Where to retire?

[Rillion]

I'm planning to stay in Reno when I retire. I really enjoy living here and I plan to ski until I die so I am not interested in moving to a place that doesn't have winter. I really enjoy four distinct seasons and the activities that come with that from the winter snow sports to rafting down the Truckee river and enjoying Lake Tahoe in the summer.

 

Political climate is good, fairly purple state with enough of the Republicans being libertarian that the Initiative to legalize same sex marriage passed with over 60% support in 2020. Plus no state income tax and property taxes are reasonable (thank you to all the gamblers for paying my taxes for me).

 

Close enough to SF and the bay area that it's easy to drive in for a weekend getaway and LV and LA are less than two hour flights away.

 

Of course my opinion is based by the skiing factor and a west coast biases. I hate absolutely hate hot and humid weather.

Edited January 18, 2023 by Rillion

[Leatherman667]

On 1/17/2023 at 3:22 AM, 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. 

Ireland is not a gay Mecca! Mainly closeted guys. Check is out b4 you head there. 

[Guest]

i agree

[VersGuyAnon]

1 hour ago, Leatherman667 said:

Ireland is not a gay Mecca! Mainly closeted guys. Check is out b4 you head there. 

Ireland is also expensive

[topblkmale]

16 hours ago, Asnlooking said:

Interesting thread. Although I still have years before retiring, I know I want to move and retire somewhere else. I think of where often and this thread has good information. The more places I visit and think about, the more I want to retire abroad. 

How should one factor in the healthcare cost/insurance to move abroad?

Depends on the country and whether or not your are a permanent resident or naturalized citizen of said country.

 

For me accessibility to affordable health care as well as climate, availability of sexually active men and how the society treats its seniors are my main factors when considering places abroad.

[NWUSHorny]

5 hours ago, hntnhole said:

If, as in the case of Ft. L., there is a long-standing acceptance of the area as accommodating to men fucking each other, there will likely be places to do that into the future.  In places that are repressive, and always have been, it's doubtful that a thunderbolt of enlightenment will suddenly fall from the heavens.

I would love to figure out the repression thing. I have never lived any where as open and accepting of perversions and fetishes, or as repressed and inhibited about fucking each other, as the PNW.

[BootmanLA]

18 hours ago, Webster9 said:

For those who suggested Palm Springs or Tucson or Phoenix, Arizona, do you know that temperatures for most of the year can stay at well above 100 degrees ?

Palm Springs and Phoenix are in a different category from Tucson, which is over 1,000 feet higher in elevation than Phoenix and nearly 2,000 feet higher than Palm Springs.

It's true that in parts of Tucson, particularly the lowest-elevation desert areas, can be very hot, but, as they say, it's a dry heat, so 95 in Tucson is far more tolerable than 95 in Florida or Louisiana. I've spent extensive time in the Tucson region in July and August and it's not as bad as one might think - though certainly hotter than Maine, for instance.

Moreover, that's Tucson proper. The city has several mountain ranges nearby, many of which have even higher-elevation settlements that are a short drive from the city center. On my first drive out there, as I exited the interstate highway at 2:00 PM to head to the place I was staying, my car's outside thermometer said it was 92 degrees. 20 minutes later, as I pulled into the driveway of the place I was staying up a bit in the mountains, the thermometer read 72 degrees. But that's because the place I was staying was at 5,000 feet elevation.

 

[evilcoyote]

I moved to Palm Springs area just over a year and a half ago. I love it. Yes we get over 100 in the summer...that's why you go find a pool. It's no biggie. 

Housing is expensive, but on par with many parts of Florida that have been mentioned. However, our home insurance is less expensive. 

Everyplace, even Europe, has issues. But it's what you want to deal with. 

Personally, I've lived through hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and snow storms. I'll take an earthquake any day. 

Palm Springs is changing too ... The once sleepy town M-F isn't as sleepy as it was and even in the off-season it's busier than in the past.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, BootmanLA said:

Palm Springs and Phoenix are in a different category from Tucson, which is over 1,000 feet higher in elevation than Phoenix and nearly 2,000 feet higher than Palm Springs.

I love Palm Springs (outside of summer) and anywhere in the Southwest USA.  But I'd be leery of moving there at this stage in life. In case it has escaped notice, the Colorado River that supplies that region with water is dying a death that is getting quicker by the day. And the future for that area isn't looking much wetter in this lifetime.

Two major news media organizations published articles this week about Scottsdale, AZ, cutting off water to an unincorporated neighborhood of relatively newish, upper middle-class homes because of the ongoing drought. I've also heard hydrologic engineers warn that all of the LA region could return to the natural desert state it was before it began importing water from Northern California in the early 1900s.

Of course, it's easy for us to ignore signs of climate and environmental changes happening all around until it's too late. But the fears of one guy in Arizona who bought a $500,000 home near Scottsdale a few years ago and faces the prospect of losing his home and fortune because he can't get water is enough to steer this soon-to-be-retiree in another direction. My advice to folks planning relocation in retirement is know before you go.

Skipped Showers, Paper Plates: An Arizona Suburb’s Water Is Cut Off

Arizona city cuts off a neighborhood’s water supply amid drought

[hntnhole]

Thanks, DeviantLust, for ^ your commentary.

As a whole, we humans have been raping our home since the Industrial Age began.  So, no wonder that our planet is fighting back. 

I was eating supper a while ago, and the phone rang.  It was an automated phone call, covering the meeting of the local Water District meeting here in Ft. Lauderdale, discussing plans (ad nauseum) for replacing one of the two water-treatment facilities here.  If it passes (big if), there will be a major investment in cleaner water delivery from the city. That would be a good thing, since apparently one of the two water purification plants uses technology many decades old, the "newer" one somewhat more modern.  

Point:  as DeviantLust points out, there are all kinds of issues to consider when planning a relocation. 

As far as LA goes, I don't think they'll have enough water to wash their most highly placed (#3 in order to the Presidency) and most craven Congressperson away and out to sea.

[john54476]

@Leatherman667not really a problem if a gay mecca or not, the climate, lack of flying insects and the low alergans appealed to me. Found the people to be nice and the beer to be good.

[AirmaxUK]

On 1/18/2023 at 7:12 AM, VersGuyAnon said:

Thoughts from those living in the UK? 

I've been giiving it some thought and I haven't really come to any firm conclusions. When the time comes I'd be looking at the local NHS trusts and how they perform.  Having seen how Buckinghamshire (a fairly affluent area) struggles to cope with my elderly parents needs I *really* wouldn't want to grow older here. My folks have me to help them navigate the NHS and in some cases sort private treatment, but I won't have anyone to look out for me in the same way.  A friend of mine thinks we should get a group together and start some kind of gay commune - it's an extreme idea but it has its merits. 

 

[Dee82]

Having lived in Ft Lauradale, Florida before... you'll be facing some devastating hurricanes in the months of July - September. I lived through Hurricane Andrew before and that was probably one of the most devastating hurricanes ever. Not exactly the most ideal spot for retirement.  If you want a more comfortable retirement, I noticed Sun City, Arizona is a decent place to live.  Only bad thing about Arizona is that its hot as hell most of the time.  But you don't get natural disasters as much.  

I noticed a lot of companies have data centers/call centers in Arizona for that very reason.  

Snowbirds constantly flock to Arizona to live as well.

[VersGuyAnon]

3 hours ago, AirmaxAndy said:

I've been giiving it some thought and I haven't really come to any firm conclusions. When the time comes I'd be looking at the local NHS trusts and how they perform.  Having seen how Buckinghamshire (a fairly affluent area) struggles to cope with my elderly parents needs I *really* wouldn't want to grow older here. My folks have me to help them navigate the NHS and in some cases sort private treatment, but I won't have anyone to look out for me in the same way.  A friend of mine thinks we should get a group together and start some kind of gay commune - it's an extreme idea but it has its merits. 

 

The gay commune thing exists in some places, but it;s expensive. I also like the idea though, if something more realistic and accessible can be created somewhere. 

[BergenGuy]

6 hours ago, Dee82 said:

Only bad thing about Arizona is that its hot as hell most of the time.

Another bad thing about Arizona is water shortages, which will only get worse.  Before settling there, make sure to investigate the long-term water supply situation in that area.