I hear it all the time, “When I retire I am moving to Florida or Arizona”! Friends show me brightly colored brochures with pictures of swaying palm trees and blue water as far as you can see. The brochures depict a life of leisure and are designed to lure you into buying a condo in these places. Great weather and lots of things to do in a retirement community is Arizona is enticing. But what about all the other great places you could go, no one ever thinks about South Dakota for retirement.
If you are like me then maybe you are happy right where you are, close to your family and dear friends. We love our local merchants and our credit union, Afena, and we are content to enjoy an occasional trip to Indy for the things offered by the bigger city. But some of our friends, the more adventurous, have wanted something new in their lives. A change of scenery, a new pace and maybe some exciting new things to try! A lot of places are very tax friendly for retirees and have significantly lower costs on health care. These are some of the things that have enticed many of our friends to move away when they retired. And some of them to places you would never guess!
Our friends Bob and Carol moved to Texas. There are so many towns that are great to live in down there. A lot of people live in a nice little suburb outside one of the bigger cities. They love the great weather and there is lots of stuff to do. Taxes are fairly low for retirees and the health care there is pretty great too! Their family actually loves coming to see them, there are so many activities that they can do together. So they get the best of both worlds, living some place new and still getting to see their family!
My friend Linda and her husband Mike moved to the mountains of Tennessee. They loved to go there on vacations so they just decided to make it permanent once they retired. Mike even bought his first pair of cowboy boots! Tennessee is also tax friendly and great on health care costs. And for a couple who loves the outdoors this is the absolutely the perfect state for them. There are so many trails and parks for you to explore. The best part is that they are still close to their family, the kids live only a few hours away!
How about a new adventure out west? We have friends that have moved to Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming. While most people don’t think about any of these states when retiring they do have a lot to offer. Again if you love the outdoors these states are right up your alley! Our friends love the wide variety of things to do and places to visit. Also health care and taxes are still really affordable. If you are up for a real adventure then maybe the west is the place for you!
Now for a true adventure, what about Alaska? Yes, you heard me right! Our friends Chris and Sally moved there just last year. And they LOVE it! They took one of those Alaskan cruises where you are really introduced to Alaska’s beauty and the amazing wildlife, and they were hooked. Of course you have to adjust to the weather! But they had survived Indiana’s ever-changing weather, and since they are retired they don’t really have to go anywhere if they don’t want to! Even though there were a few adjustments to get used to, they really do love it and don’t regret it one bit!
No matter if you decide to stay where you are and enjoy your familiar settings and family, or go someplace new and exciting, just make your new retired lifestyle what you want it to be. When you make it yours, the opportunities are endless. We love being here with our family, but we are looking forward to taking some trips to visit some of our more adventurous friends in the different areas they have chosen. We may have chosen to “stay put”, but we are also choosing to make retirement ours and create some adventures of our own! Hmmm…Traveling with Hubby is always… well, for now let’s just say “interesting” … a topic for another time!