2 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I too lived in San Diego many years, youngest daughter still lives there.

 

If I had to choose a location which is close to perfection it would be San Diego, but.....

 

Hardly cheap to live there. Even moving inland towards Julian, still pricey, and there transport becomes harder.

 

So I dream that one day I win the lottery, or one of my daughters marry extremely well and can take care of their aging Fathers needs!

I moved there in 1986 or so. Carlsbad first, then Oceanside next as it was cheaper! Few places are cheap now.

 

Border towns are super dodgy. I would avoid them.

if you want real "southwest texas" then you'd

have two small cities population about 10,000:

pecos, fort stockton.  maybe half that in alpine.

and of course el paso has over half a million.

 

a bit further east is del rio, maybe 35k.

and san angelo.  or perhaps you could

head up to carlsbad if near the nm border.

 

driving is a given out that way.  i would head

to the big city (midland-odessa) every couple

weeks for a day of shopping.  about 175 miles

each way.  2-1/2 hour drive.  i hear there be folks

that commute 2-1/2 hours to work each day.

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

So Midland and Odessa are not really in that region then and there really aren't ANY cities in that specific region, right? 

You sound like a real westerner thinking 150 miles is within normal range. 

Interesting to see that difference in perspective. 

I really can't relate to that at all!

For me, within reasonable range is 15 miles max!

 

 

what about the political atmosphere in these small 'livable' towns? any place in west Texas (or anywhere in Texas, Florida, deep south, etc) is bound to be fulla Trump supporters...and once yer 'made' as a Trump critic yer ass is grass, blazing crosses on the front lawn, howling neo - nazi hooligans in pickup trucks and cowboy hats, etc...

 

I left the US 30 years ago during the time of Reagan when I thought that things couldn't get any worse...

 

 

Try this site, if it's not already here someplace.

 

http://www.city-data.com/

 
what about the political atmosphere in these small 'livable' towns? any place in west Texas (or anywhere in Texas, Florida, deep south, etc) is bound to be fulla Trump supporters...and once yer 'made' as a Trump critic yer ass is grass, blazing crosses on the front lawn, howling neo - nazi hooligans in pickup trucks and cowboy hats, etc...
 
I left the US 30 years ago during the time of Reagan when I thought that things couldn't get any worse...
 
 

Indeed. That's a real factor. One reason college towns have more appeal.

4 minutes ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

what about the political atmosphere in these small 'livable' towns? ......

....blazing crosses on the front lawn, howling neo - nazi hooligans in pickup trucks and cowboy hats, etc...

 

 

i'll grant you pickup trucks and western hats.  (we'uns don't call

'em "cowboy" hats),  but cross burnings and neonazis? 

that's a very good approximation of the hollyweird stereotype,

but little to do with reality.

 

mostly just reg'lar folks that generally mind their own business. 

much of what you read is doom porn sold as clickbait.

our townhad signs for both parties (i left the us 12 years ago),

never heard of any torn down.  no problems for the 10% of

the town who were openly gay either.

 

Things have changed.

 

 

"The survey shows that liberals and conservatives have self-segregating preferences, with many explicitly preferring to live around people with similar political views, and others expressing preferences that indirectly lead them toward communities dominated by their fellow partisans.

 

Twenty-eight percent of Americans say it’s important to live in a place where most people share their political views, including 50 percent of voters with consistently conservative beliefs and 35 percent of consistent liberals."

 

 

 

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/upshot/polarization-is-dividing-american-society-not-just-politics.html?referer=https://duckduckgo.com/

 

 

I'd consider San Antonio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another interesting list

 

https://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/best-places-state-live-fixed-income/

 

 

Some choices seem to be on a lot of lists for cheaper but still good.

 

For examples Tucson AZ, Athens GA, and Fayetteville AS.

 

How about Springfield MO? Mobile AL?

 

24 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I'd consider San Antonio.

 

nice town, just don't ask about the basement!

 

nice town, just don't ask about the basement!
 

I asked.


https://m.yelp.com/biz/basement-bar-and-lounge-san-antonio-2?adjust_creative=dWJMtmYxpd5N5yoyzSuhtA&utm_campaign=yelp_api&utm_medium=api_v2_business&utm_source=dWJMtmYxpd5N5yoyzSuhtA

I liked Galveston okay, been a little windy lately though.

Cheap, good fishing, nice people & pretty close to Houston.


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West Texas. "No Country for Old Men"

 

 

1 hour ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

what about the political atmosphere in these small 'livable' towns? any place in west Texas (or anywhere in Texas, Florida, deep south, etc) is bound to be fulla Trump supporters...and once yer 'made' as a Trump critic yer ass is grass, blazing crosses on the front lawn, howling neo - nazi hooligans in pickup trucks and cowboy hats, etc...

 

I left the US 30 years ago during the time of Reagan when I thought that things couldn't get any worse...

In the 40 years I lived in the US I never fell obliged to discuss politics.  What kind of beer a fella liked or football team maybe but never politics. 

26 minutes ago, amvet said:

In the 40 years I lived in the US I never fell obliged to discuss politics.  What kind of beer a fella liked or football team maybe but never politics. 

Not everyone is like you.

 

To wit, 

Quote

The endless, impossible search for just one conversation that doesn’t involve Trump
...
“It always comes up, no matter what,” groans Kelly Buford, 39, even in her town of Rosharon, even in Texas, which handed all 38 of its electoral votes to Trump.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-endless-impossible-search-for-just-one-conversation-that-doesnt-mention-trump/2017/08/09/f97558fe-77b0-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Not everyone is like you.

It is really simple to avoid talking about politics.  You just put your lips together and keep your mouth shut. 

1 minute ago, amvet said:

It is really simple to avoid talking about politics.  You just put your lips together and keep your mouth shut. 

I don't think you get it.

Let's get back to the destinations, shall we?

 

18 hours ago, mduras01 said:

Isn't there some kind of roommates wanted classifieds for single folk 50+? Sharing living costs and some companionship.


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Sure it's possible for older people to offer and seek such situations. I imagine much of that would be on sites like craigslist. But as you can imagine matching roommate compatibility is challenging. When you're in your 20's needing to move every few months because you hate your roommates is one thing and perhaps even fun, but I reckon this is a bigger stress on older adults. 

Earlier in the thread I mentioned a number of times the desirability of buying a "roommate plan" housing unit which would allow the flexibility to choose compatible roommates and also to earn money. But you need to be able to afford to buy such a unit. 

Being on the other side, the person being screened, is a much more vulnerable situation.

Of interest is nonprofit social program in Pinellas County Florida (includes St. Pete) that matches older home owners with lower income older potential roommates. For mutual economic benefit and companionship. This is a brokered situation involving screening and counseling where there is a trial period and if it doesn't work out, it's over. That's an indication that my theory is correct. This sort of thing is harder for older people. 

At the risk of sounding crass (sorry), I'm feeling that what's happening in Texas (and remembering Katrina), the idea of moving anywhere near the Gulf Coast is losing more appeal. 

 

Even though the Tampa / St. Pete / Bradenton area is really high on my list, there is little doubt that area is going to be hit by a big storm as severe as Katrina and Harvey. 

 

I previously posted an article about how vulnerable and unprepared Tampa is. 

 

Also, generally in Texas, the impact of Harvey will be felt for years. A significant percentage of Houstonians are going to move permanently to other large Texas cities such as San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, etc. Meaning pressure on the housing stock there for years to come. 

You're probably right JT, and unless you're in the climate change denial wing, things will get worse in the next 10-20 years. So the Florida coast, Gulf of Mexico, probably a lot of the eastern seaboard are going to experience more of those 'once in a lifetime' storms.

 

Now I'm off to watch Fox News where climate change is a myth, and Donald Trump is a Knight in shining armor!

I heard Hawaii is passing legislation that will subsidize homeowners to construct "backyard" units to be rented to low income people.

I understand California has already past such legislation.


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I heard Hawaii is passing legislation that will subsidize homeowners to construct "backyard" units to be rented to low income people.

I understand California has already past such legislation.


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Sounds more like a granny shack situation.

On the disaster issue of course most areas have their risks. Such as earthquakes, tornadoes, desert heat stroke, etc. Having been through a major quake I get that. But some areas seem less prone. Such as Atlanta or Jacksonville for less hurricane risk.

Sounds more like a granny shack situation.

Except that to get the subsidy the government mandates you rent to "Nona-fide" low income tenants.

Except that to get the subsidy the government mandates you rent to "Nona-fide" low income tenants.

Interesting.

On 8/27/2017 at 9:32 PM, Jingthing said:

I don't think you get it.

Let's get back to the destinations, shall we?

 

When are you going to leave?

On 8/27/2017 at 5:33 AM, ChouDoufu said:

 

i'll grant you pickup trucks and western hats.  (we'uns don't call

'em "cowboy" hats),  but cross burnings and neonazis? 

that's a very good approximation of the hollyweird stereotype,

but little to do with reality.

 

mostly just reg'lar folks that generally mind their own business. 

much of what you read is doom porn sold as clickbait.

our townhad signs for both parties (i left the us 12 years ago),

never heard of any torn down.  no problems for the 10% of

the town who were openly gay either.

 

I had a really similar discussion with one of my daughters who's contemplating taking a job in Utah, and is debating whether she can 'take' the political environment.

I told her much the same as you, I live in a true redder than red State, but honestly, you're right most folks just keep themselves to themselves and just get on with living their lives

I think the media on both sides tends to exaggerate the polarization in everyday life.

Depends on where in Utah. SLC would be fine.

 

A relative of mine is doing an education thing in Provo and she says the culture shock is pretty extreme compared to LA.

 

I don't agree that politics doesn't matter. Especially these days.

 

To wit when doing research on different places the better sources describe the political demographics of the place. It may not be everything but it's not nothing either. It's about much than how people vote. Politics is reflected in lots of things in communities such as types of cultural offerings, if any. 

 

In my case I can't afford the kinds of areas that would be most compatible to my values.

 

But there are still big compromise options.

 

For example Tulsa Oklahoma in the reddest of states is a lot bluer than its surroundings. Not blue like Austin in Texas. Oklahoma is the buckle of the Bible bent after all!

 

Yes I started looking at Tulsa. Low rents, a vibrant revitalized downtown, medium sized city with lots of parks, an Ethiopian restaurant, vibrant LGBT welcoming Jewish community, an arts district, etc. But it's prone to tornadoes and flooding. So maybe a better place to rent than buy.

 

I guess Tulsa would be in a similar category as Fayetteville, Arkansas. Semi blue oases in very central US red states.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the subject of FLOODS.

It's not only a problem near coasts.

 

Quote

 

Moving away from the coasts doesn’t mean you’re safe from flooding

More development means more floods everywhere.

 

...

We found that while new urban development in flood zones near coasts has generally declined, it has grown in inland counties. This is a worrisome trend. It implies that people who have experienced flooding on the coast migrate inland, but may not realize that they are still vulnerable if they relocate to an inland flood zone.

...

That’s what we have seen firsthand in Louisiana. Thousands of people fled New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and settled 80 miles inland in Baton Rouge. A decade later, many of these same people lost everything again when a 500-year flood event struck Baton Rouge in August 2016.

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/29/moving-away-from-the-coasts-doesnt-mean-youre-safe-from-flooding/

 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Depends on where in Utah. SLC would be fine.

 

A relative of mine is doing an education thing in Provo and she says the culture shock is pretty extreme compared to LA.

 

I don't agree that politics doesn't matter. Especially these days.

 

To wit when doing research on different places the better sources describe the political demographics of the place. It may not be everything but it's not nothing either. It's about much than how people vote. Politics is reflected in lots of things in communities such as types of cultural offerings, if any. 

 

In my case I can't afford the kinds of areas that would be most compatible to my values.

 

But there are still big compromise options.

 

For example Tulsa Oklahoma in the reddest of states is a lot bluer than its surroundings. Not blue like Austin in Texas. Oklahoma is the buckle of the Bible bent after all!

 

Yes I started looking at Tulsa. Low rents, a vibrant revitalized downtown, medium sized city with lots of parks, an Ethiopian restaurant, vibrant LGBT welcoming Jewish community, an arts district, etc. But it's prone to tornadoes and flooding. So maybe a better place to rent than buy.

 

I guess Tulsa would be in a similar category as Fayetteville, Arkansas. Semi blue oases in very central US red states.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well if she's doing education in Provo, probably Brigham Young...well that is diving into a vipers nest!

.......now where did I put my magic underwear????

Also in the general category mid sized cities that are semi blue in red states is Chattanooga Tennessee.

Especially good for the outdoors type.