Retirement Planning

H Desert Digger

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I wasn't sure where to place this post so feel free to move it if need be. I'm considering my retirement as soon as next summer. I'm also thinking of moving to Tennessee soon there after. I have only driven through the state and would like to hear from others who are familiar with the climate and communities around the major cities.
I would like to be closer to family who live in Georgia and am leaning towards making Chattanooga or a small town nearby my future home. Besides my love for metal detecting, I also enjoy bass fishing and have heard that they have a pretty good fishery nearby at Lake Chickamauga.
As a veteran who relies on the VA for medical coverage, a VA hospital nearby will be a big plus as well. I believe there is one in Chattanooga if google is correct.

I'd love to hear from those who live in the state and those who may know it well. Your comments would be appreciated. Thanks

HDD
 
My wife’s family is in Tenn., and I can’t deal with the heat/humidity. I can’t even deal with Michigan summers, and is why I’m retiring up north. My wife has other ideas. Good luck.
 
I wasn't sure where to place this post so feel free to move it if need be. I'm considering my retirement as soon as next summer. I'm also thinking of moving to Tennessee soon there after. I have only driven through the state and would like to hear from others who are familiar with the climate and communities around the major cities.
I would like to be closer to family who live in Georgia and am leaning towards making Chattanooga or a small town nearby my future home. Besides my love for metal detecting, I also enjoy bass fishing and have heard that they have a pretty good fishery nearby at Lake Chickamauga.
As a veteran who relies on the VA for medical coverage, a VA hospital nearby will be a big plus as well. I believe there is one in Chattanooga if google is correct.

I'd love to hear from those who live in the state and those who may know it well. Your comments would be appreciated. Thanks

HDD

With the President pushing through his VA plan which allows our veterans to see private medical care providers, the location of a VA medical center may not be as important as it once was. You didn't say where your family is in Ga, but other Southern Cities known to be good retirement areas are; Charleston SC, South-Western NC (some of the best trout fishing in the country), Asheville NC, Hilton Head SC, Myrtle Beach area (South Strand), Savannah Ga, and more. The coastal areas provide fresh and salt fishing, and daily beach detecting if you're inclined. The weather is warm most of the year and there's never a need to operate a snow shovel. Living costs are usually much less down here and there are strong retirement communities in all these areas. This also means that there are expansive medical services available as well. As for fishing, having a few good places to fish is somewhat of a life necessity down this way, so we have that fairly well covered also. LOL
 
Tennessee

Born and raised in Nashville, Tn. I live in Franklin, Tn about 20 miles south of Nashville. Tennessee is the only place I would live. Low taxes, four seasons, great fishing and hunting and true Tennesseans are good people

The only problem with Tennessee is all there are a lot of people from other parts of the country moving here and are trying to change our culture and values. There was a woman that had moved here from up north tell my wife not to call her sweetie because it offended her. My wife's response was "I-65 can take you back where you came from."

One thing for sure. You will not hear many people from the south say they are retiring and moving north.
 
TN is the Perfect jump off base camp for a detectorist to locate either permanently or for the Winter season! You can get to a lot of other States really fast!...Heck, TN shares its borders with what? 7 other States?

Plus the GOM or the Atlantic seaboard are close enough to hunt if the opportunity presents itself...Old dirt there too...Outstanding fishing! Even for big Tiger Muskies! Monster Bass and Catfish in Guntersville...Great Aquarium in Chattanooga...
 
I wasn't sure where to place this post so feel free to move it if need be. I'm considering my retirement as soon as next summer. I'm also thinking of moving to Tennessee soon there after. I have only driven through the state and would like to hear from others who are familiar with the climate and communities around the major cities.
I would like to be closer to family who live in Georgia and am leaning towards making Chattanooga or a small town nearby my future home. Besides my love for metal detecting, I also enjoy bass fishing and have heard that they have a pretty good fishery nearby at Lake Chickamauga.
As a veteran who relies on the VA for medical coverage, a VA hospital nearby will be a big plus as well. I believe there is one in Chattanooga if google is correct.

I'd love to hear from those who live in the state and those who may know it well. Your comments would be appreciated. Thanks

HDD

Don't select Atlanta! Bottom line the metal detecting opportunities are very limited unless you enjoy hunting tot lots. Summer is difficult. either heavy every other day rain soakings or 5 weeks of drought with concrete like red clay. Most areas around civil war battle fields are private or gov property. so CW relic hunting is a challenge unless your 2nd cousin happens to own the property.

Go to FLA!!! Move within 1 hour's drive of a major beach with expensive hotels/condos and learn to read your beaches. But if you don't like the sun and surf and $6,000 diamond rings, then skip the beaches. I am not joking, I know several guys finding these expensive rings and jewelry on a weekly basis. But these guy don't frequent forums or post videos on youtube. They do not want anyone to have the even remote chance of ID'ing a unique piece of jewelry.
 
Plusses and minuses wherever you go

Go to FLA!!! Move within 1 hour's drive of a major beach with expensive hotels/condos and learn to read your beaches. But if you don't like the sun and surf and $6,000 diamond rings, then skip the beaches. I am not joking, I know several guys finding these expensive rings and jewelry on a weekly basis. But these guy don't frequent forums or post videos on youtube. They do not want anyone to have the even remote chance of ID'ing a unique piece of jewelry.[/QUOTE]

I retired to Florida from New Hampshire. I hated the black flies and mosquitos up north. Swapped them out for brown recluse spiders and fire ants.

I live 1.5 hours to either coastal beaches. Warm water from cold. Six foot snow drifts and constant shoveling for never ending grass and hedge cutting. 3000 dollar heating bills for 3000 dollars in A/C bills. A walk in the woods seeing moose deer and everything else that roamed the NH woods. I always carried a 22 handgun, for a look at nearly unpenatrable woodlands wearing snake boots carring a macheti and a 44 magnum. You won't see the 250 lb wild boars and copper heads.

Bass fishing is good down here, it was just as good up north. Deer hunting the same. I play a lot of golf. Courses down here are open year round. I never pay more then 30 dollars to play on a weekend. I never paid less then 60 dollars up north.

What I am saying is you will gain in some areas, lose in others and break even.

Would I move back? never
 
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The Hell with Florida! You should move to Michigan! Sure, theres no gold or silver up here to detect for, but there are some other ancillary benefits you should consider! Primarily, we have a 10 cent deposit on empty beverage cans! And we have them aplenty! in fact, I just emptied two myself while typing this reply! 25 ozers!

Hell!, just this morning I made $4 snatching Wild abandoned empties under the bleachers at a HS stadium!! Plus, 9 months out of the year theres ample beach side parking for FREE! No traffic either!

Theres no Sharks or snakes or spiders to be really concerned about, and the park bums all head South to Florida in the Winter along with the Canadians, or they hole up to winter over at the Mission like Davy Crockett...so thats nice...

Nine months out of the year, no Bums, no traffic, no jet skis buzzing around, no Spring Breaker Girls Gone Wild events, you dont even need sunscreen or sunglasses most of the year! Come up here and do some can snatching in your retirement!! Forget about detecting! The big easy money is in the empty cans! One Old Cannie I interviewed got 16,000 cans last season! Just dumpster/ditch hunting! Riding a bicycle! Thats like $1600 Dollars of supplemental income!! And if your retirement plan goes sideways, ya lose all your money, theres always the Mission!...Good people there, Hot food and lively conversation! Not too crowded in the Winter, not like Florida!!:laughing:
 

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Chattanooga is a super place to live. The economy is booming thanks to the auto industry. There are still plenty of places to relic hunt but you will have your share of competition. Since Volkswagen came to town, a lot of potential hunt sites are now under concrete. But a little driving and you are in it again. The summers get hotter as you get older. In my younger years we hunted everyday. Now we pretty much just water hunt in the summer, and then land in the winter. And there are a couple of good relic hunting clubs you can join. Ga is less than a mile or two, depending on where you live. So come on down. And if you do, let me know and I'll try to help you get started in the right direction. I'm 73, but I still do my share of hunting.
 
Do not move to South Carolina we are full. Hotter than hades in the summer with high humidity. Beaches are full all summer of pretty women in teeny little bikinis making it nearly impossible to detect. Some outstanding fishing. Good hunting but a lot of the available hunting is tied up by hunting clubs. And too many people with metal detectors competing with me for the finds.


Have I convinced you yet??? I have been in the Charleston area since 1965 and when I leave it will be in a pine box. I love the south even if we do have one of those freak snow storms every few years.

Good luck where ever you decide to call home after retirement.
 
Thanks for the replies and great information everyone. After reading all them comments, I'm ready to pack up and get on down there. Too bad it will have to wait a few more months. Plenty of time to do some more research and maybe take a road trip in the spring. I've got to get off of here now and get some of that plastic window covering up on my bedroom and den windows, seems and early winter is upon us. I don't remember even feeling any fall temps, it went from 80's to 50's here and in the 30's at night.

Thanks again.

HDD
 
Like you I plan on retiring next June as soon as school is out. I’m retired military and got an early retirement from the univ where I was working. Then in June I’ll be a retired teacher on social security and still I worry be cause Hawaii is so darn expensive. Do not even dream about retiring in Hawaii. I can’t leave since my wife won’t so I’m chained to da rocks.

Good luck where ever you settle and hope it’s all good
 
Do not move to South Carolina we are full. Hotter than hades in the summer with high humidity. Beaches are full all summer of pretty women in teeny little bikinis making it nearly impossible to detect. Some outstanding fishing. Good hunting but a lot of the available hunting is tied up by hunting clubs. And too many people with metal detectors competing with me for the finds.


Have I convinced you yet??? I have been in the Charleston area since 1965 and when I leave it will be in a pine box. I love the south even if we do have one of those freak snow storms every few years.

Good luck where ever you decide to call home after retirement.

Dittos!!!
 
Did you say Lake Chickamacamaco?:lol:(Reference the Bundys....) They might have bass,and they might be a little weird...
Retirement? What’s that? I’m married...with children.
 
I'm working on my retirement myself but I'm headed to Florida. Done with the Kansas !!!! of -10 in the winter and +110 in the summer. I've found just about everything I could expect to find in a Kansas western town I'm looking for the gold.
 
My folks retired and moved near Bluffton SC, they like it there. When I go visit it seems like a really nice area, lots of good restaurants, thrift stores are decent and plentiful. As the area has alot of retirees it seems like businesses dealing with real estate buying or renting, recreation, healthcare or food do pretty well there.
 
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