# military retirees on here?



## Huntmo1 (Nov 30, 2011)

Just curious how many of you are military retirees? I retired from the Air Force in 2011. Still working and living in NE with my wife and 2 kids. They will be out of school in about 3-4 years and we're looking to downsize and settle down. I'd love to 'retire' for good and just farm/garden. We have family in MI and TN and we've thought about moving back to either place. 

Just curious, I saw a topic on the top 10 worst places for retirees. How about military retirees, where do you live and would you recommend living there too? I believe that MI and TN both do not tax military pensions, so that is nice. NE does, so that will save me a few bucks each month.

What you about you?


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

Well I am not a Mil. retiree but DH is 20 years Navy, but he does not come on here. So I will chime in for Athens Tennessee. We have a great VFW and Athens is half way between Chattanooga and Knoxville. 3 hours from Nashville. 3 hours from the Smokey Mountains. Watts Barr lake near buy. Ocoee River near buy for white water rafting or fishing.
Nancy


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

I retired in 2001. We were in Italy at the time, and decided to settle in Maine. We had to return to Ct first to tie up some loose ends, and eventually made it to Maine.

My Dw works at our commissary. I work at home. 

We started with bare land, built a house, orchard, livestock, I am a vendor in a Farmer's Market.


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## dngrous (Sep 22, 2009)

Not yet, but I'm over halfway there. Michigan has Selfridge Air National Guard base, Camp Grayling, Fort Custer, and I believe there are multiple VA clinics. Never had to use any myself, but I know there's a clinic in Cadillac, and the hospital in Saginaw.


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## lonelytree (Feb 28, 2008)

I retired in 2001, 21 years USAF from NC. Headed toward NM to see if I wanted to go back there. Nope.... headed to CO where I was raised.... nope. A week of visiting family and headed north. A week later I was in Anchorage. I sold heavy equipment parts for years then got tired of not having any time off work. I quit and bought a stump grinder. I grind 5-6 months a year then find a few things to make a few bucks during the winter. My income is less, my taxes are way less and my quality of life is way better. 

AK number 2. Obviously the writer is afraid of a little cold. I just got off the phone with a 60 year old buddy that is a caretaker at a remote lodge. He can't go off his island for about 6 weeks in the spring and fall. He has small herds of bou and tons of swans, ducks, geese to watch. He said it was 72 degrees and he is sunning himself in the front lawn.


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## Mike CHS (Apr 3, 2011)

I retired from the Navy in 1991 in my home state of Florida but finally got tired of hurricanes in 1995 and took a job here in South Carolina. I like it here but we bought a place with 20 acres in middle Tennessee just off I-65 that we are renovating/modernizing and hope to have ready to live in by the end of this summer. We can then finish fencing it off to have ready for live stock by the spring of next year when we are there full time.


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## tmorgan46 (May 12, 2013)

Marine Corps 23 years and threw in the towel in 2002. Initially settled in Colorado and now live in Virginia. Bought a small place on 3 acres and just starting to begin learning the ropes of natural land management. Pretty dang excited to be here and learn as much as I can.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

Retired from the Army in 2005 after 23 years, now working as a Dept. of the Army Civ. Settled in KS just outside of Ft. Leavenworth where I retired. Just finished our house on 80 acres and finished moving in. 

Just 12 years till the next retirement!

Chuck


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## M88A1 (May 21, 2012)

Retired in 2009, 22 yrs Army. Settled in south central indiana area. Still working Gov contractor, and hobby farming with Dexter Cattle, American Guinea Hogs, few turkeys and 16 laying hens. I've dabbled with bees (loved the honey) and working on orchard and berry patch. We have done a garden last 3 years little bigger every year. We are busy but love the rewards. We are doing the things we could never do in base house.


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## our1homestead (Jan 3, 2014)

Hubby retired in Oct 2013 from Marine Corp. we are near Knoxville, Maryville TN. Love this area. Friendly, helpful, lots of rivers and lakes near by for our boat. Land prices are a little high but we are in the center of a very nice part of TN. 35 miles from the great smokies.


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## TexasAggie (Apr 24, 2010)

Chuck R. said:


> Retired from the Army in 2005 after 23 years, now working as a Dept. of the Army Civ. Settled in KS just outside of Ft. Leavenworth where I retired. Just finished our house on 80 acres and finished moving in.
> 
> Just 12 years till the next retirement!
> 
> Chuck


I was in the Army Reserves, became a gray area retiree in 1994, and officially retired in 2003. I am retiring from my civil service job at the end of April, was going to be in March, but the home will not be completed before Mar 31.
Also retired from State of TX.


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## SectorSteve (Nov 29, 2003)

I retired from the US Navy in 1992, then went to work for US Customs in Orlando, FL. After 10 years, decided I didn't like Orlando, took an early retirement and moved to West Virginia. Got bored with retirement and after 7 months was lucky enough to be hired by the State of West Virginia in 2008. I'll retire , again, in August 2015 and move to Maine.


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## Deeplines (Dec 7, 2013)

Retired USN in 2006. Still working on the water. 

Looking for land in Tn. not far across the Bama line. 

Building my nest egg now and want to move out in the country and just be left along. (By all the law makers, neighbors are fine.  )


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## fellini123 (Feb 2, 2003)

Lets see, DH retired from the Navy in 1995, with 26 years. I retired in 1996 with 20 years. We moved to Central Virginia. Virginia is not specifically military retiree friendly.
We have thought about moving several times, but with the the housing crunch our house/farm isnt worth what it once was. So we stay. We are on a little over 12 acres, right on a river about 1/2 mile from "the middle of nowhere." So it is nice out here..
Alice in Virginia


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## Mike CHS (Apr 3, 2011)

Deeplines said:


> Retired USN in 2006. Still working on the water.
> 
> Looking for land in Tn. not far across the Bama line.
> 
> Building my nest egg now and want to move out in the country and just be left along. (By all the law makers, neighbors are fine.  )


We live just off of I-65 not far from the Alabama border. We found our place on Zillow and got almost 20 acres with a fixer upper very reasonably. I haven't seen many small acreages for sale but there are quite a few larger parcels due to a large number of people retiring.


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## mil_to_farm (Aug 31, 2013)

I'll be retiring from the AF in December of 2016 and it can't come soon enough, especially because we're now actively looking to buy land. My husband is medically retired from the Army too.

The idea of stability and control of our lives is pretty novel and amazing.


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## subsailor618 (Sep 16, 2013)

Retired from Submarine Service in '95. Early retiring from the State of Alaska at the end of June this year. Moving to Arizona in July to help out the In-Laws.


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## TexasAggie (Apr 24, 2010)

lanewilliam21 said:


> Just curious how many of you are military retirees? I retired from the Air Force in 2011. Still working and living in NE with my wife and 2 kids. They will be out of school in about 3-4 years and we're looking to downsize and settle down. I'd love to 'retire' for good and just farm/garden. We have family in MI and TN and we've thought about moving back to either place.
> 
> Just curious, I saw a topic on the top 10 worst places for retirees. How about military retirees, where do you live and would you recommend living there too? I believe that MI and TN both do not tax military pensions, so that is nice. NE does, so that will save me a few bucks each month.
> 
> What you about you?


Retired from USAR in 1994 (28 yrs, including 11yrs 1 mo AD, and CS on 30 April with 27 yrs.

To all Veterans - A salute and Well Done.


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