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Post by Foggy on Feb 6, 2021 15:49:20 GMT -6
The guys on my Jeep site have been talking recently about the best place to retire if you like off-roading and over-landing in the backcountry. Most folks really like the SW part of the USA for this purpose. Yes....these are off roaders......but I thought I would start a thread to provide some ideas on BEST PLACES TO RETIRE TO. If I was not into golf I may pick the northern AZ or Southern Utah idea as said below. ........................................
The problem deciding on one spot is the weather/temperature. I’ve wheeled in 49 states including Alaska, my top 3 are Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Those 3 states do have issues regarding how the weather affects your off roading.
Arizona- Fantastic late fall, winter and early spring. By the time April arrives it already hitting 90 degrees and Summer early fall 100+ plus. Jeeping off road during the summer is unbearable and hard on your Jeep.
Colorado- Awesome late May, Summer, September and early October. Spring flowers, full rivers/creeks 70 degree weather and fall foliage. By mid October you are getting snow higher elevations and its just too cold trails close down and won’t start to open back up till late May at the earliest.
Utah- October, November, March and April is outstanding. Words dont describe how incredible the wheeling is during those 4 months. By the time December arrives its cold, icy, snowy and it doesn’t improve till late March. The one time I was in Moab late January early February ice on all the trails so I headed to Southern Utah and had the same results. Month of May till the end of spring its back to 90+ degrees just like Arizona.
Those are my observations but I do have a suggestion. Instead of settling down in one place purchase a Motorhome/RV and tow or trailer your Jeep. You will be able to experience it all and wheel year round and not be tied down to one spot.
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Post by Foggy on Feb 6, 2021 16:28:09 GMT -6
For hunting choices......the four corners area of the US would be utopia......for western elk, bear, deer, antelope, varmints. Coloradol, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona all at your fingertips. When not hunting the fishing can be good in places, and the trail riding is as good as it gets. Moderate temps in the summer and enough nice weather in the winter to satisfy most people. Plus in a short drive you can be in Phoenix, Las Vegas or the California Coast for a water fix.....not to mention the huge water resource of the Colorado river - a whole 'nother world.
I need my warm weather in "the valley" for golf.....but two or three hours north of me it's a different climate. We are seeing many folks that find a summer place in the high country and can travel at will between the two sites depending on weather and such.
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Post by leexrayshady on Feb 6, 2021 19:24:52 GMT -6
I just want a place where the snow disappears after a week. Super jealous of those people mid continent where everything is brown.
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Post by smsmith on Feb 6, 2021 19:27:34 GMT -6
I just want a place where the snow disappears after a week. Super jealous of those people mid continent where everything is brown. Tennessee is pretty appealing. Low taxes and temperate climate. |
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Post by Reagan on Feb 6, 2021 19:43:02 GMT -6
Not sure I need to retire to anywhere. I don’t live in communist MN and winters aren’t misery. I like where I am.
We might end up with a condo on a beach. We might just travel to different spots. Don’t see a need to escape Ohio.
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Post by sd51555 on Feb 6, 2021 20:43:47 GMT -6
Not sure I need to retire to anywhere. I don’t live in communist MN and winters aren’t misery. I like where I am. We might end up with a condo on a beach. We might just travel to different spots. Don’t see a need to escape Ohio. Hawaiian garage sale There is a lot of cheap property gonna get left behind when everyone piles into the sunbelt states. Seems there is a fortune to be made on this herd both coming and going. My neighbor that's in the witness relocation program told me about when he moved back to the mainland from Hawaii. Once his friends there found out he was moving, nobody would buy a thing at his garage sale. They knew he couldn't take it with, so they just waited for him to leave it by the curb. 0 Shit, my other neighbor had a kept up rambler, a heated morton building, and 20 acres (no swamp). He got $175,000 for the whole place in November. Had it not been for the fed, he would have probably not gotten $150,000. If a cat can make it to retirement without bottling up a prohibitive deferred tax bubble, the options seem endless. I say, give me a large cheap piece of land and a robust travel and habitat improvement budget, and I will be a happy man. |
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Post by Catscratch on Feb 6, 2021 21:50:52 GMT -6
No desire to leave where I'm at.
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Post by nhmountains on Feb 7, 2021 4:41:01 GMT -6
No desire to leave where I'm at. Any red state is being eyed by the libs to dump their lower or no income voters and future voters. Things are going to change dramatically over the next 4 years. I loved my town 35 years ago. It was as red as red can be. Little by little the libs moved there because it was so nice. They told their friends and they moved in. Now the taxes are through the roof and it’s totally blue with hundreds of BLM posters on lawns. I’m moving somewhere in the next 5 years. Not sure where. |
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Post by Sandbur on Feb 7, 2021 5:27:57 GMT -6
No desire to leave where I'm at.  Me neither. Not until we can’t physically keep up with country livin’. |
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Post by nhmountains on Feb 7, 2021 7:10:09 GMT -6
No desire to leave where I'm at. Me neither. Not until we can’t physically keep up with country livin’. Luckily I’ve been able to do that in both places I’ve lived since I’ve been married. |
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Post by Catscratch on Feb 7, 2021 7:33:34 GMT -6
I'm with sandbur about wanting to live the country life until I can't physically do it. I'm many yrs from retirement and that desire could possibly change, but I don't see it happening. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen here NH. Most of the country views KS as a joke to actually live in. Plus the majority of the land is in large chunks not likely to separated to make room for immigrants. The cities are a different story in that there is room for new people and they are the most dense democratic populations here. Might be somewhat of an issue with jobs. Aircraft, oil, manufacturering, and in general building stuff is the norm. Not sure a lot of liberals are looking to move to an ugly state to labor 60hrs a week. Becoming a welfare state would change that.  |
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Post by Freeborn on Feb 7, 2021 8:33:35 GMT -6
I just want a place where the snow disappears after a week. Super jealous of those people mid continent where everything is brown. Tennessee is pretty appealing. Low taxes and temperate climate. Be careful of the south, they are still not that welcoming to northern people. Its one thing to talk to them as they will be nice to your face but its another thing to be part of the community. Major metro areas are much better but if your looking at rural, I would be very careful in choosing a place to live. Back in my internal audit days I traveled allot and spent time in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia. The regular folks in the rural areas of those states will not be very accepting to a northern outsider, just saying. |
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Post by smsmith on Feb 7, 2021 8:41:41 GMT -6
Tennessee is pretty appealing. Low taxes and temperate climate. Be careful of the south, they are still not that welcoming to northern people. Its one thing to talk to them as they will be nice to your face but its another thing to be part of the community. Major metro areas are much better but if your looking at rural, I would be very careful in choosing a place to live. Back in my internal audit days I traveled allot and spent time in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia. The regular folks in the rural areas of those states will not be very accepting to a northern outsider, just saying. Oh, I know. When I was 19-20 I lived in Pensacola. The guys I worked with were mainly from rural Alabama (they called it L.A. = lower Alabama). It took them awhile to let me and my buddy into their world. Once they figured out we could outwork them they knew we were "ok". If my wife and I move anywhere anytime soon it will be to coastal FL. I don't see that happening to be honest. Maybe in 5 years or so we'll spend 2 months there, but a permanent move is unlikely (that's my thinking right now anyway). Push comes to shove, there's positives and negatives to any area. |
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Post by Freeborn on Feb 7, 2021 8:48:02 GMT -6
Obviously I picked my spot but there are many locations in the country I could have probably chosen and did fine. I do like the western side of the country as my wife and I have always been attracted to the mountains. Any place that has dry conditions with reasonable temperatures are a plus as you can get outside and enjoy simple activities like walking, biking, golf, shooting (gun and bow) and many other activities.
The dry weather also allows you to be very mobile, you can travel to areas of natural beauty or communities that have activities. Our community has a couple car clubs, vintage muscle cars and sports cars. When driving you often see a string of cars, mostly couples, out for the day headed to some location. Like golf these are social activities and most of the time they end up at some place to eat or on someones patio for drinks. My wife and I always thought we would buy a convertible sports car, Audi or BMW most likely as I can fit in them but a jeep might come first and the sports car later.
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Post by smsmith on Feb 7, 2021 8:53:43 GMT -6
Not sure I need to retire to anywhere. I don’t live in communist MN and winters aren’t misery. I like where I am. We might end up with a condo on a beach. We might just travel to different spots. Don’t see a need to escape Ohio. Hawaiian garage sale There is a lot of cheap property gonna get left behind when everyone piles into the sunbelt states. Seems there is a fortune to be made on this herd both coming and going. My neighbor that's in the witness relocation program told me about when he moved back to the mainland from Hawaii. Once his friends there found out he was moving, nobody would buy a thing at his garage sale. They knew he couldn't take it with, so they just waited for him to leave it by the curb. 0 Shit, my other neighbor had a kept up rambler, a heated morton building, and 20 acres (no swamp). He got $175,000 for the whole place in November. Had it not been for the fed, he would have probably not gotten $150,000. If a cat can make it to retirement without bottling up a prohibitive deferred tax bubble, the options seem endless. I say, give me a large cheap piece of land and a robust travel and habitat improvement budget, and I will be a happy man.
My acreage wasn't cheap, but it was affordable. Compared to many areas I suppose it was cheap ($1425/acre in 2012). If it wasn't for the political climate here I probably wouldn't consider a move. Of course, it's -20 right now....that doesn't help keep a guy here either. I do actually enjoy MN for the most part. People are great. May through November the weather is pretty decent. No poisonous critters to worry about. I can grow a whole bunch of fruit trees and run chainsaws as much as I want. I've been thinking it's time to get a nice side by side and start driving the dirt roads for a bit of entertainment. Can't do that everywhere. I think what my wife and I will end up doing is staying right where we are until I can't do the work to stay here. I would like to spend a month or three each year somewhere warm at some point though. |
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