Looking for a warm weather coastal place to retire where the medical care is great and we won't die from a hurricane.

[want2learn]

Looking rationally at our finances i don't think we're going to be able to afford to continue to live in Southern California and still maintain a good lifestyle.

It's very disappointing because we live in a nice place, with lots of friends and pretty good access to quality medical care, great weather, the water which i love etc.

My Dad retired to Boca Raton and while it was good for him while he was healthy.......the minute you get admitted to the hospital there it was pretty obvious that they immediately assume that you're there to die. Almost never saw an attending etc. A very disheartening experience......as such, the thought of retiring to Florida scares the "you know what" out of me.

Not sure where else to look. We're not cold weather people and we love the water.

thanks

 

[Bender]

Destin, Ft Walton beach, Niceville FL.

it’s where I’m gunna retire. Or at least winter. Brother just had heart surgery there, doing excellent. Beautiful and inexpensive.

 

[Bender]

Anywhere in that pic.

 

[Arc Light]

How about sunny Wyoming? @Bender is always fond of saying how he welcomes Californians with open arms

 

[Bender]

How about sunny Wyoming? @Bender is always fond of saying how he welcomes Californians with open arms

Wyoming doesn’t exist.

 

[want2learn]

When i was younger i absolutely adored Wyoming and many of the mountain paradises of this gorgeous nation.....sadly those days are long gone.

Will take a peak at Destin, Ft Walton beach, Niceville FL.....

 

[atepointer]

Dunno if this helps your doctor fears, but I've been in Florida for 27 years now. Sorry your dad had a bad experience, but having working in the healthcare industry in my earlier life I personally don't have any concerns about care when I get older. Tampa has become quite a landing spot for displaced Californians trying to escape the shit storm I've actually posted about a couple in my neighborhood in another thread. I've lived in Orlando, Fort Myers and Tampa and where I am now I just love. Tampa is big enough to do most anything I can think of, but not so big to be a mousetrap. The fishing is outstanding and hopefully sometime this year we will have a new long range facility about 35 minutes from downtown with steel out to 2k yards.

 

[want2learn]

8Pointer, thank you....will check out Tampa as well. I like the fact that they have easy access to medical care....and yet, i sure would like to live the quiet pristine beach experience....I guess those desires might be mutually exclusive.

I'd sure like to be able to get my CABG or Acute Stroke care in a timely fashion when my luck runs out.

 

[theLBC]

learn to trim out everything but the essentials, find a reasonable live aboard slip, buy a boat and live on it?
it might be cheaper than a mortgage, although maintaining a boat isn't cheap.
still, might be more acceptable than living in a trailer park.
if you are making it work now, what makes you think you won't be able to keep going?
i just hate to lose more patriots.

 

[atepointer]

8Pointer, thank you....will check out Tampa as well. I like the fact that they have easy access to medical care....and yet, i sure would like to live the quiet pristine beach experience....I guess those desires might be mutually exclusive.

I'd sure like to be able to get my CABG or Acute Stroke care in a timely fashion when my luck runs out.

Well geez you are right in my wheelhouse. I used to call on this group back in the day(before Advent Health got in their orbit) and all the docs I knew have since retired.....but they still attract and develop outstanding talent. If/when I need cardiovascular care it's where I'll be going. Will be weird as I spent thousands of hours in and around that place standing in surgery, ICU, ER there over the years....to be a patient will be a bit surreal.

Pepin Heart Institute

When you or a loved one has heart problems, you want cardiac experts to give you the finest possible heart care.

www.adventhealth.com

 

[want2learn]

We bought a dump in a nice location for a really good price, built our home. Nice home, nice community, nice weather, great friends. Unfortunately the reappraised taxes are absolutely insane. I have no idea what California is thinking...but maybe this is their modus operandi (good business practice?)...milk us while we're able to pump out the cash and invest in our community..... then dump us....or so it feels.

We knew the taxes would go up but never imagined it could ever amount to this much.

We pay all our bills and taxes....never going into debt or using untoward credit. In retrospect perhaps it was a stupid move to invest here. Maybe we should have seen the signs earlier but we had pretty stable jobs, saved a lot of money and built a home here. Now now must live with the consequence. Hopefully when we sell we'll make some profit which is good.

Doing the math and with much less money coming in now, were we to stay here now that we're getting on in years there's a real concern that we might well face a critical depletion to our savings should we be lucky enough to live a good while longer.

Living on a boat sure would have been awesome when we were younger, realistically not so much now.

We'll see, hate to leave the U.S. but maybe that's the way to go while we can still learn a foreign language. Love this country but life is short.

8Pointer...stay healthy. Hope you never need it but glad you've in a place that gives you joy and security. Sounds like you well earned it.

 

[357Max]

Retirement is still a long ways down the road for me. But starting to think about it. My wife & I are going to make a trip to South Padre island late summer to check it out. Low taxes, good fishing, shooting, good weather, & not hurricane prone.
I think it'd be worth a look for you.

 

[theLBC]

We bought a dump in a nice location for a really good price, built our home. Nice home, nice community, nice weather, great friends. Unfortunately the reappraised taxes are absolutely insane.

We knew the taxes would go up but never imagined it could ever amount to this much.

We pay all our bills and taxes....never going into debt or using credit.

Doing the math and with less money coming in now that we're getting on in years there's a real concern that we might well face a critical depletion to our savings should we be lucky enough to live a good while longer.

Living on a boat would have been awesome when we were younger, realistically not so much now.

We'll see, hate to leave the U.S. but maybe that's the way to go while we can still learn a foreign language.

what about a reverse mortgage? if done correctly, and if you own your house, it can be an option depending on your age.
i tried to talk my dad into one when his house was way overvalued (at the end of the boom) and he could have gotten much more than it was really worth.
unfortunately, since i worked in IT for a mortgage company, i could not get anyone I knew to talk to him, and he got scared from stories about people losing their homes before they passed away. All you have to do is keep up with the property taxes. if planned correctly, this can work for some.

 

[want2learn]

thanks, will research those as well.

 

[Ravenworks]

Boca Raton and south sucks,we lived in Pompano beach for many years until the area was invaded.
West coast is still quite, we've been in in Ft. Myers close to Captiva and Sanibel and it's easy living.

 

[Jscb1b]

learn to trim out everything but the essentials, find a reasonable live aboard slip, buy a boat and live on it?
it might be cheaper than a mortgage, although maintaining a boat isn't cheap.
still, might be more acceptable than living in a trailer park.
if you are making it work now, what makes you think you won't be able to keep going?
i just hate to lose more patriots.

Bender has an extra boat.

 

[Snipe260]

Union town Alabama. It’s plenty hot, and no hurricanes! Beat southern food you can eat!

 

[SilentStalkr]

Ecuador

 

[eca7891]

Have you thought about moving up the coast to Oregon or Washington.

It seems to be the current fad over the last 5-8 years from those fleeing California. If the liberalism in California doesn’t bother you those two states would fit.

Beautiful area but zero chance I could suffer through the politics and anarchist movements in that area.

Good ground zero for Antifa intel gathering?

Best wishes in your search!

 

[Sniperwannabee]

Destin, Ft Walton beach, Niceville FL.

it’s where I’m gunna retire. Or at least winter. Brother just had heart surgery there, doing excellent. Beautiful and inexpensive.

Florida is horrible don’t come here, Bender is lying those places have sharks that eat people in or out of the water. And don’t even get me started about hurricanes, there is at least 5 cat 5 hurricanes a year

 

[HiDesertELR]

Wife and I looking in that area too. Showed her this pic of a property and her eyes lit up. 10 acres for a little over $20k. Off the market now, but there's others in the area.

Lot 13 SW Paradise Way #0, Greenville, FL 32331 | Trulia

Lot 13 SW Paradise Way #0, Greenville, FL 32331 was sold in Lot 13 SW Paradise Way #0, Greenville, FL 32331. See the estimate, review home details, and search for homes nearby.

www.trulia.com

 

[TheBigCountry]

Florida is slot full. No fish left in the waters, deer the size of a small dog if you can find them, and the water is poisoned with flesh eating bacteria and algae.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Yeah Fl sucks. If the sharks, hurricanes, and flesh eating bacteria don’t get you, the mosquitos will.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Ensenada Mexico. Or some shithole along the Baja coast.

 

[kortik]

Belize looks like a nice place.

 

[uffduh]

I'm still up for taking over Los Roques from the Venezuelans if it all goes properly to shit here and I need to set up the Republic of UffDuhStan. Patriots will be most welcome!

 

[want2learn]

Venezuela was stunningly gorgeous. I spent 2 1/2 years there as a boy. It was so beautiful. I remember like it was yesterday, it was the first place i ever saw where there seemed to be no difference between black and white....so many mixed racial couples together...and the food...incredible. The coffee and chocolate to die for. They used to sell on the street a coffee for children.....lots of creme (maybe sweetened condensed milK? i can't recall, in small little cups). The venders would walk around with 3 tanks on their back...looked like scuba tanks to me....each with a different type of coffee brew. I'm sure some of this is the naiveté of a child but still, beautiful memories. At one time in my life i could very much see myself living there. It pains me to see the suffering there now.

Thanks for all the suggestions....My better half and i have a lot of research to do. It won't be for a few years but now's the perfect time to do the fact finding.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Lake Havasu City, AZ

Keep the good medical people you have and just commute to Doctor's appointments. Close enough to see the grand-kids who continue to live in SoCal, keep a boat on the river, small house with a top shelf AC..... Lots of So Cal people over there.

Arizona's Playground - Lake Havasu City

Your site for exploring beautiful Lake Havasu City - hiking, biking, boating, fishing, golfing, offroading, shopping, dining, lodging, events and more!

www.golakehavasu.com

 

[EddieNFL]

Destin, Ft Walton beach, Niceville FL.

it’s where I’m gunna retire. Or at least winter. Brother just had heart surgery there, doing excellent. Beautiful and inexpensive.

Neighbor across the street is selling. 3k SF, pool, double garage and separate double garage.

 

[want2learn]

sounds amazing....it's just the 2 of us....we'll probably be looking for something like 2300sq ft....love the thought of all that garage space, always wanted a big work shop.

 

[TxWelder35]

Destin, Ft Walton beach, Niceville FL.

it’s where I’m gunna retire. Or at least winter. Brother just had heart surgery there, doing excellent. Beautiful and inexpensive.

Too much a tourist area for me to want to retire there. Mom just moved away from there after living there for 5 years

 

[EddieNFL]

Too much a tourist area for me to want to retire there. Mom just moved away from there after living there for 5 years

Destin is touristy...surrounding areas not so much.

 

[TxWelder35]

Destin is touristy...surrounding areas not so much.

Getting anywhere in between ft Walton and East of mirimar beach in the summer is next to impossible. Hopefully widening 98 will fix it

 

[Powder_Burns]

If I was to move back to Florida, it would be somewhere between sebastian inlet and coral cove. 5 minutes east and you are on the beach drinking a corona on the sand, 5 minutes west and you are in the country hunting turkeys and boars.

 

[BytorJr]

I've lived in Clearwater/Pinellas county as well as in the Okaloosa County area. Prefer Pinellas for things to do, but if I were to retire it'd be to Okaloosa/Walton County. I'd even consider living in Crestneck. I had good docs in both location; but would say my primary care in the Pinellas area was the best I've had.

 

[CHEYTAC]

Oriental Real Estate - Oriental NC Homes For Sale | Zillow

Zillow has 268 homes for sale in Oriental NC. View listing photos, review sales history, and use our detailed real estate filters to find the perfect place.

www.zillow.com

Health Care in Greenville NC is very good

Greenville is where we chanted "Lock Her UP" just saying

 

[Maggot]

We bought a dump in a nice location for a really good price, built our home. Nice home, nice community, nice weather, great friends. Unfortunately the reappraised taxes are absolutely insane. I have no idea what California is thinking...but maybe this is their modus operandi (good business practice?)...milk us while we're able to pump out the cash and invest in our community..... then dump us....or so it feels.

We knew the taxes would go up but never imagined it could ever amount to this much.

We pay all our bills and taxes....never going into debt or using untoward credit. In retrospect perhaps it was a stupid move to invest here. Maybe we should have seen the signs earlier but we had pretty stable jobs, saved a lot of money and built a home here. Now now must live with the consequence. Hopefully when we sell we'll make some profit which is good.

Doing the math and with much less money coming in now, were we to stay here now that we're getting on in years there's a real concern that we might well face a critical depletion to our savings should we be lucky enough to live a good while longer.

Living on a boat sure would have been awesome when we were younger, realistically not so much now.

We'll see, hate to leave the U.S. but maybe that's the way to go while we can still learn a foreign language. Love this country but life is short.

8Pointer...stay healthy. Hope you never need it but glad you've in a place that gives you joy and security. Sounds like you well earned it.

Any place on the Gulf coast is subject to hurricanes, one of your negative criteria,

If I were to do it Id look into the north coast of Columbia. Cartegena is one of the most beautiful places around, Im told, with great health care. Its a large city, if you like smaller fare try Santa Marta. For what you pay in SoCal you could live like a royal family in Colombian. They have mostly resolved the problems with FARC and you will be safe except in he most remote areas. They make it very attractive for retiree's/pensionados.

 

[Bender]

Crestview looks amazing. I saw a nice small house in town for $40k

 

[EddieNFL]

Getting anywhere in between ft Walton and East of mirimar beach in the summer is next to impossible. Hopefully widening 98 will fix it

If I need to drive to Panama City during springbreak or summer, I drive 20 miles out of my way. Saves 20 to 60 minutes. We don't go near Destin during tourist season.

 

[kenny1773]

I would love to find an area to retire on a beach with your similar requirements
but, I really do not want the heat of the Florida summers, it is just too hot/humid for me for too many months. I can live with the extreme heat and humidity for a month, but 3-4 months plus its too much for my taste.

I am really starting to think I need a retirement home that is a reasonable drive to a beach where I can rent something for a month or two every year, but not actually live there full time. Then I start to think a 'reasonable' drive to me these days is only about 3 hours lol

I have more than a few years yet to get it figured out.. but I am pretty sure I am not going find a fit with just one house, so maybe 2 houses or go with the rent something a month or two at the beach every year plan.

 

[EddieNFL]

Crestview looks amazing. I saw a nice small house in town for $40k

Crestview isn't bad. There are two pretty nice range complexes within 1/2 hour. Both have 1k. About the longest you'll find in the area.

 

[acudaowner]

pick a nice quiet place in Mexico hell it should almost be empty at this point they went to California and Texas you should love the property prices though if you move there and make it your primary residence you may find problems collecting ss or ssi as neither pay out of country residents but there are loads of ways around that so you should be good to go and then you could own any automatic you can find on the black market and you don't need any special badges . No you would not need any stinking badges . 300m peso what is that like a 80 usd you could start your own coffee company and buy a donkey to carry your
products down from the mountains you could be like Juan Valdez .

 

[Maggot]

pick a nice quiet place in Mexico hell it should almost be empty at this point they went to California and Texas you should love the property prices though if you move there and make it your primary residence you may find problems collecting ss or ssi as neither pay out of country residents but there are loads of ways around that so you should be good to go and then you could own any automatic you can find on the black market and you don't need any special badges . No you would not need any stinking badges . 300m peso what is that like a 80 usd you could start your own coffee company and buy a donkey to carry your
products down from the mountains you could be like Juan Valdez .

Take my advice and stay the fuck out of Mexico. I planned to retire to Oaxaca but the cartels fucked up everything. Start a business? Thensome punk assed numbnutz knocks on your door and says "The Jefe needs $500 per week or you get burnt out."

Did I say, stay the fuck out of Mexico?

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Honestly? After reading All your requirements. You are a fucking premidona and nothing will satisfy you. Stay the fuck where you are and leave the rest of us alone.

 

[TheBigCountry]

If I was to move back to Florida, it would be somewhere between sebastian inlet and coral cove. 5 minutes east and you are on the beach drinking a corona on the sand, 5 minutes west and you are in the country hunting turkeys and boars.

We don’t have any of those here...but we do have pythons and now Nile crocodiles

 

[want2learn]

thanks everyone....very grateful for the recommendations

DarnYankee....i understand what you're saying....if we could afford it we would stay put.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Wyoming doesn’t exist.

My sister lives in “Wyoming “ does they mean she doesn’t exist? It was a wish one year as a kid, but I never thought it would actually be true

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Then go to Mexico.

thanks everyone....very grateful for the recommendations

DarnYankee....i understand what you're saying....if we could afford it we would stay put.

Yes I am serious.

 

[Bender]

My sister lives in “Wyoming “ does they mean she doesn’t exist? It was a wish one year as a kid, but I never thought it would actually be true

Who?

 

[Samuel Whittemore]

Yeah Fl sucks. If the sharks, hurricanes, and flesh eating bacteria don’t get you, the mosquitos will.

I lived in Orlando for 8 months. Worst 8 months of my life. Flying cockroaches so big you could throw a saddle on em. They get insulted when you call them roaches. They call them Palmettos or something --but they're COCKROACHES! And the mosquitos. OMG. I have the blood type they LOVE so it was 'feast on' every time I walked out the door.... And the constant constant humidity... clamy wet skin even at 2 am. The air smells moldy and it's so damn flat --finding your way is easy when you have hills or landmarks you can see to guage N.S,E,W --flatlands.. not so much. And stay away from the mangroves. They harbor these nasty little speck of an insect called noseeums. I don't know the real name.. but they burrow under your skin for 3 days and the itch is so bad you'll be drawing blood every time and quite literally lose many hours of sleep.. itching itching itching....