Where to retire?

[Theo8]

Since I'm on disability and I get my mom's house once she kicks off, I'm staying in West Virginia. Anyone want to join me?  No mortgage, but the house really needs to be redone.  Utilities are fairly cheap.  Neighbors aren't horrible.  The rest of the state may be, but my little town is okay for the most part.  1300 people or so.  My HIV doctor is two hours away, but it's a university affiliated clinic that deals with mostly with people on Ryan White and the like.  The people there are great.  

I'd love to move out, but I'd have to worry about selling the house and finding someone place that I could afford on disability.  I'd love to go back to California, but not if I have to live in Section 8 housing. 

 

[hntnhole]

On 10/15/2023 at 9:21 AM, BradStevens said:

but abhor the direction the state has been headed politically.

While that's absolutely true, there are tons of truly enraged women here - from the health-care debacle to the banning of books to the whole "woke" cesspool, and there's a decent chance the R's will lose power in the next election. It's not impossible the Statehouse may become more blue (if decent-minded folks get out and vote - particularly all the local "downballot" positions), 

There are also a lot of pissed off LGBT+ (did I get them all?) folks that aren't in South Fl, but in other counties here.  I may be unreasonably optimistic, but we may get a big surprise in about a year from now.  It wasn't all that long ago that Florida was considered a "swing-State", fluctuating between Red and Blue.  DullSantis may not have made it, if the D's hadn't run such a flawed candidate in Charlie Christ.  

As Churchill once said:  "Never give up.  Never give up.  Never give up."

Edited October 25, 2023 by hntnhole

[BootmanLA]

It's true Florida used to be a swing state, but that was mostly because of a rough balance between a heavily Democratic retiree base in south Florida, particularly Broward and Dade counties, and a much more conservative, quasi-redneck Republican population centered around military bases and support for same in the Panhandle. That Democratic base in south Florida was disproportionately elderly and Jewish (more so than the population as a whole, at least).

But those people are slowly dying off, and the big retiree growth has been in places like the Villages - bringing in not northeastern liberals but midwestern conservatives. The Villages has nearly 150,000 residents in its metro area, and it is the fastest growing metropolitan statistical area in the entire country. Most of that population moved there in the last 20 or so years (as recently as the early 1990's, there were fewer than 10,000 residents). And that population is overwhelmingly Republican.

That's the kind of change that's tilted Florida into the red-state category, and even a better candidate for statewide office is going to face strong headwinds to get elected. The steps taken by the DeSantis administration to tilt Florida's higher education to the right, in turn, is not only going to push students in that direction, but those more liberal students who might have considered staying in-state (or moving to Florida for college) will also be discouraged from doing so. That's going to affect the youth vote, too.

I'd like to think Florida isn't so far gone Republican that it can't change, but I don't see the demographics favoring it at this point.

[TaKinGDeePanal]

On 10/15/2023 at 5:49 AM, hntnhole said:

5.  Homeowner's insurance costs are outrageous.  If our simple-minded Governor would lift one fat finger, he could do something about it, but he's to busy with his "woke" bullshit to bother, and we have a 2-term limit for the Governorship, so we'll be rid of him at the end of this term (unless he gets his R legislature to ditch that 2-term limit).  Interestingly, many think the current run-up in housing prices seem to think that bubble is close to bursting.  Even in my (working-class) neighborhood, there are 3/4 million dollar listings of homes (completely renovated) that aren't selling like they were a few months ago.  Real estate pricing run-up's always wind up with a collapse in prices too, if you have the patience to wait for it to happen.  

I would imagine that the sinkholes don't exactly help matters, either.

[TaKinGDeePanal]

For all you poz gentlemen out there, also remember that not every country allows those living with the virus to immigrate:   [think before following links] https://www.aidsmap.com/about-hiv/travel-restrictions-people-hiv

[hntnhole]

On 10/25/2023 at 5:22 PM, BootmanLA said:

I don't see the demographics favoring it at this point.

Well, call me an optimist, but there's at least a decent chance.  Our Dancing Daughter - Margo Rubia - has been lying low these past months.  The other Senator - the moon-faced one with nothing but those staring, blue eyes in the entire face - was actually considering a run, but support didn't materialize.  

I think the "wild card" this time around is the issue of women's health care rights.  That, in and of itself, may be enough, but there are other hopeful signs too.  The educational system has been gutted, since teachers no longer can.  No one likes that.  While the "cost of living" is reasonable, certain issues like homeowner's insurance has not been addressed.  Gas is under $3 here, grocery prices aren't that terrible, given that a lot of stores offer "bogo's" which doubles the value, particularly for groceries.  

I guess I'm just better at being an optimist than a pessimist.  We'll see .... 

[hntnhole]

1 hour ago, TaKinGDeePanal said:

I would imagine that the sinkholes don't exactly help matters, either.

???  Whaddya mean ??? Who doesn't want a free, instantaneous swimming hole in their back yard, complete with crocodiles, iguanas, and heaven-only knows what else ???😁

Fortunately though, sinkholes are only common in certain areas, with one exception:  The city streets are all asphalt, which cracks in the sun, which creates fissures in the asphalt, which fissures widen and deepen during the rainy season, and the city doesn't quite do a very good job of keeping the holes (which will swallow a car-wheel and not even notice) filled.  Some of the major arterials are concrete, but it's hardly common.  

[TaKinGDeePanal]

10 minutes ago, hntnhole said:

???  Whaddya mean ??? Who doesn't want a free, instantaneous swimming hole in their back yard, complete with crocodiles, iguanas, and heaven-only knows what else ???😁

Fortunately though, sinkholes are only common in certain areas, with one exception:  The city streets are all asphalt, which cracks in the sun, which creates fissures in the asphalt, which fissures widen and deepen during the rainy season, and the city doesn't quite do a very good job of keeping the holes (which will swallow a car-wheel and not even notice) filled.  Some of the major arterials are concrete, but it's hardly common.  

I thought it was more to do with the underlying rock in FL mostly being of limestone.

Edited November 30, 2023 by TaKinGDeePanal

[BootmanLA]

2 hours ago, hntnhole said:

I think the "wild card" this time around is the issue of women's health care rights.  That, in and of itself, may be enough, but there are other hopeful signs too.  The educational system has been gutted, since teachers no longer can.  No one likes that.  While the "cost of living" is reasonable, certain issues like homeowner's insurance has not been addressed.  Gas is under $3 here, grocery prices aren't that terrible, given that a lot of stores offer "bogo's" which doubles the value, particularly for groceries.  

I think (from the outside) that there are still headwinds to battle here. You and I (and other educated people) find what DeSantis did to the state educational system a travesty, but the vast majority of Republicans approve - not necessarily that they've thought about it, but it's "anti-woke" and causing pain for the people they hate, so naturally they approve. Insurance is another big issue - but are they going to blame the Republicans, or will the Republicans be able to convince them - as is often the case elsewhere - that the "real" problem is runaway lawsuits from trial lawyers (read: Democrats)?

And yeah, prices aren't really out of control, but the GOP will convince a lot of their base that prices are astronomical and they'd be a lot cheaper if only we could deregulate all the food processing industry and the like.

In other words, a lot of issues that (to the educated eye) should clearly favor Democrats can be spun in such a way that their value in campaigning is neutralized or even becomes a liability.

Abortion rights are much harder to spin that way, because the Republicans are very, very publicly wedded to restriction of those rights, and almost always to a level well beyond where moderate Republican women are willing to go. A ban on third-trimester abortions, for instance, might well get majority approval in the state, but the GOP is always going to insist on a 6-week or 10-week cutoff, if it's allowed at all (there are places, like Louisiana, where it's essentially functionally banned entirely, and that's a popular position here). So yeah, this is one issue - maybe the key one - that can peel off Republican voters, if the GOP continues to shoot itself in the foot.

[pigpozdad]

On 1/16/2023 at 5:46 PM, Guest said:

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.

Gulf coast is more affordable to buy or rent a home, and you can drive across to Ft Lauderdale for the weekend to gather cumloads

[Cubbtm4poz]

I've often asked that question as to where to retire....For me I would like to find a place that has a change of seasons but not too harsh for winters nor too hot for the summers....Also someplace that has access to good healthcare... I enjoy biking and hiking so would love to be able to enjoy that...Currently live in Phoenix and need a change from the heat...Any suggestions...

[PozBearWI]

Wisconsin has abundant good water.  I wouldn't want to be homeless here, but otherwise it's a good place to live.  

[hntnhole]

11 hours ago, TaKinGDeePanal said:

I thought it was more to do with the underlying rock in FL mostly being of limestone.

That's true, but apparently it's thinner in some areas, which allows those subterranean faults to develop fairly easily.  I don't have "facts" to offer, but some say the rock layer is thicker here, less so farther from Ft.L.  

[hntnhole]

10 hours ago, BootmanLA said:

I think (from the outside) that there are still headwinds to battle here

You're entirely correct, of course; the educational system in FL being only one of the worst.  Public school educators have left the state in droves, and who would blame them?  Even the private schools have lost substantial staff, thanks to the state government.  

 

10 hours ago, BootmanLA said:

In other words, a lot of issues that (to the educated eye) should clearly favor Democrats can be spun in such a way that their value in campaigning is neutralized or even becomes a liability

Sadly, that is also completely true.  While Broward County is the most "Democratic" county in the state, the influx of pinheads has diluted that status somewhat - which is one of the reasons I'm active politically for Liberal/Progressive/Democratic causes.  We won't know what the impact of the Democratic movements are until the elections, but there's a better chance of less repression here than in other areas of the state.  

re: the real estate prices, they're not rising so fast at all these days:  a few months ago, prices were rising exponentially, and folks were buying.  Now, not so much - at least around the neighborhood where I live.  There are areas/neighborhoods with  substantial gay homeownership, and it feels less threatening.  I don't mean that everyone fucks their neighbors (but it happens, of course) - I mean that we have neighborhood block-clubs, organizations, etc, and look out for each other.  At the very least, it feels a bit more insular.  

I think the restrictive access to women's healthcare is the "wild card" all over the country.  Note the recent elections in the East/Midwest states:  really pissed off women (and their supporters) came out in droves to vote the R's out.  And all the R's can do is go on about Hunter ... impeaching the President .... it seems that we're in the midst of the Triumph of Un-Reason in the Republikan Partei.  

[pigpozdad]

9 hours ago, Cubbtm4poz said:

I've often asked that question as to where to retire....For me I would like to find a place that has a change of seasons but not too harsh for winters nor too hot for the summers....Also someplace that has access to good healthcare... I enjoy biking and hiking so would love to be able to enjoy that...Currently live in Phoenix and need a change from the heat...Any suggestions...

Atlanta has 4 seasons and  a great poz nightlife, but winter nights can get cold. Usually the cold season is November 22 to February 22