Where to live: What constitutes utopia?

Where do you want to live for the next 10, 20, or 30 years? I’ll be honest that, other than the occasional daydream of living in a bright cottage near the ocean, I really didn’t start to think about where I’d like to spend my retirement years until quite recently. Now that finding the ideal place to nest through my grey-haired years is on my mind, I find that the start of this retirement location search is all consuming.

We all have an image of our perfect retirement town. When I close my eyes and allow my thoughts to drift my ideal place feels like Andy Griffith’s hometown. I long to live in a place that’s small enough that I know everyone in my neighborhood and our lives intersect on a regular basis.

Here are the things that I want in a retirement location

Art- galleries, classes, working artists

Live music

Walk to everything

Sense of history

Access to fly fishing

Movie theater

Decent restaurants

Nearby college

What do you think about the items on my search list? Does this place exist? If so, is it affordable? Join me as I look for my own private utopia.

Hello my friends

Welcome to Forced Retirement Bliss! This blog is for you if you’re contemplating retiring in your 50s because of corporate downsizing. Losing a career before you’re ready is scary and it’s normal to feel a little lost as you ponder your next steps. Think of this blog as your very own virtual seat at the coolest diner in town.

I grew up at a diner in a town of 8,000 people outside of Chicago, Illinois. Along with grilled cheese sandwiches and banana split sundaes, my fondest memories involve talking with the regulars who stopped in for a cup of coffee and a quick chat each day. My goal with this blog is to recreate the easy give and take with friends that my heart remembers from my childhood.

Join me on my search for the place where I’ll spend the next decade.

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton