What would be a good retirement area in the southwest for model railroaders?

If you are retiring and moving there from somewhere else, and you have a guaranteed retirement income, the depressed economy actually works in your favor due to depressed real estate prices. Of course, if you're looking for work, that's another thing entirely. 

As we muddle our way through this current financial mess, state, and local entities, school, townships, etc. still have to pay bills. Snow bird communities, even though a majority of the residents are retired are not excluded. As Arizona, Nevada, California, and even Pennsylvania start to figure things out, my guess is cost per resident goes up if services are to be maintained. Note that Nevada state employees took significant pay cuts at the height of the recession, save for gambling income, which is obviously down, the state is still struggling. Those in charge eventually look to other sources of income. Avoided income, property, and sales taxes come back into play and effect everyone reguardless of retirement.  On the other side of the mess, you have to look closely at those few California municipalities that have or are anticipating default.  The big issues seems to be pension obligations.  Kind of a double edged sword.  The community you live in needs more money to operate and at the same time the pension you planned on as fixed income evaporates.   Model trains becomes insignificant. IMO.  A young working community is a good place to retire.

Interesting thread, I'll be back to the Grand Canyon for the 7th time in October. I do like Arizona.   My wife has said that the dust and rocks are O.K. but Pennsylvania with all are friends and green is where we will stay.     Most noted oddity of my 6 visits to the desert is that we got rained/snowed on (4) times.  I have some wonderful pictures of Pennsylvania skies at the Grand Canyon.  So much for sunshine.  

Many folks have only an image of the Arizona desert - rocky plains with sahuaro cactus and the only critters are scorpions, gila monsters, rattlesnakes, etc.  Actually the climate here is totally elevation dependent.  Low deserts can be close (not like) that description, but as you get higher, it gets greener and cooler until you are in Alpine climates over 12,000 feet.  Most of northern Arizona is above 5000 feet with our four season climate - still pretty dry, although we are in the midst of our summer "monsoon" season where we do get 1  - 3 inches of rain monthly during July - September.

If you do a hike to bottom of the Grand Canyon, you start in a pine forest on the rim at 7000 feet, which could be 85 degrees and by the time you are to the Colorado river at the bottom you in a climate like Phoenix and it could be 105 degrees.  The rule of thumb is that temperature drops 3 degrees with each 1000 foot rise in elevation.

Jim: Is the owner of the Salida Train shop the former TCA President Bill Tunstall who had owned a train shop in the Dallas area before moving to Colorado?  I see from the TCA Directory that he lives in nearby Howard, Colorado.

Bill

I just retired this past year and people keep asking me if I'll be moving to places like Florida, the southwest, California, etc. my answer is no. I love the four seasons and I love being near my family, my mom and dad are buried here. SE Pennsylvania is where I will stay and most likely die. The Pennsylvania autumns are just incredible and it will be here very shortly. Why move to places like California which is a disgrace or to places that have no change of seasons. My roots are here and here I will stay.

Southern Colorado  (ie Pueblo)

Nice summers (not too hot)

Hardly any snow in Winter and not overly cold.

You've got the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge

The gorge DNRG

BNSF

Ski Train

The Loop

1 foot gauge club near Castle Rock

Caboose Hobbies in Denver for shopping.

Tons of ATSF clubs

The huge O Scale club in Denver's Union Station

Ride the UP 4-8-4 during Cheyenne Days.

The list goes on and on!

I'm planning on retiring within the next year and will re-visit the hobby I once enjoyed as a kid.  I'm currently living in NJ, where there are several LHS not far away, clubs to the north and also train shows that visit the central part of the state.  With my wife just recently a retired teacher we're planning on moving to Delaware, where home prices & taxes are much less.  The location is about halfway between where we live now and my wife's family, but still within decent driving distance from our friends.  Moving out of NJ is a tough choice as I've lived here all my life, but am looking forward to the change and my new hobby.  The new delaware location (Middletown) is not far from a few good LHS, but have not located any clubs in the area to date.         

I really appreciate all the feedback!   

Real three-rail trains in Western Australia

Ace, I know it gets beastly hot in Arizona, but that's why they all have A/C!  One son lives in Scottsdale and absolutely loves it, though he grew up in upstate New York.  He is an avid hiker and snowboarder, and does some fishing.  He finds the area and its environs accessible to his interests.

 I cannot tell you where the best place to retire is but two places that I have visited really struck me as being very nice; North Western No. Carolina (and the Ashville NC area)  and the Mountain Communities in Northern GA. (NE of Atlanta)

OK midnight cowboy, How about Scottsdale, AZ

Bring money. Scottsdale is very upscale and very, very expensive. 

And, very, very much worth it.

Think out of the box: Albuquerque (East Mountains). Rated as the #1 place you want to be when it "all hits the fan."

San Diego Liberal here.  Probably the only one; this is a very conservative place.  The only Socialism that happens in this town are the sports franchises - and maybe the airports, where I spend my days.  And the military.

If you are conservative in outlook, you wIll fit in.  If you lean a bit to the left, you want to keep it very light.  If you are a train nut, we have a world-class museum for models and another for the real thing.  We have home layouts that you would not believe.  We have one hobby store that deals in O Scale, and at least two with extensive 3-rail.

We are not over-taxed for what we get, and a whole lot of tax from other states comes directly here to the military and defense industries.  A decent house can be had for a half mil, and far less if you want to live in the very warm exurbs.

But I would just as soon see the population at 1960 levels - it was indeed paradise then. We had Alco PAs in warbonnet, and free university education, and very few traffic jams.

Right on, Dewey!! I live in NE GA.,and only a short drive from your area. Enjoy going there quite frequently. Many train activities. Tom