where to settle

Where you come from now is much less important than where you’re going.  More and more of us are rooted in the future or the present tense as much as in the past.  And home, we know, is not just the place where you happen to be born.  It’s the place where you become yourself.

-- Pico Iyer, TED Talks

What I am looking for in a town to settle in

1)  Adjacency: within a 90-minute drive of a city for airport access, specialized medical care, and big-box stores like Wal-Mart

o   I do not need to have big-box stores in the town that I live in; I can travel there once a month and store perishables in freezer.

2)  Beauty and interest: views, historic architecture, interesting neighborhoods, public art

o   Photogenic places that I can photograph across the seasons

3)  Clean: not strewn with garbage, not have rotten smell of sewage, clean air rather than being choked by diesel-truck exhaust fumes, no dust storms during dry season

4)  Climate: preferably ranging from 60s – 80s  ̊ F (15 – 27 ̊ C) year-round during daytime.  When hot, at least not also humid.

o   Drier climate rather than an area with frequent year-round rains. 

o   Not overwhelmed with biting flies, chiggers, or mosquitoes during rainy season

o   Some clouds so that I do not feel that I need to hide from scorching sun

5)  Contribute: identify interesting ways that I can contribute to the town, such as helping to mentor and fund K-12 science clubs or improving nearby properties for neighbors

6)  Cost: not overpriced, at least by USA standards

7)  Friendly: locals not xenophobic, will not judge me for not attending church services, people do not reflexively ask for money when they see me because of severe poverty in town

o   Are people naturally suspicious of outsiders, or do they happily greet me when I greet them?

o   Will I be able to sufficiently integrate with locals so that average people I see on the street are not resentful of me being a rich outsider and view me as a target?

8)  Home: preferably one-story, without stairs; with character but not outwardly a center of attention and hence attractive to criminals

o   Quiet location, such as on a court or dead-end road, but not isolated in countryside such that I have to drive everywhere

o   Private back-yard rather than constantly hearing and seeing neighbors

9)  Infrastructure: reliable electricity, water, sewage, and road to town

o   Potable water would be nice, but is not required if it is not contaminated with pollutants (get it tested—twice)

10)  Peers: some interesting locals (or at least retirees who moved there) with whom to make new friends

o   Likely to find interesting locals in university towns

11)  Roads: Fun, paved bicycling and motorcycling roads with minimal gravel and light traffic

o   Preferably both twisty roads as well as scenic and relaxed back roads among farms

o   Avoid gravel roads, which increase my risk of falling and hurting myself as I age

o   Preferably with a few small, interesting towns nearby where I can stop to buy a treat during longer rides

12)  Safety: low crime (at least relative to rest of country) such that I do not have to worry about home break ins and I can take walks by myself during evenings

13)  Size: smaller town that is walkable or bike-rideable rather than needing to get in a car to go anywhere 

o   Not filled with vehicle traffic and drivers honking horns at intersections

14)  Stability: stable government with established track record rather than a kleptocracy

o   I do not need to pay bribes to get work done on house

15)  Vitality: town has energy to it rather than just being a languid tourist backwater

16)  Walking: few steep streets, wide and level sidewalks, shade for relaxing strolls through town, back roads, easy trails, or beaches.

o   I prefer to walk in town and do errands rather than walking the same nature trail every day.

Amenities that I enjoy

1)     Community center with swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and classes, including dance lessons

2)     Gliding or paragliding

3)     Pottery studio with kiln

4)     Reefs or kelp for scuba diving

5)     Steady winds for kiting; clean water for kiteboarding and e-foiling

Interactions that I enjoy 

1)     Bakery: buy pastries and fresh breads that are not over-priced

2)     Browsing some shops: bookstores, local artists’ co-ops, gelato, fancy treats

3)     Cafés, friends’ houses: sharing meals and drinks with friends

4)     Farmer’s market: walking to market and browsing through it

o   Area with diverse fruits and vegetables that I can purchase for decent prices at the farmer’s market, then make smoothies for healthy eating

5)     MTG players and meeting spot

6)     People watching at plazas and festivals while I can sit in shade

7)     Sports: ping pong and another racquet sport

8)     Unitarian church: change of pace, meet interesting people

9)     Wineries or social groups that hold events where I can meet interesting people

Amenities that are unimportant to me

1)     Concerts, symphonies

2)     Expensive restaurants, hotels

3)     Expensive wineries

4)     First-run movie theatres

5)     Museums that have static displays without rotating exhibits

6)     Long or rough hiking trails that my left knee is not capable of handling without pain

7)     Professional sports that I do not want to watch in-person

Factors to consider

1)     Types of neighbors: neighbors come in all types and numbers, ranging from a single household to a shop-filled city.  I do not want to live in either a lonely private valley or a noisy shop-filled city.  In between I consider quality to be more important than quantity for my neighbors.  For example, I would rather live adjacent to four close friends than any number of uninteresting strangers.

2)     Amenities: Beyond number of people, there is the distinction between neighboring homes, shops, and landmarks (e.g., beaches, overlooks, historic churches).  I could be in a neighborhood of 40 homes, but still feel isolated if I need to drive to all the shops that I choose to patronize and the events that I choose to participate in.  Just because a shop is within easy walking distance does not mean that I want to patronize it.  For example, I would rather drive to purchase a crispy loaf of whole-wheat bread rather than walk five minutes to purchase generic white bread.

3)     Distances: three distances matter for my daily life so that I can feel integrated into a community while I age: easy walking distance, easy bicycling distance, and easy motorcycling distance.  To have accessible variety I want at least two amenities (close friend, shop I patronize, or landmark I enjoy) within easy walking distance (1 kilometer), another two amenities within easy bicycling distance (4 kilometers), and preferably another two amenities within easy motorcycling distance (15 kilometers).

Questions for me

1)     While visiting a potential town to settle in, try to engage in the interactions listed above that I enjoy.  Am I successful and do I feel engaged while doing so?

2)     Will I truly be happy where I settle, and feel energetic by engaging in activities, or will I instead exist in an ever-repeating day and ossify while feeling alone?

3)     How will I make new friends and perhaps meet a new companion?

4)     I am happiest when I apply my subconsciousness to a task and make progress on it.  What new tasks will I have in my chosen town after I finish building and settling into my new home?

5)     Are climate, topography, and location more important to me than daily interactions with new people?  I can readily connect with older friends online.

Towns to consider settling in

In an idyllic private valley, how long before the peacefulness of solitude yields to the despair of isolation? 

Unable to accept anything less than everything, he ended up with nothing…

-- Pico Iyer, The Lady and the Monk