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Where is your dream retirement state/city?

tahoebum

tahoebum

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Although retirement is still 6+ years away, I've started dreaming about ideal retirement spots.

If all the stars align my wife and I currently are thinking of summers on a lake in northern Wisconsin or Minnesota and winters in the Naples, Florida area. My wife and I are biased after spending the first 33 years of our life in Wisconsin/Minnesota but we haven't found anywhere that's better in the summer than the lake country of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan. And although I love to ice fish, there's no way I'm putting up with the Northern winters when I'm retired. Naples Florida has an amazing assortment of private and public golf courses and equally important, has great boating/fishing. Has anyone else narrowed down where they would pick for their ideal retirement?
 
Funny you bring this up - it has been a major issue for me over the last 2 months.
I have years before I retire, but I am planning now.
I will be splitting time between Pinehurst, NC and Phoenix, AZ. I will make sure both properties are fully paid off before I retire. I figure summer in NC and winter in Phoenix.
Golf memberships in both places, if I play my cards correctly.
 
Spivey said:
Funny you bring this up - it has been a major issue for me over the last 2 months.
I have years before I retire, but I am planning now.
I will be splitting time between Pinehurst, NC and Phoenix, AZ. I will make sure both properties are fully paid off before I retire. I figure summer in NC and winter in Phoenix.
Golf memberships in both places, if I play my cards correctly.
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I have never been to Pinehurst but it's on my bucket list. My parents had a retirement place in Phoenix for 20 years and I love it down there. My wife was born in Florida and both of us love the ocean so Florida wins over Phoenix, but I can see why so many snow birds flock to Arizona.
 
tahoebum said:
I have never been to Pinehurst but it's on my bucket list. My parents had a retirement place in Phoenix for 20 years and I love it down there. My wife was born in Florida and both of us love the ocean so Florida wins over Phoenix, but I can see why so many snow birds flock to Arizona.
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If you aren't dead set on Naples, Pensacola FL is another terrific option, and it is cheaper to live there than in Naples. Great golf there, too - I lived there for a little while, back in the day. I still have friends there, who are always either working, golfing or on their boats.
 
6 yrs is right around the corner man!
What do you do with the property the other 6 months out of the year?

I'm thinking of retiring in Panama.
 
If I could get to where I could afford it, I wouldn't have to go very far. The Monterey Peninsula would be an AWESOME place to retire or at least be able to spend summers. Where I'm at is actually great in the winter (year-round golf and winter high temps usually in the 50s and 60s), but the summers are awful. I've always been really curious to check out Minnesota/Wisconsin. We have friends who relocated to Hudson, Wisconsin and they absolutely love it. I've met tons of people from Minnesota through hockey and it definitely sounds like my kind of place.
 
Barberakb said:
6 yrs is right around the corner man!
What do you do with the property the other 6 months out of the year?

I'm thinking of retiring in Panama.
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If we get a property in N. Minnesota, not much you can do with it in the winter other than let it sit unless you want to ice fish and snowmobile. A Florida place we could sublet for 6 months.

We've thought about retiring overseas for part of the year but haven't done enough research on it yet to know if it would be for us. We visited the Caymans a couple years ago but it's expensive and too small for a retirement spot. Panama is on my list for places to check out.
 
The wife and I would prefer someplace warm and close(r) to the ocean. While we don't want to necessarily live at Market Common, that setup is something that appeals to the wife, and would allow us to have everything within walking distance. The only time we'd need the car was when I wanted to go golf, or we wanted to take a trip.

The other option though is Colorado. She still has family there, and if the stars aligned, I could work out a transfer there. It's a far cry from the beach, but you can't beat the mountain scenery.

If I had my way, I'd live on Ocracoke Island, but I'd hate to have to rebuild after every hurricane ... and I doubt I could afford it.
 
Northern MN May thru October. Spend 6-weeks hunting my way to some off the beaten path part of the southwest with decent golf options. Stay until the week before fishing opener in MN and then rinse and repeat.
 
I am torn between the FL panhandle (Ft. Walton Beach / Niceville area) and the Myrtle Beach area for my retirement. Can't lose either way IMO.
 
I would probably just stick around here somewhere as my home base.
 
As of right now, Palm Coast FL. And its not even close.
 
Pinehurst NC is our destination. We have a few years to go.
 
Retirement for me is a long ways away still and I haven't even thought of where I would want to live.

Obviously it will be somewhere I can play golf all year round.
 
I don't know. But, here are the requirements; ideas?
  • Mild to warm climate with 12 month golf cycle
  • Average to lower property taxes
  • A thinning, or sparse, populace; a single high school city, if you will
  • In, around, or near destination locations
  • Could be near a beach, or in the hills in the middle of nowhere
  • Must still have niceties of modern living or at last be reasonably located
  • Did I mention year round golfing?


My cubicle mate just said Bonita Springs, FL, which I had to look up. I don't know. South Carolina looks good but DAMN was it hot @ #TheGauntlet. A little milder would be nice.
 
T0AD said:
My cubicle mate just said Bonita Springs, FL, which I had to look up. I don't know. South Carolina looks good but DAMN was it hot @ #TheGauntlet. A little milder would be nice.
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Bonita Springs has some nice areas and some quite old areas, but a small area right outside that called Estero fits the bill for what you are looking for.
 
I have a ways to go yet but as long as it doesn't snow and is most warm most if the year with a golf course....I'm in
 
Somewhere it's warm year round, has a nice time course, and no humidity!!! Any place in Florida like that???
 
coers said:
Somewhere it's warm year round, has a nice time course, and no humidity!!! Any place in Florida like that???
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There is no place close to Florida with no humidity.
 
Wake said:
There is no place close to Florida with no humidity.
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I thought the Destin area isn't bad? But idk I got like 40 more years.
 
coers said:
I thought the Destin area isn't bad? But idk I got like 40 more years.
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Not a chance at no humidity around Destin. I grew up just across the intercoastal waterway from there. Damn nice place though!
 
Sox Fan said:
Not a chance at no humidity around Destin. I grew up just across the intercoastal waterway from there. Damn nice place though!
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Hmmm thankfully I got some time to decide. I've been to the southwest and it's amazing out there to...
 
For me it'll be West Palm for the golf, sun, food and ocean
 
coers said:
I thought the Destin area isn't bad? But idk I got like 40 more years.
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The panhandle is hotter and mire humid than central FL in the summer, but colder in the winter. It's beautiful with low cost of living though.
 
Hilton Head
 
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