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In reply to the discussion: Hey retired DUers...any retirement location recommendations? [View all]Warpy
(111,261 posts)The northern 2/3 of the state is blue and the winters are cold but usually not snowy. Cooling in summer, especially at altitude, is by evaporation instead of refrigerated air, which is a damned sight cheaper. There is a large aquifer under the Rio Grande Valley, one we were warned was being depleted in the 90s, resulting in most people getting rid of lawns, and now the aquifer is deemed "healthy." There are golf courses here, a few have gone to artificial turf on the fairways and natural grass on the greens, but most are still old school. The cost of living is not steep, the state is a natural gas producer and the solar and wind farms sprouting up like mushrooms have kept the electrical rates reasonable.
The disincentive is the state income tax, which taxes a big bite.
While the winters are cold, that desert sun is very warm. I live at about 6000 feet (water boils at 200F) and get some snow but it's usually gone off pavement by 10 AM.
I moved out here while I was still working and even after decades, it feels like paradise compared to Boston.