<p>There are actually “town homes” in the Presidio. I think they are only available for rent. The only ones that are remotely affordable are near Baker Beach. Back when it was an active base they were called the Waring Housing. Most of what’s available now were officer’s homes…some close to Crissy Field. It would be a spectacular place to live. If you’re interested here’s the link:</p>
<p>I’d rule out waterfront homes for retirement because of concerns about being able to get affordable federal flood insurance in future years. It’s nice living on the water, until your home gets wiped out by a tidal surge and you don’t have good flood insurance coverage.</p>
<p>I grew up in western NC and plan to retire there. To me, the Asheville area would be near-perfect: reasonable housing prices, good medical care, a cool vibe (Asheville has become quite the artsy bohemian city), and 4-season weather. Plus, there are Southerners there with real Southern accents (something I miss.)</p>
<p>I believe that Packmom has retired in NC - she lives in the eastern part of the state, closer to the ocean. That would be nice, too.</p>
<p>When I retire, I want to live a short drive from the beach, a day’s drive from great national parks, near my friends and my kids, in a place with weather for year round tennis. I don’t like ice, snow or gray, gloomy, rainy days. So, yeah, I’m there already. When I get elderly, I may downsize so there’s not so much to vacuum. </p>
<p>No mention of grandkids in the equation. Several of our friends who retired before their kids settled down with families greatly regret their choices so far from the next generation. Traveling gets more difficult as you get older and I find reasons to want to travel more, even with most of my kids nearby. My friend who bought a home in FL is finding herself and her DH constantly going back to her old hometown, as her children are raising their children now and there always are things happening. The younger generation is not as able to travel, so if they want that family Thanksgiving, family Christmas, they have to come to them. Also with multiple children involved, it’s just easier for the parents to come there They may end up moving back. So things can change.</p>
<p>I agree that we are curious about where our kids will finally settle and perhaps start their families. I would be wiling to relocate to be close to them or at least rent a place for a month or longer at a time for extended visits, especially if grandkids appear. H has NO interest in re-locating, but time will tell whether that changes at some point.</p>
<p>Am I the only person who has no interest in moving to a new area to retire? I wouldn’t mind leaving New England (where I currently live) and traveling or staying someplace warm for 2-3 months in the winter (Jan through March), but pulling up roots just doesn’t appeal to me. </p>
<p>We are probably never going to move from our home. We do enjoy longer visits now in retirement than when work was piling up on H’s desk at work. Relocating involves a lot of thought, planning, and making a lot of new friends and finding new medical care, etc. It isn’t something H or I are interested in doing.</p>
<p>I think where your kids and grandkids are is a huge consideration (to my kids misfortune). I suspect they could both end up in the Silicon Valley, so that’s why CA would be a serious contender for us.</p>
<p>Nice link, anxiousmom. Though most of those rentals seem very costly, the ones that are reasonable—I’m surprised there isn’t a waiting list a mile long for those. People who work in San Francisco could easily take the free Presidigo bus directly to downtown, and have no need for transportation. Maybe the housing is low quality on the inside or something, as many base housing units are. But still.</p>
<p>We are building a home in our (college) town with an eye towards “aging in place”. It is a reasonably priced area, easy to get around, with accessible cultural events and natural beauty. While I would love to be near my kids and (imaginary) grandkids, there’s no guarantee that they will stay in one spot forever either so I don’t know that it makes sense to plan around them. </p>
<p>My in-laws retired to South Padre Island, TX. I find it a cultural wasteland but my F-I-L wanted to live in a place where he could afford to keep a sailboat. It was that but now the boat is gone, decent medical care is a long drive and many of the kids are 3 flights away. </p>
<p>When I hear Eugene, I think running. I can imagine living there. D-I-L’s parents are in Oregon as are two of DH’s sibs. Not a crazy idea for us. </p>
<p>Himom, why would you even think of moving from Hawaii? </p>
<p>I already live near an area where retirees move, so I’m staying put. I would like to be on the intercoastal or ocean, but cost is prohibitive. If and when my son settles down, I’ll look for place to rent for a few weeks. I’d like to visit often while I am still able to travel. </p>
<p>Me, neither. I plan to move to condo a block away when I get too old to garden. From there when I get too old to move around, to a retirement community a few blocks down the road.</p>
<p>I plan on living where we are now, Nothern Michigan. Need to find somewhere to go in March as the winters are really long but we like it here and the COL. is low. The lifestyle is great. </p>
<p>Neither of my children live here or ever will. That’s ok, I dont anticipate moving near them. Know people who did and it doesn’t seem ideal for either person. </p>
<p>My mom lives in Tennessee outside of Knoxville. She likes it, no income tax and the winters are mild. It makes things hard as she gets older as it’s hard to get down there as we have adult children and jobs and limited time. Which she seems not to understand. </p>
<p>One thing for people to think about as it really bothers my mom. She lives in a retitrement community in the smallest house options there and it bothers her that everyone has much more than her and is much more comfortable in retirement. </p>
<p>It does not bother me as most of the people I hang out with have “more” than we do. We feel very lucky. </p>
<p>My wife and I have more now, and will likely have a lot more by the time she retires, than we ever thought that we’d have. We live in a very affluent town, and there are people around us who have literally 10x and 100x what we have (and possibly more than that). </p>
<p>Some people, whose income and assets are roughly equal to ours, feel deprived and dejected because they are living less extravagantly than some of their neighbors. Me, I think that the poorest person in our town leads a life that 99.99% of the world would happily trade for. The same can be said for most people in the developed world. </p>
<p>I used to live in Northwest Arkansas–there are a bunch of small cities that blend together there–Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, Bella Vista-- population about 500,000. It is scenic, (hills, rivers, lakes). University town/cultural attractions. Good hospitals. Variety of shopping, dining. Nice art museum. Minor league baseball team+ the Razorbacks. Lots of hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, etc. Four seasons, fairly mild winters–a little snow/ice. Convenient airport.
Small southern cities are generally very affordable and friendly to retirees. I think some people have a negative image of what they might think is “southern culture,” but in this area there are a lot of transplants from different parts of the country/world, so a variety of people. 4 bedroom/2bath homes around 150K and less. Nice 2bed apartments (new/golf course, etc.) can be had around $700-800. Decent ones in the 5-600s. </p>
Relocating involves a lot of thought, planning, and making a lot of new friends and finding new medical care, etc. It isn’t something H or I are interested in doing.</p>
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