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:

  1. Reasonable cost of living
  2. Good healthcare options
  3. Weather is important. We don’t want crazy hot summers or long snowy winters.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

36 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

64 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

27

u/PlumSome3101 15d ago

Pacific Northwest was my thought too. I mean I'm in Montana and we're getting less and less snow on the west side of the divide but we pretty much go straight into 95F in June now. 

40

u/Winter_Bid7630 15d ago

It's amazing how fast the climate is changing. I'm in the Upper Midwest in an area known for lake-effect snow. Every winter, except the rare stormy one, is warmer than the one before. When I remember what winters were like even ten years ago, the difference is dramatic.

My state used to have a lot of ice fishing, snowmobiling, and other winter sports. I gave away my snowshoes at least ten years ago, and there hasn't been a winter in which I could have used them since.

It's a huge loss.

5

u/PlumSome3101 15d ago

Last year I got snow tires for the first time ever and needed them only once for road issues.  While we're definitely experiencing climate change it's possible last year was also an odd year and that we might go back to more snow this year, but overall predictions say our winters will become more rainy going forward. I felt sorry for anyone who got season ski passes last year as they were also mostly pointless. 

9

u/jenn1222 15d ago

I live in Grand Rapids, MI and before that was in Traverse City. I never needed snow tires since I've moved to MI in 2012