Have you thought about the criteria for your list of places to retire? The original poster (OP) asked fellow Redditors to share their desires for an ideal retirement place. It prompted a list of conventional and not-so-conventional benchmarks to consider for their dream home in the future.
Some people don’t plan to move anywhere as they will stay put for various reasons, either already satisfied or they want to stay with their family or friends.
1. Great Weather
Some people refer to the weather where they currently live, like Chicago, and want to move as far away as possible from blizzards, snow, and freezing temperatures. They want excellent weather to be active all year round, seeking short, mild winters and not-too-hot summers with low humidity. One mentioned that high humidity would be a dealbreaker. Others want to avoid places noted for occurrences of natural disasters, citing earthquakes, fires, flooding, and droughts as “no-nos.”
One Redditor added that the area he moves to must-have “awesome Fall weather.” He favors the leaf-peeping season as his favorite.
2. Location! Location! Location!
When moving somewhere, real estate agents always tell you it’s about “Location! Location! Location! This criterion considers location as people ponder where their next and possibly their last move will be. Various suggestions range from close to family, kids, grandkids, and specific relatives, though some want to go as far as possible away from their kin. A commenter wants to know people in the area, to help them make new friends.
Several future retirees want to travel more and need a nearby good airport, while others want to be in a small suburban area close to a metro center. One described a place that is “not too crowded or too populated” yet should provide access to larger stores and malls to go shopping. Another painted an image of ” a decent small town main street with nice shops and a brew pub or two.”
3. Local Convenience
Several want an area notable for their available public transportation, quality Internet, utilities, walkable around the town or city, ride a bike, “a natural history museum,” “an EV charging infrastructure,” National Parks, state parks, botanical gardens, and nature in general. One person specifically explained “drinkable water and sufficient water reserves are high on his list,” as that seems to grow as an issue in specific environments.
Several people worry that small places may lack culture, art, music, ethnic food, and museums to visit.
4. Towns With Colleges and Universities
As they deliberated their location, a few people suggested picking a college town that offers more things to do, from taking courses, sporting events, concerts, theater, and art museums to having excellent libraries that the community can use. One person agreed about a college town but warned others that sometimes it gets noisy, dirty, and crowded, and “by summer, people are happy to get back their town.”
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5. No Political Extremism, Please!
Redditors agreed political extremism could be offensive and a significant turnoff. However, agreement turned to a lot of dissension and partisanship, with many eliminating specific states that were “too blue,” “too red,” “too leftist,” or “conservative,” while even outspoken purple-leaning areas could be challenging, though most agreed climate change is vital in their future area.
6. Availability of Quality Healthcare
Access to quality healthcare received numerous nods as an essential criterion for future retirees. A Redditor shared that she had retired to Santa Fe, but its healthcare infrastructure was a massive negative for her. One man said he wants affordable healthcare without fighting the insurance companies and exorbitant insurance.
Several said that the most beautiful places to live in the US “remain unpopulated because there are no nearby hospitals”, especially for retirees. Another added that it is hard to retire to rural areas as “physicians (there) are all about age 30, doing a five-year stint in rural medicine which will forgive medical school loans, then it’s off to the city.”
One Redditor moved to Thailand and lives “in a luxurious condo at lower cost, with access to hospitals and medical expertise, and gets good care quickly, with locally produced medication.”
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7. Low Crime Rates
Not surprisingly, commenters want to find a safe place with low crime rates. A couple of Redditors from large cities want to move out as they feel vulnerable in their current crime-infested, questioning why some “criminals go free so soon.”
8. Want an Affordable Lifestyle
There was a robust interactive debate on having an affordable lifestyle with decent housing, but not to be confused about “living cheaply” or “cost should not be the most important issue” as that may mean the area lacks decent infrastructure. A consensus of commenters agreed with a statement that some cities have the cost of living “wildly out of control.”
On the other hand, there was a difference of opinion between those who preferred living in a state that doesn’t have an income tax and others who pointed out that it could mean higher property and sales taxes or fewer benefits such as parks or walkways from lack of funding.
We hope you enjoyed these Redditor stories about future retirees choosing their dream homes. This article is inspired by the internet and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Cents of Money.
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