10 Affordable Places to Retire

Reader Comments
Back to article

In 2007 My husband and I decided to sell our home in Atlanta, GA and move into our beach house on St. Simons Island, GA. We purchased the island home eighteen years ago with the intention of someday retirering and living in it. We rented out the house seasonally only staying in it a few weeks each year. In 2003 we remodeled adding a guest house. Our goal was to eliminate a house payment. Renting it out for all those years enabled us to do that. The profit we made from the sale of the Atlanta house is our nest egg. I have been amazed at how little it takes to live if you are not a hefty consumer. In Atlanta we ate out alot, we drove everywhere, we purchased stuff we did not need but because it was so available we bought it. Living on an island has changed our whole life. We eat at home dining on the porch hearing the surf hit the rocks. We ride our bikes as often as possible and shop very little. Friends have become our top priority. We have focused on building relationships in the community. We reach out to what is here. That has made a huge difference in our lives. There are so many things available to do freely. I think what makes the difference is the lack of debt.

Anna Marie Miller-Jones Dickerson of GA 10:50AM July 21, 2009

I would recommend RetireBug.com as a site for finding an independent living or an assisted living retirement community. The site is free to use and they do not capture, use or sell your information. This is an easy to use site and offers a search by state and the amenities you're looking for in your future home.

Tobi Hill of NE 10:28AM June 30, 2009

Hello,
You mention moving to Washington and finding paradise. I have been looking to relocate to Washington from New Mexico. What part of Washington did you move to?

Joan of NM 10:53PM June 21, 2009

I live in Bella Vista, arkansas in the Northwest corner of the state. Beuatiful scenery (end of the Ozarks), lakes for fishing, boating, 7 golf courses, swimming pools, many activities for singles, good restaurants nearby, many volunteer opportunities, even some upscale shoping at Pinnacle Promenade in Rogers.

Joanne coquilllar of AR 12:25PM June 18, 2009

Do give Oregon a look...we have 4 seasons! I'd recommend, for quiet and convenience, most any where in Yamhill County. Many quiet little towns, 1 hour to Portland if you want to see the shows, the Blazers etc. 1 hour to the beautiful Oregon coast, 2 large casinos within an hours drive, beautiful scenery, and it's wine country. Vineyards have replaced many of the orchards that once propered here. Seems to be a tasting room/party every few miles. Plus, we have the added bonus of ideal growing conditions and fertile soil if you're into gardening.

S. Ryssell of OR 12:41PM June 17, 2009

We moved from Rockville MD aftedr raqising our Family and living at one address for forty years. We've been here since Sept 1, 2009 and are content and happy as can be. It's been as if we found Paradise...

jack & Ruth Schneider of WA 2:59PM June 14, 2009

Dear Sirs:
My Wife and I are planning to retire very soon. We are living in Alaska (Anchorage) now, and both of us want to get out of this stuid snow.
I was born in Ore.(Grants Pass) and love it there, my Wife wants to look around in Ore. We both love it there, but wondering if there is a nice quite place to just take it easy !
I work for a major Airline, and my Wife is a Oral Segery asst.
Please let us know
Thanks, Jeffrey Blair

Jeffrey Blair of AK 8:09AM June 10, 2009

Princess Anne is a quaint town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, full of beautiful Victorian and Federal homes that can be had for $90-$200,000, near the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and the most beautiful beach in America--Assateague, with the wild ponies. Lots of shopping in nearby Salisbury, but with it's own sweet mainstreet, where nearly all the shops and businesses are owned by women, including the hardware store, CPA, attorney and realtor. Retirees are moving here from all the major big cities so there's a rich variety of folks and everyone knows everyone. Two local universities offer classes and cultural activities. 3 hours drive to Baltimore, DC, Philadelphia and Williamsburg; 5 hrs to NYC. Mild winters, no natural disasters to worry about. Been here 9 years and we love it!

Edward A. of MD 10:06PM June 09, 2009

MI is in meltdown, and lake property is a deal. There are four seasons and all the recreation anyone could want. Skiing, boating, golf, back packing, camping and everybody speaks English.

Oakland of MI 9:16AM June 06, 2009

According a published report, among them: the Angry Nazi Soldiers, the Low Desert Skins, and the Crazy White Boys, said Joanna Mendelson, an investigative researcher for the Anti Defamation League's civil rights department. Yucca Valley City citizens have recently targeted a local medical marijuana dispensary and adult stores for closure and heavy restrictions. The County of San Bernardino and specifically the Sheriff Department have waged a campaign against California ’s voter approved Proposition 215 of 1996 which specifically allowed medical marijuana. The Supreme Court of the United States recently refused to hear the county’s appeal.
Certainly not all the town's population believes the canard that gay men are child molesters, but the number and virulence of those who do believe this lie are significant factors in the civic life of the area. To its credit, then Mayor of the Town, young Chad Mayes, once opined, "Pedophile, pedophile, pedophile.... I am so tired of hearing people bring up this silly non-sense." Yet, rumors continue to circulate that the area has been designated by California to be a dumping ground for sexual predators leaving incarceration — a bit of enlightened investigative reporting from the young editor of the local paper debunked that idea but true believers are not swayed by the facts she unearthed. Historical incidents have fed the paranoia about sexual predators.
In 2000, felony charges were lodged against six Yucca Valley high school boys, some honor students, for hazing younger classmates by raping the younger boys anally with a foreign object and false imprisonment. They were expelled, but not after they received open support from local residents. Then in 2002, the priest of the major St. Mary's Roman Catholic resigned unexpectedly amid renewed revelations that he had been involved in a scandal involving strip searching boys coupled with an allegation of sexual fondling. In 2009, the General Manager of the local cable franchise was arrested for allegedly molesting toddlers.
In June 11, 2007 the print edition of U.S. News & World Report list Yucca Valley, CA as one of the top 10

Fritz Koenig of CA 11:07AM June 04, 2009