I have no idea what to do ...... I'll probably "retire" earlier than I had planned this coming January ...... I'm only 55, live in NYC (a 1926 top floor walk-up apt!), pay $250/mo to park in a commercial garage down the block and own an adequate 2br/2ba condo in an older SE Fla retirement community where the average age is probably 80 (my parents bought the apt in 1984). I know that I must move out of this old rental apt I've inhabited for 33 years, but don't know where to go next.  I'm not married, have no kids, have some family in the NYC/LI area (most of whom I see only a few times a year), have a few close friends in the NYC area, a niece in DC and a close friend in Las Vegas who I visit 3 times a year.  I don't want to move all the way out to eastern LI to be near my brother & sister-in-law because it's 60 miles from NYC -- what's the use of staying in pricey NYC if I can't easily get into Manhattan?  I don't want to spend winters up north either -- the FtL/Boca area is nice and I'm familiar with the roads/restaurants/theatres/stores -- it would be great to make new friends around my age, but I'm not sure about starting the second chapter of my life alone in a new place (and dread packing/moving). I haven't visited too many places around the country (except for short stays in SF and So Cal while passing through on my way to Hawaii, a 4-day tennis vacation near Scottsdale and a trip to the St. George, Utah area).  Once I retire, I want to work on my health and getting into better shape, but I'm not an "outdoorsy" kind of gal -- I'd like to live in a pretty place that looks/smells clean with a low crime rate and affordable housing to rent or buy, but it doesn't have to be near ski slopes, hiking trails, fishing lakes or beaches. I'll have a good NYS pension and don't want to live in a state where I'll have to pay state taxes on pension/income/SS/IRA/401K savings that will erode my fixed income's buying power.  In addition to doing volunteer work, I may decide to work part time if I find something I like with a lot less stress than I have in my current job. Any advice for me before I officially retire in January?     Thanks!
Posted by tscohen

Where would you go if you were a single woman, early 60's with no family to speak of ?  I would like a sense of community, and activity, but also a sense of privacy.  Am active, and a biker (have three motorcycles).  I also am a registered yoga instructor.  I have everything I need in the city where I live, but it is so hard to meet people or to go out and have a social life because it is so spread out that you end up driving all day and all evening.  There is no public transportation to speak of, and it is not the world's prettiest city.  I have lived here 32 years, but most of my friends are an hour's drive from me, in all directions.  I would like things to be more in easy reach.  I put two years worth of miles on my car in less than 6 months.  There just is not a sense of local community here.  I could move to a 50+ apartments here, but everyone there appears to be so much older than I am.  I have no health issues yet that would require that I do that.  I live in a suburb where there mainly are families with children, not people my age or in my situation.  Help !!! 
Posted by caroljlloyd

1)       10 Best States for Retirement names New Hampshire as the best state for retirement. Which state would you like to retire in, and why?
Posted by AARPMiller