My in-laws snowbirded between Leisure World and FL for about 12 years until health issues forced them to choose for good medical care. They ditched the FL condo and in MD full time.

Leisure World is truly a nightmare though -- so clique-ish, high school esque, etc. And people get nuts if you want to bring your grandkids to the pool. I think they finally instituted a small kids time 1 weekend a month or something absurd. Leisure World is my nightmare retirement scenario.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to retire in the DMV. There is so much to do here and great doctors and hospitals. We will sell and move into a small condo. I’d hate living in NC or FL.

I have friends in NYC and that's exactly what they are saying. They always joke that they don't understand why retirees don't just flock to NYC, where things are happening.

For many people, as you get older the cold starts to bother you more. That's why.

We have a winter home in SW Florida that we really enjoy but our children and grandchildren all live up north within an hour drive of each other so we have a home there too. Where we are in Florida is la-la land but we go back and forth quite often to see family and friends and get a different buzz. And, we travel a fair amount around the US and overseas. I couldn't handle living in a gated retirement-like community or even in a condo as I like to live in regular neighborhoods....while I can! When I read about big retirement communities like The Villages in northern FL I want to gag. People seem to flock there but it's just 100,000 old folks driving golf carts in the middle of nowhere counting down to when happy hour begins.

Anonymous wrote:We have a winter home in the old part of Naples right near the beach. It is beautiful with amazing sunsets almost every evening. It’s a very moneyed town and while some exhibit it obnoxiously most people are pretty laid back midwesteners. I’m a moderate dem and I’m in the minority but it’s rare when I run into a hard core MAGA person. Up and down the gulf coast of Florida are wonderful small towns. I’d avoid the southeast coast as it is overrun and crowded. And avoid July through September although DC is August is pretty awful too.

I love Naples but the medical care is questionable. People joke that the Napes Community Hospital or NCH stands for Never Coming Home. When someone has a serious illness they either head to Tampa or fly back north.

We do a lot of traveling and have found Denver to be a good area as a potential for one of our retirement locations. Following is our logic:

- Beautiful scenery and natural environment, not too hot in the summer months. I could buy myself some land and try my hand at farming a few things to keep myself busy. Drive around a red tractor. Learn to ride horses. Finally, raise some chickens like I always wanted. Heck yea!
- A decent sized city with good healthcare facilities.
- Large airport hub that makes it easy to travel not just all over the US, but the world.
- Relatively low cost of living at about 2/3rds of DC.

Anonymous wrote:I want to retire in the DMV. There is so much to do here and great doctors and hospitals. We will sell and move into a small condo. I’d hate living in NC or FL.

I have friends in NYC and that's exactly what they are saying. They always joke that they don't understand why retirees don't just flock to NYC, where things are happening.

I agree with a pp regarding concerns about health care. I grew up in the south in an area becoming a popular base for retirees and the hospitals there do not compare. My family comes up here for any imortant medical procedure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to move south year round. Maybe not Florida because I like the 4 seasons, just not a long winter one.

There is no winter south of DC. Maybe parts of NC have a mild one but once you get into SC there is no fall and no winter.

Not true. I spent most of my life in the Atlanta area and it gets brutally cold. North Ga just got several inches of snow this past weekend. If you truly want to avoid winter completely Florida is your best bet as far as the south.

OP, it's pointless to plan beyond 5 years out, imo. Your tastes/wants will change. And certainly does not make sense to plan for grandchildren that you don't even have. One thing about Florida, a lot of people can't take the heat. They move to the Carolinas after moving to Florida. They are called half-backs (moving halfway back home) It's pretty common.

Retiring to Florida is so boring and cliche. I just can't imagine.

Anonymous wrote:I want to retire in the DMV. There is so much to do here and great doctors and hospitals. We will sell and move into a small condo. I’d hate living in NC or FL.

+1000

This is exactly what we've been doing and we love it. We retired in our early 50s, keep our home base here where we have family and friends, and we just travel a lot. Who wants to move south and be surrounded by nothing but old geezers?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather gouge my eye out than retire to Florida.

I'm with you. It's hell on earth on so many levels.

I feel the same way about DC, so there. Can’t wait to retire “down south!”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather gouge my eye out than retire to Florida.

I'm with you. It's hell on earth on so many levels.

Not really. If you have the money, you can live a nice life. Flee in the summer. But most people can’t afford a million dollar house close to everything in a large Florida city with private schools.

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather gouge my eye out than retire to Florida.

I'm with you. It's hell on earth on so many levels.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Johns, Florida. In between Jax and St Augustine. We have already purchased our home. DH retires in two years. We are 52 with grown kids. But, St Johns has outstanding schools. UF Shands and Mayo for medical. North Florida has seasons, but not snow. We love being close to the river, the ICW and the ocean. Lots of shopping and restaurants. JAX for travel. We can’t wait to get back to Florida!

Are you liberal or conservative? Do you feel comfortable in that area?

Very liberal. I felt comfortable in St Johns and in St Augustine. I would not want to live in Jacksonville.

NP. Thanks! We are actively looking to return to Florida! We have lived in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, but want to be north of Orlando this time, or just south in Winter Haven/Lakeland.

What is it that you like about those areas? My parents moved from Kissimmee to Lakeland recently. While their one-level house is great, I'm not especially impressed with Lakeland area -- seems very congested on the roads. The best thing about their new location is that it is SO much closer to restaurants and retail. They used to live in BellaLago -- (in Kissimmee), it was a nice development, but it wasn't very close to any of the restaurants that we would want to eat at except an occassional trip to Subway or Papa Johns. Long drive to retail.