Looking for paradise to retire

[Narragansett]

Well, I am working my way into the Savannah , GA area. Still not done with my RI responsibilities. Plenty of salt and fresh water, but not so much on the beaches. Got to drive half an hour.

If you are looking for a gated community, The Landings south of the city is about as good as it gets, and it is near impossible to be bored here, but it is pricy and housing is in short supply and at a premium.

There is summer heat, and humidity, but everything you want is here or nearby

 

[ladder13]

Well, I am working my way into the Savannah , GA area. Still not done with my RI responsibilities. Plenty of salt and fresh water, but not so much on the beaches. Got to drive half an hour.

If you are looking for a gated community, The Landings south of the city is about as good as it gets, and it is near impossible to be bored here, but it is pricy and housing is in short supply and at a premium.

There is summer heat, and humidity, but everything you want is here or nearby

Savannah is my favorite city, Charleston SC second. Visited Savannah and HHI the past week, heading back home today.

I would move to Savannah in a heartbeat, or Charleston, and yes, been there many times. Just a great areas.

If I'm going foreign, Italy, no question. Florence specifically.

As with GaryS, I wish you well.

Alas, all that being said, there is no paradise on earth.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Here ya go.

The "T" - JIM HAMILL.

Thanks....... saved me some writing!

 

[Bald1]

I use to do retirement counseling, and would encourage my clients to read books by John Howells. He's written many more books since then. I read Where To Retire, Retire in Mexico, and Retire in Costa Rica.

My wife and I opted for Costa Rica. We spent ten years living there after three exploratory trip of 17 days, 17 days, and 4 months before agreeing to sell our home. We agreed to move down for at least two years before committing to staying until we neared 65 years old. We stayed.

You don't mention how deep your pockets are to support your move, so it's difficult to give good advice. Also, how tied are you to your current community and family or friends. We'd travel back to the USA for one month every six months.

We moved to the greater Phoenix AZ area when we moved back to the US, and later to coastal NC after my wife developed chronic dry eye syndrome.

You can go to a bookstore and read Howells' books; then, go on line and do additional research before actually spending $$$ to vacation/explore your options.

I miss being able to make a 2.5 hours drive from our rented house in Escazu to south beach Jaco to boogie board or south of Uvita to body surf in the Pacific. Or, drive 5.5 hours to the Caribbean and enjoy the golden sands of Punta Uva.

My daughter lives in Emerald Isle, NC and walks on the Atlantic beach most mornings. There will be climate issues no matter where you decide to live.

I left my guns behind when I moved to Costa Rica. You, a Gringo, do not want to spend 6+ months in prison waiting to go to trial on a weapons charge -- so no 2A.

You don't need to stay in one place all year long. Planning retirement options together with your wife can be an adventure - ENJOY!

Yes, the planning part can be fun and give you something to do while waiting to retire. We bought our place in Naples Fl in 2016. We can't leave NY till spring of 2025. Now we are looking for our "other place" which we will spend 6-7 months a yr. Looks like southeast West Virginia will be our destination. We go there often and both my parents were born there. The trick now is finding a reasonably priced property. Perhaps these crazy interest rates will bring prices down .

 

[SMSgt]

Alaska !!

Two mosquitoes up there, are big enough to carry you off into the woods
and have you for their meal, in the spring time.

Plus you not only have brown, black and Grizz bears to worry about but
there is also the "White Death" Polar Bear , that want a meal all year long !!

People who think they'd like to live in Alaska often base that on their summer cruise to see the glaciers. Let them live there for three months, Dec. - Feb--not June- Aug, and they'd change their minds.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

quote "Alas, all that being said, there is no paradise on earth."

True paradise can be found within you.

 

[glenwolde]

Not possible unless you split your time between two locations.

We went traipsing around in an RV looking for a retirement spot. Ultimately we decided we'd miss the kids and grandkids too much, as that's what happened when we were out and about.

So we retired in the big city. We moved in, but the kids are out in the burbs. We decided there's nothing happening out in the burbs and they work all the time. We're close to shows, stadiums, museums, and about 2,000 restaurants. Everything is close.

It's a little ways to the outdoor range (30 minutes) but I have two good indoor ranges two miles in each direction. Great healthcare. We shall vacation in the country. We just do all our activities during the week when there's no crowds. Tonight we're going to the theater on some Seat Junkie tickets.

Maybe we'll get out of town in the summer heat in the RV for a couple of months. We're still settling into retirement.

 

[raljr1]

I would say that coastal Georgia or North Florida. In Jacksonville, the hurricanes seem to hit us less than elsewhere. We get cool weather in the winter and some occasional frost or freeze. Politically somewhat conservative for a large city and taxes overall are low. No state or local income tax, property tax is not too terrible. The beach is nearby, Mayo Clinic and other good hospitals. If you get too close to the beach, homeowners can get pricey.

I'd do the mountains, but if Mrs wants to be near the beach, that scratches that.

Robert

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

You can find Paradise in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Paradise, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia
Not a bad area to live if you don't mind the heavy Amish traffic.

John

 

[IAM Rand]

I left my guns behind when I moved to Costa Rica. You, a Gringo, do not want to spend 6+ months in prison waiting to go to trial on a weapons charge -- so no 2A.

This is the problem with me leaving the continent. Besides, even with all of the unrest in the good ole USA, I love this country and hopefully we will figure it out. Not leaving the 2A behind.

I have another 5 years to figure out where to go. Just need to take some trips to see what we like.

 

[steelslaver]

I thought I had found paradise about 50 years ago, and we invested our lives together in Colorado working for the future.

Now the future is here and I don't want to live here anymore.

I want to move back to America, but no one seems to know where that is these days. Please let me know if you hear any rumors.

YOU would be welcome here. Most would not be

 

[moosedog]

I've always told people that when they get the location narrowed down, to go talk to the local PD and inquire about any criminal problems in the area.
No one needs surprises.

 

[rwt1405]

For those of us not familiar with the region, where is the T of Pennsylvania?

Here ya go!

 

[ladder13]

quote "Alas, all that being said, there is no paradise on earth."

True paradise can be found within you.

Found it in 1983.

 

[bruce5781]

East Texas. The beach would just have to be at one of the many lakes.

Sent from my SM-G781U1 using Tapatalk

 

[dockmurgw]

Do NOT come to Florida . Between homeowners insurance and the politics , the state has turned in to a wasteland . This is coming from someone born here , 65 years ago . I've seen the good and bad over the years ,and there's not much good these days .

Darn...you mean the claims that Southern New York is paradise is a bunch of BS? I'm shocked!!!

 

[calmex]

Since this is a forum of gun owners, I'm a little surprised that there isn't more discussion about gun ownership (or the lack thereof) in foreign countries. If I wouldn't want to move to Maryland, New York or New Jersey why would I want to move to a foreign country that basically outlaws gun ownership?

If your Spanish is very good or fluent, you can own guns in Mexico. I mean this literally. Taking a translator with you is not generally going to help. (The Mexican Army would probably register the pistol you want to buy to your translator. They have a weird sense of humor.)

My Spanish is fluent, and I have no problems with owning guns in Mexico. But you need the language skills because (get this): not all people are created equal. If you can't speak, the law will be applied to you differently. And you won't like it. Depending on someone like me to "help you along" works as long as I'm around to help you. If I'm not around, or someone like me isn't -- get used to having that "deer in the headlights" look on your face when you turn that sharp bend on the highway driving out to the range with your guns in the car and there in front of you is a Mexican Federal Police roadblock. It's no big deal if you can speak the language well and have your permits up to date but if you can't speak well and they decide to have some fun with you...., well, threatening to "out" them on Facebook won't take you very far.

My own experience (26 years of living in Mexico fulltime) is that most Canadians and Americans only speak enough Spanish to order a beer and ask where the bathroom is. That won't cut it in your dealings with the Mexican Army -- whom you will need to deal with if you want to get into sport shooting and gun ownership in Mexico -- on a regular basis.

I did a lot of firearms instruction for the Mexican Police, the Mexican Army, and a host of other groups of varying degrees of social prominance while I was in Mexico. The Mexican firearms community is a tough community to break into: but once you're in, you're in. It's very interesting -- even exciting at times -- but you need the language skills or you'll not even get your foot in the door.

Teaching the Guanajuato State Police, 1998.

Instructing the Rurales of Guanajuato that they sent to Chiappas during the Commandante Marcos uprising in 1997 or so.

With the winner of the 2013 Mexican Nations Police Combat Championships. I was their guest speaker that year.

My 627 and Phil Roettinger's NRM (both of which I still own) and the Mexican IPSC patch we used at the time. I can't wait to move back there fulltime. It was paradise.

 

[WR Moore]

Depending upon where you want to live (city, suburbs or country) you might want to inquire about water rights. In the some of the southern/western states, you might not have the right to use any water in a stream on or bordering your property.

 

[KalamazooKid]

No need to look any further! The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, aka God's Country.

PACC

 

[DWalt]

The most delightful place we lived was in Northern Colombia, in Barranquilla. Weather was perfect (just a wet season and a dry season), lots of nearby beaches, good fishing, very friendly people, and everything we needed at cheap prices. But that was over 50 years ago, before it became a narcorepublic. No idea what the situation there is today.