Harveyspecter

This is a while off yet as I'm only 36 but my wife and I were recently discussing retirement plans. We currently live in the midwest but she is from WA, and I grew up in Pembrokeshire Wales. As a result she misses mountains and I miss the sea (though we very much enjoy our lives where we are. Nice area, good job etc.). I also am adamant that when I retire and grow older, I won't live somewhere I have to shovel snow or deal with the extreme cold. As a result we discussed retiring to California because we would have everything we both currently miss.

However, I know CA is hideously expensive to live so just wondering if anyone has done it, or has other suggestions on where to go? FL is out, as my wife doesn't deal well with humidity. Texas? Southern Oregon? We are fully aware that our relatively big house in the midwest would be considerably downsized somewhere like CA but by that time we would only want a smaller home with a 2 car garage.

As always the forum's thoughts would be appreciated.

ddsrph

Harveyspecter

Thank you, but we would want a coastal state

scrubbedexpat099

North Carolina?

TexanScot

If your wife doesn't deal well with humidity then I'd be avoiding the Texas coast.

jkeller

How about Hawaii?

civilservant

Anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line is out, east coast is out as it's not that warm most of the year. All of the mid-west is out, as is the Gulf Cost because of the humidity. And it has to be a coastal state.

You've pretty much limited yourself to California there with those requirements

Novocastrian

It's about 30 years until you retire. I'd expect several of today's coastal states will be under the sea by then.

civilservant

Well at least part of some of those states, anyway.

Harveyspecter

Thank you all for the responses, exactly what I was wanting i.e varied opinions.

lansbury

If you are looking at Oregon, only look at the very southern coast. The rest of the coast is often 10 or more degrees colder than the Willamette Valley and not as sunny, as well as being overcast and wetter.

Giantaxe

It's amazing that for a continent-sized country so much of it is a climatological wasteland (imo). People complain about the UK's climate, but at least it's not unpleasantly hot/humid/bitterly cold for much of the year.

As far as the OP's requirements go, really you're only talking about the west coast and maybe Maine. And if you want "warm", you're talking from Santa Cruz southwards. The northern half of the Californian coast will have fog-prone summers, as will the Oregon coast. Personally I like that, but your mileage may vary.

scrubbedexpat091

May want to wait until closer to retirement, if the experts are correct with climate change, then some of the places that would fit your criteria today, may not in 20-30 years time.

Seems based on not wanting snow, and not wanting humidity, So. California would be your best bet.

vespucci

The way I look at it, the US has by far the best mix of climates out of all countries of comparable size (Canada, Russia, Australia, China, Brazil).

RICH

How about splitting the year. I bet you could get a winter place I Florida and summer in Maine for the price of california all year. Nov to April in FL is fab.
Apart from millions of retirees from maine et al 😀