Where to retire?

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A.Rifleman

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We are looking for a warmer climate than here in Connecticut during the winter. We also have a place in VT that I would sell first.

I enjoy shooting, hunting and gun shops however at my age I seem to ride around in the car more than walk in the field.

My wife enjoys restaurants so we need to live near some. We live in a suburban town now that's quiet and calm.

Here is our street in CT in the winter. The place in VT has more snow and it's colder.
1000077f.jpg


I don't mind driving now.

How would you find a place?
Where would you go?
 
I recently moved to East TN an it is beautiful. For cities there are Knoxville, Greenville, Cleveland, Johnson city, and morristown. I live closer to Knoxville.

Housing and land prices are pretty great compared to up north. Winters are mild and summers aren't too bad (we did hit 105 this past weekend though).

There aren't as many gun shops or ranges around here as I thought there would be but I think that's probably due to so many people owning land or knowing someone that does.
 
Hate to say, but you've not really narrowed this down much! :)

There are lots of places warmer than CT, with great gun shops and fantastic restaurants -- and far better gun laws than CT.

How far are you willing to move? How much warmer is OK? The deep south is warmer (and generally gun-friendlier) but if you aren't used to the summers you might regret your decision to move.

Are you willing to head west? The southwest and portions of the southern Rocky Mountain states largely have warmer climates, and will be a lot less humid than the deep southeast, but the whole culture is very different than the dense northeast.

The pacific NW has some really good gun culture, and milder weather usually, but how much rain do you like?

Some idea of where you'd be comfortable living will get you a lot better responses.

Ultimately, we need to stick to gun laws, shooting, and RKBA -- and those are the EASY questions! :)
 
Want warmer and drier come to the Front Range of Colorado. Here in Colorado Springs the winters are not too bad, nothing like the picture above. Though it is windy here. That being said Colorado is one of, if not the best sportsman's states in the country. Like to fish? We have you covered. Like to bird hunt? We have that too. Want to hunt big game like Elk or Mule Deer? Oh brother do we have you covered there. Come to Colorful Colorado and retire in the splendor of the Rocky Mountains.

Man I need to send that to the travel board...
 
East TN, Western NC, and N Ga are pretty nice. I live in N. Ga but visit and have family all over the area JerZsquid described. You get some winter and snow, but not like in the NE. Most of the winters are mild. Summers can be pretty hot in July- mid Sept, but things are pretty mild the rest of the year.

I don't know as much about TN hunting, but Ga has it pretty good. Squirrel season runs from Aug 15-Feb 28 with most other small game picking up in November- Feb. Deer archery is Mid Sept-Mid October when rifle season begins and runs through Jan 1 in the northern half of the state and Jan 15 in the south with a 12 deer limit. Waterfowl overlaps and turkey season runs mid March through mid May. June and July are the only 2 months where there is nothing to hunt. Feral hogs and coyote are still an option year round on private property.

GA also has plenty of public land for hunting. I can walk into the woods and walk on trails 35-40 miles in several places and not cross a road while hunting.
 
A.Rifleman, that's a beautiful picture. I used to live in Ct. and I have living memory of snow that deep -- when it WASN'T piled up by a snowplow.
May I ask where in Ct. it is?
I lived in Westport Ct. from @1960-1981 and West Redding after that until 1994. I now live in Alabama and right now we're experiencing a unusual heat wave and it's gets up to about 105°F during the afternoon hours. That is HOT! Even for a 'Bama August.:fire:
We have a couple good places to shoot here and some real good gun laws, atleast compared to what I remember of Connecticut, which IIRC still has its own assault weapon law on the books.
Not trying to twist your arm or anything ...but we would welcome you down here in Dixie.
 
I would be looking for anyplace that scores 0 on the Brady list if I had the need to move again.:D Seriously ANYWHERE you would move will have positives and negatives about it. Just keep the RKBA on the positive side and you will never loose. FWIW the cooler climates keep the transient population away when it gets tough going and a lot of the crime with it or so it seems. FWIW if you were passed out drunk in an alleyway around here in the cooler months with a coat made out of $100 bills the locals would say " he's a light weight he had to stop partying before he ran out of money" and then help you to a coffee shop to sober up and buy you a coffee. No large amount robberies around here like down south has on the news all the time.
 
For a gun friendly, shall issue state = Virginia

Only one I can comment on since I moved here from mass.

I am in southern Viginia, (NC line) near the coast, go further inland you got hills and woods.

No snow to speak of, but the hurricanes can be a pain.
 
Seriously, you might look into an area that's been really hard hit by the economy. Housing would be the cheapest.

One of my friends was looking at a new home in SW Florida. New, never lived in. Four BR, in ground pool, four baths. Originally asking $329,000. He could get it for $140,000.

Las Vegas would be another, if you like hot weather.

Me, I'd probably end up not too far from the four corners area. Not way hot in the summer and not super cold in the winter. New Mexico mountains maybe. If I were 21 starting over, that's where I'd be.
 
If you're not looking for much warmer, come to western washington. We don't usually get much snow, but it's a very temperate climate here. We are notorious for rain, but actually have more days of sun than anywhere else in the US. The nice thing is that the climate doesn't change much from season to season. You may get a little snow for a few days in the winter, and a week of 80+ weather in the summer, but its very mild. I know a lot of military folk who've been to Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) will retire here because they like the climate, and the evergreens are a pleasant sight.

I'm not sure where we are on the brady scale, but I've not had many problems in WA. Open carry legal without permit, concealed carry legal with permit. CWP means you have no waiting period (just 15 minutes) to buy a firearm. No restrictions on magazine capacity like in some other states.

I can't speak to restaraunts, as I'm more a fast food kind of guy (bachelor), but overall I love western washington, and try to leave it as little as humanly possible.
 
Just do like so many others and come to Florida. If you're not out in the field as much anymore, it doesn't sound like wide-open range lands are crucial, but you can still find them inland. In fact, if you don't want to keep running into other New-England retirees, stay inland in the medium-sized towns away from Orlando. Where I live, Okeechobee and Arcadia come to mind. Good healthcare should also be in mind, and we do have it here due to the large populations of both those who need it, and those who are making their livings on that need (upcoming effects of Obamacare notwithstanding.) Hurricanes are annoying, but no more so than a typical Nor'easter you've certainly faced before.

The Brady scale doesn't look on us here with much favor, either, and that's a good thing. Florida is a "shall-issue" CC state. We have lawful OC when involved in hunting/fishing, but general OC is still not permitted. Carry permits are issued by the state, and cost a little over a hundred bucks the first time around. Renewals cost about $65, and come around every seven years. Though OC is still not legal (except under the conditions I mentioned), the "brief" display of a normally-concealed firearm, such as (but not restricted to) when a shirt or coat rides up some, or such as "printing", are not prohibited.

Without a permit, loaded handguns can be carried in a vehicle, as long as they are not on the person, and require a lid or door to be opened to gain access. Gloveboxes, center consoles with lids, and even closed shoe or pizza boxes meet this requirement. Loaded long guns can be carried anywhere in the vehicle, though, if concealed (such as behind a pickup bench seat), they can not also be on the person. With a carry license, though, these vehicle restrictions go away.
Cities, counties, and other local governing bodies are not permitted to pass ordinances more stringent than the restrictions imposed by state law. The officials of those who try can be held personally responsible and subject to fines. The one exception to this is that they may impose up to a three day waiting period on handgun purchases by persons not holding a carry license. In my section of the state, Palm Beach County (which tries to be the "New Jersey" of the peninsula) is the only one to do so. I don't live there anymore, having left in 1991.

Good luck. See you soon..
 
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I now live in Alabama and right now we're experiencing a unusual heat wave and it's gets up to about 105°F during the afternoon hours. That is HOT! Even for a 'Bama August.

Your having a heat wave?! We're having a cold front! yesterday it only got up to 105, and Its down to 85 degrees right now in Mesa AZ! Why the heck am I inside on the computer?

You could come here, in the mountains it's pleasant in AZ in the summer, winters are pretty mild. Gun laws don't get better than ours. It does get scorching hot in the phoenix area though.
 
captain awesome said:
Tommygunn said:
I now live in Alabama and right now we're experiencing a unusual heat wave and it's gets up to about 105°F during the afternoon hours. That is HOT! Even for a 'Bama August.

Your having a heat wave?! We're having a cold front! yesterday it only got up to 105, and Its down to 85 degrees right now in Mesa AZ! Why the heck am I inside on the computer?
:neener:

"To each his own..." :evil::rolleyes:;)
 
We talked it over and want to drive down south this winter and stay at some place and look the areas over.

We would like a water view but know that costs more. On the other hand we don't need to buy some place but maybe just rent.

If we found a place we liked for the winter then I might sell the camp in VT. The hunting up there is not nearly what it was long ago. No deer there now and even no woodchucks.

I used to ski but am too old for that now.
 
At least look at Arkansas. I retired here (laid off, actually) 10 years ago and I wouldn't go back to the big city for ANY reason. It isn't redneck as much as it is country life. To me it feels like the 50's and early 60's when I was a teen. Lots of open land in the west part of the state and even the big cities aren't that big. Medical care is excellent.
Population of the whole state is around 3 million (less than DFW metro area where I moved from). Hunting and fishing is good, and a CCW permit from another state (unless they changed this) can be exchanged for an AR CHL as soon as you have a permanent address and an AR driver's license.
 
I would be looking for anyplace that scores 0 on the Brady list if I had the need to move again.

As the OP is looking to leave the cold behind that leaves AZ.

I'm not sure where we are on the brady scale, but I've not had many problems in WA.

Tied with OR and CO for 15th.
 
Once you've settled on a location I suggest maybe getting furnished apartment and try staying there for 6 months before you pull all your roots out. That could change your opinion of the place.

There are plenty of things that suck where I live but here's where my family and friends are.
 
Florida

I'll second MedWheeler. I still live here (Jacksonville). Just a short trip up A1A is Fernandina Beach. Awesome retirement area. We scored a 3 w/ the Brady thing! Not knowing what your budget is doesn't really change things, but if you're selling two houses, you should be able to find the perfect place! Not sure how you feel about golf but there's plenty of it.

Also, in my line of work I deal w/ many realtors. I'd be happy to pm/email you a couple of my favorites' names & numbers!

I'm not a hunter, but I have several friends that are. Plenty of places - and South GA is maybe an hour away.

Permits are easy enough to get. Plenty of indoor ranges around and many clubs not too far away. Also, I know a few guys who like to make some casual noise most Thursdays.
 
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