Dueling Mountain States for Retirement: CO, ID, MT, NV, UT, and WY

Just one correction: Idaho does not tax social security benefits.

We're headed there next year when I retire. We've always had a dream of retiring somewhere with great outdoor recreational opportunities, and Idaho definitely ticks that box. It will be a big change from southern California, but we're looking forward to that.
Dave

Editor's note: Thanks for that correction. No tax on SS in ID

I can assure you that Salt Lake City/Ogden summer average is a lot higher than the 70s range. It's been in the 90s and it's still June. I'm not complaining but 20+ degrees is a big difference.

Sales tax in Nevada, is different in each county. Well over 8% to 7.1%. So beware if you need to make a major purchase. Sales tax can really add up. I have just recently settled in a small town 50 miles east of Reno, after wintering in Mesquite in a RV. I have come to the conclusion that no matter where you go each state needs money and they just have different ways to shake down the citizens.

Idaho does not tax social security benefits.

Ed. Note: Thanks for that correction, now made in the main article.

I absolutely love the mountainous areas of these states. However, I would like to STRONGLY encourage anyone considering retiring there (as I was considering Colorado up until staying there for 3 weeks last year) to please spend some significant time visiting at the elevation you plan to live. Altitude sickness is very real and may be more than significant for seniors.

We planned to stay in a beautiful condo at an elevation of 9500 feet with incredible views all around (Silverthorne) for a month last June. Because of the altitude sickness that I just could not shake, we were forced (regrettably) to leave after three weeks. The solution was simple -- move to 8000 feet or less. But, for me trying to live or sleep long term at altitude proved taxing and physically exhausting. My wife had no difficulties at all.

Altitude sickness is characterized by one or more symptoms of dizziness, intense shortness of breath, possible nausea and others. Usually people acclimate within a few days and the symptoms disappear. Unfortunately the shortness of breath was, for me, severe and never abated unless I went down to at least 8000 feet for a while. I could travel for brief times to any altitude (over 13000 ft. several times), but I could not stay. The shortness of breath was extreme -- walking across the room left me gasping. I had to rest after climbing a flight of stairs. My breathing was labored even just sitting or sleeping. I woke up exhausted every morning despite the fact that I use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea (the CPAP forces air into my lungs at a constant rate). In some ways, it felt like breathing with a plastic bag over my head -- not sealed but still difficult.

A few things about me: I am 67, I have heart disease and "sometime asthma" and have always had minor issues with my lungs -- nothing serious for the most part and it normally does not affect me at all. I experienced something similar to this as much as 20 years ago when hiking above 8000 feet. Elevation and, to some extent, with exercise is apparently an issue for me.

So don't change any of your plans other than trying yourself with your unique health history to live for at least several weeks at a higher elevation that you may consider moving to permanently. "Testing" any new potential retirement place is always a good idea, but high elevations could surprise you -- it certainly did me! There is a simple solution for me or for anyone. I will return to Colorado in a minute if I have the opportunity. I will just be sure to live at the lower elevation (8000 ft or lower) of Silverthorne rather than in the heights. But frankly, we visited with the thought we might move permanently to Colorado and for the first few days we seriously looked into buying one of the condos we were staying in (or even higher). Many things decided us that NC remains our ideal home, but we also eliminated a highly elevated home location or even vacation spot.

I lived a significant amount of time in the Great Basin,notably Battle Mountain,NV,which is in the heart of it. I can understand all the familiar pros and cons of living there. I just want to say that if significant cold is not for you,don't move there. It is regularly below zero in January. I did linework and remember a week of -40 at night and <0 throughout the day. One year it snowed on the eve of the 4th of July. Also,significant wind is a way of life in the Great Basin.

Visiting my son in Steamboat Springs in winter I find they do not plow, shovel or salt as we do in Wisconsin - I suppose because it sometimes snows for days but also being ultra "green." So being afraid of falling I depend on Yak Traks which works great until you go into a store with hard (read: slippery) floors with no place to sit to take them off or more importantly put them back on. Incidentally this past winter I was quite shocked to see an area sprinkled with cinders! Lots of mid-west old timers will remember them from childhood. I inquired about cost in a new CCRC there only to find independent living at $4300/month! And then once in a while there are cold spells! Altitude about 7000' where I stay.

We moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming 26 years ago when I was 38. It took me almost 6 months to adapt to altitude of over 6,000 feet from sea level. My dad, who was 67 at the time had no problem when visiting. My step daughter in her 20's had altitude sickness & felt miserable. We have been living in northern Colorado for the last 13 years now. We're around 4700 feet & I was fine but as I'm getting older & my health has declined, I do get short of breath with slight exertion. My previous neighbor ended up on oxygen 24/7. We both suffer from fibromyalgia which can affect the intercostal muscles around the ribs, which can affect lungs. Also, if you have any heart problems, altitude can cause heart attacks necessitating stents or bypass surgery. Working as a cardiac nurse out west for 20 years I witnessed it first hand numerous times. So consider your health & by, all means,come & stay several weeks. If it's just mild altitude sickness, it usually resolves itself within several days. But it takes a few months to make more red blood cells to carry the oxygen. Part of my shortness of breath in CO was due to slight anemia. After taking iron for a few months it got a little better. But my dad who is now in his 90's has no problem. He was a pilot for over 30 years. I don't know if that had any significance. Unfortunately, our house is too big for us now & it's getting too expensive to live here. So we're hoping to stay in the west but with cheaper cost of living.

This comment is from Scott concerning living in Colorado:

Trish and Loral - first let me say that my wife and I settled on CO after looking at all the western states (except CA, I have lived there). We then traveled around CO to see what we liked. We originally picked Fort Collins and rented an apartment there, but we ultimately bought a home in Loveland, which is the next community south of Fort Collins. Problems with Fort Collins - it is booming and real estate is very expensive, I would say similar to much of CA. Traffic is also getting to be a hassle, although compared to a big city it is still nothing. Fort Collins is a big college town, so the crowd is young. Loveland, on the other hand, is a little more "mature" - lots of retirees, while having less traffic and generally cheaper housing. Price points you mentioned are doable. We have a 2900 sq ft duplex that cost $650k but has gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains, which you pay for. If you like doing ANYTHING outdoors CO is incredible. In CO the lottery funds are used to promote outdoor recreation (google Great Outdoors Colorado, a state agency for details). The retired people out here tend to be active outdoors and in good shape,not a bunch of "blue hairs" like FL or Palm Springs. Depending on the weather variables you can tolerate, there are other areas of CO that are even cheaper.

This is a question for Scott regarding Loveland: I've read that fracking is allowed by the Loveland city fathers. How does that impact you?

Scott -- Thank you for your response and insight into Fort Collins and the surrounding areas. We plan to explore Loveland and Tinmath, too. Loveland sounds wonderful! I'm excited to see it for myself! Enjoy your beautiful mountain views!!

Reply to JoannC - RE fracking. LOTS of gas wells out here. Major gas field (Anadarko?) you can find on internet maps. Loveland is actually on the far western edge of field, no wells around us. The only problems with the wells I have heard of are from old, unmapped, gas lines turning up in newer residential areas. One home exploded, this was in a northern suburb of Denver. I think state law allowing fracking trumps local laws. They do seem to be very keen on closely regulating wells.

Scott - Thanks for this information. I'm looking for SOME place in Colorado (have ruled out anything south of Parker and will probably go north of Denver) so your comments on Loveland were interesting. I appreciate the update on the fracking issue. I'm sort of like Tillerson when he was head of Exxon - I don't want it in my back yard.

Interesting reading from a retired Hawaii resident.