Where do You Want to Retire... and Why?

Not sure if I have replied to this before or not.
Me, I want to retire in South OC; where I live right now. Close to the beach, close to MTB trails and good road riding. Sadly, Seizure World is almost getting inviting.
My wife wants to retire to Napa County. Waaay too expensive. Sonoma County might work out better. Other than a cold ocean, would not be too bad. Other than leaving friends of 20-30 years and having to find new friends; not a bad option.
My main thing is if we can use our condo equity to pay for most or all of our next place then we could probably do OK in retirement.
 
Rumpled said:
Not sure if I have replied to this before or not.
Me, I want to retire in South OC; where I live right now. Close to the beach, close to MTB trails and good road riding. Sadly, Seizure World is almost getting inviting.
My wife wants to retire to Napa County. Waaay too expensive. Sonoma County might work out better. Other than a cold ocean, would not be too bad. Other than leaving friends of 20-30 years and having to find new friends; not a bad option.
My main thing is if we can use our condo equity to pay for most or all of our next place then we could probably do OK in retirement.
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Keep in mind the retiree property tax thingie - I can't remember the prop number - that allows you to take your current property tax amount to a new property of equal or lesser value in a reciprocating county. Because if you're gonna stay in CA, them property taxes are of paramount importance.
 
BonsaiNut said:
My wife and I will be prioritizing a location once our kids get settled. But one thing's for sure... it won't be California. Far too expensive - and just getting more so with every "temporary" tax increase that becomes permanent. And if you know anything about finance, our state pension time bomb makes Illinois look like chump change.
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Ah how quickly time flies...

Another year, another massive California income tax increase.
 
Steamboat Springs CO (at the moment). But I doubt that will happen, and it will depend a lot on what our 10 yo does after high school.

Oh - why? Small vibrant community, great skiing and mt. biking (plus much more), remote enough to not have the Denver weekend crowds. 4 legitimate seasons. Friends already live there. Resort is separate from the town. A river runs through it...
 
herzalot said:
Steamboat Springs
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Got excited when I read ^ that. Sadly its a bit far. My "real" playground will be Colorado Springs. Apparently a cornucopia of trails to seek out. Five hours away from the flatland in KS. My bucket list is short, go figure out the pikes peak trail 7000 ft' drop to the bottom.:confused::thumbsup: My front yard last year, kinda takes the fun out of hunting.

Turkeys.jpg
 
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herzalot said:
Steamboat Springs CO (at the moment). But I doubt that will happen, and it will depend a lot on what our 10 yo does after high school.

Oh - why? Small vibrant community, great skiing and mt. biking (plus much more), remote enough to not have the Denver weekend crowds. 4 legitimate seasons. Friends already live there. Resort is separate from the town. A river runs through it...
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Found your place, and one for mikie.
https://youtu.be/y_Dn68gU5w8
 
One of my regular riding friends told me today he's moving to Austin. In less than two weeks.....im like WTF....how'd you keep that secret?

Another good friend moved to Rogue river Oregon about a year ago.

A lot of folks are leaving calif....at this rate a lot of my long term friends will be gone.
 
jimbowho said:
From what if read its a Mecca! My buddy lives there is retired & can't ride anymore, but I'll stay there and annoy him until he makes me go home. How much snow Herz????
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Most years C Springs only gets sporadic snowstorms of 2-6" followed by days of clear weather. Snow usually melts between storms and doesn't continuously pile up. There's usually a solid two-week deep freeze somewhere during the winter, but CO Front Range winters ain't nothing compared to the midwest, Great Lakes regions. But it can get windy, drifty and downright blizzardy at times, however, you will see the sun more often than you won't.
 
herzalot said:
Steamboat Springs CO (at the moment). But I doubt that will happen, and it will depend a lot on what our 10 yo does after high school.

Oh - why? Small vibrant community, great skiing and mt. biking (plus much more), remote enough to not have the Denver weekend crowds. 4 legitimate seasons. Friends already live there. Resort is separate from the town. A river runs through it...
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How do you fly into Steamboat, Denver?
 
I'm going on a road trip to Boulder to drop on my freshmen daughter at CU...

My current plan is to visit Flagstaff (or Prescott) , Durango, Crested Butte, Carbondale, Boulder, Park City, and head home.
During the trip I'll be scouting location for a second home/AirBnB investments. Any suggestion on location I should add to the trip ( steamboat).

I'm looking for a place that is 60 minutes or less from a real airport, 45 minutes forma ski resort, diverse MTB trail network, Some water sport potential, reliable internet, reliable sewer system.
 
HBkites said:
I'm going on a road trip to Boulder to drop on my freshmen daughter at CU...

My current plan is to visit Flagstaff (or Prescott) , Durango, Crested Butte, Carbondale, Boulder, Park City, and head home.
During the trip I'll be scouting location for a second home/AirBnB investments. Any suggestion on location I should add to the trip ( steamboat).

I'm looking for a place that is 60 minutes or less from a real airport, 45 minutes forma ski resort, diverse MTB trail network, Some water sport potential, reliable internet, reliable sewer system.
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Dang it, I need to buy in ridgway before everyone else does.
 
HBkites said:
I'm going on a road trip to Boulder to drop on my freshmen daughter at CU...

My current plan is to visit Flagstaff (or Prescott) , Durango, Crested Butte, Carbondale, Boulder, Park City, and head home.
During the trip I'll be scouting location for a second home/AirBnB investments. Any suggestion on location I should add to the trip ( steamboat).

I'm looking for a place that is 60 minutes or less from a real airport, 45 minutes forma ski resort, diverse MTB trail network, Some water sport potential, reliable internet, reliable sewer system.
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Define "real airport."
 
herzalot said:
Define "real airport."
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I know that there are many regional airports in Colorado.
My definition of "real airport":
1) Daily flights to SoCal preferably direct flight.
2) Big enough for commercial jets to land in.

I'm not too picky, but if I need to fly on a small prop plane to Denver (or Dallas) in order to fly back to OC I'm going to consider it a drawback.
The whole world of aviation is a complete mess at the monument, and many of the smaller routs are not being serviced right now.
I know that in the past Aspen and Grand Junction had direct flight to LA.
 
HBkites said:
I know that there are many regional airports in Colorado.
My definition of "real airport":
1) Daily flights to SoCal preferably direct flight.
2) Big enough for commercial jets to land in.

I'm not too picky, but if I need to fly on a small prop plane to Denver (or Dallas) in order to fly back to OC I'm going to consider it a drawback.
The whole world of aviation is a complete mess at the monument, and many of the smaller routs are not being serviced right now.
I know that in the past Aspen and Grand Junction had direct flight to LA.
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Hayden (Steamboat) has the longest of the regional airport runways at 10,000' (at about 5800' of altitude). 737s (and A320s) land there. 757s could to. By comparison, John Wayne's is just over 5700' of runway at sea level. Hayden hosts direct flights to and from LAX.

Prescott had daily jet flights to LAX and Denver, before the pandemic. Gunnison (Crested Butte) is far more remote, as is La Plata County (Durango). La Plata handles jets and daily flights to reasonable connecting hub cities. So does Gunnison. At least they did, and probably will again. Eagle County airport (Vail) is quite busy with jet traffic from many major hub cities.

FYI I'm told Aspen is one of the scarier airports to approach - at 7800' of elevation, requiring a steep descent and high speed landing.
Aspen Approach.png


and Telluride's 6900' runway looks like an aircraft carrier (at over 9000' of elevation) - thin air means high landing speeds. Wheee! Get the tailhook! Commercial service ceased there in 2014 - I wonder why?
Telluride Approach.png


Looks like I am wrong. Denver Air Connection (affiliated with United) has daily jet flights from TEX to DEN and vice versa No thanks.
 
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herzalot said:
Hayden (Steamboat) has the longest of the regional airport runways at 10,000' (at about 5800' of altitude). 737s (and A320s) land there. 757s could to. By comparison, John Wayne's is just over 5700' of runway at sea level. Hayden hosts direct flights to and from LAX.

Prescott had daily jet flights to LAX and Denver, before the pandemic. Gunnison (Crested Butte) is far more remote, as is La Plata County (Durango). La Plata handles jets and daily flights to reasonable connecting hub cities. So does Gunnison. At least they did, and probably will again. Eagle County airport (Vail) is quite busy with jet traffic from many major hub cities.

FYI I'm told Aspen is one of the scarier airports to approach - at 7800' of elevation, requiring a steep descent and high speed landing.
View attachment 67956

and Telluride's 6900' runway looks like an aircraft carrier (at over 9000' of elevation) - thin air means high landing speeds. Wheee! Get the tailhook! Commercial service ceased there in 2014 - I wonder why?
View attachment 67957

Looks like I am wrong. Denver Air Connection (affiliated with United) has daily jet flights from TEX to DEN and vice versa No thanks.
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Thanks for all the info... I didn't know you are an aviation buff.

Steamboat will be added to the list.
 
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Was talking with a guy at work about his plans, it seems Ridgway is on his list as well, and he’s never even been there. He was just looking for the western slope, but not Grand Junction, and Ridgway came up. After watching the ranch salesman’s video, he’s all in.

as I was saying, I guess I gotta get in now.
 
herzalot said:
Steamboat Springs CO (at the moment). But I doubt that will happen, and it will depend a lot on what our 10 yo does after high school.

Oh - why? Small vibrant community, great skiing and mt. biking (plus much more), remote enough to not have the Denver weekend crowds. 4 legitimate seasons. Friends already live there. Resort is separate from the town. A river runs through it...
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Steamboat was our #1 choice at one time. Tree skiing, actually snowboarding, at Steamboat is my favorite place to ride. I knew that place like the back of my hand at one time. Unfortunately, we decide we don't want to live in the snow 4-5 month out of the year several years ago.
 
tick said:
One more of these from an area that’s under consideration in my household. This realtor’s video guy is incredible, it’s basically half HGTV and half David Attenborough.
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I found Ridgway while randomly looking at CO real estate and was impressed. I then drove thru the area in Sept 2017 on my way from Crested Butte to Durango. It was stunningly beautiful. I returned in October 2018 to ride the RAT trails. They were fun enough but that's all they have right close and there is NOTHING going on in that town, it's tiny tiny tiny....but it's beautiful and you're close to Telluride and the "big city of Montrose.
 
Danimal said:
One of my regular riding friends told me today he's moving to Austin. In less than two weeks.....im like WTF....how'd you keep that secret?

Another good friend moved to Rogue river Oregon about a year ago.

A lot of folks are leaving calif....at this rate a lot of my long term friends will be gone.
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I your friend in the tech industry or does he appreciate freeway traffic as horrendous as LA? I can't think of any other good reason to move to Austin but what the heck, what's one more Californian. They've already ruined that city...the Berkeley of Texas. My last relative in Austin fled in 2018 after living there all 68 years of her life.
 
mtbMike said:
I found Ridgway while randomly looking at CO real estate and was impressed. I then drove thru the area in Sept 2017 on my way from Crested Butte to Durango. It was stunningly beautiful. I returned in October 2018 to ride the RAT trails. They were fun enough but that's all they have right close and there is NOTHING going on in that town, it's tiny tiny tiny....but it's beautiful and you're close to Telluride and the "big city of Montrose.
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The town ain’t much, but that’s kind of the point...if you’re looking for something to do, you drive to Telluride, and if you’re in need of something to buy, you drive into Montrose (or maybe all the way to Grand Junction).

My wife went to high school in Vernal, UT. She’s got a good handle on navigating life in small intermountain west towns. Me? I’ve lived in OC all my life, I don’t have a clue how I’d actually deal with down time. I think I’d be fine but I don’t really know. I’d have to have a long term project, for sure. One guy at work wants to build a gyrocopter after retiring. :eek:

I do know that folks out there drive enormous distances without thinking a thing about it. My in-laws would drive from Maeser, UT to Rangely, CO just to go to church. Good that 85 octane is so cheap.
 
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