Released: May 14, 2007

Test the waters before choosing retirement locale

Source: Noelle Knox, USA Today

You’d think Warren Bland would have had a smooth transition to retirement. After all, he spent three years researching 60 places in the USA and Canada for his book Retire in Style. But no.

At first, Bland and his wife, Sarah, wanted to retire in Ithaca, N.Y., to be near their families, enjoy the Finger Lakes landscape and the college-town life (Cornell University). “But after several trips,” Bland says, “we couldn’t find a house we liked, in a neighborhood we liked, with good public transit.”

So last year they went to Plan B: Portland, Ore., which they chose for its mild climate, cultural opportunities and good medical facilities.

They found an ideal neighborhood, not far from downtown, with a bus stop near their front door. But, Bland admits, “We learned through hard experience, it’s very difficult to find the house you want. We’ve got a two-story house, and the only bathroom that came with the house is on the second floor.”

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