Air quality, being near any hazardous materials processing / disposal / potential leakage. But in terms of quality of life, air quality is a key consideration. If you plan of water recreational activities in pond / river / beach then of course water quality. Being near agricultural area does not really guarantee easier access to organic farming.

Dh and I are coastal snobs and will probably either retire in Northern California or NYC, if not somewhere in Germany.

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Heading to the beach!

Good luck!

TOTALLY am considering climate change. I don't want to live near water and I don't want to live in any place that is water challenged (California). I don't want to deal with weather disasters in my old age.

It hasn't been a factor in our thoughts, but maybe it should be. However, it will be a distant factor, way behind family, cost of living, transportation etc.

Anonymous wrote:Midwest is having extreme weather, too. Stay away from Tornado alley.

Far south will be under water and have more hurricanes.

West is having massive drought.

NE is way too cold for me.

I'm going to try to live in the mid-Atlantic, but not too close to the shore.

Get solar panels.

We agree with all of this.

We wanted to be well above maximum sea level rise.

We also wanted to be near a large enough river that water scarcity is unlikely.

The south is now experiencing some wild fires, so Virginia to Pennsylvania was our preferred window.

Nope. Heading to the beach!

Yes! I want to get away from mosquitoes, and want an area that is safe from tree falls and floods.

DH and I thought about this alot before we bought in Montgomery County. Mostly thinking about what we could leave to our kids and land values by the time they are our age. But, rather than buying in upstate NY or Michigan as would have been ideal, unfortunately we are both tethered to jobs here in DC. It is what it is.

Absolutely. We are looking into shifting real estate assets from California and Florida (inherited) into something in the NE, Vermont, NH, etc. Still researching.

Yup...Florida is OUT of the question.

It is a factor for us. We are returning to New England for retirement and are considering places further north than we would have otherwise done.

There is a map that predicts how the climate is likely to change in a particular city - https://fitzlab.shinyapps.io/cityapp/

For example, Washington, DC will feel like Mississippi. Lovely.

Midwest is having extreme weather, too. Stay away from Tornado alley.

Far south will be under water and have more hurricanes.

West is having massive drought.

NE is way too cold for me.

I'm going to try to live in the mid-Atlantic, but not too close to the shore.

Get solar panels.

As we ponder retirement in the next decade, i'm increasingly taking environmental issues into account. We can really go anywhere, but will likely stick to the northeast or midwest. Factors I will look into, though, are the water source and availability, propensity to natural disasters, proximity to rural areas that we can access for organically farmed produce and ethically raised meat, community programs like composting. What else should we consider in terms of the environment?