With just six months left to go in Tennessee, we have come up with three solid locations that would cover everything we want going forward: bountiful sunshine and no humidity, a cost of living that doesn’t stretch our income, and some opportunities for adventure.
We told our children at Christmas we were not going to relocate back east and why. They were, as expected, disappointed but also understanding of our needs and wants. They know us.
All roads point west for us, the southwest in particular. Tucson is getting a closer look once again. The city has everything we are looking for except for those brutally hot summers. But, there are nice houses and condos in our price range – we could actually buy a home there if we wanted (we don’t). The state of Arizona has lots of beautiful places to check out and New Mexico, Utah, and California are nearby for exploration as well.
Southern California is calling to us as well, and we are currently researching two different locations there. The cost of living in many areas in the state is far higher than we want to deal with but we have found some affordable places. The Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area) looks like it might be a good fit, for example, but it also has those brutal summers. There’s another a place nearer to the ocean that also looks promising. Both places offer 55+ living.
Finally, we have been looking again at the pros and cons of moving to Mexico. The income requirements for resident visas have increased quite a bit since we were there four years ago to the point we’ve wondered at times if we’d even be eligible, but apparently we still qualify. We loved our time in San Miguel de Allende, and know it would be a comfortable and affordable place to live year round. However, Mexico is shaky right now and has both of us nervous about a move there.
Whichever location we ultimately choose we plan to visit family back east in December every year and when babies arrive, and if we end up in Tucson or Palm Springs we would leave during the worst of the summer heat for three or so months in Mexico. The summer months in San Miguel de Allende are quite temperate, warm but not overly hot (May is actually the hottest month) and since it’s “off season” it’s not too crowded.
All three locations have a dry climate along with a cost of living we can afford, and would allow us to enjoy a little bit of travel every year (as long as the U.S. economy remain intact). We’re not signing off on anything yet and know better than to say anything is a done deal for now. But we’ve narrowed our options down and are happy with all of them.
Now we just have to choose.
Yay! I love your posts about moving so I was excited to see you have narrowed down your options. Here are my two cents (not that you asked): 1.) Had you posted this a week ago, I would have said absolutely head to Mexico and enjoy an adventure for a few years at least until, due to age or health, you would rather be back in the US near your family… but now with the cartels getting bolder I would worry about you there. I worry older Americans are especially easy targets for cartels wanting to make a point. 2.) I suggest planning a vacation this Spring to visit both of the West Coast areas you are considering. Perhaps spend a week in both. I think that will help you get a feel to which is the best fit for you. You can spend the hot summers at either location traveling and visiting your kids for extended visits (which is a fair compromise since you are moving far away from them).
I am an easy Coast girl through and through, with homes in Ohio and South Carolina, so I am truly looking forward to getting to know a west coast (or Mexico) location through your eyes.
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While things have quieted down in Mexico, and San Miguel de Allende is one of the safest spots in Mexico, there still is an undercurrent of unrest that we realized we just didn’t want to deal with at our ages.
We cannot get away to visit either California or Tucson now, but have been reading everything we can find, both good and bad. We also have sort of soured on the idea of leaving the hotter areas in the summer to go elsewhere – expensive, and what if we can’t leave for some reason? We still plan to spend 3-4 weeks back east every year with our kids over the holidays, and flying back whenever a baby arrives.
I’m a west coast girl through and through, and Brett says although he’s from the east coast he prefers the west so I think we’ll be happy there wherever we decide to land.
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Sounds like great choices to meet your needs. I would be glad to help with Tucson info. I know you’ve lived here before but if you need anything current or on the ground, glad to help. I am loving the kitchen towel and chopsticks I won from you a few years ago. Wishing you all the best in your search.
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I appreciate the Tucson help. I know it has changed completely from how it was when I lived there. I doubt I’d recognize anything now. It’s the most affordable area we’re looking at and has a strong pull for that reason.
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Mexico seems far too unstable right now, but I’m glad you’ve been able to narrow it down and the other places you mentioned seem like good choices. I’ve only been to Tucson once and that was a long time ago, but I have a friend who lives there and she loves it. She leaves in the summer and goes to Maine where she has family and can escape the heat. You mentioned 55+ living. Does that mean you plan to live in a 55+ community? We just got hit with a ridiculous snowstorm here and I’m so ready to move somewhere warmer!
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We’re currently feeling there’s are undercurrents in Mexico we’re just not sure we want to live with at our ages, and have asked ourselves over and over if we want to go back just because we had a good time there on vacation (not a good reason for moving somewhere). It’s very affordable but the upfront moving costs would be expensive too, and we would have the continuing costs of furniture and car storage, plus language school as well.
We actually have no plans to live in a 55+ community – we prefer living in a mixed age and family environment. There just are a lot of those 55+ communities in the areas we’re looking at. Some are affordable, some are not.
We went back and looked again at moving to the NE, but after evaluating costs and then the big storm last week, it’s not for us.
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I think I would not recommend Mexico just because of the politics – I think you’d be safe BUT with the tarriffs and all the other crap going on (renegotiating CUSMA!), I think your best bet is probably in the US. Wherever you end up, it will be the right place. I am glad the kids are understanding!
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We agree that our best bet is currently in the U.S. so our list order is changing. We believe we have been looking at Mexico with stars in our eyes rather than the actual reality of living there.
The kids understand but we reevaluated living in the NE to see if we could make it work and it’s just too expensive for us. Last week’s storm reminded us we really can’t deal with that winter weather either. If we were younger, maybe. But not any more.
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Looking forward to hearing about the move and how you make the final choice. As others have said, I’d be a bit leery re: Mexico right now, but I also have a friend who bought a home in San Miguel de Allende and she posted a video on FB about her experience. She isn’t particularly concerned. But I tend to be more cautious as I age, I’m finding. 🙂
I do envy anyone with warm weather right now. We are about finished with this winter/snow/cold.
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San Miguel de Allende has stayed calm, but the undercurrents of what’s going on in Mexico are unsettling. We are being more cautious too. We also think we have been wearing rose-colored glasses, and have been evaluating living in Mexico based on a vacation trip versus what it’s actually like to live there long term and how we would like it. So, it looks like we’ll most likely be staying in the U.S., but out west.
The process of deciding which area is best for us OVERALL is excruciating.
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Have you considered Texas? I believe you said you have relatives in Dallas. Have you ever been to San Antonio? It’s a completely different place. There are many things to recommend it. It the seventh largest city in the US, with big city shopping, entertainment and restaurants, but still has a great small town vibe. We have four seasons with mild winters. Humidity is low, but not too low.. Real Estate prices are low. There is no state income tax.We are sometimes called ” Military City USA”, so there here are many healthcare and shopping options for veterans. We are adjacent to the pretty Texas Hill Country. Twenty minutes from downtown and you are there.You can reach Mexico in two hours by car. We are two hours from Gulf of Mexico beaches, and three hours from Houston which has the largest medical center in the world. We have amazing history. The Alamo is but one of the five historic San Antonio Missions. Together they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a US National Park, one of the few, perhaps the only one with no admission charge. People are friendly and kind. There are many great volunteer opportunities. The libraries are amazing. It’s an enormous blue dot in Texas with good local government. And perhaps best of all, it has our beloved HEB. (Trader Joe’s too.) You always research everything so well, perhaps you have already considered San Antonio and decided against it. It’s a world away from Dallas. Just some food for thought.
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San Antonio sounds lovely but . . . we know Texas is not for us. We have family that either currently lives there or has lived there (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) so we have been there plenty of times. We do enjoy visiting (will be in Dallas for a couple of days in September), love the food, and the no state income tax is tempting, but it’s just not for us.
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