Based on your water needs, I’m going to go “outside the box” and suggest Hot Springs, AR.
This is what the town looks like, and for kayakers/water-skiers here is Lake Ouachita adjacent to the city (10 minutes away). If you look closely, you’ll notice there’s nothing built on the lake – it’s surrounded by national forest and AFAIK cannot be developed. At about 40 miles in length it’s a genuine paradise for boater/kayakers with hundreds of isolated beaches to either hang out or camp on. The town straddles the Ouachita River for those who prefer a more isolated paddle trip.
A quick look at Zillow will surprise you. You can probably afford an amazing home there. Here’s a gated, waterfront house with two boat docks for under 400K.
OP, you mentioned Florida as a potential residence. I suggest you consider Nocatee(in Ponte Vedra, between Jacksonville and St. Augustine). Plenty of water activities: intracoastal waterway (with Kayak rentals/launch), fine beaches, award-winning beach clubs and water parks. And, if you’re into golf: TPC.
I’ll venture Honolulu, our home now. Close to the water for sure, and despite its 1-million population has a small-town feel. There are other communities on the island – Kailua seems nice – and even small “cities” on other islands, but Honolulu is the biggest and for us the most convenient. And if you’re used to the cost of living in NYC, Honolulu won’t seem all that expensive. Lots of yoga enthusiasts here too.
An update for those who provided suggestions: we decided on Florida! We’ll be in Vero Beach, a lovely town on the Atlantic coast, about 90 minutes south of Orlando. We might be just about the youngest people there at 40, haha, but we’ve both been several times for work and love it. It has everything we’re looking for (and doesn’t have anything we’re not looking for, if you can dig that), and is close enough to Orlando and Miami to make a day trip out of it.
We move in late January. Here’s to new beginnings!
+1, of course there is an abundance of the elderly. My Daddy retired there in the 90s and me and my children visited a bunch. There is plenty to do, water is everywhere. Racing season is bitch, trafficwise. Your age should factor in, it matters to what kind of vibe you’re looking for.
I have visited the gulf coast every year for a few years. My eldest daughter lives in New Orleans, we have went east from there to the Mississippi gulf coast and Gulf Shores, Ala., it is a lovely part of the US, people are really laid back. Good luck to you.
An interesting choice. I’ve been there for spring training baseball. It isn’t a place I’d pick, I found the odd lack of taxis to be weird (I had to extend my stay one trip due to needing car repairs) and most of the restaurants were chains. At least the people aren’t as nasty as they are further south in Florida.
Weird, that hasn’t been my experience at all. There’s that strip on the beach that’s entirely made of local restaurants (or at least small chains I’d never heard of). It’s the city that presented the most work opportunities, coupled with the fact that everything is a short drive away, including the beach, tennis and golf.
One more northeast winter to get through and then it’s sayonara.
