Best ten CA towns to retire to

[DonTom]

"These Are The 10 Best Towns To Retire To If You Live In California"​

Auburn, CA is one of them! That is out of 1,238 different town possibilities.

"Auburn Is a Nice Escape from the Big Cities​

For those who desire to live in a small, laid-back town, Auburn might be the best bet. The town enjoys charming surroundings and has one of the safest communities in America. This underrated town is near Lake Tahoe, meaning retirees will live close to a magical and secluded vacation spot in the country. Auburn experiences 253 sunny days yearly and has many activities for residents to do, allowing them to enjoy inside and outside. As the odds of a happy life with great leisure are high, retirees will undoubtedly enjoy their stay here."

• Population: 14,021
• Cost of living index: 134.5
• Crime rate: 34% lower than the national average

-Don- Reno, NV (which is closer to Lake Tahoe than Auburn).

 

[Kodiak34SS]

That sounds like a list of good places for a vacation home. Not sure about retirement...suppose it depends on your wants/needs.

 

[Sunnyfalls]

CA has very nice places but is very expensive. But so are most nice places to live. We choose southern Oregon for retirement...after living in NJ, PA, OH, CO, TX, CA and WA. And we have family retreats in Costa Rica and New Zealand for backup should the US continue on its current trajectory. We noticed that our insurance policies added a nuclear fallout exclusion this year.

 

[DonTom]

That sounds like a list of good places for a vacation home. Not sure about retirement...suppose it depends on your wants/needs.

While Auburn is out in the boonies, it is still close to cities such as Rocklin, Roseville, Sacamento as well as deeper into the boonies in all other directions. What else could one want?

Except for. . .

But most of that doesn't apply to Auburn.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tom]

In the 80's & 90's folks were leaving the Bay Area in droves to retire in Auburn.

 

[DonTom]

CA has very nice places but is very expensive. But so are most nice places to live. We choose southern Oregon for retirement...after living in NJ, PA, OH, CO, TX, CA and WA.

But CA is where the higher paying jobs are located as well. Not that it matters much after retirement, as long as retired from CA as I was!

I also enjoy southern Oregon. I've been there countless times, including around this time last year.

Also, a couple of years before.

And also a few motorcycle rides up that way.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

In the 80's & 90's folks were leaving the Bay Area in droves to retire in Auburn.

It's nice to be out of the west bay area to almost anywhere. But the traffic is really the only issue. Often takes all day to go a few miles. Otherwise, even the bay area has some very nice areas, such as the area you're in, right on the bay.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

In the 80's & 90's folks were leaving the Bay Area in droves to retire in Auburn.

Auburn had even less houses and more space between back then. Of my neighbors on each side, my Auburn house is the newest--built between those two houses! Still a reasonable amount of room between the houses, but more room back in those days.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Kodiak34SS]

While Auburn is out in the boonies, it is still close to cities such as Rocklin, Roseville, Sacamento as well as deeper into the boonies in all other directions. What else could one want?

Except for. . .

But most of that doesn't apply to Auburn.

-Don- Reno, NV

No doubt it depends on ones priorities and needs, but later in retirement it seems like being near big healthcare / specialty care, family, and access to other services which most small towns can't fully offer becomes increasingly important. Not that Sacramento is terribly far away, but it's still, what, a 40-mile drive?

 

[Tom]

It's nice to be out of the west bay area to almost anywhere. But the traffic is really the only issue. Often takes all day to go a few miles. Otherwise, even the bay area has some very nice areas, such as the area you're in, right on the bay.

-Don- Reno, NV

Aye, we're 60+ miles NE of SF, on the CA Delta (large farming area). I must admit it's nice to look out the window across our bay (one of many), and be able to walk out the door, hop on the boat, head to SF Bay, out the Golden Gate, and down the coast. Slowly, our 'remote' community is being encroached by expanding nearby towns.

 

[Sunnyfalls]

But CA is where the higher paying jobs are located as well. Not that it matters much after retirement, as long as retired from CA as I was!

I also enjoy southern Oregon. I've been there countless times, including around this time last year.

Also, a couple of years before.

And also a few motorcycle rides up that way.

-Don- Reno, NV

Yeah, where to make a living versus where to retire are entirely different objectives...

Spent my entire youth figuring and working out how to escape the east coast and get west of Mississippi River... We have been happy with our retirement in southern Oregon going on ten years. There's way more sun here than in the Seattle area (I worked at Boeing for 35 years before the company went to dark side) and we have four real seasons here...a cold Winter with some snow, a green lush Spring, a hot dry Summer with zero rain and some triple digit days (but still 40/50s at night) and a crisp Fall with wonderful diverse tree colors nearly as nice as New England. We also live in the mountains, but can get to Pacific coast in under two hours. And we don't get the crazy weather that the folks in the crazy States get either. Earthquakes and now wildfires are the only threats here.

Our mountain retreat is quite remote (no cell coverage or any utilities except unreliable grid power), but we are still within 30 minutes of great medical care and an airport. Sometimes folks forgot how important this is as you get older and if you want your family to be able to easily visit you. Our 4 year old grandson is flying here to visit us later this week.

I had a Suzuki Bandit (great city motorcycle at the time) before getting a Miata and eventually selling that 2 years ago to a guy in Dubois WY...who we also visited while in Yellowstone last year. Life still goes on...

 

[DonTom]

but it's still, what, a 40-mile drive?

More like 50 miles for me, being even north of North Auburn.

BTW, my Auburn house is too far north of North Auburn to be in North Auburn, so it's just in Auburn again, if that makes sense.

But can still be Auburn more north. But . . .

Auburn is one of the few places that spreads into two counties. North of me is still Auburn in Nevada County, but my Auburn house is in Placer County.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Kodiak34SS]

We are still considering a soft retirement near Palm Springs. So many decades of wet/rainy weather in the Northwest wears thin.

 

[DonTom]

a hot dry Summer

Yeah, when I was there last year, every day was over 100°F. in the afternoon.

It was nice to go to the Redwoods after that to cool off.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

We are still considering a soft retirement near Palm Springs. So many decades of wet/rainy weather in the Northwest wears thin.

Yeah, about the only thing I don't like about WA state. But I assume it's a lot drier as you go east. I assume you have been to Spokane, isn't that dry enough? Tom & I have been there a few times over the years. Never rained when we were there.

Of the countless times we have been in the Seattle area, we only had two days without rain-- and we have only been there in midsummer!

I had army basic training & AIT at Ft. Lewis during the spring of 1969. Rained every day for an hour or two.

But Palm Springs can be very hot in the summer--but at least dry.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Kodiak34SS]

Yeah, about the only thing I don't like about WA state. But I assume it's a lot drier as you go east. I assume you have been to Spokane, isn't that dry enough? Tom & I have been there a few times over the years. Never rained when we were there.

Of the countless times we have been in the Seattle area, we only had two days without rain-- and we have only been there in midsummer!

I had army basic training & AIT at Ft. Lewis during the spring of 1969. Rained every day for an hour or two.

But Palm Springs can be very hot in the summer--but at least dry.

-Don- Reno, NV

The Eastern side of the state is much drier, but also hotter, and colder. Traditional inland climate with 4 distinct seasons. Been over there plenty and have family in Spokane, and Northern Idaho.

It's not interesting to us as a place to retire though.

 

[DonTom]

but also hotter,

Won't be hotter than Palm Springs in midsummer.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tom]

It's nice to be out of the west bay area to almost anywhere. But the traffic is really the only issue.

Used to like visiting Oyster Point Marina, near your old place, when Chris had a live-aboard customer at the marina. But, as you say, traffic was an issue. OTOH the live-aboard worked in the city and didn't need to drive a car.

 

[Kodiak34SS]

Won't be hotter than Palm Springs in midsummer.

-Don- Reno, NV

Definitely not. THAT makes the case for having 2 places. Winter in PS and summer in the PNW. But 2 places is more expense and upkeep. Is there anywhere that's perfect? lol

 

[Tom]

North of me is still Auburn in Nevada County, but my Auburn house is in Placer County.

Our daughter lived in Nevada City, also in Nevada County. Neat little town, but she was up the mountain from the town.