Military wives- do you know where you will retire?

[TravelingChris]

My husband is in his 23 year in the USAF and he won't retire until he is at least 24 years. But with my second going off to college in 2011, I am thinking about how in the world to plan where she should go and where will we live. That doesn't even count that I think it is about 50% chance that we will go overseas again before he retires. I don't need to be with her when she is in college but she wants to become a prosecutor and that is usually a state thing. Her only preferences are not cold and those are mine too. DH knows that he can get a second job in many parts of the country but not all. I don't want cold and he is deciding that his hobby isn't the best in a cold space either (woodworking is hard in an unheated garage). BUt that still leaves a lot of places and even with the stipulation that he needs to get a job in his field, we still have a lot of places left. I just would rather have at least one of my kids living in the same quadrant of the country as me but don't know how will we manage this. I can count my oldest out because he wants cold and I don't.

 

So my question is- career military families- have you made a decision where you will retire and how did you decide?

[May]

No, my husband would like to retire in OK to be near his brother and his family. I, on the other hand, would like to retire in the warm southwest. I have no idea where my kids will settle, but they do call CA home. This has become a touchy point lately as he gets closer to retirement.

[TammyinTN]

We are looking at Raleigh, NC, Asheville, NC, Texas and Flagstaff, Arizona. We have two years to make up our minds. :001_smile:

[BikeBookBread]

Within a 50 mile radius of Olympia, Washington because his brother and family live there. My parents presumably will no longer be living in 15 years, or if they are, will need my care, as they are already 80.

[AFwife Claire]

My dh is at 23 years as well. When our assignment to Guam got canceled, he put in his papers, and he'll be retiring Aug. 1. It looks like we'll be staying right here in Northern VA, which believe me was never on my top 100 places to retire list! But we have a great church, homeschooling friends, etc., and frankly, DC is where my dh's clearances are worth the most. I think it will be the easiest for him to find a job here. Since my dad was also a career AF officer, I really don't have strong ties to any one place. All I know is we are NOT retiring in PA, which is where dh's family is. I don't like the homeschooling regs, and it would be waaayyy too difficult to be close to his family. Being here in DC, which is about 4 hours away, is perfect in that aspect!

 

I often thing about where my dream retirement location would be, and I really can't decide. We loved Colorado when we were stationed there, but it is far from most of my family. What I really like is moving around every 3-4 years, and not having to choose just one place, LOL. Being retired is going to be hard for my restless self!

[TravelingChris]

We are in Northern VA too and this is where I grew up though I have no more family here (I only have one brother living and he is in LA). But neither dh nor I want to retire here. After living here for the last 1.5 years, if he changed his mind and really wanted to stay here, I guess I could do it for a while. He is thinking about going into industry for a short while and then onto the federal govt since he hears that is an easier way to become a SES. I am really unsure. I guess as long as I don't have to do the moving, it won't be too bad but I am really starting to look forward to living in one place. I love to garden and I particularly like perennials and that is a bad hobby to have when you move every two to three years.

 

Now my absolutely perfect job is one that came open in 2004 and I wish would come open when he is ready to retire. Then we would go back to living in Wallonia, Belgium. I really love Belgium would be really happy going back to live there for a while again.

[Renthead Mommy]

I know where we WON'T retire. :P

 

 

 

Yup! Us too!

 

While I love living back in NYC area, I don't really want to live here forever, and don't want to dealing with snow in 20 years.

 

We will never go back to GA! I don't want to live in NC again either. Actually we really don't want to live in the south. Most likely we'll end up in San Antonio, but that's not really all that Southern (Sort of like FL not really the south). We liked it, it had enough civilization, and it was so cheap we had plenty of extra spending money.

 

My husband's only got 7 years in, but he's 40. (He did 7 years private practice before joining AF). He'll stay in as long as he can, which will be close to the 30. But his current career field (oral pathology) only has max of 6 people in the whole AF and is based out of SA. So we'll end up back there. Even if he gets out early, he'll end up contracting to the AF so we'd still be in SA.

 

Is it the perfect place? No, but it's the best choice we've come across so far (aside from that tropical island somewhere with a cabana boy...). And we like it enough. Plus we are in a position that we only have 4 places to move to while still on duty (only 4 labs). It's good enough.

 

I guess to answer your question, it's sort of been decided for us, since by then (20 some years or even pushing 30) we will have been there for a while most likely. And by the time he hits his 20, my son will be 21 and finishing college.

[Mrs Mungo]

Probably relatively close to my family, but we have a while to go yet!

[Pretty in Pink]

We have no idea, but we're only halfway there (10 yrs) so we have plenty of time to decide I suppose. I want to retire on the beach somewhere but my dh is not amenable at this point.

[skirch]

I always thought we'd retire somewhere on the west coast to be close to family but when the time came we went where the best job was and that turned out to be MS. Never in a million years did I think I would settle down in MS yet here I am 5 years later and it doesn't look like we're going anywhere anytime soon. So I'm not very helpful:tongue_smilie:

[Tressa]

My husband will have 20 years this summer and the plan was to retire and stay where we are in Washington. As always, plans change. Now he will be in for 2 more years and is thinking about 3 more after that if they give him what he wants. Who knows?

 

We live near my family now and it would be nice to stay near them, but I would go wherever the work is for my husband.

[asta]

I know where we WON'T retire. :P

 

We prefer not to be near my family or my inlaws. I would like to retire in Texas due to the homeschooling laws. Most likely we will retire wherever the best job opportunity is.

 

BTW, DH is at 23 years right now, too!

 

So... you're me. LOL.

[m0mmaBuck]

When DH retired, I had a good job and he had none so we stayed here in WA.... Then we started a business so we are stuck here in WA.... It was OK until my inlaws moved here 4 yrs ago. It was nice to be at least 1500 miles away from the closest relative, but that is no longer our lot in life.

[JaniceO]

We still have at least 4 years (that will put DH at 20 years) but we have no clue. Probably wherever the money is, lol. Or in the Southwest to be closer to family. Due to his current Navy job, he probably won't have a hard time finding a job that pays well.