Choose the Southwest for Retirement: Retirement Discoveries for Every Budget [Paperback]

John Howells (Author)

Book Description

Series: Choose Retirement Series | Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Descriptions of scenic, vibrant places, as well as essential information about the resources and activities available in the Southwest for retirees.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Retirement can be a time of growth, or adventure, or complete and utter relaxation. Where you spend your retirement years, no matter how you may define them, has to be a place that fulfills your desires and meets your changing needs. Choose the Southwest covers many communities in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah that are ideal for retirees of every stripe. Descriptions of scenic, vibrant places, as well as essential information about the resources and activities available in these areas, allow you to make an informed decision about selecting the Southwest as your ideal location to enjoy an affordable, active and safe retirement. (5 1/2, 8 1/2, 224 pages, maps, charts)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Howells has written eleven books on places, at home and abroad, that make for comfortable, stimulating retirement. He is a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Retirement Communities and is a featured speaker at that organization's quarterly conferences. He has written Choose Costa Rica for Retirement and Where to Retire, both published by Globe Pequot.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 219 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 2nd edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762703121
• ISBN-13: 978-0762703128
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,128,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but...., July 2, 2004

By 

Randall L. Pouwels "Mimbresman" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Choose the Southwest for Retirement, 3rd: Retirement Discoveries for Every Budget (Paperback)

The book provides a fine overview of information every retiree will want to know about the communities the author includes in his survey: cultural life, health care, housing, and so forth. However, this region is the fastest growing in the country, with hordes of early retiring baby-boomers as well as Californians leaving for the cheaper, less congested Four Corners states. This means housing prices and the general cost of living have been skyrocketing in these states. Therefore, editions need to be updated with greater frequency for readers to get a better sense of what it will cost them to move into this region and what they might expect future living expenses to be.

The region also has been afflicted with the worst drought in memory, and with worldwide climatic collapse apparently well underway, perhaps the worst drought ever. A most crucial piece of information is missing in the author's descriptions of these Southwestern communities, therefore: intelligence on local water supplies. As it is, much of the Southwest is teetering dangerously on the edge, with water harder and harder to come by and populations soaring. It goes without saying that present and future life in this most beautiful part of America is going to be impacted profoundly by these changes. Before investing large portions of their retirement in purchasing property in places like Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, or Albuquerque, readers need to know where and how local water supplies are obtained and what the long-term outlook is for what might be an ecological disaster in the making.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Southwest Retirement, August 21, 2005

By 

Richard R. Ashbaugh "Old Geezer" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Choose the Southwest for Retirement, 3rd: Retirement Discoveries for Every Budget (Paperback)

If you have lived in the Southwest (SW) in the past or have vacationed there, then you know what a magical place it is. Despite the enormous growth in the past few decades, there are still wonderful towns that have not changed and are ideal locations for retirement. My wife and I are trying to make the retirement location decision at this time and I have purchased at least a dozen books about retirement cities and towns. Most of the books focus on the financial aspects, some are merely a compilation of data from the census, FBI, Dept. of Agriculture, etc. Lots of numbers, but no other information.

"Choose The Southwest for retirement" provides the important data about each town, mentions the financial economics, and uniquely paints a picture for each location. Having lived there in the 60s and visited frequently, we thought we knew all about the SW. What nice surprises we discovered in this book!

33 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Choose the Southwest for Retirement, July 13, 2000

By 

James Stathus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Choose the Southwest for Retirement: Retirement Discoveries for Every Budget (Paperback)

This book is similiar to his others which I have read and is quite good, but his omission of Henderson Nevada (2d fastest growing in Nevada) and Boulder City Both of which are rated #1 in "Retirement Places Rated" makes it less than complete.