Where'm I Gonna Live

[Peter Minde]

OK, finally looking at retiring to the north country. Where should I go?

 

[Harvey]

More on what are you after? I assume some nordic center at least.

 

[Peter Minde]

More on what are you after? I assume some nordic center at least.

Proximity to nordic for sure. Proximity to hiking and lakes: when I move up here, I'm buying a SUP or a lightweight canoe. Some people have suggested Plattsburgh or close to it. P-burgh has a decent arts scene for a town of its size.

Also, looking for a large enough lot that I can crank the electric guitar to 11 and not have neighbors complain.

 

[Campgottagopee]

I voted Saranac Lake.

 

[Warp daddy]

How much do you want to spend ? How important is proximity to great medical care ? How much do you wish to avoid "renters" especially short term rentals? Do you want to be in a party town with college kids ?

Do you want solitude,privacy yet as much of the amenities as possible ?

Are property taxes a concern ?

How about decent zoning ?

No place up here is perfect ,it all amounts to which tradeoffs you can live with .

I'd suggest you pick a spot BUT rent there before selling your existing place and TRY it out .

Another MAJOR consideration is leaving the network of friends and rep and "connections" to go elsewhere where it may not be as easy to build that component of life as you age.

Lots of stuff to consider before pulling the plug

Good luck in your quest

 

[Ripitz]

Keene because it’s awesome.

 

[Peter Minde]

How much do you want to spend ? How important is proximity to great medical care ? How much do you wish to avoid "renters" especially short term rentals? Do you want to be in a party town with college kids ?

Do you want solitude,privacy yet as much of the amenities as possible ?

Are property taxes a concern ?

How about decent zoning ?

No place up here is perfect ,it all amounts to which tradeoffs you can live with .

I'd suggest you pick a spot BUT rent there before selling your existing place and TRY it out .

Another MAJOR consideration is leaving the network of friends and rep and "connections" to go elsewhere where it may not be as easy to build that component of life as you age.

Lots of stuff to consider before pulling the plug

Good luck in your quest

All most excellent questions, Warp. Thank you for the perspective. Lake Placid not on the list due to the real estate prices and the prolific short term rentals. If I wanted a college / party atmosphere, I could move 8 miles down the road to Morristown NJ, LOL.

 

[Warp daddy]

All most excellent questions, Warp. Thank you for the perspective. Lake Placid not on the list due to the real estate prices and the prolific short term rentals. If I wanted a college / party atmosphere, I could move 8 miles down the road to Morristown NJ, LOL.

You will figure it out no doubt , my purpose was strictly to elucidate some things that critical to the decision making exercise . We went through all of this after serious research and a 4 month extended stay at what we had originally thought would be our retirement haven .....only to find out what had excited us for years as a vacation spot was NOT what we had imaged as far as year round residency . things and places " aint always what ya think " ?

The friends and network aspect is something that IS difficult to replace in many " retirement destinations" , some adapt well to the transitory nature of those places others not so much.

You are a smart guy Peter and will analyze your needs and priorities and make an informed decision . ????

 

[MarzNC]

Lately when I spend time up around North Country School, I like wandering around Saranac Lake more than Lake Placid. Stopped by Pisgah to take a look on the last trip. Feels like Saranac Lake would be better than Elizabethtown or Wilmington, especially in the summer time. The drive between Mt. Van Ho and Saranac Lake is easy in the winter. NCS is pretty much across RT73 from Van Ho so I've done that drive a fair amount in all seasons.

Renting first makes sense to me. Before my mother decided to move from NYC to Chapel Hill, NC, she spent a few months living in Chapel Hill. She spent an entire fall season. One factor in her decision was that a couple my parents were friends with since the 1940s in Chicago had retired to Chapel Hill. My father wasn't ready to retire yet. She and I moved first and then he joined us a few years later. My mother was a great planner.

 

[Warp daddy]

The homes around Pisgah are beautiful , and the hospital there has great ORTHO and CVPS in plattsburgh has decent cardiac units and Fletcher Allen Med Centrr UVM in Burlington is a major tertiary care facility. Another quiet nice location around Saranac is Lake Colby . Lots avaible to build on