Best Retirement City for Bonsai Enthusiasts

[Shogun610]

For real?

Hahah nah just playing dawg

 

[Cruiser]

+1 for the northwestern US, west of the Cascades. People have touched on the perks of Washington and Oregon.

I’ll expand on that and recommend somewhere in or around Olympia. It’s not as populated or expensive as the other better known cities up here. More like a large town really. There’s a year round farmers market downtown and a strong sense of community. It’s centrally located between the Olympic Peninsula, Seattle, and Portland. It’s easy to get to mountains, cities, lowland forests, and the ocean from here.
Elandon Gardens and Issho-en Bonsai are nearby, as is the Pacific Bonsai Museum. The scene in Portland is a couple hours south. A straight and easy shot on I-5.
There’s a bonsai club for Olympia area and also the Puget Sound Bonsai Association. Dave DeGroot, Dan Robinson, Eric and Victrinia Ridgeway, and other professionals are affiliated with the clubs and sometimes put on demonstrations. It seems like a lot of pb nutters are up here too.

If you’re concerned about lack of sun and too much rain, then Sequim or Port Angeles would be good choices. They’re in a rain shadow and are close to the north side of Olympic National Park. Some areas get sunlight and annual rainfall comparable to Los Angeles. Lots of California retirees choose Sequim. They’ve even got a Costco.
Retiring somewhere in the San Juan’s would also be super sweet but you’d have to accept living on an island and the conditions that come with that (ferries, solitude, summer tourists, etc)


As a former east coaster and Californian, I’d also like to add that there’s hardly any ticks or poison oak/ivy up here. I work in the woods and have found only 1 tick in the last 7 years. Also, there’s no dangerous snakes or spiders. Although there are cougars and spikey plants.

 

[MeDupree]

Another vote for Pennsylvania it's plenty of nature, art and decent retirement homes all over, my parents just moved into their forever home last year not far from outside of my city.

Longwood gardens is opening a new bonsai garden next spring/summer if you're visiting any relocation possibilities in the near future. Still locating all of the bonsai stuff here but it seems the majority of the nurseries and clubs are near the capital Harrisburg or Poconos

 

[Cajunrider]

For me its Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Sure there are a lot of other places I'd like to visit, but this is home.

Philadelphia because my grand-babies are here and there’s some room for my bonsai. The rest is immaterial.

 

[ForThemWhatCare]

My wife is going to love all these vote for Pennsylvania as it is on the top of a lot of retirement list.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Actually Asheville isn’t bad. I moved here in 2009 from Manassas VA and retired here in 2010. We have the arboretum with its great bonsai collection, a good and growing bonsai club (Blue Ridge Bonsai Society), and the climate, although at a higher altitude is milder. I have collected trees in the National Forest and this June we’ll have a new bonsai show at the Blue Spiral art gallery down tow. The cost of living is about the same as NVa, taxes are lower, housing was cheaper, utilities about the same. Land out in the county is reasonable but close in to town has become very limited and expensive, but then it probably is still cheaper than NVa.

 

[Gabler]

Actually Asheville isn’t bad. I moved here in 2009 from Manassas VA and retired here in 2010. We have the arboretum with its great bonsai collection, a good and growing bonsai club (Blue Ridge Bonsai Society), and the climate, although at a higher altitude is milder. I have collected trees in the National Forest and this June we’ll have a new bonsai show at the Blue Spiral art gallery down tow. The cost of living is about the same as NVa, taxes are lower, housing was cheaper, utilities about the same. Land out in the county is reasonable but close in to town has become very limited and expensive, but then it probably is still cheaper than NVa.

Most places are cheaper to live than Northern Virginia. My rent in Wilmington, DE, is less than half of my cousin’s in NOVA, and I have more square footage and a small yard.

 

[penumbra]

Actually Asheville isn’t bad.

Love it.

 

[ForThemWhatCare]

Actually Asheville isn’t bad. I moved here in 2009 from Manassas VA and retired here in 2010. We have the arboretum with its great bonsai collection, a good and growing bonsai club (Blue Ridge Bonsai Society), and the climate, although at a higher altitude is milder. I have collected trees in the National Forest and this June we’ll have a new bonsai show at the Blue Spiral art gallery down tow. The cost of living is about the same as NVa, taxes are lower, housing was cheaper, utilities about the same. Land out in the county is reasonable but close in to town has become very limited and expensive, but then it probably is still cheaper than NVa.

Asheville is on the short list but it is becoming very trendy with a lot of people fleeing Florida (left leaning) and driving up the prices. If we want to go there we are going to have to do it soon or we will miss the economical window.

 

[shohin_branches]

Come to Milwaukee. Cost of living is cheap. We have the friendliest bonsai club in the US with over 200 members. Two bonsai sellers, some private instructors, lots of bonsai potters. We have a club show, State Fair, and Winter Silouette shows each year if you like showing your bonsai. Lots of workshops and learning opportunities. Plus many club members have created bonsai study groups that meet regularly. We're also not far from Chicago which has two bonsai shows a year.

The main downside is you can't overwinter your trees on a bench. You need a heated garage or greenhouse.

 

[Carol 83]

The main downside is

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Asheville is on the short list but it is becoming very trendy with a lot of people fleeing Florida (left leaning) and driving up the prices. If we want to go there we are going to have to do it soon or we will miss the economical window.

Actually we seem to be suffering a wave of New Yorkers moving south these days, Floridians only come to visit when it gets too hot down there.

 

[flor1]

Actually we seem to be suffering a wave of New Yorkers moving south these days, Floridians only come to visit when it gets too hot down there.

Asheville is already ruined to many half backs and Yankees who think how they do it Florida or New York is right for everyone.

 

[Gabler]

Asheville is already ruined to many half backs and Yankees who think how they do it Florida or New York is right for everyone.

It’s a common problem. People vote the cost of living too high where they live, move away, and then ruin the new place they’re moving to.

 

[ForThemWhatCare]

It’s a common problem. People vote the cost of living too high where they live, move away, and then ruin the new place they’re moving to.

Truth...

 

[yashu]

There are some small issues with the west coast like the fact that much is in permanent drought, burning up or going to fall into the ocean and it’s not trending in a positive direction.

I think mid Atlantic states maybe in the more mountainous areas if alpine conifers and maples are a thing you like. Bjorn seems to be doing ok in TN.

 

[Gabler]

Truth...

Unfortunately, at least in the U.S., there isn’t much the good states can do to protect themselves from the immigrants from the bad ones. Between the Interstate Commerce Clause of the Constitution and the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, US citizens have free range to cross state borders and live wherever they want. That’s usually a good thing. It’s nice not to need a passport to visit my parents a few miles down the road in Maryland. On the flip side, New Englanders are free to drive up the cost of housing in Delaware because they made it too expensive to live where they’re from.

 

[rifujiin]

As we start to put together a list of where might be a good place to relocate to as we move to our final (retirement) home one of the considerations has to be where would be a good place that checks all those other boxes (cost of living, taxes, not in Florida, etc.)...

...but also would be a good location to continue developing one's bonsai collection.

I figured a number of us in the US might have already performed these calculations and have recommendations. With that in mind are there cities that you'd recommend to be on the short list for retirement?

Kyoto without a doubt

 

[rockm]

As we start to put together a list of where might be a good place to relocate to as we move to our final (retirement) home one of the considerations has to be where would be a good place that checks all those other boxes (cost of living, taxes, not in Florida, etc.)...

...but also would be a good location to continue developing one's bonsai collection.

I figured a number of us in the US might have already performed these calculations and have recommendations. With that in mind are there cities that you'd recommend to be on the short list for retirement?

By and large, if you're in N. Va., I'd opt to remain in Va., only further south--Richmond, Fredericksburg, or the Northern Neck. Shenandoah Valley too. Lower Cost of living, access to world class bonsai at the National Arboretum with a relatively short drive. The Middle Atlantic states have reasonably good climate to grow a wide variety of species--winters aren't too bad, summers the same. The Pacific Northwest is fine, but expensive and it's 3,000 miles away.

 

[yashu]

Asheville is already ruined to many half backs and Yankees who think how they do it Florida or New York is right for everyone.

What is a “half-back”?