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We decided that after we retired we wanted to move somewhere rural. We wanted to have a garden, raise chickens and pigs, and we wanted to be able to hunt and fish on our own land.
Maybe around half of our neighbors are retirees. The topic of aging in place is a common topic of discussion.
but as it got closer to retiring we realized that life would not be a good idea .
for one thing , we live in queens in nyc .
if i can't drive at some point we have one of the most extensive public transportation systems in the world here .. we had nooooooooooooo public transportation in the area in pa .
medical facilities and specialists in the area were few . we had scranton hospital but no world class facilities like here .
there were few specialists in the area and it usually required long drives elsewhere .
winters were long and boring with nothing to do .
the summer was getting boring and to find more interesting things to do required us traveling farther and farther .
if i wanted to work a bit in retirement , pay was a fraction of here .
we saved little on housing costs since here , we rent a two bedroom apartment in a building . no one lives with us .
we needed a big house to house all 12 of us when the kids and grand kids come so housing was more .
in the end we sold and decided to stay right here in queens where we have everything we could want.
that small town life was nice PART TIME . but when it came down to it , not for us full time daily . . not something i want to wake up to daily once the novelty was over . that is kind of what happened to us once the novelty of the area wore off .
when you are used to having everything you could want or do at your fingertips living that life full time was a radical change . for us it was not a good change once our retirement hats were on and not the life of skiing and water sports we bought there for .
Obviously you were very realistic regarding what your needs would be in retirement and realized that your current location provided all of them. For many others, that’s not an option financially and they relocate to benefit from past appreciation while reducing living expenses and often a more desirable climate.
All things considered, your want and wish list worked out well for you when all things were considered❗️
I'm retired (67) and have lived in a rural area for 30 years. Back in the day, we had live stock, horses, critters, but now I'm glad I'm done with that. There are never any days off. Now just a couple of Catahoula's. https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/catahoula-leopard-dog/
Rural living is work. Few can afford to have acres and acres of grass to cut so you need a tractor (got one). Lots of time spent tending to your land. I enjoy that so no big deal. You'll need a generator since you'll probably have a well, for when the power goes out, it always does. By the way... rural areas are the last to be restored after a storm. You'll need an assortment of gas powered tools like chain saws, brush cutters, 4 wheeler or side by side, etc. Trees die and fall all the time, cut 'em up and on the burn pile or for fire wood. My "drive way" is 800' long, so get out the box blade and maintain it. Maybe gravel or 57 rock for a stable surface. You'll also need a trailer to haul stuff on or have someone deliver it. What about fencing? and if you have critters, what about water and feed?
If you can afford to have all this done for you great, otherwise expect to be busy EVERY day doing something. You'll need fuel deliveries too, propane for cooking or heat, diesel for equipment, and some gas too.... and vessels to store the fuel.
In addition like most outdoorsy guys, I have an 27' RV and a 23' boat too.
If you just want to live in the woods, it just ain't that simple... for most.
Yes, all of that, plus having to drive at least 10 miles on winding roads (in my case) to do the most basic of errands: groceries, drugstore, hardware and irrigation supplies. As you get older and the eyesight and reflexes deteriorate, driving is more hazardous.
And don't get me wrong, I LOVE my little 6 acres. But it's constant maintenance and I don't have the money to hire someone to do all of it. Seriously thinking about moving back to town, sadly.
Had I stayed in Chicago after retirement, I may have someday dropped dead on the sidewalk and people would just step right over me and walk on...But here in rural WI, if I drop dead on the sidewalk, people will step over me, stop for a second and say "Hey, look! Guido just dropped dead," and then walk on.
It's one thing to live rural, with all its various benefits, in your late 60s & early 70s, but after age 75 (earlier for some) mobility becomes a problem for just about everyone. Little things like clearing the drive of snow or getting to the grocery store can become problematic.
Gotta plan ahead. God really meant us to live in three generation households, but that seems to be a quaint relic of a by-gone era.
We are in a rural area of 1600 (been meaning to check that) and everyone has been so nice and friendly. We are 30 mins from a town with 6000 and 40 mins from a town with 65K, and 1.5 hrs from a town of 250K.
It's an adjustment, but we are slowly working things out.
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I had always wanted a place in the country. I bought a 45 acre ranch and retired at 55. I sold it when I hit 62.
Have no regrets and thoroughly enjoyed my time in the country with cows, chickens, donkeys, fishing in my pond, etc.
Every day there is one chore or another needing to be done and every day one has to tend to their livestock.
I knew I would not be there for a long time. I re-evaluated when I hit 60 and still felt good and enjoyed the life. When I hit 61 I felt it was time to sell and move on to something new. I didn't want to hire out the chores because that was part of why I wanted to live rural for a while.
Now I'm in a condo, 10 minutes to the beach with a lot more free time to take up some less physically demanding hobbies.
I've gone full circle with city-suburbs-semi rural-rural-city over the years.
Had I stayed in Chicago after retirement, I may have someday dropped dead on the sidewalk and people would just step right over me and walk on...But here in rural WI, if I drop dead on the sidewalk, people will step over me, stop for a second and say "Hey, look! Guido just dropped dead," and then walk on.
It's one thing to live rural, with all its various benefits, in your late 60s & early 70s, but after age 75 (earlier for some) mobility becomes a problem for just about everyone. Little things like clearing the drive of snow or getting to the grocery store can become problematic.
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Well, two points; where I live, If you dropped dead, people would surround you, try CPR and cal 911. Second, where I live few people stop functioning at age 75. Most do stuff till they die, well into their 80s. You must live in a very unhealthy area
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave_n_Tenn
Rural living is work. Few can afford to have acres and acres of grass to cut so you need a tractor (got one). Lots of time spent tending to your land. I enjoy that so no big deal. You'll need a generator since you'll probably have a well, for when the power goes out, it always does. By the way... rural areas are the last to be restored after a storm. You'll need an assortment of gas powered tools like chain saws, brush cutters, 4 wheeler or side by side, etc. Trees die and fall all the time, cut 'em up and on the burn pile or for fire wood. My "drive way" is 800' long, so get out the box blade and maintain it. Maybe gravel or 57 rock for a stable surface. You'll also need a trailer to haul stuff on or have someone deliver it. What about fencing? and if you have critters, what about water and feed?
If you can afford to have all this done for you great, otherwise expect to be busy EVERY day doing something. You'll need fuel deliveries too, propane for cooking or heat, diesel for equipment, and some gas too.... and vessels to store the fuel.
If you just want to live in the woods, it just ain't that simple... for most.
As mentioned not all rural places are the same. I actually do little work beyond the house. We live in forest land and have no animals, no grass to cut beyond 100’ from our house, which is done maybe 2x a year. Eastern CA has no rain May-October. We live next to a paved county road with a purpose built carport 15’ from that road. The road is plowed in winter and we have a snow blower for the drive. So basically we have little work beyond the actual house.
"Retirement" is not just one thing. Even for 60 and 70-somethings there is "early retirement", "middle retirement" and "final living location" retirement. Lots of snowbirds and sunbirds are in early retirement phase, moving around, taking trips while other people who just retired have their eyes set on a farmette where they can learn how demanding a small farmers life is.
Lots of retirees take trips if they can afford to, to exotic locales. Lots of retirees want no maintenance chores at home so a condo or townhouse is their goal.
What surprised me about other retired family members is how little weight they gave to medical facilities in their retirement home selection. One had a near-death heart attack in their beautiful home far from ER (survived by skin of his teeth) yet when they recently moved their new home is not one bit closer to a good ER or his doctors. Fatalistic? The other couple are wary of doctors so not as much a surprise but she had a medical incident middle of night and they had no idea where the nearest ER was to them (lived there a year) and waited until morning to find one. Many stitches required.
Both relatives have gorgeous homes in nice neighborhoods of similar homes.
Our new-to-us "late retirement" home is 7 minutes from highly rated ER and same distance to our primary care (same building). We have no serious health issues but we know as we age things happen. We moved from non-farm rural small town with excellent ER to fringe urban with excellent ER. We like our home and neighborhood a lot, close to grocery and take-out food. I can see us here til our 80's but of course you can never tell what will happen.
Obviously you were very realistic regarding what your needs would be in retirement and realized that your current location provided all of them. For many others, that’s not an option financially and they relocate to benefit from past appreciation while reducing living expenses and often a more desirable climate.
All things considered, your want and wish list worked out well for you when all things were considered❗️
Like I say money may not buy happiness but it can sure buy choices at times
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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You can add the 'rural' details to your relocation spreadsheet.
Since WY was a previous home and an income tax free state I thought it would make the ideal retirement location (for me). DS was NEVER enthralled with WY (except the Tetons).
My weighted spreadsheet indicated the following barriers:
1) Housing equity risk - WY is an energy state and has feast and famine on housing - famines can last 10 yrs + (can't sell if you wanted to)
2) Commute -
a) sustained Medical treatments would require renting apartment in another city / state
b) Costco run would be 6 hrs RT
c) Airport 3 hrs
d) Even with FREE fuel, the wear and tear on vehicles was high (replacement costs too)
e) TIME for commute (when older, stuff happens. All the elderly (age 80+) we care for have many appointments / month.
3) CoL - rural grocery is expensive and does not match the savings for Grow your own, or barter.
4) Events - we like to be near colleges and library
5) Kid visits... we may have to subsidize their trips for them to want to attend.
6) Care needs... far from family if we needed them...
So the spreadsheet numbers removed the emotional attachment and I stayed put (for now).
Still rural, but 20 min to metro / airport / colleges / 5 min to grocery and BiMart! (general store with pharmacy)
1 hr to snow skiing or Pacific Coast.
Still a lot of work (will not be here past age 80) But will likely always be rural. (small town, senior village) like Penney Farms or Uplands.
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