Moving to sunnier climes is a goal of many retirees or soon-to-be retirees, especially those who live in the northern hemisphere. Shoveling snow gets old real fast as you age.
Yet even amongst those who have mild winters, looking for a region of the country that has year-round sunshine, even if it isn’t always warm, allows you to beat back those winter blues.
This was brought to mind by a Redditor’s post on the r/retirementtips subreddit. She and her husband were retiring and looking to move to the western half of the country where they could enjoy sunny days, lots of trees, and still be affordable and offer quality healthcare. Desert conditions, however, were off-limits.
Because they were really only familiar with areas north of Denver and Sacramento, they were seeking out advice on other areas to consider.
24/7 Wall St. Key Points:
- Shaking off the chill of winter to find a warmer climate to move to is the goal of many planning for retirement.
- Yet finding a new place to live in retirement is a deeply personal decision. There are, however, tools available to narrow down your list if advice from friends and others doesn’t meet your needs.
- Also: Want to find your own affordable city with year-round sunshine? (Sponsored)
Thoughtful, but not helpful
Although Reddit has a reputation for being something of an old wild west town, many of its subreddit communities are actually quite helpful and thoughtful. In this instance, while many of the recommendations were for the Redditor to check out small cities in southern California, such as Fallbrook, Torrance, and Lomita, they didn’t seem to meet the criteria of affordability. Southern California tends to be more expensive than the northern half of the state, though all of California is pretty expensive.
According to RentCafe, the cost of living in the Golden State is 38% higher than the national average with housing costs almost double.
Other recommendations included states on the east coast or southeast, like Florida. They may have many of the attributes the Redditor was looking for, except they were not in the west. Below are some of my recommendations based on the Redditor’s criteria.
Flagstaff, Arizona
Arizona has the distinction of being the only state to touch all four deserts in the U.S.: the Sonoran, the Mohave, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin. While you might not want to live in Phoenix because of its desert-like environment, Flagstaff might be more amenable because it also has mountains, plains, and forests (it is one of the greenest cities in Arizona) with four different seasons. Its elevation also gives it a cooler, more temperate climate with significant snow in winter, but plenty of sun year-round. The cost of living in Arizona is only 6% higher than the national average, making it still an affordable place to move.
Bend, Oregon
Oregon is a higher cost-of-living state with expenses 10% higher than the national average, but Bend, OR is relatively more affordable than coastal cities like Portland, with a median home price that’s reasonable for those looking to retire. The city also enjoys around 300 days of sunshine annually, with a climate that includes mild winters and warm summers, but not as hot as desert areas. With the Deschutes National Forest nearby, Bend has an abundance of trees and nature, offering numerous outdoor activities from hiking to skiing.
Eugene, OR, might fill the bill, too. Its nickname is the Emerald City due to its green landscapes, and it might be perfect for those who love trees, considering the city’s proximity to the Willamette National Forest.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe might seem a surprising choice since New Mexico has a desert image due to the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America. However, Santa Fe sports a high-desert climate, but with trees and a distinct, non-desert landscape. It is also sunny year-round with mild winters and has many affordable housing options compared to many nearby cities. The cost of living in New Mexico is also 5% lower than the national average.
Key takeaways
The choice of where to live is a really personal decision, no matter how many flattering suggestions you get from others about cities you may want to move to. Only you can decide what best meets your needs.
There are also tools you can use on real estate websites such as Realtor.com and Zillow. Using their map features, you can add filters for many of the criteria you seek to zero in on a region you just might end up calling home.
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