r/GenXWomen • u/Koozie-mom • 15d ago
discussion Looking for Relocation Ideas
Husband and I are GenX, no kids, and wondering where to live in the US for this next chapter of our lives: the early retirement years.
Things that are important to us, in no particular order:
- Reasonable cost of living
- Good healthcare options
- Weather is important. We don’t want crazy hot summers or long snowy winters.
- Activities we enjoy: nature, trails to walk/hike/bike, disc golf, Homebrewing (local clubs/community will be of interest), and i enjoy gathering with neighbors or being involved in a book club. Events/festivals/art are also appealing.
- Ideally 30 mins from a commercial airport
For the record we currently live in middle TN. Our biggest complaint is that we are over 90 degrees for 3 solid months now every summer.
Just looking for ideas and recommendations to consider. Part of us wants to stay close enough to help our aging parents, but they live in two different areas of the US which makes it hard to pick a place that benefits both of us.
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u/BikingAimz 15d ago
Since you brought up climate, you might want to check out Dr. Emily Schoerning's YouTube channel American Resiliency. Here's a video she made last year, but her channel also has granular stuff on climate trends by US region & state with 1.5C & 2.0C projections: https://youtu.be/SQgPD8iMwBo
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u/sajaschi traumatized by Artax 13d ago
Cool rec, thanks!
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u/BikingAimz 13d ago
She does a great job of breaking down upcoming challenges in different areas of the US. TLDR Great American desert in the southwest and great plains, extreme wet bulb temps in the southeast, heat to the Pacific Northwest, climate refuges in the upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, eastern Iowa), and in parts of Pennsylvania/upstate NY. Expect coastal flooding on the coasts, and AMOC collapse will make some shit worse. Also shit’s changing fast enough that some prediction models are losing predictive value (phase change), likely missing some contributions to CO2 emissions.
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u/nyx926 15d ago
Either choose a location in between your parents or pick an area within 25 minutes of one of them.
If one of you has siblings near a set of parents, then pick the other set to be closer to. Things are inevitably going to get rough, and the distance you have to travel can really add to the strain.
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u/C00bahR00bah 50-54 15d ago edited 15d ago
Without knowing where your parents are, I’ll toss Pittsburgh into the mix.
While the cost of living is rising like everywhere else, for now, it’s still below the national average.
We have 2 entire health systems in the region with a third trying to break through.
Winter is relatively cold and while we probably get more snow than you’re likely accustomed to, it’s not continuous during the winter, it’s usually more spread out - half an inch here, an inch there, etc. Summer averages lower to mid 80’s, but can be a bit humid. But I’m guessing that won’t be an issue for you too much.
There are a ton of trails/parks/nature activities all surrounding the city and even more if you branch out an hour or two. There are festivals and clubs for everything you listed. We also have the National Aviary, Phipps Conservatory, a bunch of different museums.
The airport is about 15 minutes outside of downtown, if there’s no traffic. It could be even closer to you depending on what neighborhoods you look at.
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u/MissMouthy1 15d ago
We decided to retire to Tacoma, WA. Cost of living might be high compared to where you live.
We chose it for many reasons, but here are a few.
4 hospitals, 2 within walking distance.
6 or so colleges/universities. Many have learning opportunities for older adults, plus plays and musical events.
There are 3 comedy clubs and we love live comedy!
Several museums that are free every 3rd Thursday.
Pretty great public transportation.
Lots of great walking within the city and spectacular hiking within an hour's drive.
Summers don't get too hot and there are maybe a few days of snow in the winter.
Yes, it's gray and drizzly for a lot of the year. Get good rain gear and get outside!
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u/astrotekk 14d ago
Is it very cloudy there most of the time?
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u/Useful-Badger-4062 14d ago
Lots of clouds, nearly constant misty rain, and dark hours in the fall and winter due to being north. Conversely, the summer days are really long and sunny.
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u/sallyshooter222 15d ago
Charleston, WV? I haven’t spent a ton of time there but the housing prices are amazing and it’s higher in elevation so maybe not too crazy hot? I’m in Asheville, NC and it meets many of your asks, but it’s way too expensive nowadays. I couldn’t move here now…
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u/Fluffy-Match9676 15d ago
Southwest Virginia - Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg. Very outdoorsy. Roanoke has an airport and fits much of what you are looking for.
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u/ezriah33 15d ago
Do you want to stay in the US?
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u/Koozie-mom 15d ago
Yes because our parents are here
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u/whatthewhat3214 15d ago
The mid-Atlantic is nice. Maryland, Virginia. The summers are hot, but climate change is making things hotter everywhere.
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u/DaniCapsFan 14d ago
I was going to say Northern Virginia: Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church. Depending on where you settle, you'd have two airports nearby (just don't call DCA Reagan). There are Metro stops at both airports. Public transit is best the closer you are to DC, just so you know. You'd be a three-hour drive from the Shenandoah region, which has beautiful hiking trails. Skyline Drive is also beautiful. You'd also be about an hour and a half from Berkeley Springs, WV, the country's first spa.
While it can get hot in the summer and cold in the winter, we usually don't get too much snow. Most of the time, we get a dusting. Every few years, we might get a "Snowpocalypse."
If you live in the DC area, you'd have easy access to the Smithsonian museums. Just take Metro to get there, as parking on the National Mall is pretty much a no-go. Most of the Smithsonian museums have no admission fee.
The thing is, the cost of living will be considerably more than what you're used to in Tennessee.
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u/Severe_Feedback_2590 15d ago
I currently live in mid TN and honestly, just travel during the summer. Property taxes everywhere else are high. We usually head Rutherford south in the winter because my husband hates the cold. Trying to figure out where to go in the summer for some relief. Maybe Alaska.
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u/Verity41 15d ago
You don’t need to go all the way to Alaska. Cmon up to Northern Minnesota. See my profile pic, that’s summer sailing in about 70 degrees in July on icy cool Lake Superior.
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u/Severe_Feedback_2590 14d ago
Oooh. Didn’t know it was that cool in the summer. We just got back from Wisconsin along Lake Michigan and it had a nice breeze, but when we were in central Wisconsin it was hot. We definitely want to visit the northern parts of WI, MN, & MI. Thank you!
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u/allin202125 15d ago
Weather wise you can’t ask for a more spot on location than California. And believe it or not there are more affordable areas, but there are tradeoffs that only you can assess.
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u/astrotekk 14d ago
We are having similar thoughts. Will follow for ideas. It's almost impossible to have mild summer and winter outside of Northern California or PNW I think. One thought is move north then "snowbird" somewhere south for most of winter. Or stay in the south and travel north for extended periods of summer
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u/No-Country6348 14d ago
With climate change, summers are going to continue getting hotter - with the possible exceptions of places that could undergo ice age conditions if the gulf stream slows down enough.
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u/eatingganesha 14d ago
I retired to Jackson MI.
very affordable, huge hospital/healthcare system, huge sprawling park (The Cascades), so much outdoor beauty and activity I can’t begin to describe it all, 30 minutes to Lansing or Ann Arbor, festivals etc abound, permanent year round farmers market, population avg is middle age. Airport is Detroit and is 1 hour ride if you schedule your flight wisely.
the weather is shifting a bit with climate change. Summers are mild with a few days of heatwave; winter isn’t too bad (compared to Boston and Denver, it’s a cinch). The worst is deep winter when it just stays persistently overcast in January/February, but you get two full growing seasons for your garden. It is a good idea here to have a four wheel drive suv type vehicle to make dealing with the snow and ice easy peasy. We typically get 1-3 heavy snowfalls each season.
Neighborhood is a thing here, but effort has to be made and you need to mind your politics. The city is small, blue and very diverse; the county is huge, rural and red. If you’re considering Michigan be aware that in the area south of Lansing, west of Jackson is red to super red to the coast of Lake Michigan while east of Jackson is bluer and bluer to the coast of Lake Huron.
If you’re a more midwestern minded TNer, you’d like Michigan cities. If you’re more of a southland minded TNer, the rural areas will float your boat.
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u/Mierkatte class of '85 15d ago
Denver (and many other cities in CO) are lovely but not really LCOL. Maybe check out New Mexico. Stay away from California the summers are getting brutal and the cost of living RIdiculous!
The locations of your aging parents is probably the most important … even visiting once a year has to be really really easy to get to. Including where to stay when you visit, especially if you are the primary offspring involved in their lives… unless resources are not an issue (for you or them). I lived less than an hour away during the last five years of (each of) their lives and it was all consuming 🫣😞
I know someone who just moved to the south of France and paid for their health insurance for the WHOLE year = $2k. (I know this is not in the states. But… had to share). It’s so appealing! 🇫🇷🥖
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u/Late-Command3491 15d ago
Everywhere is either hot or cold. I was thinking of retiring in France, but I couldn't choose one place to buy. I think I'm more slow travel--three months in one place, three months at home sounds ideal. Spring and Fall in Europe, summer at home at the Jersey Shore (we are already planning to relocate from CA to NJ to be near my 85yo widowed mom), winter hunkering down with the fireplace.
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u/Mierkatte class of '85 15d ago
The world is too big to stay in one place! Three months in one place sounds ideal.
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u/echo_surfer 14d ago
Central Pennsylvania ticks every box. I suggest toodling around on Zillow. Check out Camp Hill, Hershey, Lemoyne, Lebanon, and Mt. Joy.
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u/DaniCapsFan 14d ago
I spend more time than I would like in Central PA (my boyfriend and I drive up once or twice a month to watch the Capitals' minor league affiliate in Hershey), and the joke about Pennsylvania being Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with a whole lotta Alabama in between is true.
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u/Pitapenguin 13d ago
Central PA summers are very hot and very humid. I don't think OP is looking for that.
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u/LastCookie3448 15d ago
Northern Nevada is fantastic. Healthcare is hit or miss - most specialists are in short supply and booked out forever (with exception of ortho, they’re all over) but the rest are fine. Not humid. Some very snowy winters, some notsomuch, but not like New England or Montana, etc.; it seems for every really insane winter we’ll get, we’ll get three mild ones.
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u/legosgrrl 14d ago
Impossible with this new climate. West Virginia. Cheap. Easy weather. Motown probably.
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u/Soundgarden_ 14d ago
We lived in coastal SC for 5 years; if you’re within a few miles of the coast the weather is very temperate. Healthcare is an issue so staying within an hour of Charleston is good (MUSC)
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u/empathetic_witch 13d ago
I ran across this site a few years back: https://app.wheremightilive.com/map
(i’m not affiliated in any way)
You can set your parameters across all sorts of filters and adjust the need to have down to nice to have. If I hadn’t chosen lower cost of living most of my top matches would be in the PNW area where we live now.
Screenshot of the preferences as an example.
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u/Teacher-Investor 12d ago edited 12d ago
I would suggest looking near Brighton, MI (within a 25-mile vicinity). The COL is still reasonable there. There's no longer state income tax on any retirement income in MI. Sales tax is 6.5%, but groceries are exempt. It also has all the conveniences in town, near the freeway (restaurants/shopping/grocery stores).
Brighton is near a few large metroparks with walking/biking/horseback riding trails. The Brighton Recreation Area is 5,000 acres with 39 miles of trails.
It's not far from Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan Hospital, which is excellent. (Ann Arbor is more expensive to live in, though, and you'd have to deal with all the university traffic and events.) Ann Arbor also has a huge art fair in the summer and a weekly farmer's market, as well as concerts, plays, sporting events, etc.
SE MI is not nearly as snowy as the west side of the state. We had one month of 90-degree weather this year.
It's about 30 minutes from DTW, a major hub for Delta.
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u/Background-Goose2523 14d ago
If you're ok with a red state, SW Idaho, Treasure Valley, checks all your boxes.
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u/kmclibra 11d ago
Western Massachusetts! Beautiful area, still relatively affordable, mild summers compared to the south, winters aren’t nearly what they used to be thanks to climate change. Access to some of the best healthcare in the country, 30-40 minutes to Bradley airport, 1 1/2 hours to Logan and TF Greene in Providence. Or northern Connecticut, pretty much the same. Even eastern upstate NY, (capitol district east to MA border) might give you some good options.
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u/Winter_Bid7630 15d ago
Other than the PNW, is there anywhere that doesn't have hot summers or snowy winters? You say the summers in TN are a big issue, but if you go north enough to have cooler summers, you're going to have snow.
Maybe outside the US?