Fifty Plus (50+) - Best places to retire for 50+ cyclists

I've seen lots of books out there about best places to retire, but none that include "great cycling" as one of the measurements. So, what places does this forum think are the best places for us 50+ members to retire if we want to continue cycling through our golden years?

You're already there. ;)

Other than here, I could see living in Hawaii, although frequent mainland trips would be in order.

We have a good 10 years before retirement, so we aren't ready to get serious yet.

Hey Tru! I have been wondering the same thing. Oregon has some nice bike-friendly communities, Eugene being one of them.

Hey Tru! I've been wondering the same thing. Oregon has some nice bike-friendly communities, Eugene being one of them (or so I was told at the PNW forum).

Yet me clarify. What are some best places to retire that meet all the other measurements (low cost of living, medical care, low crime rate, fun stuff to do, etc.) AND has great cycling? I love the cycling here, but the cost of living is rather steep.

Thanks!

Yet me clarify. What are some best places to retire that meet all the other measurements low cost of living, medical care, low crime rate, fun stuff to do, etc.) AND has great cycling? I love the cycling here, but the cost of living is rather steep.

Thanks!

Antarctica?

Everywhere will have a downfall on your list somewhere- but Always reckoned that France will meet most of your objectives. Medical care will be fine if you pay the insurance.

Depends on what you mean by great cycling. Handy biking to the store and movie theatre? Pick a city or town with good bike facilities and live downtown. Going for long rolling country rides? Live on the edge of town. Rails to trails? Live near the trail head. You also like to ski? Live in the mountains.
etc.

Depends on what you mean by great cycling. Handy biking to the store and movie theatre? Pick a city or town with good bike facilities and live downtown. Going for long rolling country rides? Live on the edge of town. Rails to trails? Live near the trail head. You also like to ski? Live in the mountains.
etc.

Hi cooker! What do you like? I'd love to read what this forum thinks are best places to retire based on what they like to do on a bike. General discussion, we have no plans to move anytime soon. ;)

Some candidates:

1. Bend, Oregon. Sunny summers, crisp winters. Close to skiing, rafting, etc. Filled up with California refugees during the housing boom a few years ago, I think home prices are still much lower than the big cities on the west coast and have come down in the past year.

2. Fredericksburg, Texas. Heart of Texas Hill Country; great cycling area. It's a small town, though...but w/easy acccess to Austin, Texas.

3. Sequim, Washington. It's over on the Olympic Peninsula, in the "rain shadow" of the Olympic Mountains. Easy ferry access to a number of great bicycling areas. Much less rain than other Washington cities; attracts a lot of Seattle retirees.

4. I'm living there! I've lived in Seattle 7 years now, and settling in more and more. Cost of living more reasonable than California, and even more reasonable out in some of the far-out suburbs...or further out in communities like Whidby Island. If you can get through 8 weeks of rain in the winter, the weather is quite livable (and when it's raining in the city, it's snowing up at the ski resorts -- lots of 50+'s work as ski guides around here). I've been on my bike 53 days so far this year -- some of it in the rain -- but you really can bike year 'round here. There are lots of good biking routes in and around the city, and some terrific rural biking nearby. I haven't explored the mountain biking scene here but there is a lot of it. Finally, easy access to great areas to travel to like Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia...you are within a day's drive of several great cities and a lot of outdoor beauty and variety.

It is pretty nice to live here.

Low cost of living - out in the campo where we live you can rent a Tico home for 60 dollars a month. (no, that isn't a typo) It isn't weather tight, but who cares - the weather is great! Nothing fancy for sure - but cheap. We bought our building site, with home (concrete pre-fab - about 600 square feet) that was 1.5 acres for 10,000 dollars, but we are big spenders. :lol: To build is about 50 dollars a square foot - materials included. This would be a North American style home. No heating or cooling costs - except for a fan or two.

Crime - some petty theft, nothing violent where we are. You build a place to put your tools and lock it - not much else.

Medical care - the clinic really isn't bad (I have used their services to patch my hide before) but for anything serious you have to travel a few hours. There is an ambulance in town. It is so inexpensive that I don't bother with insurance. (example, six stitches, with wounds with sand and gravel, cleaned up and patched up - 46 dollars in emergency, and no waiting either)

Fun stuff to do. Fishing, hiking, birding, riding horses with the locals, waterfalls, swimming in tropical rivers, etc - and of course there is always confusing the locals. We have tarpon (up to 200 lb) in the river, snook and lots of weird stuff too. The people here are very friendly and if you like to watch soccer, you have plenty of chances to do that since every town has a team.

Cycling is wonderful - year round and no one will run you off the street either. Bikes have more rights than cars and trucks. - Less than people walking - about equal with horses. Cows are a law unto themselves and you have to learn to bunny hop chickens.

Downside - it is very cheap to live because there is nothing to buy. I do mean this - just the basics are available in the stores. Do not plan on having shopping as a form of entertainment. :rolleyes: Unless you like yourself, the silence can be deafening! You can get DirectTV so that is okay. You also have to learn another language but that is good for the ole brain cells.

It is also hard to adapt to living in a foreign culture - some make it, many don't.

Positive - tropical fruits are wonderful when just picked off the tree, and very, very cheap (if not free)

I would say 80% of the time I am very glad we live here - and the other 20% is born of frustration or being tired. Not bad really.

I've seen lots of books out there about best places to retire, but none that include "great cycling" as one of the measurements. So, what places does this forum think are the best places for us 50+ members to retire if we want to continue cycling through our golden years?

We've always thought of Santa Cruz CA. Lucky enough to have a little victorian there, close to the centre of town, with the mortgage paid off. Fine cycling is a big part of the idea.

However, I had to spend half a year's worth of Middle East income to cover 4 days in ICU between Christmas and New year up in the mountains near Tahoe. I got the Norovirus bug (gastric flu) on a trip to Dubai in late December, took the bug with me through UK and to Calif, and after a couple of day's skiing it got worse - lost loads of fluids and my diabetic balance went haywire. So four days at 8 grand a day, and loads of bags of brine at 300 dollars a bag! - not covered by insurance as everything is classed as an uncovered 'pre-existing condition'.

So, maybe not the US after all

Tucson is a great place for cycling as it Taos, New Mexico. I have lived in both places. The former is more flat, and hot in the summer, the latter more mountainous at high altitude (7,000 ft). Neither is cheap, but then what is?

Billy

how about Denver?

Road Fan

My kids and grandkids all live in the St Louis area. Why would I want to live anywhere else? My family rocks!

My idea is live in a nice place where living is cheap and travel to the all the places you want to see.

Other than here, I could see living in Hawaii, although frequent mainland trips would be in order.



Hawaii is indeed gorgeous (mostly) and the weather is great, but inexpensive it is not.
There are some great rides but many roads are distinctly bike-unfriendly, and most of the islands are relatively small so your options are likely to be limited compared to what you'd have elsewhere.

Hi cooker! What do you like? I'd love to read what this forum thinks are best places to retire based on what they like to do on a bike. General discussion, we have no plans to move anytime soon. ;)

I'm mostly an urban utility rider. I live in a house in older neighbourhood in a city with an active downtown and I ride 8km/5miles to work.

I'd like to retire right here, to one of the condos at the end of my block, and continue to ride for fun and errands in the vicinity if I can't ride due to health or during the winter I would take the subway to wherever I needed to go. My wife would like to have a small second home in her original small home town and we are debating that. Neither of us wants to retire outside Canada.

There's some tradition in the colder prairie provinces of Western Canada (where I grew up) that some people retire to Vancouver Island or nearby gulf islands or elsewhere in BC where the climate is milder, and that would be great for cycling almost year round, but we wouldn't do that unless some of our kids end up there. One is studying at UBC now but has no specific commitment to Vancouver. It would be great to be close to any grandchildren, although there are none yet.

Only 8 weeks of rain in the winter? Man I want to live in your neighborhood. Here in Sumner the rain started in October and hasn't really quit except for a few days last month. Don't forget the 4:00 pm sunsets in the winter and the days that don't get light til about 9:00 AM.

I am staying put. :)

Only 8 weeks of rain in the winter? Man I want to live in your neighborhood. Here in Sumner the rain started in October and hasn't really quit except for a few days last month. Don't forget the 4:00 pm sunsets in the winter and the days that don't get light til about 9:00 AM.

Well, maybe this is a bit of self-delusion. I think there are 8 weeks of fairly steady cold rain -- roughly mid-December through mid-February. Combined w/the temperature & the dark you mentioned, it's the gloomiest part of the year.

The rest of the fall and the spring is sort of a wimpy / drizzly / misty kind of wet that seems OK to me. I grew up in the Midwest with *real* rain/wind/thunderstorms, so aside from the occasional winter storm the Seattle drizzle doesn't seem that bad to me. As I said above, I've been on my bike 50+ days already this year -- I never did that when I lived in the Midwest in January/February.

And, IMHO, the summers are unmatched.

some people retire to Vancouver Island or nearby gulf islands or elsewhere in BC where the climate is milder, and that would be great for cycling almost year round,

I was checking this out once and got to this sentence on an immigration lawyer's website: "Often retirees who have chosen to investigate their immigration options of living in Canada are shocked when they are advised that they do not qualify." Seems tough if you don't apply before you're 50.

Costa Rica is easier for Americans, I believe.

You might think about downtown Salt Lake: 4-season climate, very bike-friendly, moderate cost of living, good medical care, clean, wilderness is 20 minutes from town, great biking in all seasons, quick access to the rest of the world (international airport is 15 minutes from town), not too crowded yet. Some of the social "features" of the place can get annoying, but after you've been here a while you learn to rise above it. There are some pretty wonderful people here, and you will eventually find them.

I break into a rueful smile at this point....I'm just thinking about how to hang onto the house here once I retire.:o

Tucson is a great place for cycling as it Taos, New Mexico. I have lived in both places. The former is more flat, and hot in the summer, the latter more mountainous at high altitude (7,000 ft). Neither is cheap, but then what is?

Billy
+1 on Tucson; my sister moved there 2 years ago and I've been a frequent visitor. Great cycling, weather, food, people. Even in the middle of the summer it's tolerable and well worth not having a winter...

1. Corozal, Belize - nice flat land throughout.

2. Texas, gulf coast - from Galveston to Brownsville.

Fredericksburg, Texas, is a place where there is great riding and a lot of retirees as well as a low crime rate. I'm thinking about it myself. They have great medical facilities in Georgetown. I wouldn't go to Austin or live in Georgetown though, to busy for me. Some people come to look at Fredericksburg and find they like Kerrville better. They have a lot of bicycle tours going out of these areas as well. Good luck in your search.

http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=54838476&city2=51714000

If I pick a place to retire based only on cycling, even with the few qualifiers you added. As Mr. Rodgers would have said can you spell D-I-V-O-R-C-E?

My ideal place is less than 2 hours from a major city to get to shopping, entertainment, major sports and stuff and medical if needed and a small enough town to have low crime, etc. Good cycling within easy reach would just be icing on the cake.

How about Cleveland? Cleveland rocks! :D

I break into a rueful smile at this point....I'm just thinking about how to hang onto the house here once I retire.:o

And I wonder if I'll even have a house by the time I retire!

Yet me clarify. What are some best places to retire that meet all the other measurements (low cost of living, medical care, low crime rate, fun stuff to do, etc.) AND has great cycling?

Hmmm ... nothing about the climate.

Wisconsin meets all of your criteria. In fact Madison has been named on multiple "Best of" lists in recent years. The list is so long that it becomes tedious to type in, so here's a link to them:
http://www.visitmadison.com/visitorinfo/awards.php

A few do merit mentioning:

- #1 Walking Town in the USA - Prevention Magazine 2007
- Best Road Biking Town in America - Outside Magazine 2006
- One of the top 10 Most Livable Cities in America - Places Rated Almanac 2007
- #1 City of Population 200,000-500,000 for Cycling - Bicycling Magazine 2006

Seriously, except for the long, cold winter, I think the Madison area is a wonderful place to live. Low crime rate, excellent schools, great college sports, excellent health care, very environmentally minded, ranked #1 for the arts for any medium-sized city in the USA, and the cost of living is right at or slightly below the national average.

Seriously, except for the long, cold winter, I think the Madison area is a wonderful place to live.

That's a pretty big exception, WAY too cold for me! I like where I live, good weather for year round riding. By SoCal standards affordable housing which will be paid for by retirement. I live two miles from a trailhead for some good mountain biking, I'm near Idyllwid for some very good mountain biking. For road riding I can go relatively flat or take on a really good climb up to Mountain Center.

The cold is getting to me more, after 19 winters here.

But I would love to have two homes, they could both be very modest. One someplace warm and the other up here, where I would likely elect to spend about 8 months out of the year.

Citrus county Florida. One of the best trails around. Small towns with friendly people. Great weather, the gulf of mexico, 7 different rivers for boating, kayaking, tubing. We have lived here for 20 years and plan on retiring here. The biking keeps getting better as new roads have bike lanes and they are now putting in paved paths in the place of sidewalks along the busy roads. http://www.visitcitrus.com/

My kids and grandkids all live in the St Louis area. Why would I want to live anywhere else? My family rocks!

Family is the reason I'll be staying put after I retire. The cost of living is reasonable, we have 300+ miles of paved trails, top notch medical facilities, low crime rate in my small town. Now if I could just do something about the weather in January & February. The other winter months aren't too bad in SW Ohio.

How about Cleveland? Cleveland rocks! :D

It does, actually, if you are into fine arts. Lake Erie is not too shabby either. Cost of living is fine. Some beautiful areas. Living in the suburbs can be pleasant there -- Unfortunately you would have to like snow, and be able to ignore the city's issues of economy, crime, education, poverty, Dennis Kucinich...

I've been thinking about this recently.

The gulf coast is way too humid for me.

I personally experienced too much crime in Encinitas CA (house burglarized 8 times in 2 years and had a car stolen) but otherwise I am sorry that I left. Love San Luis Obispo & the central coast, but sure can't consider the housing costs there now.

Definitely will not go farther north--I need more sunshine. Maybe I will stay in comfortable Columbus--it's strong in most factors-- & do as BluesDawg suggests--lots of travel. It's still not really bike friendly here, & you have to drive about an hour to get into some very pretty riding, but it is improving.

Spain sometimes sound really good, though.

Spain sometimes sound really good, though.

When I was involved with ocean shipping for a chemical company, most of the sea captians lived in Spain even though they were from all over. Wonder how the cost of living is there today? I told the wife about this disscussion over dinner and if money were no object, Italy would be my retirement choice. Of course I would call Al Gore to fly me in his private jet over to the states when I wanted to see the grandkids play soccer or something.

Been in 48 states. Have lived in Tucson AZ for past 30 years. Also lived in several other places. Been retired 13 years. Anywhere in southern AZ could be your ticket.
Think we may very well kick the bucket here . . .

You might think about downtown Salt Lake: ...

I like SLC. In fact, I have seen much to like along the entire Wasatch Front, as well as the Park City and Midway area.

I am pretty much tied to this area because of some medical issues but If I were to move, it would probably be to Florence, Oregon. I don't mind the rain, winters are mild, there are a lot of retired folks there now and businesses and activities that cater to them. Good fishing nearby, seafood markets and restaurants, golf courses and park benches to sit on and watch the river go by...

http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/79315189.jpg


There are Tsunamis to worry about... and meteorites, but other than that it's a pretty mellow place.

Well...I've always believed that a sense of purpose keeps you young. For me that's the dream of working (as a volunteer handyman) at the private school (K-10) my kids attended. It's only two blocks from my house. I can't think of anything better than helping keep the place in shape surrounded by friendly, respective kids!

Oh, and the riding here ain't bad either... ;)

Southern France or perhaps the Piedmont region in Italy but I'll probably just stay right here where I am near Grenoble France. Not really my ideal choice personally but it works for my wife very, very well. If there's a drawback to France or Italy it'll be the cost of living but that's true throughout Europe. The price one pays for a modern, fully equipped country. On the other hand that cost provides an excellent infrastructure and outstanding health care. But for an american, Europe is totally out of the question unless you're rich and looking for some way to get rid of your dollars before they're good for little more than starting fires. All that said, lots of french are retiring to Morocco. Lousy cycling though and some day I suspect they're going to have major problems with religion there.

Florida. Year round riding. On the east coast, no terrible temperature extremes. And, when the hurricanes come, you can go really fast in one direction!

How about Cleveland? Cleveland rocks! :D

Isn't Cleveland buried in snow a few months of the year? :eek:

Think we may very well kick the bucket here . . .

Zona...on the humorous side, if I might rephrase, a splendid way to express your contentment towards your locale is to say "we're thinking of buying some cemetery lots and just staying here".:p:p:p

Having just returned from four days of cycling in Fredericksburg, Texas I will admit to having called Mrs. M one evening to tell her we should look for a lot to build or an older historic home to purchase. The next night when I called home she asked if I had looked at real estate.

But I know she didn't mean it. If we move anywhere other than where we now live, it will be closer to our children, two of which now live in Dallas area.

We've always thought of Santa Cruz CA. Lucky enough to have a little victorian there, close to the centre of town, with the mortgage paid off. Fine cycling is a big part of the idea.
l

Although a financial stretch; Santa Cruz, CA. is ideal for me. Growing up here sure helped, being 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. In the 1980s a trail right on the cliffs became a bike path.

Years later; I live right across the street from the bike path and enjoy it daily! S.C. was just honored with being 'bicycle friendly'. How- I don't know;)

countersTrike

Mono:
Not interested in cemetery 'real estate!' Bodies are donated to science and we used the cemetry/funeral $$ for vacationing!
As for Fredericksburg, TX . . . great German sausage/food there!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Although a financial stretch; Santa Cruz, CA. is ideal for me. Growing up here sure helped, being 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. In the 1980s a trail right on the cliffs became a bike path.

Years later; I live right across the street from the bike path and enjoy it daily! S.C. was just honored with being 'bicycle friendly'. How- I don't know;)

countersTrike

Well, compared to most of the country, SC is like Bicycle Valhalla. My company is headquartered in Scotts Valley so I get there a few times a year. When I do I just love Santa Cruz and bought a bike at the Salvation Army just so I could ride it while I was there. When my visit was over I rolled it into the Bike Church and presumeably its still giving someone joy.

Moe's Alley has some amazing acts. I got a chance to see Candye Kane and see the Skatellites there.

My only hesitation about Santa Cruz is the real estate prices.

http://www.pointhappy.com/gcf/MeOnMagnaSm.jpg

All right, Artkansas, you're in trouble. You're supposed to be rooting for Arkansas.

I'm starting to lean more and more on retiring somewhere between Hot Springs and Little Rock. Somebody's got to keep an eye on Billy Clinton, and besides my sisters (Clark Co, Hempstead Co) and brother (Pike Co) live in SW Arkansas.

The last I heard, there is a big project to build a super bike path in Little Rock? What was that bike path, that includes I believe going over a big dam, and how can we get more info about the projected Little Rock bike path?

Although some might knock Austin because it's growing so fast, which leads to heavy traffic and urban sprawl, if you live on the edge of town like I do, biking is great. Easy access to nice lightly traveled roads in the Hill Country. East of the city, the riding is somewhat flatter, if less scenic. Housing prices are still reasonable here.