@gumbymom, we have dear friends who live a little more than an hour north of Sacramento. We love that area and are very fond of Chico. I don’t think H would go for it, though.
1 Like
We have friends who are looking to leave the Bay Area. Like us they think that Paso Robles/SLO is nicer, but the lack of a decent airport was a dealbreaker for them, so now they are looking in the foothills east of Sacramento.
1 Like
Paso/SLO area is a pain for air travel for sure, but I’ve been really shocked by the difficulty in finding doctors. My daughter lives up there and needed to see some specialists. The process is ridiculous, most doctors aren’t taking new patients, and if they are it’s a long wait and a bunch of nonsense. We’re debating having her drive to us in L.A. for doctors.
1 Like
Paso Robles has really grown. The downtown square area is nice with lots of restaurants. I haven’t explored but I keep telling my husband we should stop when we drive north. I wouldn’t want to live there as it’s very hot and dry in the summer.
I have family in Pismo and Arroyo Grande and they have felt the airport in SLO has been okay. They have kids in Seattle and Alaska flies out o there. One family member does go to Santa Barbara for healthcare.
3 Likes
I wonder if Santa Cruz/Capitola/Scotts Valley would give a bit of a price break but keep tethered to SJC and South Bay healthcare… the 17 can be challenging though.
Up north, I’d look at Nevada City/Grass Valley and Auburn, too. An hour to Sac airport from Nevada City, 35 mins from Auburn.
I’ve been to Pleasanton CA several during the pandemic… it is a very neat town with lots of nice restaurants downtown. If we had to move to CA, I’d look there. 
2 Likes
They used to.During pandemic the values rose 50% particularly in Santa Cruz and Capitola. So sure you might get a nice house for 1.5M but pre pandemic you could have got them for under a mil.
1 Like
The popularity of Paso Robles amuses me, having lived in Monterey County decades ago when that area was ranch country only, as far as I know. Now a wine destination. My son and family drive up there to work from home for a week at a time from So Cal, and adore their time in the area.
2 Likes
Pleasanton is a great town, great schools, but very hot during the summer months.
Santa Cruz, Aptos, Soquel, Capitola, etc. are fantastic spots to retire to. We know several families that have purchased there and the area continues to appreciate.
2 Likes
Me too! My grandparents retired to Heritage Ranch in 1989. Paso is where I first started tasting wine when I was 21, and there were 5 wineries… loved the sleepy little town! Also, my dad was raised in Los Olivos, in a high school with like 20 kids in his graduating high school class. I stopped through there recently to pick up some wine and to visit my grandparents grave site inBuellton —damn,
That place has changed!
Pleasanton is very very hot in the summer. Also second Soquel as a fantastic place to look. Friends of ours bought along Old San Jose Soquel road in 2019. Has worked out amazingly for them - 50% appreciation, 1 mile to the west gets them to the beach and 1 mile to the east gets them to farms, fruit picking and wineries.
2 Likes
There was a CCer who moved from the Bay Area to Paso a few years back. I can’t recall his name.
@Wjs1107 we went to Lake Nacimento in May for the first time. We rented a home in another community on the lake for a long weekend. I was surprised at how much housing is out that way. We also have family in the SYV. It has grown a lot and it’s become hip and a lot of young adults coming up from southern Ca.
1 Like
I grew up waterskiing on Lake Nacimiento! What nice memories to bring back. Maybe we’ll consider retiring there. My grandparents loved it. I think my husband wants to stay closer to the ocean though. I love the rolling hills and the oak trees.
I love Santa Ynez and all of my extended family on my father’s side lives there. I’m sure our families must know of each other — it’s not a big place!
1 Like
Anyone move to Henderson, Nevada? We had friends recently move from the San Diego area to here for retirement - they think it’s a great deal.
@mom60 - I don’t remember his cc name, but keep in contact with him on a Facebook group. He loves the Paso area and is growing grapes for wine. We love going to Paso for a wine tasting weekend, but hate the drive back to San Diego after!
2 Likes
No, we don’t plan on moving. I have been retired for six years and H for four years. We love our neighborhood and being close to great restaurants, medical care, shopping, etc. We live close to beautiful lakes and lots of great parks.
D and SIL bought a home just five minutes from us and we are lucky to care for their children often. We are also able to attend GS and GD’s activities and know many of their adorable friends and families. I am able to help out at GS’s elementary school. It is so much fun!
My siblings live within three hours, one only twenty minutes away. I have lots of girlfriends close by to walk with or go to lunch with. A few of the friends are childhood friends, but some are parents of kids our kids played sports / went to school with. I have many friends that I worked with over the years. I had a three hour lunch with one of them today.
If H leaves the earth before i do, I will move to a condo/townhouse/cooperative close by. If D moves (HIGHLY unlikely) we would follow her.
10 Likes
Love these questions and discussion 
- my hub and I have been thinking about/wrestling with these same issues for the past 3 years.
Do you plan on moving when you retire? Yep. Have a largish suburban house in a high-tax, high COL, northeastern state without any family in the area (though amazing friends/neighbors). My goal would be to move even earlier (if could snag a flexible, remote job!). Financial planner said earliest hub could retire is 3 yrs from now - I want to keep working (love the work I get to do).
Somewhere warmer? Hub is a fan of FL/warm weather - but that’s without staying there during the hot/humid summer months. Hope to research that! I would love to spend a few months in a warmer clime (not 100%).
Move to another country? I’d definitely consider that for part of the year but haven’t done enough research. After a lot of thought - I definitely want a US home base. With all the challenges of the US, I really value the legal protections, the (relative) political stability, the cultural diversity, and the economic benefits (for some, I know).
Requirements for place I’d move to. My hub and I have developed a spreadsheet with almost 100 questions to get us closer to our values in that area - and see where we overlap/differ.
I prioritize being close to adult kids (if possible) and interesting people; he prioritizes warm weather/being near water. So we are working on that!
We both want: nature, good healthcare, opportunities for community, accessibility (i.e., public transport or walkable if driving becomes an issue down the road), airport reasonably close, and not too too expensive.
Love hearing everyone’s plans/interests!
Have mentioned before but the “Retire There” podcast has helped me work through a number of these questios/issues!
8 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.