.

Befor you pull up roots think about it.Dont go where no one knows you.There may be two of you now but that wont be the case for ever.If you feel you can make it on your own if your partner goes first GO for it. Its nice to try something new.ME I am chicken.What I did was relocate to a senior apartment down the street.Guess what? Most of the people I grew up with are here.We have fun just talking about the good old days.When I get bored I take a bus trip Or dye my hair or make a dress .There is always my computerI have only gotten that since I retired.There is so much to do right here.Now I have a brother who moved to Vegas and he says he loves it.I guess what I am saying To each his own if you are willing to take the chance.Goldy

We are going on the road full time when I retire in a few more years. We will sell our house, and use that money to buy a nice used luxury motorcoach, and we will move whenever the mood stirs us to do so. I too live in Michigan, and after I retire the only time I want to see another Michigan winter is when it is on CNN. My wife has never had the opportunity to travel this great country of ours and we will do so in our retirement years. I have never been one to want to stay in the same place for to long, and with a motorcoach you can have mountains in your window if you want or the sea shore if that is your desire. Its a lifestyle that isn't for all people, but my wife and I have been studying this dream for a number of years,and we are working our way to this dream.
Bill

We live in So. California but plan to retire in 3 to 4 years to Virginia. We have no friends (yet) or family there. We love it there and it is so different than where we live now. We are really tired of the crowds and traffic wherever you go in So. Cal. We try to visit Virginia at least once a year and have been there in the hottest of summers and the coldest of winters, so we know what we are getting into. We want an adventure - new people, diferent customs, 4 seasons, southern hospitality, green and beautiful, and new places to visit. We love American history and gardening and Virginia is overflowing with both. We belong to a close-knit but large international church and there will be members of our church wherever we relocate. We have a lovely home and will get big $$$ when we retire and be able to pay cash for an equal or better house with money left over - the cost of living is less in VA - which appeals to us. We will visit our children, grandchildren and friends often. At some point, we may move back to CA, but we will be retiring in our 50's (I'm 51 now), so we should have quite a few years of travel and discovery. We are excited about our plan.

I've enjoyed traveling to different states over the years, but after considering moving elsewhere, decided to stay in Michigan, which I love! My husband, who spent many years in the south and has many friends there, would prefer to retire there. I would much rather put on extra clothing in the winter and be able to walk, hike, and cross-country ski, than have to stay inside with air-conditioning (UGH!) because it's too hot. I REALLY dislike humidity, so the amount of outdoor activity I would do in the south would diminish to the detriment of my health. Since my children are in Michigan, we're going to stay here!