making myself CRAZY!!!

jujube said:
Have you looked at the Panhandle of Florida? Whole different kind of Florida up there. It gets a bit chilly in the winter, but there are also spells of gorgeous weather. Beaches to die for. Woods, rivers, bays and bayous. Boating, canoeing, salt and freshwater fishing. Nightlife or get away from it all. We have a family house up there in the Point Washington area.
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I will look into that, thanks
 

I live on the Ga/FL line above Jacksonville Fl. The weather is good, but sometimes we get rainy spells, but not the miserable type. Winter time only brings about two weeks of night temperatures in the 30's. I only wear a sweater about 2 weeks. It is only 30 minutes to Fernandina Beach and 45 minutes to St. Simons Island, Ga beach. Also my house is only 1/2 mile from a River dock.The only thing I dislike sometimes is the lack of shopping here. I have to drive to Jacksonville or Brunswick for a good selection. But I am retired and have the time to travel.
We have a Navy base here, so is very good for retired military.
The very best thing is the property tax. I am over 62, file Homestead Exemption on 4 acres with a 2,000 SF house 8 miles from town and guess what my taxes were? $18.15 I am telling the truth.
 
How about the Lake Istokpoga area of Florida. Looks to have some resonably priced lakefront property. can anybody tell me anything about the area?
 
Have you thought about England? As The Beatles sang [in I am The Walrus]' If the sun don't shine you get a tan from standing in the English rain'. No humidity here! Sweet little old cottages. Pubs [millions of them].Plus you are never too far away from civilization[ we are a small island, as Bill Bryson likes to remind us.]
 
If I was to go out of US it would be somewhere in the Caribbean, I love it down there. I am just afraid of living out of country. As I said, at this point I am looking into the Lake Istokpoga area of Florida.
 
oakapple said:
Have you thought about England? As The Beatles sang [in I am The Walrus]' If the sun don't shine you get a tan from standing in the English rain'. No humidity here! Sweet little old cottages. Pubs [millions of them].Plus you are never too far away from civilization[ we are a small island, as Bill Bryson likes to remind us.]
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Problem with that is he'd never get a visa (unless a parent was born here).
 
I hate winters but enjoyed the climate of East TN where I lived for 10 years. For the first 3 years I lived there it didn't snow at all. Some winters we got one blizzard, then a week later it was in the 50's. Winters over all were tolerable. Spring and autumn were perfect. Summers hot. Ideal for hiking, kayaking, etc.
 
Of course, I was joking about coming to live in England, but that has thrown up a question, can US nationals come to live here if they have a job to go to? How long could they work and live here for [and vice versa for UK nationals in the US.]For ever?That way you wouldn't need visas.You do hear of people from the UK going to live in Florida, so how does that work?
 
oakapple said:
Of course, I was joking about coming to live in England, but that has thrown up a question, can US nationals come to live here if they have a job to go to? How long could they work and live here for [and vice versa for UK nationals in the US.]For ever?That way you wouldn't need visas.You do hear of people from the UK going to live in Florida, so how does that work?
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A visa is always required. It is extremely difficult to get a work visa to the UK. The employer must apply for the visa for you. Basically needs to be a shortage occupation and EU citizens get those jobs first. I think the US is easier to emigrate to. Of course, it's easy to move to either country if you have tons of money and will be providing jobs or are in the arts.

I think some people from the UK buys homes in Florida but can only live there for 6 months a year. Or they can get a green card if married to a US citizen.
 
My home town is in East Tennessee, between Knoxville and Chattanooga, There are some good retirement benefits in that area, particularly in the Tellico Development Area. A lot of retirees live there and many of them are from Michigan. There are Fort Louden and Watts Barr Lakes with great fishing. Cost of living is low with good tax rates. Also it's a short drive to the Great Smoky Mountains which is good for vacations and weekend trips. Gatlinburg is the city to visit within the park and there are cabins at the top of Mount LeConte.
 
nwlady said:
I wouldn't even worry about humidity, at least if Georgia is like Alabama (Shoals area). I lived there 3 years, and fell in love with the area, and the weather. I thought I'd die of the humidity after hearing a lot of people talk about it, but I guess I just got used to it, or it wasn't that bad to me. Maybe just my chemistry. I love the South, and if it wasn't so far from what family I do want to be within driving distance of, I would go back there in a minute;)

I think I'd go for the places that aren't so advertised, find your own, special place, unless you want to be in the Senior Fast-lane, LOL!! Yeehaw!! Pappy and a few others here can tell you about Florida;) They love it!
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IMHO, the humidity in Alabama is AWFUL!! In Huntsville, where we were stationed, the summer was like a steambath. It was beautiful, and the people were very nice, but the summers were just awful. I'm from the South, and I love the South, but I don't do well in very high humidity.
 
Butterfly said:
I agree. His wife doesn't like golf.
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I also "hate" golf!! I play at least twice/week and sometimes more. The anger and hate and digust for the game is totally and completely proportional to the number of quarters I lose to the guys in the group!!! :)

My wife doesn't play golf. (Thank goodness!) I am an early morning person. She is the opposite and loves to sleep in. We have a group of guys who play at the crack of dawn. We play quickly and can be home by 9:30 or 10 a.m. with 18 holes played. That's about the time my wife is trying to open her eyes. Works quite well. I'm not banging around the house disturbing her "beauty rest". I'm enjoying the game of golf. We still have most of the day together.

As for the OP and where to retire.... We live in a fairly high tax area. And, it's getting worse as more tax breaks are handed to large corporations and the shortfall being made up by taxing the working class. But, we will retire where we live. We do have 4 seasons and can have cold temps and snow. Most years, the cold and snow still will some of us guys play golf 12 months/year. The main reason we will remain here is family. Both our daughters are close and 5 of our 8 grandchildren are close. We were married in this community in 1966 and have never ventured very far away. (We did leave for about 15 years, but were only about 120 miles down the road.) We treasure the ability to spend time with kids and grandkids and, especially my wife, would never be content hundreds of miles from them. Our home is within walking distance of medical facilities if and when we need those as age catches up. Even though our community has grown by leaps and bounds, over the past few years, we still remain very crime free. We'll put up with looking out over a small skiff of snow, just to know our friends and family are right around the corner.
 
Move to Florida. Get you a pair of plaid shorts, floral shirt, black knee high socks, brown leather soled shoes and a fedora. Pull the shorts up under your rib cage, at 3:30 PM drive your Cadillac the 2 blocks to the buffet. Enjoy your retirement.
 
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It is true, the humidity can be rough at times in Florida. But if you are close to water, you usually get a pretty decent breeze to balance it out. I have a condo on the AL coast and I haven't found it to be unbearable during the summer. August is the worst month. I'm more than likely moving there full time within the next couple of years.

Another community I have seen mentioned as a retirement spot not too far from me is Fairhope, AL. Near Mobile but in a smallish town. Very pretty imo. It was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal a few years back as a top retirement destination. Below is a link for more info.

http://www.topretirements.com/reviews/Alabama/Fairhope.html
 
Just this afternoon my husband met a man who had moved here from PA. He is 50 so I don't think he is retiring yet. He moved here for the warm weather. I love California but I do know the taxes can really be rough on you.
 
Linda said:
Just this afternoon my husband met a man who had moved here from PA. He is 50 so I don't think he is retiring yet. He moved here for the warm weather. I love California but I do know the taxes can really be rough on you.
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Just a warning, there are a few states, like California, that are flat out broke and the bills are coming due as Californians have not been paying enough to support their liberal spending. So if you think taxes are high now, just wait. It's a beautiful place now but the day is coming when they will be faced with a reality that isn't pretty especially for those on a fixed income.
 
BiXLL I'm in a similar boat. 5 years and I'm gone. Today, central or northern Florida with a small heated pool is looking good to me. The crazies are on the coast and to be avoided. North and South Carolina are mild weather states with sane government and good weather too. I've lived and travelled everywhere and everywhere has it's own set of problems. There is no perfect place and if there were, I sure wouldn't tell everyone. In fact I probably wouldn't tell anyone.
 

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