Best places in the US to retire to... by state.

[moontang]

https://mindyourdollars.com/slideshow/states-ranked-worst-to-best-retire/01/

Edited May 31, 2021 by moontang

[GinBoy2]

These things are horribly subjective.

 

I love Colorado, both my Thai son and American daughter live in Denver.

 

But as a retiree it's a horribly expensive State in my opinion.

 

Just car registration is the reason both the kids keep their residency in SD and cars registered here.

 

And as for FL being #1, wouldn't touch that place with a 10ft pole. The weather sucks, and lets not even get going on hurricanes!

[moontang]

3 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

These things are horribly subjective.

 

I love Colorado, both my Thai son and American daughter live in Denver.

 

But as a retiree it's a horribly expensive State in my opinion.

 

Just car registration is the reason both the kids keep their residency in SD and cars registered here.

 

And as for FL being #1, wouldn't touch that place with a 10ft pole. The weather sucks, and lets not even get going on hurricanes!

Yes, different strokes, but the health care and taxes are more concrete.  Agreed about Florida.. we left Miami in 63 and never went back for more than a week.  The tourism culture gets old, just like it does at the Thai beaches, as if there were still tourists.. and then there's the New Yawkas.. 

[Jeffr2]

Well they can't be far off if they rank Kentucky #50.  I might have said Arkansas or Mississippi....LOL.

 

Florida?  No way.  Too many bugs and hurricanes.  An q-tips...which I'm fast becoming. LOL

[khwaibah]

Brought to you by the governor of Florida. deSantis.????

[Yellowtail]

Why anyone would put any stock in any of these "studies" is beyond me. That they don't judge by cities should be a tip-off. 

 

Were I going back the the US I would retire in San Diego. 

[Jeffr2]

15 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Why anyone would put any stock in any of these "studies" is beyond me. That they don't judge by cities should be a tip-off. 

 

Were I going back the the US I would retire in San Diego. 

I'm from San Diego.  Lived there for a very long time.  I'd never move back.  Traffic is insane.  I use to live in Carlsbad.  Try to get down town during rush hour.  Or, even on Saturday morning.  Crazy.

 

Not to mention June gloom that lasts most of the summer.  I prefer a beach with sunshine!  And of course, prices.  It's crazy expensive to live there now. 

[Ventenio]

the absolute craziest nutjobs are in Florida.

Colorado was.......but now everyone is high and still too many mass shootings there.  

 

HALF of some states are great, while the other half is garbage.   Example:  Indiana.  North, garbage.  South, great.    Nobody retires in an entire state, but there are financial reasons that affect the entire state...

 

some of those places are freezing and then super humid with tons of bugs.  but then the people are super nice.

 

retire.......hmmmm...... if married, the Midwest probably is the best.  but nobody here likes the cold.   If single, stay in Thailand.  

 

 

[Jeffr2]

21 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

the absolute craziest nutjobs are in Florida.

Colorado was.......but now everyone is high and still too many mass shootings there.  

 

HALF of some states are great, while the other half is garbage.   Example:  Indiana.  North, garbage.  South, great.    Nobody retires in an entire state, but there are financial reasons that affect the entire state...

 

some of those places are freezing and then super humid with tons of bugs.  but then the people are super nice.

 

retire.......hmmmm...... if married, the Midwest probably is the best.  but nobody here likes the cold.   If single, stay in Thailand.  

 

 

Any place with snow is off my list!  I lived in cold states for a good part of my life.  I don't ever want to have to shovel snow again!!!! LOL LOL

[Ventenio]

36 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

I don't ever want to have to shovel snow again!!!! LOL LOL

I remember a state saying.......You have 24-hours to shovel your snow.

 

If not, pay the fine!!!!   not sure how much.  maybe it was 48-hours, but it was still a little crazy.   "hey, did it stop snowing?  Yes, OK, start the timer....we don't want to pay a fine!!!"  I like shoveling, but I don't like my neighbors on the phone calling the FBI because I didn't shovel in 24 hours.  lol

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

I'm from San Diego.  Lived there for a very long time.  I'd never move back.  Traffic is insane.  I use to live in Carlsbad.  Try to get down town during rush hour.  Or, even on Saturday morning.  Crazy.

 

Not to mention June gloom that lasts most of the summer.  I prefer a beach with sunshine!  And of course, prices.  It's crazy expensive to live there now. 

 

So where would you retire in the US?

[Jeffr2]

5 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

So where would you retire in the US?

Good question.  Not sure I'm going to live there full time again ever.  I would like to go back and RV around a bit.  But not possible right now due to the staggering demand for them.  It was my plan before covid came around.

 

We're going back to Mexico to look at a few places.  Probably won't live there full time. But it's a good option for those of us over 65 who are now eligible for health care in the US.  It's a short flight from places like Merida, a lovely colonial town.

 

We hope to explore the beaches of Oaxaca for a bit.  We've spent a lot of time in Mexico and quite like it.

 

But Thailand will always be a contender.  Been here almost 20 years now!

[moontang]

The top out of state locations for graduates of my Uni were San Diego and Dallas.  Turns out, most stayed in Dallas, but those who tried Man Diego stayed about two years and fled.  Surprising as most of us were Cowboy haters, and came from Redskin territory. 

 

But, if granny has some prop I could see La Jolla, etc.. My uncle was USMC and paid about 30k for a house in Vista in 72 or so.  They sold in 95 and moved to... Dallas.  BTW, the best Mexican fast food franchise in SD is also in Tucson and Phoenix. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by moontang

[Jeffr2]

36 minutes ago, moontang said:

The top out of state locations for graduates of my Uni were San Diego and Dallas.  Turns out, most stayed in Dallas, but those who tried Man Diego stayed about two years and fled.  Surprising as most of us were Cowboy haters, and came from Redskin territory. 

 

But, if granny has some prop I could see La Jolla, etc.. My uncle was USMC and paid about 30k for a house in Vista in 72 or so.  They sold in 95 and moved to... Dallas.  BTW, the best Mexican fast food franchise in SD is also in Tucson and Phoenix. 

To each their own.  I loved SD.  Just too crowded and expensive for me now that I'm retired.  I could NEVER live in Texas.  Worked for TI for a long time, was in Dallas very often.  Not for me.

 

La Jolla would be fantastic, but not sure I could even afford the property taxes on a house there now!  It'd be insane.

[moontang]

32 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

To each their own.  I loved SD.  Just too crowded and expensive for me now that I'm retired.  I could NEVER live in Texas.  Worked for TI for a long time, was in Dallas very often.  Not for me.

 

La Jolla would be fantastic, but not sure I could even afford the property taxes on a house there now!  It'd be insane.

The coldest the water has been in Hua Hin in 40 years is warmer than the warmest the water has been in SD.

[Jeffr2]

50 minutes ago, moontang said:

The coldest the water has been in Hua Hin in 40 years is warmer than the warmest the water has been in SD.

For sure!  I owned a sailboat in SD for a long time.  Rarely went swimming!!! LOL

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, moontang said:

The coldest the water has been in Hua Hin in 40 years is warmer than the warmest the water has been in SD.

 

That's why you can catch Bluefin & Yellowfin Tuna, Yellowtail, Dorado, White Seabass and all manner of bottom fish off day-boats out of San Diego....

[EVENKEEL]

5 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

I'm from San Diego.  Lived there for a very long time.  I'd never move back.  Traffic is insane.  I use to live in Carlsbad.  Try to get down town during rush hour.  Or, even on Saturday morning.  Crazy.

 

Not to mention June gloom that lasts most of the summer.  I prefer a beach with sunshine!  And of course, prices.  It's crazy expensive to live there now. 

Plus the damn water is sooo cold. I spent 3-4 mos. a year in San Diego for 17 years waiting for job assignments. Love OB, PB, Point Loma. Traffic is terrible on the 5, 805.

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

Plus the damn water is sooo cold. I spent 3-4 mos. a year in San Diego for 17 years waiting for job assignments. Love OB, PB, Point Loma. Traffic is terrible on the 5, 805.

Ah...brings back some fond memories.  The PB pub crawl.  Done it many times! LOL

[VocalNeal]

Parker, AZ?

[Jeffr2]

3 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Parker, AZ?

Not during the summer!  It's beyond blazing hot there...and dead, dead, dead.  But lovely in the winter!!

[Yellowtail]

45 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Not during the summer!  It's beyond blazing hot there...and dead, dead, dead.  But lovely in the winter!!

 

Flagstaff is (or at least was) pretty nice.

 

 

[Jeffr2]

10 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Flagstaff is (or at least was) pretty nice.

 

 

My brother lives there.  SNOW!!!!!!!!! LOL.  But very beautiful.  He lives right on the golf course.  Lovely.

 

Sedona is quite nice, but lots of tourists during the weekends from Phoenix.  Absolutely packed.

 

I'm kinda from Vegas, but again, too bloody hot in the summer.

[Yellowtail]

6 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

My brother lives there.  SNOW!!!!!!!!! LOL.  But very beautiful.  He lives right on the golf course.  Lovely.

 

Sedona is quite nice, but lots of tourists during the weekends from Phoenix.  Absolutely packed.

 

I'm kinda from Vegas, but again, too bloody hot in the summer.

 

I lived in Vegas for a year back in the '70s, never again. 

 

 

[GinBoy2]

Hmmm San Diego.

 

Lived there for many years, my youngest daughter still lives there in point of fact.

I love the place and would like to live there again, but as a retiree, it's crazy expensive if you haven't lived there all your life with a house bought and paid for long ago.

 

Then there is the traffic!

 

I lived in Mission Valley and had a reverse commute up to Rancho Bernardo, so I'd sail. But as I'd go over the hill past Miramar on I-15 and see those 8 lanes of traffic heading south in to downtown, all grinding along, nah done with that.

 

But I miss the beaches, and Oh My Lord I miss the Mexican food choices, plus the variety of food in general actually.

 

So now we're content in the frozen North with visits to SoCal

Edited June 2, 2021 by GinBoy2

[mtls2005]

There have been some really good, long, detailed threads on this subject here over the years.

 

Highlighting the issues, beyond CoL, is always hepful.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by mtls2005

[Berkshire]

On 6/2/2021 at 7:21 AM, Ventenio said:

the absolute craziest nutjobs are in Florida.

 

55555....Florida Man!

 

In case anyone's wondering....

 

[Florida man is a generic descriptor for a person who commits bizarre or idiotic crimes, popularly associated with—and often reported in—Florida.]

[Ventenio]

51 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

55555....Florida Man!

 

In case anyone's wondering....

 

[Florida man is a generic descriptor for a person who commits bizarre or idiotic crimes, popularly associated with—and often reported in—Florida.]

Boca is nice.   Miami is whatever.   Orlando is ridiculous.   Most of America is cold, so a Floridian climate is attractive...

 

THEN i see a headline, "Crazy guy attacks family with poisonous pizza..."   and I think....

 

Don't let it be.....................................but, 90% of the time....................Florida.

 

it's a fact.  lol

 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

55555....Florida Man!

 

In case anyone's wondering....

 

[Florida man is a generic descriptor for a person who commits bizarre or idiotic crimes, popularly associated with—and often reported in—Florida.]

 

How long were you there?

[Berkshire]

15 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

17 hours ago, Berkshire said:

55555....Florida Man!

 

In case anyone's wondering....

 

[Florida man is a generic descriptor for a person who commits bizarre or idiotic crimes, popularly associated with—and often reported in—Florida.]

Expand  

 

How long were you there?

What does that have to do with anything?  Florida Man is a well-known internet meme, richly earned after years of headlines with "Florida Man" doing all manners of stupid sht.  Look it up.  It's sort of like the slang "going postal"...but I don't suppose you know what that means either.