where should my mother retire to?
July 18, 2010 7:40 PM Subscribe
I'm trying to help my mom pick a new city to move to, with various specific criteria ...
Mom retired a few years ago and moved to Chattanooga Tn to help care for my ailing grandmother. She grew up in Chattanooga and has never really liked it (too hot, not enough rain for gardening, not liberal enough, not many cultural classes/events). Now, with my grandmother's death, mom is seeking a new place to set down roots and live the rest of her life. I'm planning to me moving around internationally for the next ??? years, so proximity to me (the only child) isn't an issue.
She wants somewhere:
--liberal
--stuff to do (classical music concerts, classes, art galleries)
--not too hot (summer in the low 80s max) or too cold (she doesn't like snow) and good for flower gardening (I'd say no farther north than Pennsylvania)
--not terribly expensive
--no huge cities
--easy to meet people (she's shy)
My ideas to check out so far are Asheville, NC and Eugene, OR. Please help me think of a few other nice places!
Mom retired a few years ago and moved to Chattanooga Tn to help care for my ailing grandmother. She grew up in Chattanooga and has never really liked it (too hot, not enough rain for gardening, not liberal enough, not many cultural classes/events). Now, with my grandmother's death, mom is seeking a new place to set down roots and live the rest of her life. I'm planning to me moving around internationally for the next ??? years, so proximity to me (the only child) isn't an issue.
She wants somewhere:
--liberal
--stuff to do (classical music concerts, classes, art galleries)
--not too hot (summer in the low 80s max) or too cold (she doesn't like snow) and good for flower gardening (I'd say no farther north than Pennsylvania)
--not terribly expensive
--no huge cities
--easy to meet people (she's shy)
My ideas to check out so far are Asheville, NC and Eugene, OR. Please help me think of a few other nice places!
Eugene is one of my favorite cities, and meets all criteria you mention. Winters can be grey for weeks on end, which some find depressing. Monmouth/Dallas/Independence (OR) just west of Salem and Silverton, just east of Salem, are also good bets, and are small towns rather than cities, but situated geographically to easily take advantage of cultural activities from Eugene to Portland, an have much locally as well.
Another city to consider is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Can be chilly in winter ... but it's very cultural and unique. Would recommend at least some research on the area. High elevation (7000ft) so some health issues would rule this one out.
posted by batikrose at 8:06 PM on July 18, 2010
Another city to consider is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Can be chilly in winter ... but it's very cultural and unique. Would recommend at least some research on the area. High elevation (7000ft) so some health issues would rule this one out.
posted by batikrose at 8:06 PM on July 18, 2010
Summer in the low 80s + no snow limits you a bit. I think the pacific NW is a good possibility. How about Victoria, BC? (I was about to suggest Vancouver, but that's probably too big a city.) Also Boulder, Colorado, though snow could be a problem, but I think it fits your other criteria. Another suggestion is Santa Cruz. Oh, and perhaps Charlottesville, VA?
I think you're on the right track with Asheville, too.
Also some ideas may show up here -- some similar criteria, and some discussion of Asheville & Eugene.
posted by hansbrough at 8:12 PM on July 18, 2010
I think you're on the right track with Asheville, too.
Also some ideas may show up here -- some similar criteria, and some discussion of Asheville & Eugene.
posted by hansbrough at 8:12 PM on July 18, 2010
Having lived in Vancouver, B.C. it's one of the most beautiful cities on earth, and Victoria would definitely fit the bill here, even moreso perhaps, but there is that whole pesky immigration issue to move to Canada (yes, even from the U.S.) unless your mother already has dual citizenship (which sounds unlikely). Definitely would add these as places to visit, though.
posted by batikrose at 8:30 PM on July 18, 2010
posted by batikrose at 8:30 PM on July 18, 2010
I also read your list and immediately thought Vancouver, BC as well... before I got to the big city thing. But it's Canada... we're nice. And you can definitely find suburbs that give you a small town feel, but still within commuting distance to all of Vancouver has to offer. Something like Port Moody might fit, for example. White Rock is also known to be very, well... senior friendly. (So is Victoria, BC, btw) There are always senior-oriented events in which she could meet people. But the pricing might be too much, I don't know.
Is she limited to the US?
posted by cgg at 8:37 PM on July 18, 2010
Is she limited to the US?
posted by cgg at 8:37 PM on July 18, 2010
Look for an affordable town on the California Coast. Generally, the further north, the more liberal.
posted by salvia at 8:40 PM on July 18, 2010
posted by salvia at 8:40 PM on July 18, 2010
As a Eugenian, I'd say it meets your criteria nicely. We do however get many days per summer that are in the mid 80s up to near 100. I'd wager on 10-15 days in the high 80's or 90's.
It also seems like we are getting more of these each year. Highest temp recorded this year is 98. I think we hit 105 last summer- a notoriously hot one.
posted by jz at 9:03 PM on July 18, 2010
It also seems like we are getting more of these each year. Highest temp recorded this year is 98. I think we hit 105 last summer- a notoriously hot one.
posted by jz at 9:03 PM on July 18, 2010
Seattle, WA; Portland, OR or their suburbs (if you want a lot of cultural stuff, it usually requires being in a city or near one)
posted by MsKim at 9:14 PM on July 18, 2010
posted by MsKim at 9:14 PM on July 18, 2010
Seconding Charlottesville. It's all those things -- Liberal (college town!), lots of stuff to do, drop-dead-gorgeous surroundings, and a fairly mild climate for the latitude.
Of course, a move to the west coast might be a good thing for her too, if she's looking for new experiences.
posted by schmod at 9:15 PM on July 18, 2010
Of course, a move to the west coast might be a good thing for her too, if she's looking for new experiences.
posted by schmod at 9:15 PM on July 18, 2010
Temperatures between 40 and 80 are a mediterranian climate, which limits you to southern coastal california - see the med map, which doesn't give you a big pool to choose from. The temperate zone climate means more choices more in line with the cities you've mentioned - they're in the yellow zone. You could correlate lists of the most livable cities with that map.
Err, Little Rock? It ranks highly on liveable cities lists, is in the zone, and makes lists for very affordable houses too. I no longer live in the US and am unclear on the politics, though.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:15 PM on July 18, 2010
Err, Little Rock? It ranks highly on liveable cities lists, is in the zone, and makes lists for very affordable houses too. I no longer live in the US and am unclear on the politics, though.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:15 PM on July 18, 2010
Portland, OR.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:46 PM on July 18, 2010
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:46 PM on July 18, 2010
My mother-in-law and her partner retired to Eugene about 6 years ago. They didn't know anyone when they moved there, but they now keep busy with a good-sized group of friends. They do frequent walks, check out local cultural events, and later this month are doing a beach house rental with some of the folks they met up there.
posted by mogget at 9:56 PM on July 18, 2010
posted by mogget at 9:56 PM on July 18, 2010
Okay, the climate criteria pretty much limits her to the maritime Pacific Northwest. But she doesn't want a big city, so Seattle and Vancouver are out. But half way between lies: Bellingham, Washington. (Full disclosure: I live in Bellingham and love it)
Liberal: It's a rural county, so there's plenty of conservatives around, but the town itself is full of card carrying liberals, anarchists, and aging hippies as well as snowboarders, goths, and assorted unusual types. We are an official Transition town, which means we are actively building sustainability and community strengths for whatever kind of economic/climate/who knows what collapse that may be on the way.
Western Washington University is here, with many classes and series and speakers. Every summer the Bellingham Festival of Music brings international artists for a classical music binge. There is an amazing amount of live music in town, all the time.
Whenever the temperature hits 85 the paper publishes front page warnings about the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Whenever we get an inch of snow everything stops until it melts. We do usually have a few hot days, and some snow every year, but "gentle" is the best word to describe the weather. It's dry during the summer, but with a little watering gardening can be astonishing. Dahlias? Peonies? Tulips? Gorgeous. In fact, I can't think of any ornamental that doesn't do well.
We overbuilt during the housing bubble, so rentals especially are reasonable. Our electricity and gas are cheap, and we rarely need lots of it. We're close to a lot of farmers, so fresh organic food is easy to come by and not insanely expensive. Gas is higher than some places, but we're a small town, so you don't need much. In any given two block area there's at least one second hand or consignment store -- and one coffee shop or kiosk.
The Down Side: "Maritime" means "frequent gray skies." We don't get that much rain, but we don't get all that much sun, either. In the summer we have light from 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. -- one of the reasons the gardens grow so well. In the winter we have light from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is hard, even for natives. Perhaps January would be a good time for her to visit you somewhere internationally.
Museums, professional theater, major authors, small interesting movies -- all those are available in Seattle, which is an hour and a half drive away. They are not available in Bellingham. Many of us make the trip regularly, but it's not just around the corner. We used to go to Vancouver, which is closer, but the border situation is so nasty and so erratic that we go north less and less.
As for friendly, well .... there's a large percentage of people who moved here from somewhere else, there are many, many organizations and non-profits and churches of all sorts and different ways to meet people. I know the names of almost everyone on my block. Depends on how shy she is, really.
If you want more (ha!) email me. Also any specific questions. Moving's hard; good luck to her.
posted by kestralwing at 10:21 PM on July 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Liberal: It's a rural county, so there's plenty of conservatives around, but the town itself is full of card carrying liberals, anarchists, and aging hippies as well as snowboarders, goths, and assorted unusual types. We are an official Transition town, which means we are actively building sustainability and community strengths for whatever kind of economic/climate/who knows what collapse that may be on the way.
Western Washington University is here, with many classes and series and speakers. Every summer the Bellingham Festival of Music brings international artists for a classical music binge. There is an amazing amount of live music in town, all the time.
Whenever the temperature hits 85 the paper publishes front page warnings about the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Whenever we get an inch of snow everything stops until it melts. We do usually have a few hot days, and some snow every year, but "gentle" is the best word to describe the weather. It's dry during the summer, but with a little watering gardening can be astonishing. Dahlias? Peonies? Tulips? Gorgeous. In fact, I can't think of any ornamental that doesn't do well.
We overbuilt during the housing bubble, so rentals especially are reasonable. Our electricity and gas are cheap, and we rarely need lots of it. We're close to a lot of farmers, so fresh organic food is easy to come by and not insanely expensive. Gas is higher than some places, but we're a small town, so you don't need much. In any given two block area there's at least one second hand or consignment store -- and one coffee shop or kiosk.
The Down Side: "Maritime" means "frequent gray skies." We don't get that much rain, but we don't get all that much sun, either. In the summer we have light from 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. -- one of the reasons the gardens grow so well. In the winter we have light from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is hard, even for natives. Perhaps January would be a good time for her to visit you somewhere internationally.
Museums, professional theater, major authors, small interesting movies -- all those are available in Seattle, which is an hour and a half drive away. They are not available in Bellingham. Many of us make the trip regularly, but it's not just around the corner. We used to go to Vancouver, which is closer, but the border situation is so nasty and so erratic that we go north less and less.
As for friendly, well .... there's a large percentage of people who moved here from somewhere else, there are many, many organizations and non-profits and churches of all sorts and different ways to meet people. I know the names of almost everyone on my block. Depends on how shy she is, really.
If you want more (ha!) email me. Also any specific questions. Moving's hard; good luck to her.
posted by kestralwing at 10:21 PM on July 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, Nashville, D.C., Athens GA...
posted by wild like kudzu at 11:33 PM on July 18, 2010
posted by wild like kudzu at 11:33 PM on July 18, 2010
Portland, ME. More interesting things to do (per capita) than most other American cities! And yes, I did just make that up, but it feels accurate. Lotsa' scientists up here, too!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:13 AM on July 19, 2010
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:13 AM on July 19, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks so much everyone for your suggestions!
posted by mkuhnell at 6:07 AM on July 19, 2010
posted by mkuhnell at 6:07 AM on July 19, 2010
As someone who grew up in Charlottesville and spent countless hours playing outside, it falls outside of the low 80's max for summer temperature. During the summer, mid to upper 80s is at least the norm, with temperatures not rarely going up into the 90's and sometimes reaching near a 100 or so. My parents, who still live there, have been suffering through an extended heat wave that's been generally in the 90's for more than a month or so. This and not even taking into account the humidity which makes hot weather...feel hotter!
Charlottesville is not a place to spend outside on summer days if you can't handle heat and humidity.
Per snow, over the last few years, after being something rare, C'ville has received one or two really deep snows (for C'ville) during the winter. That said, winter days generally range in the 30s and 40's. Charlottesville may be a little bit more north than Chattanooga, but the OP's mom will not be escaping pretty much the same type of weather.
The problem here is the temperature. Much of the US is going to have hot summers that exceed low 80's.
Besides the temperature, C'ville is a generally wonderful place to live - which is why thousands upon thousands have flocked to it and the surrounding area over the last decade or more. Traffic is a bit more of a problem these days and is probably my biggest gripe with the town when I go home to visit. Cost of living has also gone up and many who do not have well paying jobs have resorted to moving out of the county to where its a bit easier to live.
posted by Atreides at 6:15 AM on July 19, 2010
Charlottesville is not a place to spend outside on summer days if you can't handle heat and humidity.
Per snow, over the last few years, after being something rare, C'ville has received one or two really deep snows (for C'ville) during the winter. That said, winter days generally range in the 30s and 40's. Charlottesville may be a little bit more north than Chattanooga, but the OP's mom will not be escaping pretty much the same type of weather.
The problem here is the temperature. Much of the US is going to have hot summers that exceed low 80's.
Besides the temperature, C'ville is a generally wonderful place to live - which is why thousands upon thousands have flocked to it and the surrounding area over the last decade or more. Traffic is a bit more of a problem these days and is probably my biggest gripe with the town when I go home to visit. Cost of living has also gone up and many who do not have well paying jobs have resorted to moving out of the county to where its a bit easier to live.
posted by Atreides at 6:15 AM on July 19, 2010
Santa Cruz, California. Though she'll have to water her garden in summer.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:29 AM on July 19, 2010
posted by oneirodynia at 9:29 AM on July 19, 2010
Yeah, being from Maine myself, I was going to suggest the Portland area initially, but then the climate restrictions through me off.
Portland can be very cold in some winters and really, really nice in other winters. I'm just back from a two week vacation visiting the folks, and revisiting this question now, I think it really fits the bill minus the snow bit. The summers would be just right for her, and there's lots of stuff right in town to do both indoors and outdoors.
I recommend she visit it and see what she thinks.
posted by zizzle at 9:39 AM on July 19, 2010
Portland can be very cold in some winters and really, really nice in other winters. I'm just back from a two week vacation visiting the folks, and revisiting this question now, I think it really fits the bill minus the snow bit. The summers would be just right for her, and there's lots of stuff right in town to do both indoors and outdoors.
I recommend she visit it and see what she thinks.
posted by zizzle at 9:39 AM on July 19, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pickypicky at 8:06 PM on July 18, 2010