Previously, I had thought I was going to end up in Prescott, AZ. But I reconsidered my choice because there's still a 3% state income tax for pensions and IRA withdrawals. If it weren't for Covid, we would have been staying in another country by now for a couple of years until returning back to the states. But we may skip living overseas altogether even.

Texas is sounding better with zero state income tax along with being a free state. I've started compiling lists according to the various criteria important to us. But there's a lot of cities to consider. But I thought I can get help from Sigforum in narrowing down to a short list of cities that we can look at especially from those in the know.

Our criteria are:
1) Zero or minimal snow
2) Minimal humidity / heat in summer (I guess I can't have everything but I'll settle somewhere not in the extreme)
3) Low risk of natural hazards such as hurricanes, flooding, tornados, etc.
4) Below average to average crime levels (safer is better)
5) Low cost of living
6) Accessibility to healthcare, groceries, etc.

Looking forward to getting suggestions for cities I can retire to. If you think I'm missing an important criteria, please point that out, too.

Thanks in advance.

The "low heat and humidity" combined with "no tornadoes" and "zero snow" is going to be very tough criteria to meet in Texas. You're not going to find a place in Texas that has all that.

Bottom line: Texas is hot, and has tornadoes. Some places will have a little less heat, some will have a little less humidity, some will have a little less snow/ice, and some will have a little less tornadoes, but you'll need to decide what you're willing to budge on.

If you're willing to budge on the snow, I'd probably say that the northern panhandle area (Amarillo et al) may be worth considering. It has the least heat compared to the rest of Texas, but is still hot during the summer. And it gets colder and gets more snow in the winter than most parts of Texas.

Or on the flip side, if you'd rather deal with heat than snow, West Texas will have lower humidity, and less snow, but will get even hotter during the summer.

The further south you get in Texas, the lower the tornado risk goes, though I don't think there's anywhere in Texas that could be considered "tornado free". (Maybe the far southwest Big Bend desert area?) And the further south you go, the hotter it gets, and the more humid it gets in the southeast.

#2 and #3 do not exist in Texas, sorry. It gets stupid hot for several months in any part of Texas. We have floods, hail, tornados and hurricanes....and Tuesday ain’t much better

Sorry Rogue, but Amarillo and the panhandle are pretty much the center of tornado alley. My great grandparents lived just north of Amarillo and I remember playing in the “storm cellar” when we would visit them. It’s also 100 degrees in the summer and prone to ice storms in the winter with dust storms in between.

Yeah, I was in the midst of editing that tornado part. Not sure why I had that in my head initially.

Sadly, what you've been told is true.

Add Denton, Lubbock and Marfa to the places you're looking at.

I hate to say it, but is there anywhere in Tennessee you're fond of?

A couple of things to consider (and this is anecdotal and could be wrong). My wife has had three siblings escape Illinois and move to Texas; 2 in the Houston area, the other in New Braunfels.

I have heard that, depending on where you are, property taxes in Texas can be expensive. In addition, the two in the Houston area have complained about the cost of utilities, particularly water.

I'm not dumping on Texas; in fact, I think it's a great state. But wanted to mention what I've heard from these family members.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
If you think I'm missing an important criteria, please point that out, too.

One factor I think doesn't get enough thought - esp for us folks who are getting on in years - is proximity to a Level I Trauma Center. While it probably wouldn't be a 'make or break' factor, before choosing a location, I'd find out how close (or far) it was from a good hospital.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Sadly, what you've been told is true.

Add Denton, Lubbock and Marfa to the places you're looking at.

I hate to say it, but is there anywhere in Tennessee you're fond of?

Unfortunately, it snows in Tennessee and we're not snow people especially considering we'll be there in our later years. I only spent one winter in snow and that was in Idaho Falls, ID when I was in the Navy.

In North Texas (from East to West) you're far more likely to get an ice storm instead of a snow storm. Ice storms suck. We're talking freezing rain instead of snow.

I'm probably a bit more partial to the DFW area. I have family scattered all over Texas. I would not want to live in the DFW proper area. I would prefer to be in the Far Northern part of DFW, maybe slightly north of Denton and either East of West of Denton.

You're out of the awful DFW traffic and noise, and still close enough to excellent health care and financial services, entertainment, etc. DFW Airport is a quick drive.

If you like casinos, either for gambling or for the entertainment value of music, etc, the Winstar Casino is just a few minutes north on I-35, one mile inside Oklahoma. The Winstar Casino is huuuuuge, it's the worlds largest casino by floor space. Lots of stuff going on there.

Houston is too muggy and hot. El Paso is the desert.

I-35 from DFW metro-mess all the way south to San Antonio is crowded. Traffic sucks, prices are stupid high, it's just a pain in the ass.

Best wishes to you.
.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Sorry Rogue, but Amarillo and the panhandle are pretty much the center of tornado alley. My great grandparents lived just north of Amarillo and I remember playing in the “storm cellar” when we would visit them. It’s also 100 degrees in the summer and prone to ice storms in the winter with dust storms in between.

Ah yes, thanks for bringing up the haboobs. We had 50 mph winds just yesterday.
I think the only category the panhandle might fit for the OP is low humidity. Not much snow really though and certainly less ice storms than the DFW area.
Usually it's 100+ degrees for weeks at a time in the summer, combined with high winds and grass fires. Tornado risk is certainly up there but hail is far more common problem in the spring/summer.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Sadly, what you've been told is true.

Add Denton, Lubbock and Marfa to the places you're looking at.

I hate to say it, but is there anywhere in Tennessee you're fond of?

Denton is soon to be engulfed by DFW.... good friend has the family ranch of 19 sections currently under commercial contract for residential expansion plans just outside Justin

quote:

Unfortunately, it snows in Tennessee

They may get a dusting once or twice a year. Growing up there I remember getting an ice storm maybe once every 10 years. This was Henry County.

Texas has a lot going for it however, for somebody departing the SF Bay Area, (besides the cultural adjust) the weather and the lack of physical features is the biggest adjustment. Humidity at some level is just a fact of life just about everywhere east of the Rockies. For natural phenomena, you'll trade earthquakes for the annual season of tornados and hurricane.

I have family in Houston and for all their urging and the number of visits, I have zero interest in living there, the weather leaves a lot to be desired, the sprawl is out of control but, they've got quite a broad food scene and leading medical centers. Dallas metroplex to me is like the LA Basin, endless sprawl of developments. El Paso resembles San Bernardino/Riverside in look & climate, I honestly didn't spend much time there but, driving thru I don't think I'm missing much if I never return. Austin and San Antonio I enjoy, they are the liberal hot-beds for Texas but, coming from CA, its more centrist with bouts of trying to match-up to the coastal elites. If anything you can move there and help re-center its leanings, both have plenty of suburbs and outlaying communities that will help keep prices reasonable, they're both popular so, you may be limited on pricing.

I have friends who settle in the Frisco and Celine area, and others north of Fort Worth. McKinney, north of Dallas used to be the go-to place, but I think it's now too crowded. Denison and Sherman might be OK--there are a couple of pretty good hospitals up there (my BFF's wife works in one) and the weather there is a little more moderate than in DFW.

Noplace in Texas really escapes the heat and humidity (except maybe the Panhandle), and tornadoes can occur most anywhere. Hurricanes are limited to far south Texas, though, so I'd avoid Houston, Corpus Christi, etc. if that is a worry--those places have horrible humidity, too (one of my no-nos).

I have lived in Dallas now for 40 years and I like it here. I've learned to handle the summer heat and try not to worry too much about tornadoes. We do get a dusting of snow every couple of years, but it doesn't usually last more than a day. Ice storms, with black ice on the roads, are more of a worry, but they don't really happen all that often, either. Heavy rainstorms with big hail are a factor, though--whatever you get, make sure there is a roof over your parked car.

flashguy

Those tornados ain't so bad,
Compared to earth quakes, at least you can see and hear them coming.


I went through two quakes while living in So. California,
And 30
Tornado seasons in the mid west,
I will take
Tornado country any day.

You might check out San Angelo Tx. A smaller town in West Texas, it has a couple of lakes and good medical facilities. Also Abilene, a big town with a small town atmosphere.

5th generation Texan here. I’m in Nashville now but if I were to move back I’d look at San Antonio or the hill country. Where ever you look you are not going to escape the heat. I also suggest you check out the Nashville area as we have minimal snow here.

Dallas traffic now starts at the Red River. The Winstar casino in Oklahoma has made it much worse. I would look at Tyler or Longview OP.

I lived in TX for 20 yrs in Houston for 10 and the northern burbs for 10.

My daughters both still live there (San Antonio and Huntsville). I got to see some of College Station recently and I liked it. Its growing but not too big, a college town, good hospitals (my daughter was in one for three days which brought me there). There are small towns nearby that the wife and I were looking at for buying property before we moved to NC.

That being said it does suffer from the aforementioned problems that TX has...but snow the least of these.

Low heat and humidity? In Texas? Ha, that's a good one.