As noted in other threads, we’re purchasing a 55+ condo for the in-laws. They moved to Florida 12 years ago and have been in 55+ units since then.
Would you ever do that? If so, would you move far away from home to do it? Please 'splain. And, what age are you now, and what age are you hoping to retire at?
I’m under 40 and would never move far away, and I like having people of all ages around.
I’m under 40 and would never move far away, but keep the annoying youngsters outta my neighborhood!
I’m under 40, and want to go where it’s WARM, but I kinda like kids around.
I’m under 40. and I’m sick of snow, and if I wanted kids I’d have had my own / I have kids now and I want to mail them to Bora-Bora.
I’m 40-60 and would never move far away, and I like having people of all ages around.
I’m 40-60 and would never move far away, but keep the annoying youngsters outta my neighborhood!
I’m 40-60, and want to go where it’s WARM, but guess what? kids keep you young at heart!
I’m 40-60. and I’m sick of snow, and if I never see another screaming brat it’s too soon.
I’m 60+ and would never move far away, and if there weren’t kids, who’d shovel my sidewalk?
I’m 60+ and would never move far away, and the condo association fees take care of snow removal
I’m 60+, and want to go where it’s WARM. My own grandkids wouldn’t visit me even if I were nearer, so I can enjoy the neighbor’s youngsters
I’m 60+. I hate the cold, and I have done my time dealing with rugrats in the neighborhood.
I hope to retire at 55 to 60. I would be happy to move somewhere if there was somewhere I’d rather be. Although, I guess I’d move now if that we’re the case. Anyway, I have never enjoyed Florida, and have no desire to more there. Our kids are living all over, so ease of seeing grand kids isn’t an issue. We don’t live near anyone currently, so “kids in the area” also isn’t an issue. If, however, I was going to move, I would prefer to live with people of all ages, just not the old folks.
My answer isn’t in the poll. I’m fifty, planning to retire at 55-60 and be a snowbird . I am considering a couple of “55+” communities. The reason it’s in quotes is because you have to be 50 to buy, and one person has to be 55 to live there full-time but I was told the only limit on kids is that they can’t live there. They can visit every weekend or for the whole summer- I’m guessing it has something to do with school taxes.
There are many such communities here in Las Vegas.
However, I think you are missing the point.
It is not so much “I hate kids” as it is “I want relative peace and quiet” and that often/usually means more the PARENTS of those kids who might be more inclined to have large parties and more people coming and going from the homes.
Also, little kids on bikes or playing outside is just fine - but when you have groups of older teenager who might be a tad bored and looking for things to occupy their time, they might be more inclined to be problematic.
Most of the 55 and over communities certainly allow visitors (grandkids, relatives, etc.), but just don’t want the hassle of the volume of car stereos, parties and late night/weekend events that are more common with younger families.
I don’t think (barring a lottery win) that I’m ever going to have the money to actually retire in the true sense of the word.
But I’ve had a dream for many years now to move to a small, seaside town in southern NSW to see my days out fishing and doing not much else. It’s about 500km from where my family and I currently live.
Technically I could do it now, but I have young grandchildren who need their nana around to help their mum do stuff, so any plan would be well into the future.
But by the time they’re older kids, who knows? They won’t need me hanging around quite so much, and might appreciate a crazy grandma who whisks them away for school holidays to her ramshackle cottage complete with driftwood, seashells and fish-head windchimes!
No Over 55 community for me though, unless it’s all I can afford at the time.
I’m 60 and I’m staying right where I am. The local facilities here are great (walk to the shops, bus at the door if I want to go into the city or shop further away. There’s a major hospital ten minutes away and local doctors who do house calls.
I’m as fit as a flea right now but I don’t imagine I’ll always be this well. As I deteriorate, I want local facilities and if I ever have to give up my driving licence, public transport is important to me.
I will echo jabiru (except for the housecall thing).
Retired 5 years ago at 60 and will never move to a retirement or 55+ community. Starting age 10 I had yearly visits to several generations of family who did so in Florida. What I learned/observed convinced me that I would never join them.
My parents live in a retirement community, and like it just fine. I’m 55, so theoretically I could live there too. But I think I would saw my own head off before I would live in such a boring environment! I’ll stay right here in the gritty urban neighborhood that I chose as my home thirty years ago, until they plant my rotting carcass in the ground, thank you very much.
I already live where warm enough, and we’re rural enough that booming stereos and roving gangs of teens aren’t really a big issue - we get more noise from the kids riding their ATVs in the cotton field next door. I don’t intend to move anywhere when/if we manage to retire, unless we need assisted living/nursing care. (Or unless someone comes along and offers us a metric shit-ton of money for our land. Not impossible, but not really something we’re planning for.) Also, while our place feels pretty rural, we’re actually close to groceries, hospital, entertainment, etc. The only thing we’re really lacking is public transportation, but we could manage with taxis if we absolutely had to. I’m not sociable enough to give a rat’s butt whether I have a lot in common with my neighbors, so 55+ doesn’t really matter to me. (And I have a vague idea that living in a very homogenous neighborhood tends to create a bunker mentality of us vs. them, whether “they” are Kids These Days, Those People (of a different color/creed/etc.,) That Other Political Party, whatever. I’d rather spend my limited social life interacting with a wide enough variety of ages and ideas to remain engaged.)
I’m 60+ and all the kids on the block have grown up. I miss the Halloween doorbell and the school bus pulling up to a stop (it’s 3:30!) and the squabbles and squeals. I want the old people who check their mailboxes (don’t trust anybody under seventy) to tell me when to plant whatever and why my yard looks like shit. I want some cocky kid to charge me for the privilege of mowing my shitty lawn, and learning how to do it right. I want the teenagers to sit on our porch swing after midnight because they know we won’t get mad. I want to bang on the door of young parents desperately having a good time with loud music, to see if I can come in.
I moved where I wanted to be (forever) at age 30. It was my 30th B’day present to myself.
Hint: Moving across the country is easy when <30. Around 30, you become settled. Think barnacles - as young, they are free to swim. When they hit puberty, they exude the adhesive for which they are noted. The next place they stop, they stop. That’s kinda what happens with humans and age 30.
I have never understood why people who really, really want to be someplace warm wait until their health is failing before moving.
My husband is 57 and I’m 60. We absolutely do *not *want to move any more, and especially not to Florida, having lived there far too many years already. We live in a mostly rural area in a county that has been doing a fantastic job of snow removal. So far, we’ve been able to manage our own shoveling, but there are plenty of people we could hire when we decide it’s not fun any longer. Kids around here don’t shovel - heck, we rarely see kids around here.
My inlaws live in a retirement community in Ocala, and I swear, all they talk about is who’s sick and who died. I can’t imagine living like that. It’s as if they’re obsessed with who’s next… My widowed mother still lives in the house she and Dad bought in '79 and she still gardens a portion of the almost 7 acres, altho she did contract with a crew to mow her rather large lawn. She’s very active in her church and volunteering, and she travels a lot - she’s just a few years younger than my inlaws, but she’s much more alive.
Anyway, we’re more inclined to favor my mother’s lifestyle. The difference is that my 4 siblings are all within an hour of Mom - I’m more than 2 hours away, and one sister lives 6 miles away, so assistance is close if needed. We have one daughter and she lives 800 miles away - we don’t expect her to be at our beck and call, nor do we expect her to take us in - she has her own life to live and we’re not going to be her burden. I guess that means when/if the time comes, we may have to sell our house and move to an apartment or condo community. At that point, I’d probably be more inclined to lean toward an adult/assisted living facility, since we’d only be moving because we couldn’t manage alone.
Bottom line, none of your choices fit us. We are independent and [del]stubborn[/del] resolute!!
Our lovely little Victorian cottage so appealed to us for reasons far exceeding 9’ ceilings, weighted windows and inlaid floors! Our little home is perfectly situated in the urban core. Were we to become carless or unable to drive, we could easily walk to banks, groceries, Drs, hospitals, parks, venues etc, etc.
More importantly it has two entrances and two bathrooms, meaning, should the need ever arise, a pretty simple renovation would convert this house into two, one bedroom units. Easily accommodating single story living, should we become infirm, and fully separate quarters for live in assistance should we ever require it!
Our small yard would make hiring maintenance pretty doable. Plus adding solar would be a snap, as would hooking the cistern back up, should such ever be needed. Along with the wood stove, these things should enable us to avoid crippling utility costs, should that be our future!
Costs for healthcare will keep us from retiring to someplace warm year round. ( don’t want to spend longer than 8months away in a calendar year, and so lose our coverage and senior benefits! ), instead we’ll just go visiting for up to 7.5 months per calendar year! Always coming home again, probably over summer.
Spot on. I’ll be 60 soon and just maybe able to retire. I dislike kids as much as the next old person but the last thing I want to do in my retirement years is hang around old people all day.
I’ve visted plenty of relatives in Florida retirement communities. They live in the warmth all day and the only demand on their time is the need to make a golf reservation. The rest of their days seem to be filled with bitching about lazy young people ruining the world. Plus, there is something vaguely wrong about restricted communites, IMO, like a whites only coumminty where all the staff is black.
