We will probably be leaving for SF 07 early in the week. We will stop in Delaware to see my Brother In Law and then continue on to Virginia.

We have been looking at different areas from Delaware to the southern end of NC. to see if we find an area we might like to eventually call home when we are ready to retire.

If anyone has suggestions for areas we might want to see, or just interesting sights we should go to in VA, please post them.

Thanks in advance.

 

Well, I'm a big fan of Eastern NC, specifically the New Bern area, but that's because I grew up down there. It is on two rivers (the Trent and the Neuse) and is close to the bay and the ocean. Not sure what kind of lifestyle you are looking for. It's pretty laid back. Wilmington, farther south, is a nice town, too. Do you want water or mountains? If mountains, then you want to head over toward Boone. Charlottesville, just north of Wintergreen, is a nice university town, so has more cultural activities.

 

I'll give it some thought, Poks. You'll be in one of the more beautiful areas of Va up in Wintergreen which is growing rapidly and developing a bit of cultural scene. It is convenient to the interstate and Charlottesville is only about 30 minutes away. Charlottesville is lovely, but is one of the more expensive places to live in Virginia (real estate-wise). It does have wayyyyy more to offer in the way of restaurants, activities, etc. than my area and to do some of the things we want to do, we drive up to Ch'ville. Lynchburg is a very inexpensive place to live and housing is easy to find and low in price. You can buy a 3 to 4,000 sq. ft. house for less than $400k, but lacks a lot of the social/cultural things that you may want and flying in/out of here is a nightmare. To get good flights we either have to drive to DC or Raleigh/Durham since our airport is very small and only offers jet service to Atlanta for connections. Otherwise you have to fly out in a puddle jumper to make connections.
If I were looking for a nice area in which to retire, I'd probably choose Chapel Hill, NC. It is GORGEOUS, has great shopping, cultural activities, etc. and very moderate weather.

 

Thanks,

One of the things I like about the NorthEast where I live now is the variety. Here is what I currently have:

- a couple of miles from the Hudson River
- 15 miles to the Shawgunk Mountains, 30 minutes or so to the Catskills
- 90 minute ride on commuter train (Metro North) to NYC
- a bit over 3 hours to Boston
- Land is not flat

BUT, I hate winter.

I prefer beaches to mountains. I also like cultural activities. I will even go to local plays (sometimes High School or local companies). I prefer towns and villages where I can sit in an outdoor cafe over camping and the wilderness.

I like diversity. There is a town near mine, New Paltz, I really like it there because there is a large State Univ. and you get a mix of students and professors.

Wilmington, NC looks like it is really coming around and we really did like the Brunswick area as well as Wrightsville Beach.

 

I'm in Northport, Long Island now, flew in this morning for business. I live in Williamsburg, Va. and have been there since '79. William and Mary College is located there as you probably know. Nice area, has most everything. Now the best town I have visited in N.C. is Edenton. It is a small town, but just beautiful. Located on the NW end of the Albemarle Sound. Just beautiful. Good luck.

 

[QUOTE=PokS2k,Feb 20 2007, 03:41 PM] ......BUT, I hate winter.

I prefer beaches to mountains.

 

Jim, I was going through the same process myself. I recently decided that I would stay in the Northeast and rent a place for a month or two every winter after I retire. The advantages are to avoid the cost of two homes, stay here in the Northeast during the good/decent weather, go somewhere warm in the winter and visit a new part of the country, or maybe a new country, every year.

 

^ Your idea does seem like the best of both worlds. I really love where we live now and moving to NC is a long way off. I would do something like that before we moved there, to ensure we don't get bored.

 

[QUOTE=Legal Bill,Feb 20 2007, 10:36 PM] Jim, I was going through the same process myself.

 

Thanks everyone. I certainly don't want to rush this decision.

Bill, my problem with my current area is that while I think the NorthEast has alot to offer (you can drive 3 hours in any direction and you are in a totally different atmosphere), I think the taxes will kill us.

Right now I am paying NYS Income tax (I think one of the highest in the country) and my property taxes (including school) will be somewhere around $10K and have almost doubled during the past 10 years. In Delaware there is no State Income Tax and the property taxes are about 20% what I'm paying now for a new home. In NC, the taxes are much lower too.

Elaine actually thought about something like what you described, but we would still be paying high taxes.