Retire in North Carolina ... poker wasteland? (4 Viewers)

When you are old, you want to live around old people in my opinion. My in-laws retired to South Carolina and while it is a beautiful state, they chose a house in a new middle class neighborhood. Most of their neighbors are young couples with children and there really isn’t much they have in common.

My parents retired to a mostly retirement community in SW Florida (Engelwood) and are surrounded by people of their age who are like them, looking for stuff to do. There are so many options for them to meet people and do what interests them, or skip things. I know there is poker in their sub.
Me personally I don’t want to hang around a nasty casino in retirement, but I hope to be playing poker at 2 PM on Tuesdays!
 
Tampa has 4 poker rooms close

There's also Jacksonville, north of Orlando and the Oxford and Ocala areas, plus Sarasota

Sounds like Miami area of no interest and I'm not familiar with poker elsewhere in FL

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We don’t want to live in a big city, but want easy access to a city.

We moved to Charlotte ~6 years ago and are very happy here, and this exactly describes why. We still have some “real city” things (dining, theater, etc), but without the hassle of an actual big city. Not much to be said for poker though.
 
I’ve spent a lot of time in South Florida, mainly in the Palm Beach area. I still have some family in the area. Maybe Tampa is far enough away?
It's roughly a 3-3.5 hour drive from Tampa to WPB. Close enough for a weekend visit if you choose, but not so close that you'll have them on your doorstep every day.

If you haven't ruled out Florida, why not Delray or Boynton Beach?
Too close to family. Plus, too many old people.
Too many people in general. I have friends that live in Boynton, and we visit the area frequently. IMO the entire southern Atlantic coast of Florida from Palm Beach County south is overcrowded, expensive, and generally hotter than central Florida.

Greater Tampa / Gulf Coast can also be expensive and crowded in some areas, but to me personally it's a lot more tolerable than further south.
 
@Hornet I lived in Charlotte area for about a year. It had a feel similar to Columbus IMO. Some big city amenities with a smaller city feel. Beside weather I do like Columbus better though.
 
Buffalo is a crazy option. Freezing cold and dealing with snow. No thanks. I would rethink Florida. West coast of Florida is paradise for life and for poker. As soon as I retire I will leave NY winters behind me for the sunshine state. Plenty of quality poker options and great beaches and no snow. Carolinas are nice to visit, and a lot of ppl from my job move there but they have a lot of weather issues w hurricanes and whipping storms.
 
The wife and I are looking at the outer banks for our retirement, so...that makes two. My only concern is the crappy bourbon situation in NC.
 
The wife and I are looking at the outer banks for our retirement, so...that makes two. My only concern is the crappy bourbon situation in NC.
That’s another negative then. That one hopefully can be solved with a few regular trips out of state.
 
Interesting thread @Hornet David!

It seems we have a few things in common in this specific regard, man. Although it will be quite a few years before we have to make the same decision, wife and I constantly talk about it.

Wife is definitely more large city centric and I, on the other hand, would like no neighbors in sight, LOL! A medium city at about 40mins to an hour is all I need I think. The wife wants Starbucks, pilates, shopping and other things at walking distance. Hard to combine both things.

I like to say my perfect summer is Florida's winter, LOL!!! Based on that, year round in FL is a no-no for me. So I've been considering NC for year round. Or maybe a split between FL and somewhere outdoorsy with a mild summer.

It will be a give and take with the wife for sure.

As far as poker goes, I can get my casino fix a couple times a year in Vegas. Prefer a nice, challenging home game with friends and I already know it will be up to me to get that going wherever I end up, LOL!!!
 
That’s another negative then. That one hopefully can be solved with a few regular trips out of state.
I haven't had any issues with access- besides the ABC store and Sunday restrictions. Several local micro distilleries, easy to buy most anything else at the ABC stores, and have gotten some fun seasonal and limited editions- including a Jimmy Red corn bourbon from down in Charleston
Maybe we start a poker community in NC, GB?
Sounds like a great idea! Seems there are more Carolinians popping up in this thread than I expected
 
Not much to add besides I have some cousins that moved out to Charolette area 10 years ago and love it. Poker wise, sounds like you will just need to open a card club.
 
I haven't had any issues with access- besides the ABC store and Sunday restrictions. Several local micro distilleries, easy to buy most anything else at the ABC stores, and have gotten some fun seasonal and limited editions- including a Jimmy Red corn bourbon from down in Charleston

Sounds like a great idea! Seems there are more Carolinians popping up in this thread than I expected
Unfortunately, none near the beach. I look every year we head down to OBX.
 
Both VA and NC offer a wide variety of types of living. Beach or Mountains (more like hills)? City or suburban or rural? Casino poker will be tough for either...but if you live in Asheville it’s about an hour to Cherokee? Last I heard in VA there was talk about casinos in Norfolk and Richmond (but admittedly haven’t been paying attention recently.)
 
I'd consider retiring in Texas. No state income tax and lower cost of living. Plenty to do, and lots to see. Easy to get anywhere in the country, and international travel is also easy.

Poker scene is decent, card rooms opening all over and also decent underground games (Windy Crest is the most popular, IMO).

Downside? A few days of cold can really screw shit up.
 
I'd consider retiring in Texas. No state income tax and lower cost of living. Plenty to do, and lots to see. Easy to get anywhere in the country, and international travel is also easy.

Poker scene is decent, card rooms opening all over and also decent underground games (Windy Crest is the most popular, IMO).

Downside? A few days of cold can really screw shit up.
I’ve thought about it. We have family in Austin, which we like, but it just seems overcrowded to me at this point. Maybe Dallas? But I hear the people there are real asses.
 
But that's not what you asked.

My brother lives in North Carolina and really enjoys it. I've enjoyed visiting, great brewery scene. Nice local restaurants and visually appealing place.
 
I’ve thought about it. We have family in Austin, which we like, but it just seems overcrowded to me at this point. Maybe Dallas? But I hear the people there are real asses.
Dallas is the second best, IMO. Austin is crowded, but if I had my choice I'd probably live just outside of San Antonio.

I've lived a few different places and Dallas is hands down my favorite. So much to do and when I want to leave I can be nearly anywhere with a direct flight.
 
And please take this as the joke that I mean it as...
I'd consider retiring in Texas. No state income tax and lower cost of living. Plenty to do, and lots to see. Easy to get anywhere in the country, and international travel is also easy.

Poker scene is decent, card rooms opening all over and also decent underground games (Windy Crest is the most popular, IMO).

Downside? A few days of cold can really screw shit up.
You forgot to mention the other downside...it's full of Texans.
 
And please take this as the joke that I mean it as...

You forgot to mention the other downside...it's full of Texans.
Yes, but the more non Texas that move here, the less it will be full of Texans.
 
I like to say my perfect summer is Florida's winter, LOL!!! Based on that, year round in FL is a no-no for me. So I've been considering NC for year round. Or maybe a split between FL and somewhere outdoorsy with a mild summer.

It will be a give and take with the wife for sure.

As far as poker goes, I can get my casino fix a couple times a year in Vegas. Prefer a nice, challenging home game with friends and I already know it will be up to me to get that going wherever I end up, LOL!!!
That’s the ideal climate I’m looking for as well Paulo. And it sounds like we have a very similar dynamic with our wives.

I too much prefer home games over playing at the casino, and of course Vegas trips will be in my future. I just worry a bit about finding (or starting) a good home game. I like a challenge, and people that like to have a good time but also enjoy the game itself. I can’t tell you how many home games I’ve been to over the years that just aren’t great for a variety of reasons.
 
No matter where @Hornet is settled, the best course of action is to open up a small card room wherever you move to, obtain a gaming license, and order custom Paulsons for your tournaments. Of course, you'll need to have them made as tournament "NCV" chips to get around the regulatory agencies and give your GPI rep the heads up that you'll need new chips for every tournament you run due to player abuse and wear and tear.
 
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Just about every retirement destination I can think of has a drawback for me personally.

My most likely scenario is that I'm going to do the snowbird deal. May to the holiday season here in New Jersey. Last week of December through April in Florida or somewhere else warm.

Living somewhere full time is unlikely to work for me.

Florida is too hot and humid during the summer. You have to worry about hurricanes and severe storms there and in the Carolinas. Gators in Florida. Snakes and scorpions in the desert in Nevada or Arizona.

Taxes through the roof in California.

Very cold in upstate NY, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.

The Caribbean is also an option for me, but it's not easily accessible for friends and family to visit. Not too much poker there either. I much prefer a home game to a casino.
 

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