Starting to think about where to move for retirement . . . .

JEPI is a good hedge against the market slides.

Durango always struck me as a cool, laid back place great for doing outdoorsy stuff. But I think the remoteness of it in terms of a major airport and good medical facilities means it will be a nice place to visit, but not settle down and retire. New Mexico is not even on the radar screen, although Sante Fe sounds like a cool place.

Good to know! Thanks.

What about Charleston SC ??

Northwest Arkansas. Bentonville/Fayetteville area

My wife & I are considering moving to SC after we retire in about 7-8 years. We are planning to visit Conway, SC / Myrtle beach area to start & work our way down the coast. You recommend Charleston?

Charlotte is not known for it's Nordic ski community, so not an option.

Given that you've really contributed nothing of value to the conversation, I'm going to block you. Lesson learned: There's always one bad apple.

To everyone else: thank you for your ideas. They have actually been quite helpful.

We own land in northern Idaho that we are considering building on when we retire. It checks all of the boxes for you, it sounds like. Spokane International Airport is 30 to 60 minutes from several small towns, all of which are close to both Spokane and Coeur d'Alene for medical care. Farragut State Park and 4th of July Pass are a couple of nordic skiing areas that I am aware of. There are four alpine ski resorts as well within about an hour or less from many of the towns in that vicinity. The area east of Coeur d'Alene (Silver Valley) has a 73 mile paved bike path and there are many mountain biking trails as well. There is plenty to do within an hour in every direction but, there are also epic places to visit within a 3 to 6 hour drive in Glacier National Park, Banff and the Cascades. With all that, you won't be using the airport; your grandkids will be flying to come visit you (and all that there is to do there)!

You let me know when there’s not a lot of riff raff in Pensacola or Gulf Shores.

If you’re planning on living in Nashville because it’s an easy drive to the beach, you’re better off taking a couple extra hours and flying somewhere decent. Unless, you’re a child who is afraid to fly.

Sioux Falls.

Health care is great. Many good restaurants. Cultural facilities & events. Running & biking trails. Airport makes connections to anywhere through MSP or DEN. Roads are great & driving is easy. Real Estate isn’t unreasonable. If you’re a church-goer, there are some fine choices. No state income tax.

Yes, Winters can be rather unpleasant, but they are not unbearable.

One lesson I learned by observation: my cousin and her husband moved from CT to a beautiful house in spectacular location in the mountains in New Mexico - it seemed perfect. Then, after a little while, they realized none of their friends lived there and that made more of a difference (and perhaps even quite a bit *more* at retirement age) than they realized it would. The ended up moving back to CT. My advice: make sure you've thought that through before you move someplace where you do not have any friends. Are you that great at making new friends even at retirement age (you won't make new friends at work, w/ fellow parents at kid's school, etc.)? If so, fine; if not, think twice...

Haha, yes that is a great point! Let the grand kids come to us! I've been to Spokane for the USATF club nationals, and thought it was a great town. That's actually a great idea.

My wife has a great circle of friends and I think it would be tough for her to lose that connection. I feel like I could find my people wherever I go, and though I would miss my friends I'm not attached to staying here forever.

Smart move. He's more about pumping his own ego than making contribution. Look at him assuming a name that never endorsed him as well as his failure to implement well that coach's method over decades of coaching mediocrity.

Good point. I only need 1-2 friends and usually meet them through running. My wife, OTOH, has a large friend circle, so it would be remiss of me to move her to an isolated location.