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In reply to the discussion: Hey retired DUers...any retirement location recommendations? [View all]PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,848 posts)I'm in Santa Fe, own a small (900 sq feet, two bedroom, two bath, three skylights) townhome (not condo, no association) I bought in 2009. Perfect for one person.
Santa Fe has a reputation for being so expensive only millionaires can afford to live here. That's not true. The median home price is right around $400k, but that means half of all homes are less than that. That median is skewed upwards by the multi-million dollar homes that are here. And my little place is considerably less than that median. I refinanced last year and the appraisal came in at just about exactly $200k.
Again, good climate. Chilly winter, not bitter, snow is almost always gone in a couple of hours. Summers here (7,000 feet) simply don't get very hot. I finally got a/c last year, and truly used it only occasionally for about six weeks. I'm almost regretting getting it.
Personally I cannot abide hot weather. I've lived in Tucson, Phoenix, the DC area, the Kansas City area. Heck, my first three years in DC were without a/c and that was miserable.
Another thing to like here is great social and cultural life. Tonight I'm off to Geeks Who Drink which is giant fun.
Oh, and no bugs. No mosquitoes this high up. No roaches. I believe cats and dogs don't get fleas or ticks, but I might be wrong there.
Also, in Santa Fe we have incredible clear night skies. Walk outside and you can really see the stars. And if you live even a little ways out of town, or were to live in one of the smaller nearby communities it would be even better.