So many places, so hard to decide

[admin]

I have heard that Alabama has a lot of great places to retire to. But i don't really know where to start. We'd like to be near the water, and a golfing community would be ideal. Anyone have any ideas for some good leads?

Addled in Alabama

[readytoplay]

There are a lot of great places in Alabama. The golf is great too,
thanks to the trail of wonderful golf courses built to promote
tourism. You could live near one of those courses and be well off. Or
consider Fair Hope near Mobile. It is a beautiful, well-organized
community that has many fans.

[mulford]

good

[youngatheart]

There are a lot of good places to retire. My wife and I havent picked anywhere out yet, but i think we might make our choice soon (being newly retired, we are free to move wherever we want!) We are going to go south for a month this winter and check out different places. Seems like for us anyway, seeing a place on the ground is the only way to decide.


On the other hand, i would be interested to hear from folks from colder climates who spend the winter roaming - either renting different places or staying here or there. Somehow the appeal of not being tied down to one place has some appeal.

[marty50]

The wife and I feel like we are too young to settle on one place yet. I know others suggest that you get started early so inertia doesnt take over, but.

On the other hand i see our friends with places (for the winter) that go down all the time - and go shopping for furniture and drapes. How about a little golf or tennis?

So i would rather cruise around, rent here, rent there, travel. At least for the next few years.

[boomer1]

I am so conflicted about what to do. Gated communities are boring. Mixed generation communities have traffic and cars. Not very many places are ecologically friendly. Florida is hot and crowded. The Carolinas arent warm enough for a winter escape. I love Hawaii, the wife thinks it is a place too far. Stay tuned.

[retirementguy]

i think most people can be happy just about anywhere. But, it sure is a lot easier in a place with beautiful surroundings, pleasant people, and lots to do.

Here is one of the biggest things i am really wrestling with. I am reasonably young (5, my wife a few years younger. When we walked down the streets of Venice Florida we were the youngest people there by 10-20 years - it was shocking! Certainly if we live long enough we will get over it, but on the other hand we might need to live somewhere where the ages are mixed together a little better.

[Kim63]

Yes, being 50 in Venice is young but the median age has risin in the last 9 years I've lived here and I'm 45. Venice is a bedroom community for Sarasota, there are a lot of people that live in Venice because they don't like the higher prices in Sarasota as well as the busier roads and it's only a short drive away.

Did you know that Venice was named on of the Top 10 Places to Retire by US News and World Report, copy and paste link. (www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070920/20retire.venice.htm). I moved to Venice as a single female and yes, it might be a little quiet but I do go to Sarasota or Tampa if I want a little more excitement but I feel very safe living here.

When you go downtown, yes it is mostly older people but it's very beautiful downtown with the palm trees that line the street and if you're really ambitious you can walk all the way to the end of Venice Avenue right onto the beach, which is the "Sharkstooh Capital of the World." For some reason, sharks teeth wash up on our beach and there's even a Sharkstooth Festival every year. Downtown offers a wonderful Farmers Market every weekend. We have arts/craft fairs, parades, festivals, a boat parade at Christmas time, Wine Tastings and other events to numerous to mention.

You might wan to check out the following website for more statistics.
www.city-data.com/city/Venice-Florida.html Venice, Florida is only an hour and fifteen minutes from Tampa and Ft. Myers where there are International Airports but Sarasota has one as well. You can reach Disney in 2 hours, Daytona in 3 hours and Homestead, Florida in three and a half hours so, as you can tell we are centrally located. If you have any further questons or you need relocation information, please contact me directly as I am a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) and serve the Venice, Sarasota, North Port and Englewood areas. I love all the surrounding areas but I call Venice home.
www.city-data.com/city/Venice-Florida.html
Kim : )