Vernita Patterson
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Vernita Patterson
I'm Retiring and Relocating to California

I’m Retired And Relocating to California

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to visit Hollywood, California that is.  I wanted to be a movie star and live the lavished life. My life has been lavished but not in the way I thought that I wanted as a little girl. I am an educator and think of myself as a movie star. In 2013 I was able to go to Hollywood California and I have gone every year since. Now that I am Retired&Lovinit, the San Diego California is one of the cities that I am thinking about relocating to.

This is the first of the ten places that I will be researching and writing about in my bi-weekly blog series’ “Retiring Soon? Where Will You Relocate?” First I will consider how I want to live, compare the places that will best facilitate my desired lifestyle and then I will choose a place. The place that I choose needs to be near the beach, I don’t have to be on the beach I just want to see it often. The weather needs to be warm most of the year. I need affordable housing, low crime, low taxes and no state tax on my pension. My new city must be near a major airport hub, because I like to travel. Now I know that won’t get all of my must-haves, but I will use this list as the main basis for determining the best place for me.

California is a large state with more than thirty-eight million residents. Yes, California’s cost of living is higher than average in the United States. However, there are several affordable places to live on a retirement income in California. For example, Redding which is in Northern California and Eureka, which is near beaches. But of course I would want to live in San Diego or the Los Angeles area. These areas are among the most expensive places to live, but can be affordable for some retirees.

I fell in love with Coronado, California three years in a row. I would love to relocate there. Coronado Island is a resort city located in San Diego County. The population is over 30,000. Coronado Island is known for its beautiful beaches that sparkle. Crime is lower than the national average. Coronado Island has that small town vibe. There is a Starbucks, but there are also Mom & Pop shops. I found the people to be friendly. Coronado Island has stunning views of the San Diego skyline. The scenery is beautiful and the architecture of the buildings is fantastic! I was definitely sad when it was time to go.

 The weather in Coronado Island is great. The average temperature is 66 degrees. The annual low is 59.2 degrees and the annual high is 72.8 degrees. No snow and the annual amount of rain are 9.49 inches. The air conditioner is needed some parts of the year and a light jacket the other part of the year.Okay, I have just told you about all of the good qualities of Coronado Island and my reasons for moving there.  

 Yes, California cost of living is higher than average in the United States. However, there are affordable places to live on a retirement income in California. For example, Redding and Eureka are two, but neither is where I want to live. So I will not mention them again. The average rent in San Diego County for a two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment is $2400 with many good amenities. I was able to find a 1000 square-foot two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment with a nice size deck for $1620 in San Diego City. No, none of these include gas and electric. If I wanted to buy there are several affordable active adult communities from low $200’s to high $800’s. I don’t think that I would buy if I decided to relocate here.

 The state of California taxes pensions but not tax Social Security. The state of California has the fourth largest tax burden behind New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Coronado sales tax is 8%; this is a combination of state, county and city tax. The state of California sales tax is 6.25%.

The question is, would the love of the small town, beautiful beaches and wonderful top the high cost of living? Oh, I forgot San Diego does not have a major hub airport; I would have to fly into LA then to my destination. Great medical facilities were not on my must-have list it should have been. As you get older you definitely want to be near great medical facilities. San Diego has great medical facilities.

 Leaving the West coast and on to the East coast.  Time to research the next place on my list, Delaware. Check back in two weeks to see what I have to say about relocating to Delaware. 

I'm Retiring and Relocating to California
Vernita Patterson
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California Here I Come

 

My Significant Other (SO) and I took our annual trip to San Diego, California. I love going to San Diego, California! But I do not like flying for five and a half hours, but that is the quickest way to get there. My SO son moved out there a few years ago. We go every August to visit him.

 

My SO is a Coast Guard veteran and he flies for free. He had to drive to Washington DC from Philadelphia. There he took a flight to Las Vegas. He spent the night in Las Vegas. He then took Greyhound Bus to San Diego. That was his free flight. Sometimes he gets a straight flight, sometimes he doesn’t. For him it is about saving money not too much about convenience. It is about convenience for me.

 I use Expedia.com to book my trips. I recommend booking your hotel and flight together, it is usually cheaper. I booked my flight in February because I only needed a flight. My round trip flight cost $357.39. I flew out of Philadelphia on an American non-stop flight to San Diego. My SO picked me up in a rented car. I flew Jet Blue on my return flight. I flew to Boston, sat there for three hours and then on to Philadelphia. I won’t do that again, trying to save money. My time is worth much more. The flight going was freezing cold. The return flight was much better. But why is my departure gate always at the end of the airport? The gates at my terminal were numbered 1-26, and my gate was 26.

 I prefer to have my car at the airport, that way I do not have to wait for anyone to pick me up. There is a bus that takes you to every terminal and picks you up at every terminal on your return trip. The cost is $11 for every 24 hours. I was gone eight

days, but was charged for 9, because it was past the 24-hour mark when I picked up my car. Costing a total $99, I was not happy with that.

 

We stayed at the Military Lodge on one of the Navy bases.  There is

more than one Lodge on this base. I did not take any pictures on the base. The last time I tried to take pictures on the base a MP got out of his car and came up to me. He said that I could not take pictures, so I do not take pictures on the base!

 

It is now 10:30 AM in California and time for breakfast. We went to Coronado Island. Coronado Island is beautiful with a small town vibe. We ate breakfast at a fifty-style restaurant. There were jute boxes with music from the fifties, the waitresses wore aprons and they made milk shakes the old way.  You could sit at the booths or sit at the counter. They used a cash register from the fifties. The food was delicious. Their coffee is ten cents on Wednesdays with military ID.

We took a road trip to Los Angeles. We stayed two nights at the Los Angeles Air Force Inn in San Pedro. Our room was really a one-bedroom apartment.  It had a queen-sized bed with a walk in closet, a fully equipped kitchen, a separate bathroom, a living room, two televisions with cable, free Wi-Fi and a beautiful breeze.

We ate at the famous San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant. They catch, clean and cook the fish right there. I had the best Mango Margarita. It was Fleet Week in San Pedro, so there were plenty of sailors and ships to see. We drove to downtown Los Angeles and took in the sights. On the way back to San Pedro we drove through Watts and Compton.

San Diego and Coronado had beautiful weather. I absolutely loved the vibe. The houses looked beautiful on the outside. However, it is expensive to live in San Diego and more expensive in Coronado compared to other places. If your retirement income can handle the expenses of San Diego and/or Coronado, this would be a great place to relocate. The weather is gorgeous and the water views are fantastic. I would love to move here but I prefer to spend my retirement income on other things.

We had a great time! Oh, we did spend time with my SO’s son. We took him out to eat several times. Well, until next year!

California Here I Come!!!
Vernita Patterson
Would You Like To Go To Niagara Falls?
Would You Like To Go To Niagara Falls?

Virginia Is For Lovers and The Retired&Lovinit!

 

Virginia is not just for Lovers; it is also for the Retired&Lovinit! I am sure you already know that Virginia is the next relocation spot discussed in my blog series, “Yes, I Will Relocate When I Retire”. Virginia is also the last state discussed in this series. Other countries are next on the blog series.

Just in case you do not remember my must-haves for my relocation spot, let me share.

·     Doesn’t tax my pension

·     Low cost of living

·     Short drive to a major hub airport

·     Near or on the beach or lake

·     Low taxes

·     Warm weather year round

·     Safe living

·     Affordable housing with great amenities

Virginia is a Commonwealth state located in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States and is one of the 13 original colonies. Virginia extends from the Chesapeake Bay to the Appalachian Mountains, with a long Atlantic coastline. Virginia is bordered by Maryland and Washington D.C. to the north and east; by the Atlantic Ocean to the east; by North Carolina to the south; by Tennessee to the southwest; by Kentucky to the west; and West Virginia to the north and west.

Geographically, Virginia is made up of five regions from east to west; Tidewater Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Ridge and Valley, and Cumberland Plateau. The climate is temperate and gets warmer and more humid the farther south and east you go. Hurricanes and tornadoes are known to happen.

Virginia will tax your pension but not your Social Security. Sales and Use tax is 5.3%, an additional 1% additional local tax. The property taxes are low. Property taxes are a percentage of the original cost. Those seniors, who rely solely on Social Security and other retirement income totaling less than $12,000, do not have to pay state taxes on their retirement income.

The largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk is located in Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk, Newport News and Virginia Beach are major tourist cities that are across the bridge from each other. Virginia Beach is a city with everything and anything that you can want for food, entertainment, climate, education and housing. There is great healthcare.

I chose Virginia as one of my maybe relocation spots because of Virginia Beach. We visit there every year, so why not think about living there. Of course I would want to live very close to or on the beach. I was able to find a three bedroom, two bathroom, 1075 square feet, and onsite laundry apartment for $1315, which is very close to the oceanfront. This apartment is 26 minutes from Norfolk Airport, which is not a Major Hub.

The cost of living in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News area is 17% higher than the National average but 33.52% less than NYC.  So after living in NYC most of my life, that is very inexpensive to me. There are other cities in Virginia that have good living for the retiree, but I want to be near the beach. It seems as though major tourist beach cities have a higher cost of living than other regions of the state.  I don’t mind paying a little extra for living near or on the beach!!!

Thank You! I hope that this was helpful for you! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texans Do It Big

texas beach

I hope that you have been enjoying my blog series “Yes, I Will Relocate When I Retire”. I have enjoyed sharing my search for my relocation spot with you. I hope that I have shared some info that was beneficial for you and your search. Next on the list as a possible place that I will relocate to is The Lone Star State, Texas.

Texas joined the United States in 1845 as the twenty-eighth state. Texas is the second largest state in size and people. Texas is located on the south central part of the United States. Spain, France and Mexico once ruled Texas. Texas shares its borders with Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, Mexico to the southwest and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.

Austin is the capital and is known for its diverse music scene. Dallas, San Antonio and Houston are well known cities in Texas. Houston is the fourth largest city (in population) in the United States.The geography of Texas is very unique. It is made up of coasts, beaches, rolling hills, plains, grasslands, prairies, forests, mountains, bayous, canyons and deserts.

Texas has no income tax. All retirement income is tax-free. That means your pension and Social Security income are not taxed. Texas has no inheritance or estate taxes. Property taxes are much higher than most other states, it being fourteenth highest in the United States. If you are over 65, there is a freeze on school taxes. Sales tax is 6.25%, but cities and counties can increase it.

Texas’ has a humid-sub tropical climate. Summers are very hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms. These thunderstorms can bring massive floods. Hurricanes and tornadoes are a norm. January is usually the coldest month. Winters are usually mild especially in southern Texas.

So far Texas has met most of my must haves. Low cost of living, no taxes on my pension and warm weather year round. There are several beach areas; South Padre Island, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas and Galveston to name a few.

Galveston is about fifty miles from Houston. It has the conveniences of a larger city but has a tight knit small town friendliness. Port Aransas has eighteen miles of fine beaches, low crime, a spirited art scene and great food. South Padre Island is at the southern most end of Texas, with subtropical temperatures that rarely go below 65 degrees in the winter.

I found rentals ranging from $700-$2000 for two or three bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms, from 680 square feet -1320 square feet located on or very close to the beach, in the above beach towns. Of course it depends on which city I would choose. I would definitely have to go to visit these cities if they make the short list.

Low cost of living, plenty of space, warm weather, exciting cities, lively college towns, no taxes on retirement income, affordable housing, a wealth of experiences and charming small towns is why Texas is on my list of possible relocation places. Galveston is the closest to Houston airport, which is a major hub. The heat and destructive hurricanes might cause Texas to not make the short list.

There will be three more blogs, Virginia, other countries and my final decision. Hope this was helpful for you!!!