Community Chat

[Warrior2022]

I currently live in San Antonio Texas.  There is always something to do.  The hill country is beautiful.  We moved here from SE Florida where we had lived for 30 some years.

[fourpaws56]

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@mousiegirl wrote:

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@fourpaws56 wrote:

Whereever you land I wish you good health and happiness!  I live in California,yes, the cost of living is high, but I have beautiful rivers,mountains and beaches. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else..

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@fourpaws56  Neither can I, born and raised here, BUT the taxes, water and power restrictions are about to drive me out, or at the least drive me into the boonies, lol.  

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I am in the boonies and i love it!

[quadmimi]

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@just bee wrote:

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@quadmimi wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@quadmimi wrote:

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@Oznell wrote:

Prescott, Arizona is a little more than an hour (I'm thinking it might be close to 90 miles-- not sure) north of Phoenix.  It is far enough north in Arizona to experience four seasons, but gently!

Beautiful setting in the mountains. There are pines, dells and massive Thumb Butte overlooking town.  It has a historic past with a charming courthouse square.  Has a rather "arty" feel, but still with the traditional Western friendliness and common sense.  Restaurants, galleries, educational and shopping amenities are good.

Retirees are attracted there, but also students, artists, and others seeking an idyllic setting in a beautiful part of the country.

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@Oznell  Oh my we were just there on Sat...We are now in Phx area, but lived there last couple of years....Prescott is all you say...

Although SO many folks moving there houses are going up in price overnight..I also lived there way back in my high school days many many years ago. Hard to belive it's the same place, we only had a JC Penny's & Sears....lol

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@quadmimi

@Oznell

We shopped at that Penney's when we lived there -- in 1970.  And my favorite restaurant was just a hole in the wall: El Charro.

I've been wanting to see Prescott again but every time we plan a trip something goes wrong.  It's as if I'm not meant to see what's happened to it.

And maybe I should just remember it as it was.  We lived there when they were filming Bless the Beasts & Children.  But winter was cold and summer was hot.  Not as hot as Phoenix, of course, but hot.

I was ten and a transplant from Chicago.  Every day was an adventure.  Like my mother said, I blossomed there.

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@just bee  Oh my El Charro's is still there!  Penny's is out at the new Mall area.

The downtown is pretty much preserved for tourist's, (which it's filled with in the summer) Courthouse plaza still pretty much the same...The growth is unbelievable, 

new projects everywhere..But it's beautiful & will always be "Prescott"...

I am so glad you got to enjoy it!  I hope you can visit again, maybe July so you could enjoy the "monsoon".s !

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@quadmimi

I know!  But have you seen the price of El Charro's cheese crisps today?

That place changed my life.  I've been making cheese crisps at home for 48 years!

Did I mention that the reason we had to move away was that we couldn't bring ourselves to say Preskit?  I still can't say it.

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@just bee  oh my yes you can always tell a new resident by the way the pronounce it..It took my Husband a while to believe me..lol

[just bee]

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@Oznell wrote:

We both have those great memories of Prescott, @just bee!

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@Oznell

We lived at the top of a very steep hill.  I walked downhill to get to school and downhill to get to the courthouse area and El Charro.

But there was always that walk uphill.

[qualitygal]

My first thought was Colorado too.

[qualitygal]

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@wonderfulworld wrote:

Anoth

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@FrostyBabe1 wrote:

Western Michigan is a lovely place to live. Tons of things to do! The Kalamazoo/Portage area has very affordable housing, a growing, vibrant downtown, a mid sized university that provides plenty of entertainment possibilities, and good medical care. Just 50 miles north is Grand Rapids, which will be a bit more expensive, but is a much larger metropolitan area. Both are just 30 minutes or so from the Lake Michigan shoreline and great little towns like South Haven and Grand Haven. The biggest potential downside is winter. The snow and cold can be brutal at times. Spring and fall are magnificent. Summer can be very hot and humid, but daylight lasts until almost 10 PM this time of year. 

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Another vote for Western Michigan. Close enough also 

to Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Traverse City for day trips. 

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 I too must vote for this area.  Not far from Shipshewana, Amish area not far from here. Then there's Traverse City, Cherry Capitol and a beautiful place to visit on vacation.  Right between Chicago and Detroit.  

[Yardlie]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

Pueblo West, Colorado. It has been on many of the lists that say 'best place' to live and retire. I live north of there in Colorado Springs. I was going to suggest my city, but it is a very popular destination and housing is tight. Pueblo West is growing rapidly and for many good reasons...many of the ones you listed.

There's great expanses of land in Pueblo West, mostly grassland and semi-arid desert. Off to the west is the Rocky Mountains and views are exceptionally nice if that is important to you.

People think "snow" when it comes to Colorado. But that is mostly true for the mountainous areas. Out here along the front range it is not that way. We have mild winters and in fact I used my snow shovel  only ONCE this past winter.

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@SilleeMee ... Funny you should suggest that area!  DH and I have been looking at places to relocate for the past year. Colorado Springs and the Pueblo area are high on our list. My niece graduated from a university in Colorado Springs. She loved it there. Then someone told us that they tax your Social Security in Colorado. We haven't talked to our accountant yet to see how we would come out. Also, I read that the Pueblo area is one of the least expensive places to live in the U.S., but then I read that it is also one of the highest crime places. I know Pueblo West just outside of it is really growing and newer. I would assume that is nicer and has less crime.

So happy to find someone on the boards who actually lives there! I was excited that Colorado Springs has the Pikes Peak Flute Choir, and I would love to join that. Our move is still probably two years off, but we've narrowed down our cities anyway. We're looking for a milder climate with low humidity and lower cost of living. We're in Northern Wisconsin on a lake right now. They tax you to death here. It's always freezing, snowy or terribly humid around here! We don't mind a little cold and snow, but -25 and 20 inches of snow at a time are too much for us.

[SilleeMee]

@Yardlie,

I'm excited for you! I think a decision to move here to Colorado would be great. I never heard that about taxing SS, however. I think that might be different for each individual, not sure. Crime...you can't get away from crime, unfortunately. I'm a military brat and I have lived in many places. I will tell you that Colorado has much to offer for everyone from all walks of life. If you decide to make the move here, I wish you all the luck and happiness.

[151949]

@Georgiagrama Our closest friends retired to Sun City South Carolina. They absolutely love it there. We do enjoy visiting them. However, we don't golf , and that is the big attraction to that area for them - they both love love love to golf as do their kids when they visit, so the golf courses - one in their backyard - was the big deal for them.

[Yardlie]

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@151949 wrote:

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@DiAnne wrote:

I love where I live now but it is very expensive.  If I could find a place that was not humid in the summer with a mild winter and a low cost of living I would consider it.  

Several of my friends and a couple of my neighbors have second homes in Arizona.  They summer here (Seattle area) and winter in Arizona.  Kind of the best of both worlds.  

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My Aunt & Uncle retired to El Paso , Texas due to the very dry weather as they both suffered terribly with arthritis. The cost of living was good.Since it is in the desert it isn't humid - even though it's hot.Last time I was there it was August and , while it was hot, it wasn't uncomfortable.We went horseback riding out into the desert, had to take an extra canteen to give the horses a drink but otherwise it was fine.

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@151949 ... We were looking into El Paso also, but someone told us that it is a bordertown where people speak mainly Spanish. We both took a couple years of Spanish in high school (50+ years ago), but cannot carry on a conversation in it. I would imagine if it is a bordertown, there would be a lot of security present. It looks like a beautiful place. Did you have any trouble conversing when you were there?