We are in the process of relocating to Asheville NC. Dh took a new position there in April. After spending 6 years in the "flatlands" of the midwest, we were looking to get back to the mountains. (We are both from PA) We wanted an area were we could still experience 4 seasons yet not the extremes. I dislike the hot hot summer and Asheville seems pretty comfortable. We didn't consider anything in TX...too many creepy crawly things and just too hot!

Good luck!

Well, it still has winters, but I didn't think they were as bad as Minnesota's. So often a Chinook wind would blow through and melt most of the snow in a day. The summers are dry, hardly any bugs. It would get hot during the day but almost always cooked down at night Then there are the mountains! I'm talking about God's country......Montana. Granted, you have to be in the western part, until then you'r still in the Dakotas. LOL We lived in Butte and Anaconda, and totally loved it. We wish we could have stayed there but family matters made our move back necessary. Good luck, where ever you decide.

I would think the crime rate would be high on the list of considerations. Not much good to live in a great climate if the crime rate is sky high.

Some of the things we considered when choosing our retirement location:

Not too far from DD (it's about 25 miles from her house, we were about 7 miles before)

Lower taxes--we found an Abbott school district (state picks up much of the school expense) and Urban Enterprise Zone (sales tax is halved) that we liked

Lower cost of living--the new area is in a relatively depressed area, and I find that prices in stores in general are usually less than they are at our other house, only 30 miles away.

We wanted a little more space--our 'old' house was on a small lot, we could (and often have) converse with neighbors through our windows, without leaving our houses.
New house is a corner property, a little larger, and laid out so that we have a lot more privacy.

Near excellant health facilities--we'll still be within an hour's drive of the excellant Philadephila hospitals after we move. Another health consideration--will your health insurance go with you if you go out of state. We just learned that DH's will NOT--luckily, we're staying in state.

Once we narrowed it down to a general location we were looking for:

a safe neighborhood
good neighbors
convenient to--grocery store, farm markets, medical professionals (we'll probably return to our current dr, dentist for a bit, while we research drs in the new neighborhood, but our eye dr. has an office and surgical center just about 3 blocks from our new house).
house--something that will be convenient as we age--we found a great rancher with a huge eat-in kitchen (room even for a chest freezer), laundry on first floor, 2 baths, lots of storage, maintenance free (brick and aluminum siding, easy to maintain windows, etc), rooms can be closed off to save on heating/cooling, radiators (more comfortable than hot air heat), finished basement (once I add a summer kitchen, we can 'live' down there when it's hot, to save on cooling expense), reasonable utilities (we have city-owned water and electricity, a fireplace)

Those are a few of the things we considered. I'd say the health insurance issue is a big one--and we weren't even aware of that problem since a lot of DH's coworkers have moved out of state after retirement. Another thing to consider is if your state has an exit tax--ours does. You pay a fee if you sell your house and move out of state. There are ways around it (sell your house and rent instate for a time, before moving out of state, for instance), but it's an issue to consider.

I know no one wants to think about losing their independence, but I felt that finding a house that would be more convenient should be have health issues that made steps more of a challenge was a good idea at this stage of life.

Mostly, I listed all that stuff to show you my thought process. What you need to do now, is start listing what things are important to YOU, and using those as a guideline for choosing the location and type of home that will be best for you at this stage of life. Good luck.

1) Cost of living
2) Weather
3) Crime rate

....not necessarily in that order.

Wow, thanks so much for your thoughtful answers! Bunnylover, we actually were looking at North Carolina but Ron wanted the Western part of the state for the mountains and I wanted the Eastern side for something closer to the beach! Let me know how you like it a year from now!

Dotmom, I want to get back in the South! I miss the Southern hospitality and manners!

Lindsey, good input.

Azzalea, it sounds like you guys hit the jackpot!

I like the way you summed it all up, Debi.

I look for how Ill feel living there..Picture yourself there. Ive always wanted land we got 40 acres,water,we got large pond,stream.privacy we live middle of the 40 aces.Not far where Ill need to go grocery shopping etc,love it here.We have horses,longhorns,mini donkeys ,chickens

When we retired, we could have moved anywhere in the world, but the most important factor was to be within 100 miles of our kids. Other factors included cost of living and housing; weather; crime; wide-open spaces; close proximity to shopping and medical facilities. DH wanted to be in the mountains or on the water.

We settled in northwestern Virginia and love it here. The cost of living is much lower than where we lived (in MD, the DC suburbs); the air is clean; traffic is light; we have 4 distinct seasons and none are severe; there is no or very low risk of hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, etc.; crime is very low; taxes and insurance are low; people are friendly; the area is beautiful (we live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River is a mile down the road from us).

We sold our townhouse in MD (it was in a luxury townhouse community--45 townhomes on 5 acres) and got almost enough to pay cash for a 5,000 square foot home on 6 acres. We went from having our neighbors in our face, to having no neighbors within 1/4 mile. In our old neighborhood, DH's motorcycle cover was stolen right in front of our home; here, we can leave doors unlocked without worry.

We considered moving near water, but found that the prices are outrageous and you get a small lot. We decided we would rather have a lot of land in the mountains than a small lot on the water. Plus, our mountains (and the forests that surround us on all sides) protect us from high winds and bad weather.

I like North Carolina and there are mountains and beaches. My sister and BIL lived in New Bern, NC for several years and want to retire there. It's a really old city and has lots of charm. Hardly ever snows there.

I don't know if you've ever read any of Nicholas Sparks' books, but a lot of them are set in that area (he lives in New Bern).

Well worth taking a look at.

I'm so glad I asked you guys this question because I am loving your answers. We have been pondering this dilemma for 2 or 3 years now. North Carolina was one place that caught our attention and it's nice to see you guys talk about it who have been there or live there. Thanks Patti.

Virginia sounds absolutely lovely, Wanda. Unfortunately our kids all live in Minnesota so living within 100 miles of them wouldn't help much! We moved up here to be closer to Ron's family but I didn't know the winters were going to be so difficult for me. It's the problem that I can't breathe in the cold weather so that means I feel like a prisoner in our house all winter long. In MN it's either winter or there are so many bugs outside you have to bathe in poison to enjoy being out there!

Bulldinkie, you place also sounds really nice.

Thanks again for your thoughts everyone.

Northern California? Prescott, AZ? Boulder, CO? Oregon?

DH and I have lived all our lives in various Chicago suburbs. When he retired we wanted to escape increasing traffic and 'mall sprawl'. We no longer needed to be "one hour, door to door" to the city.

I drove north from our northern suburb until I could open the car window and not hear planes flying over; discovered I was in a lovely, historic and forested town with good services, 30 miles north of the city. We're 25 mins. from our DS and family via easy expressway driving. We enjoy spring, summer and fall here and escape to Maui in winter. (I wouldn't want to live in Hawaii full time. It does have some wowser mountains, and family is EAGER to visit!)

I forgot to tell you the most important thing I look for in an area. I have to be no further than 5 minutes from a Publix!

if it wern't so expensive, san diego meets all your requirements...you have breakfast on the beach , then drive to the mts in less an hour or so...little former mining community of julian...

but the problem is beach homes are beyond a "normal" person's means and some of the mobile home communites north of san diego are all double, triple wides, and $$$...

the major problem for me with the carolinas are the threat of hurricanes...that almost scares me more than earthquakes...

what my fil did was the best of both..he had a permanent travel traler in brownsville, and spent the winters there...left in nov and returned to il in april...he did it for many years...

i so understand your health problems...that would be one of the first things i'd look for..good health care facilities...

Georgia is really nice. We're 40 miles south of Atlanta. 2 hours from the mountains, and a little further from the beach. We lived in the snow belt of Ohio, and believe me, I can take the uncomfortable weather for 3 months out of the year, (June, July, August), to make up for the other 9 that are good. Every winter we say " We don't have to shovel, or wear winter clothes, yaaay".
Southern hospitality is alive and well here. Active adult communities are even better.

Wanda's area is absolutely beautiful! We were there this spring. It would be a great place to live.

Tami

The most important consideration for us was family. We traveled all around this beautiful country on vacations while we were working and fell in love with many places, especially Colorado, Utah, Idaho, the East coast. Then there was Virginia and North Carolina and the Smokey Mountains. We put a lot of thought into all these special places, but...We had spent nearly all our working years away from family other than our two daughters. Then the last 13 years of working took us 200 miles away from our by then adult children. After 30+ years of missing all that goes with having family nearby, we came to our senses and decided that the best place to retire was 'back home' near where we grew up and where most of our extended family members are. We are now anywhere from 7 to 100 miles from all those we love best. Even our daughter is within a 20 minute drive. Haven't regetted our decision for a minute. We are here to enjoy, help out and be helped when an occasion arises.

I will add that our health was a big part of the decision we made. Although we are doing fine and were able to take care of all our needs then and still are we had to consider that DH had/has a heart condition. Without him I would be unable to manage without a lot of help from outside for things other than my personal care. We reasoned that, knowing our daughters, they would agonize over not not being able to get to us quickly if needed or be able to spend the time they would like to help if we needed it. We just felt that it would be unfair to put them through that. So we picked a spot to settle between them.

Have you thought about spending summers in MN and winters somewhere a little warmer. We did that for about 10 years--spending summers in the No. Georgia mountains and winters here in Florida. We had a 33' fifth wheel that we kept at a beautiful campground all year round. It was ideal for us. Lots of people do that.

Check out Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado. They are both absolutely beautiful. They are down in the valley so they don't get as much snow as the mountains during the winter. The Arkansas River runs through and you have gorgeous views of the 14ers. You can be up in the mountains in 10-20 minutes. If you are active and like to get out there is lots to do and explore.

Lets see, you want a beach with swimable water, he wants the mountains, you don't like the cold, and very hot, dry climates are out. That does not leave many options.

Look at Oregon and Washington in the strip west of the Cascade mountains. The land in Oregon east of the cascades is high, hot and dry in the summer. Portland, OR has tolerable year around weather, but is 100 miles from the ocean. The Olympia peninsula (Washington state) is remote from civilaized concentrations and has long wet seasons. its a great place to visit and roam, but live elsewhere. Seattle proper is pricey living and wet in cooler weather. I suggest the north half of the land in Oregon that lies mear the Pacific ocean. You get your beach and his mountains are within a reasonable drive. There is hunting in the fall, skiing in winter, and beach combing in summer. Beach front living might look attractive, but cold fog banks can roll in from the ocean taking away some of the fun. This suggests a home site some distance fome the ocean.

The two college towns south of Portland might be attractive to you. All goods and services would be available. One caveat: the daytime temperature in the Willamette valley can go to 90 F at the peak of summer.

While I was still working, Oregon was one of my top choices, but now that I have been retired for 10 yrs, being within a reasonable distance from my kids takes a higher priority. Today if I were to move, my specifications for a home are:
1. Single story for ease of maintence. (I live in a 2 story at present).

2. Be within walking distance of a grocery store, gas station, auto repair shop, and pharmacy. I have that now plus am within walking distance of a barber, post office, and a doctor's office (if I chose to change physcians).

3. Reasonable tax rates: My property tax would be less in several other states, but where I am at, the realestate tax is less than many locations nearby.

My major negative: a long hard wihter. Winter proper begins around Dec 1st and does not quit until April 30. My electric, gas, sewer and water rates are reasonable.

I'd say the Portland, OR area fits the bill--I'm from there and the cloudy weather really bugs me, but high summer is very nice. There are some stretches of hot weather but they don't last very long and fall is extended and beautiful. The beach is an hour an a half away, Mt. hood a couple of hours, tops. Winters usually see a little snow, but not much. Great hiking in many parts of the state and not that far from western Canada. Best of all, NO SALES TAX! Why don't you visit and see what you think?

I looked for a low cost of living, low crime rate, access to good medical care and a college town. I moved to Iowa from northern CA where the cost of living was very high, crime rate going up continually, traffic congestion that drove me nuts. Everyone seems to be looking for different things. I lived in southern Oregon for a few months and my older friends there said they couldn't figure out why so many want to retire to the Oregon coast. You have to drive 2 hours inland to get quality medical care.
I am 3 blocks from my doctor's office, the hospital and the paramedic base.
I like the suggestion that you spend half the year in MN and the winter in a warmer climate. You might try renting a mobile home somewhere in TX or south eastern CA for a winter.

I'm still reading your comments. As you talk about different areas I'm reading up on them. This is really helping a lot and I'm very grateful you all are taking the time to thoughtfully answer my question. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

In Asheville, NC, does it snow a lot?

Live on Puget Sound, you can go skiing and swimming the same day. An hour to the ocean (from where we live) Minutes to the sound, Eastern Washington... just a couple hours away with hot dry desert climate... Rainforest on the peninsula, lots of islands, close to Portland, Vancouver. . . not much snow

there is always San Diego

Just as Kat mentioned San Diego, I would also add Orange County, CA. The weather is great; nearby to some mountains (well, foothills, at least); ocean/beaches; lots of great restaurants; lots of great shopping; located between Los Angeles and San Diego; etc., etc.

Northern CA is good, too. We're in the Sacramento area. In an hour and a half we can be at Lake Tahoe, or San Francisco, or Napa wine country. Folsom Lake is nearby for fishing and boating, and we've got rivers, too. You get a noticeable change of weather with the seasons, but not severe weather like lots of places.

San Diego is great, but CA is not. Good medical, beaches, and can go to the mountains. Good if you like Mexican food, not sure about crime.
My son and wife are in Michigan near Lake MI and like it. Winters not bad--comparing with ND where we live now. They are near Niles, near the IN border and son said good medical and good shopping. I know it is beautiful during the fall and spring (good photo pictues) lots of deer (hunting) houses not bad, no jobs.
Am not familar with No Carolina area. I am sure others have good ideas.

Anywhere on the beautiful central coast of California is great as far as weather goes....and the Sierras are not that far away.
Check out San Luis Obispo County, CA. But it is not cheap living here.
Gardening is great, the beaches are really nice but the water is cold. Lots to do and see in our county.

I love San Luis Obispo County too. GReat weather on the whole coast and Paso Robles/Templeton being some miles inland from the coast, usually has only a few really hot days then the fog cools the valleys down. However....I just looked at the house we sold in Templeton, and prices have really held up during this rough housing economy. Didn't see many foreclosures listed there. Hearst Castle, Monterey, the Sierras, mountains and lakes...it really is a central location.

I love it here in Lancaster county PA!
I have 1 acre and taxes are just over 3,000 a year.
We get virtually no natural disasters.
We are 2 hours away from Chesapeake Bay, 3 to beach, 1.5 to Philly, 3 to NYC and 2 to the mountains.
We have great healthcare all around and many very nice retirement communites.
Our economy here is currently very stable compared to some other areas.
The scenery, architecture, history, and cultural events will keep you active for years.
You will find it very conservative, church going crowd for the most part.
We do get full enjoyment of 4 seasons.
I have 2 family owned groceries within 10 minutes and Walmart,Target and CVS are within reason (no Publix at all, sorry) - but lots and lots of roadside produce!
Even plenty of places that raise beef, pork and poultry you can have custom cut.
Still can find lots of garages and small repair shops that will work on a hand shake and let you pay next week.
I love it here, wouldn't move if I could.

Several have suggested San Diego but I have a cousin who lives there in a suburb called El Cajon. They have been there for over 30 years and can't wait to move to AZ when they retire in about 10 years. Their negative about the San Diego area is that being so close to the Mexican boarder contributes to a very high crime rate. They live in a gated community and have their home alarmed.

When daughter was looking for a roost, several years ago, she liked the look of San Diego, relative to a rather quick visit, I think.

She settled in Prescott, AZ, as they have semi-mountains and she likes to hike. It was cooler, being higher, but she later moved to Phoenix, mainly for business reasons, but it gets pretty hot there. No beaches, nearby - sorry.

There's a major canyon within short-travel distance.

I've been looking for someone with whom I can trade accomodation ... with me being in FL or AZ in winter and they in Ontario, then I to come back to Ontario in summer, and they spend the summer in FL or AZ. Haven`t been able to drum up much interest in that proposal.

ole joyful

Oh, DEFINETLY take a look at Oregon - I lived there and it is breath-taking!

Bigbaby, moving next week so I can let you know about the snow in Asheville. Living in northern IL, in the last 6 years we have had 3 record breaking winters with 80+ inches of snow each year. Anything less will be heavenly! LOL! I think the total yearly snowfall in Asheville is about 20 inches. Seems like nothing to me. I still want the 4 seasons and some snow so I guess I will see. So happy to be leaving IL before real winter sets in!