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The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Places for a Single Woman to Retire in New England

 

A reader question:

Where are nice places in Salt Water New England for a single older woman to retire?

15 comments:

  1. Orange Beach, Alabama and throw away all those winter clothes.

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  2. The Greater Portland, Maine area!

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  3. The Boston area has gotten so expensive; Lynn is nearby, affordable, and coming up if not quite there yet. Others in Mass: North Adams (MOCA), Amherst (colleges), Gloucester. Providence is nice. So is Portsmouth. Maine winters are long, but with climate change who knows? :)

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    1. The past two winters have been mild in Hancock County, 2020-2021 espesh.

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    2. Lynn - ??! No, it's awful!

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    3. Choose your neighborhood wisely, if you pick Lynn. Lynn, Lynn, city of sin, you never come out the way you came in.......

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  4. Guilford and Branford CT on the water side of the highway are both lovely, close to nice shops and excellent services, as well as cultural opportunities. Just saw the cutest little house in Branford on Zillow that could be flossed up easily - walk to a private beach, Yale is a hop/skip and New York City is a train ride. These are towns that have a variety of housing options from affordable to luxe. I also like Madison and Westbrook CT - also very pretty, and Westbrook has a lot of super-cute houses available on the beach side of the highway. Westerly RI is also very nice. My brother and sister in law just moved there. They bought an old Victorian house in town, renovated it, and have been swimming and sailing every day. It is a really nice old-fashioned community...not too snooty or full of tourists.

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  5. Might this “single older woman” be looking for a partner? That might influence the discussion. Diverse options like Vermont’s “Golden Triangle,” Massachusett’s Pioneer Valley and the Bay State’s “nuts and berry land,” aka The Berkshires, might be brought into into the picture.

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  6. As a person who has lived in many places but is now retired and considers moving, I look for a place that is as free as possible from climate change related things like flooding, wildfire, and drought. Right now I am in Austin and have observed that when major supply chain disruptions occur, being near a superb grocery store is invaluable. As regards local amenities, it really depends what you enjoy and what sort of a person you are. If you are an avid reader, a small local library might be charming, but it will have you buying more books online. If you are a rower and there is no calm water nearby, you will either need to resort to car-topping or find another interest. If you are a churchgoer and your preferred denomination is not in a community that is one thing, but you ought to dig deeper. For example in parts of Texas some Episcopal churches are very progressive and open and some are very traditional and less receptive to things outside of their preferences. And then there is cost of living. It is not a simple calculus. It needs to include housing costs but also other major variables like state and local taxes, utility costs, insurance rates, and even internet costs. These things can be much more varied than you might expect.

    When I consider the possibility of a return to SWNE I want to be close enough to the coast to enjoy the moderating benefits of the coastal climate but far enough inland and high enough up to be shielded from epic storms. To me being not too far inland in eastern Connecticut or Rhode Island tics the most boxes.

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  7. Hingham MA, lovely town, near Boston for all things cultural and world class hospitals, may you never need them, variety of old homes and newer construction. Very walkable, lots of conservation land, good library, very good markets, and depending on the traffic less than one hour to the Cape, off hours and not on Friday or Sunday nights:) several good veterinary clinics for all of us who adore our pets. Nice yacht club and a few good restaurants. Downside rather high housing prices and very competitive real estate market since Covid. Many houses of worship, generally friendly people of a variety of ages, sadly not very racially diverse. Conservation minded. Golf club open to the public with pool.

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  8. I forgot nice sailing club/rowing open to the public

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  9. The New Haven area is pretty nice. A wide variety of semi affordable housing. Great theaters, a good symphony, the Connecticut shore. The big city is 90 minutes by train.
    When the time comes there are two continuum of care facilities that attract people from all over the northeast region. The joke is that all the Democrats go to Whitney Center, all the Republicans go to Evergreen Woods.

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  10. Amherst and the surrounding area in Massachusetts has a lot of cultural offerings and natural beauty and an excellent public transportation system for when you decide you shouldn't be driving any more.

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