Retirement relocation suggestions for Anglophiles, please!

[ship4u]

Now retired, my wife and I are looking to relocate. We both love the English countryside, the Coltswolds in particular, with its rolling hills and small towns and beautiful scenery. Originally from Maryland, we moved to northern Ohio over 25 years ago and live in a Tudor Revival home with a lot of character and craftsmanship. We would like to move somewhere more scenic but not too far from a friendly town with groceries and essentials. Healthcare is also a consideration now that we are older.
Eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina have been a focus, but we are wide open to suggestions. We would also like to be somewhere a bit upscale where people keep politics to themselves and enjoy the simple life. I enjoy woodworking and my wife is an artist who loves gardening, A bit of privacy is important so I don't disturb neighbors.
I am looking forward to any and all comments from this great group!
Thanks,
Don

[hoover]

If I may make a suggestion, you may also want to take into account how the area acquires its taxes. For instance, states with no income tax like mine lean very heavily on property taxes. After the homestead exemption is taken into account, you may find yourself paying $5K/year on a median $335K house or $14K/year on a $600K house; the rate and exemptions depend on which of the multiple taxing entities you fall into. Since you're retired, you may be more interested in some place that takes its taxes out of income rather than property.

Also climate. You say you're in northern Ohio, which I imagine probably has cold snowy/slushy winters and pleasant summers. Where I live, it almost never gets below freezing, but this year our high temperature for February alone ranged from 27 to 82, and August was in the upper 90s with humidity between 85 and 100%. We also have two-inch flying cockroaches, and that's not just a Texas tall tale.

Also crime, which seems to be up everywhere as many people seem to have gone feral and forgotten how to live in a polite society.

[ship4u]

If I may make a suggestion, you may also want to take into account how the area acquires its taxes. For instance, states with no income tax like mine lean very heavily on property taxes. After the homestead exemption is taken into account, you may find yourself paying $5K/year on a median $335K house or $14K/year on a $600K house; the rate and exemptions depend on which of the multiple taxing entities you fall into. Since you're retired, you may be more interested in some place that takes its taxes out of income rather than property.

Also climate. You say you're in northern Ohio, which I imagine probably has cold snowy/slushy winters and pleasant summers. Where I live, it almost never gets below freezing, but this year our high temperature for February alone ranged from 27 to 82, and August was in the upper 90s with humidity between 85 and 100%. We also have two-inch flying cockroaches, and that's not just a Texas tall tale.

Also crime, which seems to be up everywhere as many people seem to have gone feral and forgotten how to live in a polite society.

I agree with all of your points. Property taxes are a big consideration and one of the negatives of where we live now. Climate is a consideration as we are quite tired of the snow and dreary winters here. It appears that the trade off is to accept hot and humid summers by moving more south, but hopefully a more rural area with trees and near foothills might be more tolerable than the asphalt city.

I earned my PH.D. in Mississippi and received first hand experience with those disgusting flying cockroaches that enter the house through the pine trees.

Crime is also an important consideration. It is very safe where we live now and the police will show up for any disturbance including a barking dog.

So, with all of that said, where should we go???

[ky-mike]

https://money.com/best-places-to-retire ... with_money

Franklin Tennessee sounds nice. On this list for at least the second straight year.

[ship4u]

https://money.com/best-places-to-retire ... with_money

Franklin Tennessee sounds nice. On this list for at least the second straight year.

Great article! Thanks!

[BarbaraK]

Here's one you can customize to your priorities:

https://www.marketwatch.com/graphics/be ... retirement

[FrankieHeck]

https://money.com/best-places-to-retire ... with_money

Franklin Tennessee sounds nice. On this list for at least the second straight year.

Funny...just last night my son (who is very into certain teas) was raving about a tea shop in Franklin called Music City Tea.

[HeadinHome]

For proximity to an international airport (since you like traveling to UK!), temperate climate, and some of the best medical care on the east coast (Duke, UNC), I'd say the triangle area of NC is a top choice! A place like Fearrington or other outskirt towns, outside of the main commuter routes.

We are in Charlotte and have similar amenities, but the property values here are going nuts (good for us, not so much for those coming in). Just across the river/state line in Rock Hill or Fort Mill (SC) is an option (lower taxes... but the typical road issues that come with growing bedroom communities!). Those locations have easy access to the airport and 30 minutes to all Charlotte has to offer.

Both of these areas (Charlotte or Triangle) are also within 3 hours of some of the best beaches on the east coast, and also the gorgeous NC mountains & mtn. towns.

[ky-mike]

Another set of data points if you want to understand the tax picture of various states.

https://www.kiplinger.com/kiplinger-too ... /index.php

[ship4u]

For proximity to an international airport (since you like traveling to UK!), temperate climate, and some of the best medical care on the east coast (Duke, UNC), I'd say the triangle area of NC is a top choice! A place like Fearrington or other outskirt towns, outside of the main commuter routes.

We are in Charlotte and have similar amenities, but the property values here are going nuts (good for us, not so much for those coming in). Just across the river/state line in Rock Hill or Fort Mill (SC) is an option (lower taxes... but the typical road issues that come with growing bedroom communities!). Those locations have easy access to the airport and 30 minutes to all Charlotte has to offer.

Both of these areas (Charlotte or Triangle) are also within 3 hours of some of the best beaches on the east coast, and also the gorgeous NC mountains & mtn. towns.

Thank you for your thoughts. We looked at the areas near Asheville, but it appears that everyone is moving there and property prices are soaring.
I knew that you lived in NC and hoped you might offer some insight. We prefer rolling hills rather than beach.
Thanks!

[SReh26]

The weather in the UK could also be taken into account. Northern Europe has very Northern European weather, they are quite higher than us in latitude on the map there.

[ship4u]

The weather in the UK could also be taken into account. Northern Europe has very Northern European weather, they are quite higher than us in latitude on the map there.

The warm North Atlantic Drift affects the UK to keep the weather somewhat moderate, meaning they don't seem to have the extreme highs and lows that we have here. People in Europe feel that the weather in the UK is pretty dreadful, but it never seemed that bad to me.
Thanks for your input!

[vandono]

My wife, our 401ks and I are not quite ready to retire yet, but with the last little tyke finishing up high school in a couple years we have started talking about it. She's tired of the north Texas heat but she's also not interested in long snowy winters. (She got enough of that growing up as her dad was stationed for a while in more northern cities.) That rules out the Colorado Springs and Denver areas ,which I love and where I long thought I might end up.

If we move at all (depends a bit on where all the kids end up), we're hoping to find a place with 4 reasonable seasons, low cost of living, low crime, great healthcare, natural beauty, great restaurants and entertainment, easy access to a major airport... you know, absolutely no trade-offs. If you find this place, please let me know.

A former employer opened a site in the Raleigh-Durham area (somewhere up near HeadinHome, I'm guessing) and colleagues who moved there absolutely love it, so that's been a place I've considered. They have all the seasons, I'm told. I'm a little worried about the cost of living.

Recently a job posting popped up on my job posting radar with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN. I'm just an IT guy - not a research scientist or anything cool - but from high school I always thought it would be interesting to work at one of the national labs. So I did some research on Oak Ridge and it looks like it might be worth checking out as a place to work and then retire.

I hear most people from the UK retire to Spain, so there's that.

I wish you both luck and would love to hear what you learn as you look for the right place.

[CPJohnson]

Now retired, my wife and I are looking to relocate. We both love the English countryside, the Coltswolds in particular, with its rolling hills and small towns and beautiful scenery. Originally from Maryland, we moved to northern Ohio over 25 years ago and live in a Tudor Revival home with a lot of character and craftsmanship. We would like to move somewhere more scenic but not too far from a friendly town with groceries and essentials. Healthcare is also a consideration now that we are older.
Eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina have been a focus, but we are wide open to suggestions. We would also like to be somewhere a bit upscale where people keep politics to themselves and enjoy the simple life. I enjoy woodworking and my wife is an artist who loves gardening, A bit of privacy is important so I don't disturb neighbors.
I am looking forward to any and all comments from this great group!
Thanks,
Don

Hi, Don and Cynthia,

I am just now seeing your post asking for retirement location suggestions. Have you made a decision yet? If not, here are my comments, based on what the others have said:

Tennessee has no state income tax, low cost of living (utilities, property taxes, etc.), and 4 seasons. It is more expensive to live in the Nashville area because many businesses are relocating to be there, and it is the country music hub. But many people live in the surrounding communities and are well satisfied. We have friends who retired to Franklin to be near their daughter, and they love it. I am in the mountains of East Tennessee. Many people move here to one of many small communities near Nashville or Knoxville, so the drive to an airport is not too far. You can get more house for your buck if you are not too near the city. Oak Ridge is a sweet spot for many.

I would also recommend Asheville. We go there for a weekend getaway every now and then; I have friends who retired there from Alabama. They are in an Episcopal retirement community and love the area. Medical facilities are excellent.

My daughter lives in Spain (she went there on a temporary assignment in late 2019 and is still there), in Barcelona. While Spain has much to recommend it, I don't think right now is a good time to go there, or anywhere in Europe. The heat wave has been merciless lately. Last week, the Spanish government mandated temperature restrictions. Here is the Euronews article I read:
https://www.euronews.com/2022/08/02/con ... -below-27c

Because of the war in Ukraine, they anticipate fuel shortages this winter, so in Spain, you will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The temperature restrictions apply only to businesses and government/public places, but they recommend the restricted settings for all homes/apartments, too.

One more comment about living in beautiful but remote locations. Some years ago, my husband was at a business gathering at Reynolds Plantation, in north Georgia. It was beautiful, well-appointed, and had many available lots and houses/condos. But, you had to drive almost an hour to get to a normal grocery store or the doctor or a mechanic, and when a man in their group had a heart event at dinner, it took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.

Hope you find the perfect spot!

[HeadinHome]

For proximity to an international airport (since you like traveling to UK!), temperate climate, and some of the best medical care on the east coast (Duke, UNC), I'd say the triangle area of NC is a top choice! A place like Fearrington or other outskirt towns, outside of the main commuter routes.

We are in Charlotte and have similar amenities, but the property values here are going nuts (good for us, not so much for those coming in). Just across the river/state line in Rock Hill or Fort Mill (SC) is an option (lower taxes... but the typical road issues that come with growing bedroom communities!). Those locations have easy access to the airport and 30 minutes to all Charlotte has to offer.

Both of these areas (Charlotte or Triangle) are also within 3 hours of some of the best beaches on the east coast, and also the gorgeous NC mountains & mtn. towns.

Thank you for your thoughts. We looked at the areas near Asheville, but it appears that everyone is moving there and property prices are soaring.
I knew that you lived in NC and hoped you might offer some insight. We prefer rolling hills rather than beach.
Thanks!

Weaverville, 20 mins. north of Asheville, would be worth a look! We recently drove the road out of Weaverville toward Vance birthplace, and my oh my how lovely (and more affordable than in-town).