#11 through 15. See the picture for scores.
Sample houses:
11 – Bullhead City (AZ)
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-27610?view=qv
12 – Santa Fe (NM)
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-08353?view=qv
13 – Bisbee (AZ)
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-37731?view=qv
14 – St. George (UT)
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-55314?view=qv
15 – Las Vegas (NM)
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-44299?view=qv
Summary (in ascending order)
15 - Las Vegas (NM) – Okay, first note that this is New Mexico, not Nevada. I was curious about it because it’s on I-25 and is a decent-sized town outside Santa Fe. I thought maybe it would be an affordable option and you could then drive to Santa Fe for restaurants and stuff. I’ve driven through it a million times but have never stopped, but it’s got a little college in town and I thought it seemed promising. It’s notably higher in elevation than Denver, so the winters and the summers are both 3 to 4 degrees colder. It gets only about half the snow of Denver, though, so all in all it’s at least even on climate and maybe a bit better. As I expected, it’s very affordable, cutting 1.5 years off my retirement schedule. However, the housing market is challenging. There are a bunch of really cool two-story homes, but the one-story home market is tough. (Trigger alert: the sample house is full of dead animals and was clearly owned by a divorced man who had no design tastes.)
14 – St. George (UT). I’ve been in this town once and had a very positive impression. I think it’s a big retirement place and I remember lots of spas and stuff for those of us who like a good massage. They definitely have winter here, but it’s ten degrees warmer than Denver with almost no snow. Summers are really rough, though, being 12 degrees warmer. It’s a little more affordable than Denver, cutting a year off my retirement schedule, and the house selection is pretty good. (I cheated a little and picked a sample house with a basement because I wanted the pool if it’s going to be hot.) It’s also a large enough community to have services. The big risk here is the political/religious climate. I don’t know how much the Mormons control this area, and I’ve heard that you don’t want to be a non-Mormon in Mormon country.
13 – Bisbee (AZ). I’ve never heard of this place, but I kept seeing it on “best places to retire” lists and it looks interesting. It’s really close to the Mexican border, but it’s at a 5,500 foot elevation, which has great implications for climate that far south. It has basically the same summer as Denver but with less humidity, and the winters are far more tolerable – 15 degrees warmer with just a touch of snow to keep it interesting. It’s a small town that’s remote so you’d have a big tradeoff on services and probably healthcare, which may be a deal killer for a retirement home. The housing market is not great due to its small size. The sample house is really interesting since it includes an airplane hangar and runway, but we know what that means when you’re 10 miles from the border. Druglords will eventually hold you hostage after they take over your house. I’m intrigued, and pictures of the place look really pretty, but I’m a bit skeptical about the remoteness.
12 – Santa Fe (NM). I’ve spent a lot of time in Santa Fe over the years, and I really like that place. It’s like no other city in America. I figured it would be too expensive, but am surprised that it’s actually slightly more affordable for me than Denver. The weather is a slight but definite win – similar winter temperatures with half the snow of Denver, and summers that are three degrees cooler. The city is big enough to have good stuff to do, and it has a good housing selection if you like pueblo style (which I do). This is an incredibly strong contender. If my wife and I decide to relocate after retirement, I’m sure this will be a top contender even it still means dealing with some snow.
11 – Bullhead City (AZ). I’ll start by saying that I freakin’ love that house. The curb appeal, the pool, the views … that’s a heckuva house even if I have no idea what Picture #24 is. I showed my wife and her reaction was that she freaking loves that house. It looks like what Tatooine would look like if it was upscale. Setting that aside, Bullhead City is hellish in the summer. It’s literally hell. 111 degree average high, and low humidity can’t fix that. The winters are pretty ideal, though, and it’s very affordable, cutting 1.5 years from my retirement schedule. Clearly, the answer here is that you buy an RV for that special slot in the garage, and in July and August you go drive around in some place that’s not hellish and live a great life on the road. It would eat into the affordability, but it’s a scenario that I would find quite appealing. My wife has a bias against RV travel even though she’s never tried it, so it would be a hard trick to pull off, but that house and that pool and those views might be the only way I could do it. I think it’s a long shot, but I would throw it into the mix.