Kayjones, we live just down the road in Pensacola. We've lived in north US and have found that this area is quite to our liking. Don't like the cold or the really hot Augusts but we'll stay here for the duration.

A Florida resident seeking to escape freezing. HA! Had friends who enjoyed the climate of the southern california high desert smaller cities. Mentioning US rules out thoughts of foreign Peru, Costa Rica, or D-R??

It does get hot in the desert during the summer, but so do other places. I found I liked the dry heat better than the humid heat. At least it cools off at night when the sun goes down and can be quite pleasant even in summer.

We found Fort Davis, Texas to be a neat little town. Apparently, Texans would head there during the heat of the summer because the mountains were a bit cooler. Not sure a place like that would be to your liking. It is a bit isolated from the rest of the world. Not sure what the winters were like. They have an observatory there where you can view the stars through the high powered telescopes. Also have an old civil war era military fort that is pretty cool.

I don't know if you've seen it but there is a site called City Data that helps with info and has forums that tell you what the town is really like.
Some of the small Texas towns are nice and some have a very modest cost of living. Be wary of the coast where I live (hurricanes).
Austin is beautiful, has great public transportation, lots of art and music and, well, politicians, lol.

Here is a link that might be useful: City Data

Thanks for the information, everyone! I have to find a place where I can work in my hobby - tender tropical plants. I'm 63 years old and can't drag plants in and out anymore.

Lucille, that's where I've been researching - City-Data.com. I would never have known about Florida's sinkholes if someone hadn't mentioned it on the Tampa forum.

I would consider Texas, I have been doing some research on various areas of Texas and Louisiana. I found that Port Arthur, Texas has extremely low house prices. It's not too far from the Gulf so the plants would probably work. Look up the Shangri-la nursery it's in Orange, TX another good area.
Or maybe around Kemah TX there's a great plant nursery there.
Louisiana around Toledo bend is nice. You won't have a bad winter in those areas but the summer months can be hot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shangri-la

Thanks, Raven. Research shows all these areas are big flood zones.

Every place has a down side. Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, sinkholes, sand gnats, giant mosquitoes, etc.

Rhizo, I am discovering that fact as I research different areas of the United States!

There is no Utopia. If you have good friends where you are, I'd stay put.

Friends moved to both east and west coasts of Florida -- not great summers and oh, those sinkholes in the news now! Friends moved to Scottsdale, Arizona -- pretty hot all summer Friends moved to Prescott, Arizona -- beautiful new home in a pine forest that *burned*. Friends moved to inland California near the Bay Area -- feel isolated, fear fires, and outrageous prices to be closer to the ocean. (And quake dangers.)

We've stayed near Lake Michigan, north of Chicago, for lovely weather in three seasons, then take a break from the cold on Maui. (There are some pockets of Hawaii that are less expensive -- away from the tourism.)

I have to laugh at the suggestion of Austin TX as a "warm-winter-weather" place. Of course, we are mostly temperate. But that's an average and doesn't reflect our extremes. Our extremes happen every single year

The past two weeks we've had some temps at 18-20 overnight with a high of 35. Schools were closed for a day due to the ice storm. But then there was the overnight last night of 44 with a high of 68 today, and tomorrow we are falling into another freeze.

Sure, it'll warm up again, and might even stay warm, but this is no place to grow tender tropicals, unless you build a greenhouse.

Every place has downfalls. If there aren't sinkholes, there will be other natural disasters - floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes, freezes, heatwaves. Take your pick of location - you'll get one or more of the above.

I'd find a place with amenities that you will take advantage of, moderate temps, and a greenhouse..lol..

There are tropicals grown up here in the PNW, but certainly not tender..unless you have a greenhouse..we have many micro climates up this way..

But it's not hot up here.. We may get 10-20 days over 75F a year..
Go across the Cascades and get desert...snow in the winter, hot and dry in the summer.

I would say if you can afford it, build a sun room facing south with all windows that would be a good environment for your plants. Just a thought. Of course it would have to be heated.

A greenhouse can come with its own problems. They can be excessively hot in the summer unless shaded and vented. I live in northern Alabama and wouldn't want to heat a greenhouse here. Forget about the summer, lol.

But I think that you should find a location with mild winters AND mild summers.....the PNW fits that category nicely. It wouldn't cost a fortune to maintain a small greenhouse year round and you'll find the subtropical climate ideal for growing many of your plants outside all year.

I don't know anything about the cost of living, etc. But I sure would investigate!

Thanks! I have looked at the PNW, but their cost of living is about 15% higher than the national average. I have lived in Beaverton, Oregon and it IS expensive albeit beautiful!!!

We live on Merritt Island here in Fl. Never been a sinkhole that I know of and my aunt lived here 60 years and has been dead 10 yrs. We have not had a freeze this year and don't want one. Just by crossing the river to the mainland has a 6 - 10 degree difference, colder in winter hotter in summer.

I recently thought about moving to Florida myself. Was looking at places where they have VA hospitals...then kept hearing stories about sinkholes and I decided against it. lol. Apparently other states have them too, like Indiana. Terrifying.

I want to be warm but decided to refinance my house and just stay where I am. Every place I thought of had issues, tornadoes (more so than KY), hurricanes, too humid, crime, high cost of living, etc...

Yes, Kathy - I've been finding that out, too, as I research different areas.

Kay, there are certainly spots that are higher than the national average in the PNW but there are little places dotted here and there that you can find for a bit more afforadable..

I guess on a set income it would be harder to work with in. We have the highest minimum wage in the states.. So our cost of living is higher.

Average per family income where I live is about 50k, houses are about 220k. And that 50k is usually attained with dual incomes.

Terri, I don't have a 50k annual income.

Believe it or not, the Cohchila valley(Palm Springs, etc) just 2 hours from LA is cleaner and cheaper for rentals, and has better weather than Fla, even including the air fare.

Kay, I don't either. ;) but we both work. He makes much more than I do. Lol..oh wait and we are not home owners yet either.

Terri, I will be renting wherever I move to.

In my experience, the less expensive places to live in the U.S. have either cold winters or hot, humid summers. When I decided to move from the San Francisco Bay Area to Iowa to retire, I considered cost of living, nearby excellent medical care, a college town, very low crime rate and low cost of living. I have extended family here and that was the icing on the cake. We are having a very cold winter this year and July and August are hot and humid. No place is perfect. The friendliness of the people make up for the negatives.

I grew up in Illinois - their winters were very cold and snowy. My very bones ache when it gets cold and I don't like it. There hasn't been 'real warm' winter weather anywhere here on the mainland during this cold blast. It's even cold in Miami today.

Interesting post since I was thinking exactly the same thing. It seems that the notorious warmer places in the US are not so warm during winter anymore.

I am not a cold weather person and this winter in PA is kicking my a$$.

Ditto, debi...this weather is murder on my arthritis.

I think CA has subsidized apartments and other options for lower income households. In Orange County where I live, if you make less than $50,600 you are considered low income for subsidization purposes.

May be worth checking into! I love it here.

Chi, how is California on taxing social security payments and retirement benefits?

I don't know first hand but it looks like they don't tax social security benefits including survivor or disability. Retirement benefits are fully taxed though.

It's not the most tax-friendly state but, like everywhere else, there are trade-offs.

I found this sinkhole probability map and it looks like every state has areas that may get sinkholes... take a look.. I had no idea that Missouri was so susceptible!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Las Vegas looks better and better!

I moved here from Missouri - the New Madrid could destroy southern Missouri - it gets active every couple of years.

My mom lives in Bakersfield...it is tooo damn hot in the summer...I don't know how she does it..bit she freezes here when she comes home...when she retires and moves back up here...she'll have to reaclimate..lol..

Here is a link I found that lists the pros and cons for all the states:

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/what-is-the-best-place-to-live-in-america-pros-and-cons-for-all-50-states

Here is a link that might be useful: Pros and Cons for all the United States

Bookmarking

Wow I wonder what the author's political preference is? Lol. Thanks for the link, I enjoyed that.

Sorry, I don't think that linked webpage is worth wasting a single electron to look at.

I don't know what's more laughable, the items listed as various pros and cons or the ratings. Probably all of the above.

Try this formula:

Look south of the Mason-Dixon line
with elevations of 1500 to 2000 ft.

This will get you locations that have 4 seasons with a mild winter. The elevation is for night time cooling in the summer. If you want a little less winter. lower the elevation knowing it will get you a hotter summer.

This defines two bands on the west and east side of the Allegheny mountains. The east side is milder and far enough away from the sea coast to blunt the effects of
Atlantic hurricanes. Both bands have interesting scenery.

try Arkansas, or the Western portion of Texas. Right now I am 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico (coastal Texas) and we are expecting 24 degrees tonight but then on Friday it will be in the 70s. I simply have my plants on my front porch and I have panels I install in early November - with our recent cold spell (last week and this week) I added extra material around my plants and I have a small space heater on them.

I woke this morning to sleet, 27 degrees and everything covered in ice. Thursday and Friday - 70 degrees.