So the spouse and I are nowhere near retirement age yet, but it’s close enough that we want to start thinking about it. We currently live in the Silicon Valley, where prices are absolutely cuckoo insane, and the more I think about it, the more I think it would be stupid to retire here. The spouse agrees.
Problem is, we can’t agree on a place to end up. We both want somewhere we can sell our house in the Bay Area and buy something (probably a lot nicer, since our house is nothing great) outright, and there are a lot of places like that. But I like greenery and don’t mind rain, and he refuses to live anywhere that gets a lot of rain or any snow (I don’t mind the no-snow thing, since I’m not a fan either) because bad weather depresses him. Complicating matters further, I’m liberal and agnostic, and he’s conservative and Christian. So he wants to go somewhere that’s not a liberal hotbed like the Bay Area, and I refuse to go anywhere that’s too red-state because my head would explode.
The more I think about it, the more Arizona seems like a possibility. There are some nice houses there that we could afford, we have friends in the Mesa/Scottsdale area, and I’m guessing the general conservatism of the state could be offset by a more liberal focus in a metropolitan areas. I’m not nuts about the heat or the desert, but I think I could learn to live with them. Since I spend most of my time writing books and playing games, I’d probably be spending a lot of time in the house anyway.
So…for those who live in the area, am I deluding myself? What do you like about living there, and what do you hate? Would it be a massive culture shock for lifelong Californians?
We’ll never leave.
There’s no place else that has the combination of weather, inexpensive housing, great restaurants, things to do, and general ease of living.
We live in an area that is like “country-in-the-city” - it’s horse properties that are close to all the high-end shopping and resorts you could ask for.
To elaborate:
Comparison with cities we’ve thought of moving to:
San Diego: Too damn expensive
San Francisco: See above
Seattle: Crummy weather
Austin: Great, but also too expensive
Houston: Crummy weather
Santa Fe: Too small
Vegas: Ugh.
Albuquerque: No reason to move there
Denver: Awesome, but too cold
Anywhere on the East coast: Great for a visit, but too cold, expensive and lousy traffic
My wife hates the cold (cold being anything under 80), and also doesn’t like cockroaches and humidity (ruling out anywhere in Florida).
Well, I have lived in Albuquerque and consider it a fine place to live. The cost of living is a lot lower than Santa Fe, but you still have a Southwest flavor that while not as heavy as Santa Fe, the capital is only an hour away by car.
How about something CA central valley or sierra foothills??
Warm, little if any snow, reasonable real estate, maybe not the most fabulous foodie scene, but pretty much the absolute best fruits and vegetables in the world. The food scene in Fresno has improved in leaps and bounds over the last 20 years.
Its not the most glamorous place but up against SF, LA, and San Diego it does pale by comparison. Plus side half the cost of living. A nice large house in a nice neighborhood $300-400k.
One thing Albuquerque has over Phoenix is a milder climate. The summers don’t broil – or didn’t when I was there; dunno about now with climate change. But at an altitude of 5000-7000 feet, I recall it being fairly uncomfortable for about 10 days in June, then mild the rest of the summer. I was there during the winter of 1990-91 – pretty darned cold, but I’ve been assured that one was an unseasonable outlier.
Big rental places and housing are popping like mushrooms now.
With Arapio and other extremists gone there is less of an issue for businesses to come, and more immigrants (not the ones from the south, I’m talking here from other states) that are expected to come are bound to make the state more moderate and less hyper conservative. Phoenix has been going that way for awhile already.
Besides, I need to set a dopefest in Arizona again, and you and the missus could be the main guests.
People who live there supposedly get used to it, but I spent a lot of time in Phoenix over the years (visiting in business), and it can be brutal in the summer. Beware the heat. From wikipedia:
I was there on that record 122 deg day back in 1990. I’ll never forget it. They closed the airport because it was too hot for the planes to take off (I was supposed to leave that day). We got out the next day when it was “only 117 deg”.
Coming from the Bay Area, are you comfortable with the Endless Identical Sprawl genre of American city? That’s the big question IMO. I’ve spent some time in Phoenix on business and it’s as hot as they say (but AC is a thing), there are at least a few really good restaurants, and there’s some cool stuff to do in the area. I’m just never particularly comfortable in the giant suburban sprawl metros, and the Phoenix metro does that like few others.
(Also it’s too conservative for me, still. But it’s getting there!)
I hated the area. You have to drive everywhere and it seems like the whole city repeats itself every 4 blocks. Hope you like chain restaurants, Olive Garden is often voted best Italian restaurant.
I left 5 years ago and don’t miss it all.
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You need to like it hot. We lived by Phoenix for awhile, and the electricity is very expensive so thermostats everywhere are set to 85. That feels good for about 10 minutes when you come in from outside where it’s 115. It stops feeling good the minute you start doing any work. But if you don’t hate the heat as I do you might be okay.
Phoenix has average electricity prices (around 12¢/KWH). Our 2,400 sq. ft. all-electric house (with pool) averages around $175/month, and we keep it at 74°F in the winter and 77°F in the summer. We do take advantage of the “time-of-day” electric rates, and we have an efficient heat pump.
