Why, oh why, Alabama

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I realize I have previously explained where we retired and when, but I keep getting asked WHY? (Not as in why did you retire—duh—but as in why Alabama?) Every time we are introduced or meet someone here in Alabama, they ask, often with a touch of incredulity, “You mean, you actually wanted to move here?!” So I thought, now that we have been here for almost 3 full months, I’d try to explain.

First, I began to seriously consider where to retire back in 2000. We have always lived east of the Mississippi and in the north: Ohio, NH, NY, MA, WV, and VA. So it would be logical to presume that would be our choice. Weather is a factor and though we both loved the snow, went cross country skiing, and knew how to cook on a wood stove, let’s face it, cold can really sap the energy and drain you. (I would have loved to end up in a cabin in the north woods in NH, NY or ME. But there are others to consider.)

I bought a book in 2000 that I highly recommend: Retirement Places Rated by David Savageau. More than 180 places around the country were evaluated and rated based on a variety of factors: cost of living, climate, crime, services available, working opportunities, and leisure living opportunities (including recreation, culture and performing arts.) The book has been updated several times and some places have dropped from the list. But it is an excellent starting point for discussion and investigation.

All retirement guides counsel NOT to let taxes be the driving factor-- if there are not income taxes, then property taxes will be high; if property taxes are low, sales taxes will probably be high. Look at the whole package. As a Federal retiree, the bulk of my retirement income would come from my retirement plan, an old-fashioned pension with some money in a 401k type arrangement through the government and a couple of IRAs. I will get virtually nothing from Social Security even though I paid in for over 15 years because I have the government pension. So when we realized that some states did not tax income from government pensions, that caused us to narrow the field.

We both love nature and the outdoors, so finding a place not in the city but with trees, fields, streams and or ponds, near lakes, and with other recreation opportunities was highly desirable. Having lived in Japan for 10 years, we thought we could handle heat and humidity, particularly since here in the US whole house A/C is common. We decided to stay east of the Mississippi since our families are here—OH, NJ, FL, WV, TN. Using the various parameters, we started seriously looking at some of the southern states: TN, NC, AL.

I had a boss at the Army Test and Evaluation Command who I really respected and she was from Alabama. When we came back to the US in 2004 and I worked for her again, she said she was retiring to Alabama in a year or two and she and her husband were looking for property. They found their home in 2005 and when she retired, she went to AL to clean the house, move some items, and look for tradespeople to do some work on the property. Trish said “Hey, I’ll go along and help and check out the area.” So she and Ellen went to Alabama in 2006 for a week or so and when Trish came back, she was very upbeat about the area. That was when we decided to start taking trips to the area and explore more. We did a cruise of AL in the RV one spring, stopping in various spots around northern AL—Fort Payne, Scottsboro, Cullman, Decatur—before heading to TN to see Trish’ brother. Another time we camped in the Fort Payne area and explored on motorscooter (see the May 08 blog). We looked at websites for property and checked property taxes, homestead exemptions, doctor availability, stores, and the overall atmosphere of the towns and people. One year we went to AL and TN in the Echo and stayed in motels. We talked to realtors to see what advice they had and looked at property along the Smokey Mountain National Park in TN. In all, we made at least a trip a year just to make sure we really wanted to go to this area.

I’ve got to put in a plug for Chelsea Carrier at Lookout Mountain Preferred Realty in Mentone, AL. We contacted a number of agents and most didn’t take us seriously or wanted to push expensive properties on his. Chelsea took time to show us properties we could afford and she researched and hunted and drove us all over the northeast Alabama area in search of the right spot. As we got closer to retirement our search intensified and we started making a trip a month in May of 2010. Most were quick trips down with a list of homes to see and then cram them in over 1 or 2 days. We made offers on 2 properties over time and withdrew the first when the home inspection revealed too many structural problems. The second offer was never considered. We looked at a mobile home and buying property until we found out the mobile home depreciated and the loan rates were way higher than stick built homes. We tried to get someone to build a passive solar home for us, but after talking to an architect and a builder, neither seemed eager to take on the project and didn’t return emails or calls. Finally, at wits end, we decided to give up; maybe we needed to rethink where we would retire and refocus on another part of the country. Then Chelsea called and said one of the homes we liked was back on the market—did we want to make an offer. We did, they eventually accepted, and now we are here.

What have we found so far—good and bad? The good far outweighs the bad. So I’ll start with the negatives.
Shopping: There are no “malls” close by; the nearest is about 30 miles and it is small, in Gadsden. Next closest is Huntsville, at least an hour away. And that is where the closest Target is located. However, we have a Walmart and K-Mart close by and there are other good shopping stores within a relatively short drive. The trip to Gadsden is easy and there are plenty of other things to do there or in Huntsville, so when we feel the need, we’ll make a day of it.
Medical: Hospital is only 10 miles away. BUT, they are not a participating provider with my health plan. That means going 25 miles to Fort Payne or 27 miles to Gadsden. However, in talking to a couple of nurses in other areas, turns out the Gadsden hospital is probably a better choice overall, so we’ll just have to deal with it. We now have appointments with a doctor close by who is affiliated with the Gadsden hospital so we’ll see if we like the doctor.
Weather: Hotter than we realized. We work in the garage and outside early in the AM or in the evening to avoid the heat. Not having the A/C fixed upstairs yet is an issue, but once that is done, whole house will be comfortable and we’ll work more upstairs. To cool off, we drive into Crossville where there is a community pool. It is $2 per person and the pool is never crowded. The lifeguards are sensible and let kids have floats, noodles, and have chicken fights, as long as they are careful. So we can do water aerobics and cool off then rest in the shade. We’ve heard winter can be brutal, but having lived much of our lives in NH or upstate NY, we think we can handle it.
Costs: Electric bills will be high. We are part of the TVA, but that doesn’t seem to mean lower costs. And while I always associated the TVA with hydro power, seems most of the electricity generated is from coal or nuculear. We have a steady breeze on the mountain, but I’m told the wind will not support a small wind turbine. We’re still investigating. Water is reasonable, not as cheap as VA, but we don’t use a lot. However, there is only a 4” line, so we can’t have a fire hydrant on the road. That means higher homeowners insurance. Also, the smaller feed means if a bunch of folks use water at the same time, we don’t have a lot of pressure. I’ve also been told that the chicken farms in the area use a lot of water to mist the birds and keep them cool; that also reduces pressure. So we’ll try not to take a shower at the same time all the chickens are.

Now for the plus side.
Recreation: We are about 40 minutes from a National Park preserve, the Little River Canyon. This is the longest and deepest gorge east of the Grand Canyon. There is hiking, swimming, kayaking, rock climbing and all sorts of classes and learning. We also are 20 minutes from Lake Guntersville State Park with swimming, camping, hiking and a great lodge. I’ve mentioned the pool in Crossville. There is a small golf course about 6 miles away, 9 holes of regulation. It is not highly used and it $10 for 9 holes and that includes the golf cart. (Guess I’ll clean up the golf clubs and give it a try.)
Entertainment: There is a drive-in theater 12 miles away with double features for $15 a car load. The concession stand is good and very reasonable. OR, we can go to the 9-screen stadium theater also 10 miles away for a matinee at only $5.50 each. If we go on Tuesday and buy a drink ($2.75) we get a free bag of popcorn. There are also theaters in other nearby towns.
Environmental issues: In Virginia, we took our trash to the Transfer Station where we put #1 plastic in one bin, #2 in another, white glass in a 3rd, etc. They did not take styrofoam. But all other trash went to the landfill bins. In Albertville, about 9 miles away, they have a recycle center that takes EVERYTHING. No sorting needed; they provide blue plastic bags. All goods are sorted on a long, slow conveyor belt by inmates from the local jail. As a result, we have very little trash anymore as everything except true garbage is recycled. Trish is ecstatic! Lots of folks composting around here as well. Yes there is some trash on the sides of roads, but no more than we saw on county roads in VA.
Culture: Guntersville has a community theater doing 4 shows a year. We became Patrons and for $90 for the year, get tickets to all 4 shows for both of us plus invitation to the reception on opening night with appetizers and beverages. There are adequate libraries all around. Huntsville has great concerts and nightlife.
People: Yes, people are wonderful. The civility is unlike anything we have seen since we lived in New England. Everyone is very helpful and polite. Some folks do move slower, but not because they are indolent or lazy. There just isn’t a rush for most things. We find ourselves slowing down some, as well. One thing that really amazed us was the level of trust. We took our RV in to have work done. Insurance was going to pay for it and would send a a 2-party check. The work was completed in a short time and I got a call to come pick it up. I got there and told the owner I didn't have the insurance check yet; did he want a credit card to hold it or have me write a personal check? "I'm sure you'll bring it in when you get it; go ahead and take the RV and enjoy." We had a similar exchange with the owner of a small shop where our car and truck are repaired. AND, we've pulled up to gas stations and found a sign on the pumps, "Go ahead and pump the gas, then come in and pay." Didn't see that in northern Virginia! As mentioned in an earlier blog, on the day the moving van arrived, our neighbor across the street (whom we barely knew) helped us find some high school kids to unload. Then, in the evening, her husband came over and helped unload as well. That was the first we had met. Yes, the folks are wonderful and no, they don't ask first thing which church we go to. (That does come up, but usually later in a conversation.)

OK, it sounds rosy and maybe it is. But we can sit on the back screened porch in the evening, watching the fireflies (lightening bugs) and listen to the whippoorwills and watch coyotes in the far field. We wake up to sounds of roosters and cows (and occasional donkey). There are no roaring cars or trucks, no sirens, no loud radios blaring down the road. If a workman stops by, we chat for a bit before or after they do the job they came for. When we go into town, if the Dollar General doesn't have what we need, they recommend where we might find it.

We are slowly settling in and really loving it. Once winter sets in (and it will come, we are told) we may have a different impression. But for now, we highly recommend Northeast Alabama for retirement.

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Photos

Rainy afternoon
A view from our front porch as a welcome rainstorm moves in.

Lake Guntersville
This beautiful lake has great swimming, boating and fishing. The state park has trails and camping to delight all.

Field to our east
There are 17 acres immediately to our east. This is the field we saw the coyotes hunting in earlier this summer. It has terraced levels and both open field and woods.

Field and Pond to our west
There is a lovely 20 acre plot available next to us. It includes this pond and would make a lovely home site. Our contractor is considering buying it to put cattle on. They make good neighbors too.

House from field to the west
I tromped out in the field after it was mowed and got this shot of the house. Lots of open land all around.

From the front yard
Looking to the house from half way to the main road. The basketball court is level and makes a perfect RV pad for visitors.

Comments

[Angela Herring]

Why not Alabama (O;
John, it sounds like you guys made the best choice for yourselves and in the end that is really what matters. Having spent my summers in the country (Hamlet, NC) as a kid at my grandmother's, I can definitely relate to your statement about the different pace of life. It is nice sometimes to stop and actually smell the roses instead of a quick glance as you rush by (o: Take care, Angela