Early Retirement Extreme Forums

One Secret to Clocking Out May Be a Moving Van
IT seems like bait and switch. People who spent their working lives believing that they could retire at 65 or so are looking at their financial statements and thinking that it can’t be done. The recession — and maybe their own spending — took too big a bite out of their balances.
Many people are willing, and even eager, to keep working until they can build up their retirement savings. But for those who long to retire sooner rather than later, there is a way out of workaday life that can be leveraged to great advantage — moving to a lower-cost area.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/busin ... EARLY.html

Is this a no brainer, or what? Live in somewhere like Chicago or Boston if you don't have to? Traffic, murder, drugs, perverts, muggers, noise, chaos, targeted cities for terrorism?
Retirement should be the ticket out of that lifestyle. So you paid the price and have the assets, sell them, and get out of Dodge. Find a nice piece of paradise and kick back, watch the cows and walk in the woods (unarmed for a change).
I will draw fire on the above comments from died in the wool big cityers, but that's ok. Just know there is a much better way to live. "ohhhh Greeeen Acreees is the place to beeee" "Country livin' is the place for meeee" (For those who remember the "Green Acres: TV show.)
Yeppers, a real live noooooooooo braina!!!!!

I read the title and thought that the secret was to live IN the moving van.
Where I live is about 2 hours drive from downtown Chicago and the cost of living is very low here (Michigan). You don't have to go that far out of the city, just beyond the commuting zone.

@Spence,

Have lived in cities on and off, I agree, and it is unfortunate that cities have come to represent all these you mention.

Here's a quote from Sherlock Holmes:

"I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained"
More recently, this
Here's a historical account of how London morphed from 17th C to what it is! Carolyn Steel: How food shapes our cities
@sky,

Me too! But sadly, it asked for a login and as I am not a subscriber, I couldn't read the article itself.

It's good to know there aren't any perverts outside of Boston.

Probably the biggest reason we can live the lifestyle we do is our choice to live a smallish Midwest city. We are on the Lake, have access to some of the best hospitals in the world, have access to very nice century homes for not a lot of money (i.e. $50,000-70,000), friendly people and excellent outdoor activities. We also have an art center, YMCA and ethnic foods.
I really don't understand why more people don't avail themselves to purchasing a nice home for $60K and simply work part-time or live off of a small portfolio. I really don't......
djc

I'm a pervert and I live in the country
Also, cities are fun... There is a lot to do and a lot of people... There are about 5 eligible females within 30 miles of me out here!;)
I plan to retire, probably raise kids out in the country but I want to live in the city for at least a couple years.
But work there just to pay for my massively mortgaged mcmansion, car that drives me to work, etc? Hell no.

I appreciate the variety of experiences big cities offer. I appreciate the closeness to nature and freedom of space that comes with country living. I appreciate the convenience and affordability of small towns and small cities. I wouldn't choose to live in suburbs though since they don't have any of those qualities.

Just to be sure, please define big?
I grew up in a town (more like four roads with some houses next to them) with a population ~ 100. This was 5km away from the next town, population 5000, 15km away from another city, population 50000, and 25km away from the second largest city in the country, population 250000.
To me anything over 10000 is big.
When I have moved around over the last 15 years I have in every case but one ended up on the perimeter of town with open country-side a few blocks over and downtown in the other direction. This costs less and still makes it possible to walk in.