Place to retire

[Treeshark]

My ideal retirement plan is a condo near water (with a boat slip) in Sturgeon Bay, WI in the summer. Get in the boat and head east for a few mins, fish salmon. Head west for a few mins, world class smallmouth/walleye fishing.

Same deal for the winter somewhere on the Gulf Coast.

 

[Irrelevant]

I'm having a hard time watching the places I grew up with change so much. Growth may not be any better wherever I move to, but I at least won't have the reference for how much different it used to be.

That played a big part in me not moving back home after college. It hurts to go back and see all the deer spots turned into 2nd or 3rd homes. All the No Trespassing signs. Just sucks to watch a quiet small town grow into a tourist trap.

 

[Buschy]

It's also being bought up by folks from Colofornia.

I guess I am part of the problem. My wife and I just put in an offer on a beautiful piece of property NW of Hot Springs today. Retirement is 10+ years out for us, but planning on building our retirement home there and watching, the antelope, WTs, mulies and elk daily. Love SD!

 

[BrentD]

That might be best mis-spell ever....so many bedroom jokes but i will pass..lol

I was thinking - maybe hoping for his sake- that he didn't misspell at all. I'd be envious...

 

[C17loadclear]

And just like that we found a house north of sandpoint. It was amazing how it just happened after looking for the last 2 or 3 years ( last 2 years were serious looking)

So if you find an area that you like my advice would be hang in there and it will happen if it is meant to be.

If anyone is from this area, I would be interested in meeting up some time to talk about the area once we get settled.

Right now the plan is to move in November so winter will be a lot different this year...

Thanks again for all of the comments!!

 

[hank4elk]

I'm contrary.
I decided on NM well before the 10 years ago I retired here.
Still nothing here but me & Rio, a few PJ's ,short grass prairie and lots of elk.

 

[ShortAction]

Yep. Real estate has gone crazy in my MT town. Nothing to rent and for sale properties selling as quick as they can be listed with prices for both going through the roof.

My timing has never been good. I was there last week checking out apartments for a planned move next Spring. They can't build them fast enough! I'm moving primarily to get away from the heat and humidity here, not to mention the traffic. Retired in '12 and would have moved sooner but was prevented primarily by family responsibilities. Helena will be a perfect home base to allow me to see the parts of the country that I have always wanted to visit. I have a daughter in Great Falls, but I prefer Helena.

 

[longbow51]

I'm in Montana. Born, raised and all that. I'm not leaving, even after retirement. Everything I love to do is right here. Close. River, lake and I can be in the largest Wilderness area in the lower 48 in a couple hours. Priorities I guess. mtmuley

Sounds ideal! For those of you looking to move here, amazingly enough, even in these days of GPS, most maps have it wrong. Montana is just west of Texas. Old Route 66 is very scenic!

 

[shootbrownelk]

When you have a single state that is the fifth largest economy in the world, would it surprise you?

I said COLO-fornia not California. The invaders from the south.

 

[deer_shooter]

I'm a little further out at 14 years but tossing around a couple ideas. We will definitely end up in Alaska, either full or part time. We also like southern Arizona so thinking about spending summers at our remote cabin in the Interior then sometime in September pulling a camper down to Arizona for the winter. I figure we could take a month to do the trip each way with no pressure to be anywhere at a certain time. We have no children or close family so no concerns there. May end up buying a small house somewhere around Sierra Vista/Tombstone area and AirBnB it when we're not there. Also considering buying a small duplex in the Fairbanks area and renting half to pay for it. Not sure yet, a lot of details go through. I like the idea of spending summers in Alaska with good fishing and sneak in a caribou hunt here and there. Then enjoy some deer and small game hunting in the desert during winter.

 

[2rocky]

I said COLO-fornia not California. The invaders from the south.

I assumed it was a reference to the Colon which leads to a body part that serves to describe the attitude of many people with more money than manners or brains...

you are all right with me SBE...

 

[westbranch]

And just like that we found a house north of sandpoint. It was amazing how it just happened after looking for the last 2 or 3 years ( last 2 years were serious looking)

So if you find an area that you like my advice would be hang in there and it will happen if it is meant to be.

If anyone is from this area, I would be interested in meeting up some time to talk about the area once we get settled.

Right now the plan is to move in November so winter will be a lot different this year...

Thanks again for all of the comments!!

Welcome to the area! I was up in Sandpoint a couple days this week for work, always enjoy it up there. We do some hiking up there, but not any hunting. I have wanted to try some fishing along the north shore of LPO but haven't done that yet either.

One thing I have found interesting is how the snow gets a bit worse starting in the Athol area when driving north from CDA. But after growing up in Northern MN and living in Central MN for 10 yrs, the winters here are great. Even when CDA had record snow in Feb 2019 and single digit lows I don't think it got below zero. My brother was ending me pictures from MN of -30 so I was feeling warm and cozy.

 

[tzone]

I guess I am part of the problem. My wife and I just put in an offer on a beautiful piece of property NW of Hot Springs today. Retirement is 10+ years out for us, but planning on building our retirement home there and watching, the antelope, WTs, mulies and elk daily. Love SD!

Hey...maybe we'll be neighbors in a few years.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

I guess I am part of the problem. My wife and I just put in an offer on a beautiful piece of property NW of Hot Springs today. Retirement is 10+ years out for us, but planning on building our retirement home there and watching, the antelope, WTs, mulies and elk daily. Love SD!

Hot Springs is on my radar too.

 

[Dave N]

Still going to be a few years for me yet but I did buy a cabin and some land in Alaska. Foot in the door kind of place. Still looking for "THE" place but I now have a place to use as a base. And as usual, it's also available to interested buyers if the price is right!

 

[Clam]

I’ll be a contrarian and will stay outside the box. Thank you.

I’ve always enjoyed finding and traveling to overlooked, often out of favor (for whatever reason?) destinations. It is my specialty. It energizes me. There are plenty to explore. Often, I travel to countries that have very favorable exchange rates, so, I am able to enjoy a considerable higher standard of living than I do at home. I also get to experience other cultures. I’ve very rarely felt frightened or unsafe that I can remember, especially in rural areas.

so, I‘ll be at or below the equator most of the winter, or um, summer and have several options for April-October here in the northern hemisphere.

 

[wa_archer]

We just closed on 9 acres outside of Salmon Id last week. Its small enough and big enough for us, plus its surrounded by public land, deer, elk, antelope i'm ready. Plan is to start building shop/liveable just to go enjoy the area and once we can retire look at building a small house next to it. Will see what happens plenty of years to decide.

 

[manitou1]

There will be no small mountain towns in ten years. Sad.