Where to retire?

[Guest]

I am leaning towards Ft. Lauderdale, as the weather is nice, there’s plenty to do, and there’s plenty of men. However, the prices of houses, condos and insurance are through the roof. So now I’m not so sure.

Palm Springs seems nice, but I don’t know anything or anybody out there on the West Coast. I would like to explore other cities. Would love to hear from the older guys on here.

Where are you all headed to?

[ellentonboy]

Are you sure you want to move to a state that is becoming more and more Republican?  I used to say I was not political, but our current governor is a real,  how shall I say, Nazi? Lauderdale is beautiful, I love it there to.   So many gay men and options.   I live in Saint Petersburg, where the cost of living is slightly lower and I can still get laid.

Still, think about other options because in a few years I am getting out of Florida,  I am currently thinking of Palm Springs or Palm Desert, Ca as a potential retirement area. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, ellentonboy said:

Are you sure you want to move to a state that is becoming more and more Republican?  I used to say I was not political, but our current governor is a real,  how shall I say, Nazi? Lauderdale is beautiful, I love it there to.   So many gay men and options.   I live in Saint Petersburg, where the cost of living is slightly lower and I can still get laid.

Still, think about other options because in a few years I am getting out of Florida,  I am currently thinking of Palm Springs or Palm Desert, Ca as a potential retirement area. 

I understand your point and I too, am not political. I feel that FTL is the most populous of gay men next to NYC and Palm Springs. PS ain't that cheap either.

Florida homes should for the most part hold their value. If the gov made things unbearable, one could always sell.

[DCWildBtm]

This is a great topic, thanks for posting. I'm years away from this decision but I'm a planner and property isn't getting any cheaper.  I'd say other aspects to think about (although you mention many of the most "important" 😉) are of course financial (tax situation, etc. as the idea of landing in a state w/o income tax is very appealing but i know that 1) they get you other ways and 2) you get what you pay for) which brings me to access to quality, affordable (for you) medical care.  I LOVE FLL and the TPA/PIE areas, and could see myself living there but tying my comment into the political mix, the whole state of play in FL leaves a quite a bit of uncertainty and I worry when it comes to health care. I mean, they attacked Disney after all . . . I didn't follow story super closely but seemed like a cutting nose/spiting face situation there.  And, FL is already known for health care waste, fraud, and abuse, if we're in for a time of "austerity" with the debt ceiling fight, medicare/medicaid waste if FL is a great place to go looking under the couch cushions and if that ever happens it likely won't be painless for patients. That's of course all pure speculation so take it FWIW :-).  I also love, Love, LOVE PS, but CA is kinda politically a disaster in its own right. The whole citizen proposition style of government has shown itself to be more problematic than beneficial, and as people seem to get crazier, so will the ideas that land on ballots.

Any other warm weather options?  Cities near Las Vegas? Phoenix area? What about NM?

 

[topblkmale]

8 hours ago, Muscledadbod said:

Where are you all headed to?

Somewhere outside of the USA where there is less political nonsense, where men are still manly as well as masculine and the cost of living is cheaper. 👍🌎

[Guest]

I will tell you this, don't just move somewhere. Go spend a month or two somewhere. Do it for a couple of years. Spend that month or two as if you are living there not as if you were a tourist. Best advice I ever got. Because living in some of the places you are talking about is not the same as vacationing there.

[KylerIsTrash]

Most importantly, are you within stumbling distance of a bathhouse? 🤣 In the past bathhouse options would have been a legitimate consideration of mine before buying a house. Post-Pandemic idk if I can count on one to remain open. 

[john54476]

@CumdumpDadyou have it right about trying a place out before you uproot yourself and invest time and treasure in place that may loose the luster once you live there. I do like the springs but real estate is a bit expensive. Az seems nice but a friend in the past was the State planner and they have some real problems regarding water and other resources as well as abnormal warming due to the built environment. One of the comments mentioned moving out of the USA, I lived 3 years in North Africa and really liked it--it did help that I speak read and write arabic which made life easier but I think that language is less of an issue. A plus is that there are many and I mean many european gay men that move there. Islam can be a bit strict but seems to be enough men that like ass that it was never a problem. I also like Vancouver BC but I understand Canada just put restrictions on real estate purchases there as well. I retired in 2020 and recently widowed and will be taking the topic more seriously, I like Ireland am think about doing a test of New Zeeland. Thought or feed back to this subject should be good. 

[BootmanLA]

1 hour ago, CumdumpDad said:

I will tell you this, don't just move somewhere. Go spend a month or two somewhere. Do it for a couple of years. Spend that month or two as if you are living there not as if you were a tourist. Best advice I ever got. Because living in some of the places you are talking about is not the same as vacationing there.

I strongly second this. I had friends who had lived for years in Florida, but as they approached retirement age, they started looking at other options. For now they've ended up in Seattle, but they're considering relocating again eventually to a somewhat warmer climate.

As for why they left Florida they went through several hurricanes hitting close enough that they had damage to their property (they lived on a 26 acre ranch in central Florida). It's not just direct hit areas that have to worry about it; hurricanes can have gale-force winds spreading over hundreds of miles. Lose power to storms like that (which in their case also meant losing water, as they had a well) enough times and you start rethinking a region. Add in the incessant political lurches to the right, and it's fast becoming (outside of a handful of expensive cities) an intolerable place to live.

It's true that Florida doesn't have an income tax. But property taxes are steep, and in many places, the combined state and local sales tax rate can be 8%. Note that of that sales tax, 6% is levied by the state, which means the vast majority of the sales tax revenue goes into state, not local, hands. (By contrast, in Fulton County (Atlanta), the sales tax rate is 8.9%, but only 4% of that goes to the state, while the other 4.9% is in local hands to be spent on local priorities.)

[BootmanLA]

18 minutes ago, john54476 said:

@CumdumpDadyou have it right about trying a place out before you uproot yourself and invest time and treasure in place that may loose the luster once you live there. I do like the springs but real estate is a bit expensive. Az seems nice but a friend in the past was the State planner and they have some real problems regarding water and other resources as well as abnormal warming due to the built environment. One of the comments mentioned moving out of the USA, I lived 3 years in North Africa and really liked it--it did help that I speak read and write arabic which made life easier but I think that language is less of an issue. A plus is that there are many and I mean many european gay men that move there. Islam can be a bit strict but seems to be enough men that like ass that it was never a problem. I also like Vancouver BC but I understand Canada just put restrictions on real estate purchases there as well. I retired in 2020 and recently widowed and will be taking the topic more seriously, I like Ireland am think about doing a test of New Zeeland. Thought or feed back to this subject should be good. 

All true, though I'd note that Palm Springs may also develop water troubles eventually, as some of their groundwater comes from the Colorado River, which also supplies much of Arizona's water (and California's, and other states'). 

Moreover, while Phoenix is indeed experiencing abnormal warming because it's so overbuilt, that's not necessarily the case for much of the rest of the state. Even areas around Tucson, which is the second-largest city, don't have quite the heat problems that Phoenix has - partly because Phoenix is at such a low elevation (Tucson is 1200 feet higher than Phoenix). Again, this isn't to dispute what you're saying, just noting that what's the case in one part of a state may be very different from another part - like the difference between right-wing redneck panhandle Florida and Fort Lauderdale.

[alwaysready]

12 hours ago, Muscledadbod said:

I am leaning towards Ft. Lauderdale, as the weather is nice, there’s plenty to do, and there’s plenty of men. However, the prices of houses, condos and insurance are through the roof. So now I’m not so sure.

Palm Springs seems nice, but I don’t know anything or anybody out there on the West Coast. I would like to explore other cities. Would love to hear from the older guys on here.

Where are you all headed to?

i think you will find the prices in palm springs to be higher than ft. l. 

[alwaysready]

i would dearly love to move back to new orleans. i spent 15 lovely months there, in a sweet cottage on a corner lot with bermuda grass and two huge trees out front shading the afternoon sun. i loved driving down st. charles ave and realizing i live here now.  however, dum da dum dum.  1st year: evacuated for hurricane ivan. fortunately came back to no damage to the house; 2nd year; first we had a tropical storm which was later said to be a category 1 hurricane. was interesting. the lights stayed on. the only creepy thing was the wind moaning in the trees.  now the big one: katrina. i found out, after watching it go straight across the caribbean, despite forecasters saying it would turn, that it was headed directly for nola; a category 5. i knew my days in that lovely place were over. one small saving grace was that having packed a year b4 for ivan, i knew exactly how much i could take. one has to triage and it is not fun. i remembered--at the last minute my grandmother's wedding sterling silver for 12; however, i forgot my other g/mother's quilt she made for me when i was 5, listing all my 'girlfriends.' irony at an early age. honestly i would advise not living closer than 200 miles (at least) from the atlantic or gulf of mexico. you are just asking to have your life ruined.  i am not a great fan of memphis; it is okay. it is just not new orleans. however, tn. has tons of small towns, and some decent cities as well. you won't find bathhouses, unless you go to st. louis, etc. so you have to balance libido with the other joys of life. no income tax, low tax rates in rural areas; for those over 65, if you own property you are eligible to get 50% of your property tax back in two payments. and to freeze your property tax rates. yes the sales tax is about 10%, but that is true in many states. while the legislature is made up largely of folks who walk on their knuckles to get to nashville, the state is not quite as bad socially as those further south, and affordability is a big issue, esp. when you are 'old and gray and full of sleep.'

[alwaysready]

one more note: there are beaucoup vids on various countries where americans might want to live, and the same with states. of course, these vids are only a start, as you can never be sure of the slant; in other words you need to do a lot of research.

oh, and insofar as california being a horrible political zone, uh....the governor is a democrat, as are all elected state officials, both houses of the legislature are in dem hands, as is the supreme court, 2 of the 3 major cities have democratic mayors. as far as the initiative thang, it seems there are fewer of late, and most all of the really bad ones fail. there are other problems in ca........like the weather/water/pollution. but many lovely spots to live in. esp. if you are well off financially.

[Guest]

As for the comments talking of weather factors......

Florida has hurricanes. California has earthquakes. The Northeast  and Central have snow storms. The Midwest and Rust Belt have tornadoes. Hawaii has tsunamis. You got something everywhere.  

Edited January 17, 2023 by CumdumpDad

[Guest]

This thread couldn't be more timely, because I "retire" next month! I'm originally from Dallas, where all my family and many friends remain, but Northern California has been my home - where I enjoyed an amazing career and spent 17 years with my late partner - for 40 years. Texas would be less expensive, and I would be surrounded by family whom I love.  But California is where my mind and soul still call home. So my plan is to remain home in California for about five years, visit Texas for extended stays, and travel to other parts of the USA (as well as the world) and explore other relocation options. And, of course, enjoy as much sex with as many men as possible along the way.