The Yellow Board

Retirement Questions

Posted by Old dude on 5/15/2022, 2:04 pm

Considering cost of living,climate, and activities an old musician would enjoy, where's the best place to retire in Texas? In the United States?

Re: Retirement Questions

Posted by Out sooner on 5/31/2022, 1:36 pm, in reply to "Retirement Questions "

For several years running Harlingen Texas has been listed as the cheapest place in the United States to live. Your money goes a long way there. Quality of life issues will need to be researched in a separate thread.

Re: Retirement Questions

Posted by Gaga on 5/16/2022, 1:29 pm, in reply to "Retirement Questions "

For various reasons, a lot of retired band directors move to Granbury. They like the lake, lots of good doctors, most of the big box stores as well as small businesses for shopping, and only 30 miles out of Fort Worth. For a small town, it is very supportive of the arts, with quite a number of music venues, and several of us retired directors play in the Granbury Community Band. I live in the country, so I don't know much about housing costs, but those are high everywhere right now.

Re: Retirement Questions

Posted by Look for these things... on 5/16/2022, 8:36 am, in reply to "Retirement Questions "

First and foremost: Is it a safe area to live in?

Your location should have these relatively close by:

Grocery Store
Pharmacy
Urgent Care Center
Hospital
Other medical locations such as your primary care physician and any specialists you need to see regularly.

Living far away (long driving distances) from the above and any other basic needs will adversely impact you no matter where you decide to live (think high gas prices and traffic).

Next, check out the cost of renting an apartment (including frequent rising rates). If you purchase a home, in addition to the usual inspections, insurance, etc. check out the tax rate, even if you are "frozen" at the 65 and over rate. Property taxes are a big issue since the rate is determined by the "market value" which everyone knows is skyrocketing.

No matter what area of this state, or any state, you choose to settle down in, if the above is not considered you could possibly be dealing with huge inconveniences or be financially burdened.

Best of luck to you in your search!

Re: Retirement Questions

Posted by Disagree on 5/17/2022, 8:16 am, in reply to "Re: Retirement Questions "

Close to those things might mean constant noise and traffic and congestion.

For me, 30 minutes from a quality hospital is plenty close enough, (unless there are serious issues that require you to be constantly near an ER).

Organizing your trips into town mean you can do all of those things without doing them daily or placing a burden on your budget. Same for the home owning. Assuming the retiree already has equity in a home there is no reason to not purchase. Renting for 30 years with nothing in return is throwing money away. At least if you own or are paying a mortgage there is something to leave to others when you are gone.

As far as activities to the OP - what are your preferences? Golf, fishing, gigging, listening at wineries and breweries or a concert going kinda listener all play into which part of the state you live in. And seasons. Do you like summer or do you like all 4 seasons? Of course, as a retiree you can also go find those things with your home attached to the back of your truck because you don't have anywhere to be except where you want to be.

For me, I can't wait to retire on about 100 acres buried in the hills and trees of Central or North Texas. Unless I end up East in the Tennessee hills.

Re: Retirement Questions

Posted by OP Activities on 5/17/2022, 7:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Retirement Questions "

As to my activities I enjoy cycling, hiking, RVing, and community bands. Climate wise I like escaping the heat of the Summer and the cold of the winter. Spending a month in the Rio Grande in January and a few weeks in the Rockies in August remedies the Texas climate issue. As many others have discovered having a "Second Home" to pull behind your truck is a nice option. I suppose there is no ideal place to retire to in Texas, at least climate wise.

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