Why leave the mainland

Im my case, I am getting ready to retire, these old bones can no longer take the cold, the shoveling of snow, and the high cost of everything including repairs, cable service, medical, high property taxes, high cost of homes, high state taxes. All of these make it difficult to enjoy life specially when you are in a fixed income. While I have the ability to collect SSN and I have my IRA, I will have to substantially cut my standard of living and look to move toward the south of the mainland to a place where most of the above are minimized in order to make it.

But above all, in my personal case, the island is where I was born and raised, where I still have a few living relatives and I feel the island calling me to come back before I die.

<Wiping eyes>
How about you, lets see what is motivating all of us?

Many of your reasons are ours as well, Rey.  We really love the caribbean with the beautiful ocean and lovely beaches.  I can't stand the cold and snow anymore after living here in northern Illinois my whole life.  My husband is from California originally so he is definitely wanting the warmth of PR.  We are both retired now on fixed incomes, as well.  So it makes sense to find a simpler lifestyle.  We live very simply now but can cut back even more, I believe in PR.

Just got to get there, haha!

Rey, following your heart back to the island and replacing the cold crappy winters with year round friendly weather will likely lengthen your time in this world, or at least take10 years off your attitude and disposition by being somewhere you want to be.  My story will follow shortly. Today I have family members here with bucket lists of ways to spend the last month with me before I leave for a far away tropical island.

Rey, following your heart back to the island and replacing the cold crappy winters with year round friendly weather will likely lengthen your time in this world, or at least take10 years off your attitude and disposition by being somewhere you want to be.  My story will follow shortly. Today I have family members here with bucket lists of ways to spend the last month with me before I leave for a far away tropical island.

heartbreak...

OK, maybe it's not that bad, and maybe I needed something to push me to get out of the stagnation I had been living in.  Currently, I work from home.  I make a decent enough income and I have a PhD.  Now that I am here, I have decided this is an adventure for me and my children.  They will learn Spanish.  They will learn how to become global citizens.  We may stay, we may not.  I am currently working on a diabetes prevention project here, so not sure where that will go, but it could be longer term.  We wouldn't leave because we don't like it here.  We would leave because I am considering my future career in academia.  Benefits are nice as you get older!  I am also a writer.  I had just finished my second book and wanted to be able to start something different.  We'll see how that goes.  So far, no writing except poetry.

I think that for a lot of people I've met who come here, there seems to be a need for the warm weather.  I came from AZ and certainly didn't need the heat.  I wanted water.  I LOVE the ocean.  I even love the slowness of Puerto Rico. I like not having or needing a car.  I like Puerto Rican people and culture.  I may need a little change of seasons in the future, but I also haven't seen the rainy season yet. 

So, but to answer your question, para mi, un corazon roto. Life moves on and is beautiful regardless, but sometimes, heartache will get you moving!  Then, there is the draw of Desecheo, waves washing up on shore, fruit stands on every corner, etc.  Those are nice things too.

Yes, having the fresh fruit and veggies is a big reason along with the OCEAN/BEACHES

BTW Schuttzie - Sadhu, organic farmer and vegetarian in Mayaguez, has a great website and a good connection for you. http://organicfarm.net/

There's also pachamama.  She works with Sadhu.  You may already know these things, but wanted to point them out.

Sadhu also has goats.  Very, very important

No, I didn't know, thank you for the heads up!

Well Rey we came to the island mostly because like you, we were tired of the cold and snow of NY and my hubby had always wanted to come back to where he was born. I believe that many PRs who migrate to the US for a better life want to come back once they get older. My mom for one, unfortunately she didn't have the time to come back before she passed.

So we decided since our kids are grown and they are doing OK on their own, it was time for us to do what we wanted.
There was a wrench thrown into the mix when our grandson(19) came to live with us before we moved here but he was OK with moving here. He has gotten accustomed to life here but is still struggling with learning Spanish. We try to help him but now that he has made some English speaking friends, he is not in such a hurry to learn. Once he graduates from h.s. next year, we will see where he is going to go, stay here and either get a job or go to college or go back to Florida? We don't know but maybe once he is settled, we can really begin our retirement and do the stuff that we wanted to really do.

We were going to rent a condo or apt. in the east coast before he decided to come and then I figured that we needed a house instead. We looked on the east coast and nothing was right for us and then came to the north coast and found the ideal house, big enough for us and with plenary room for company and a garden for my hubby.

Surprisingly I have adjusted to life here very well and right now am on my front porch with the breezes blowing and sunshine which I love. No more snow and cold for me. No matter what the financial state of the gov't are , we are here to stay.

I will go to NY and Florida to visit my kids but this is home now on.

Thanks for those of you that shared, I wanted to flip the coin on the conversations here that all were along the lines of "Why I am not really crazy to consider moving to PR". Everyone was trying to show their logic for the move and others were defending the island.

Here you all have an opportunity to think about why it is a sane decision to move from the states to a paradise. Yes, there a few worms, but all sweet thing always gets a worm or two.

Anybody else like to share?

etilley23 wrote:

heartbreak...

OK, maybe it's not that bad, and maybe I needed something to push me to get out of the stagnation I had been living in.  Currently, I work from home. 
So, but to answer your question, para mi, un corazon roto. Life moves on and is beautiful regardless, but sometimes, heartache will get you moving!  Then, there is the draw of Desecheo, waves washing up on shore, fruit stands on every corner, etc.  Those are nice things too.

The heart will heal soon enough specially when a sweet Puerto Rican whispers in your ear. Not sure how old you are, but I have a son 39 that lives in the island and he is good looking and muscular. He is my oldest son.

If you work from home, you should be able to do that from the island. Sit in the porch and take the breeze while you work. Or by the side of  the pool year round.

As to seasons, we have hot and not so hot with a little variation on the rain. Other than this year the rain comes down almost daily, usually around 3 pm or after 7. Typically is like a monsoon but short duration like 15 minutes and then clears up. Other times the intensity varies but it rains all day. You are likely to see more rain the higher the elevation and the wind will be stronger the higher you go.

The breeze on the porch of the house I have under offer, is strong, it almost pushes you but not quite. Loose papers will only last seconds in that porch. House is at 1,000 feet elevation.

For us is the ability to retire early. We are both on our late 40s, both from PR. We left the island to be able to provide a better education and future to our girls. We both are in a position where we can work remotely for our jobs and in a few years retire 100%.
PR will allow us to do that, the cost of living is high yes, but our house is paid off. Even when your house is paid off in the mainland, taxes will eat you up as well as medical care.
As per for the weather, winter sucks, the cold hurst our bones as we get older.
PR is not for everyone, you will have to adapt and compromise. Things take longer and sometimes they are more complicated that in the mainland. But nothing beats the tropical clime and been at the beach when your friends in the states are shoveling snow!!

True, adlin20!  Hanging on the beach beats shoveling snow and the bitter colds are getting harder to take each year.

My husband and I are leaving NYC in 6 weeks for Puerto Rico.  I'm originally from San Francisco and He's from Colorado.  We both lived in Massachusetts for 13 years before moving to NYC 5 years ago.  We fell in love with Puerto Rico a few years ago during our first visit.  We love living in Brooklyn but we work so hard to live in a small apt and have little savings to show.  My husband and I are Craft beer professionals and Puerto Rico's craft beer scene is growing and we want to be involved.  We want a more laid back life and we love the ocean.  For us we see the bad economy as a great time to invest.  We are both in our 30s, don't have children yet feel like we can take a risk now and see what happens.  We love the Puerto Rican culture and the beauty of the island and we are excited for the adventure.  Also the winters have become brutal and there are few places on the mainland that are warm year round and that we want to live in.

zguillory wrote:

My husband and I are leaving NYC in 6 weeks for Puerto Rico.  I'm originally from San Francisco and He's from Colorado.  We both lived in Massachusetts for 13 years before moving to NYC 5 years ago.  We fell in love with Puerto Rico a few years ago during our first visit.  We love living in Brooklyn but we work so hard to live in a small apt and have little savings to show.  My husband and I are Craft beer professionals and Puerto Rico's craft beer scene is growing and we want to be involved.  We want a more laid back life and we love the ocean.  For us we see the bad economy as a great time to invest.  We are both in our 30s, don't have children yet feel like we can take a risk now and see what happens.  We love the Puerto Rican culture and the beauty of the island and we are excited for the adventure.  Also the winters have become brutal and there are few places on the mainland that are warm year round and that we want to live in.

Talk with Mrkpytn, he has a farm in the Ponce area, maybe he can grow the HOPs and other stuff you may need to make the beer, maybe the 2 of you can get into business?

Look him up in some of these blog entries and talk to him.

You may also need to find out the laws that govern making beer in the island. I am not sure if you will need special permits to have a distillery. I have not seen micro breweries in the island the same way you see them in some states.

We aren't much different from others who are seeking to relocate to Puerto Rico.  We are retired New Yorkers who no longer want to tolerate the cold winters and the hibernation it brings.  We also have some of the highest property tax rates in the country on Long Island.  I'll admit that we do have great schools and and many other good services for residents, but now that we are retired we don't want our income going to pay those taxes. Other than the winters and the taxes we have an additional goal for this move.  Hopefully if we sell the house and relocate to Puerto Rico our completely capable adult children, who have become quite comfortable living with the folks, will fly the coop.  We are ready to be empty nesters.  None has expressed an interest in joining us there...LOL. Of course, once we get to Puerto Rico I'm sure we'll miss them terribly and anxiously wait for their visits.

I must be the only one on the forum who misses the winter

Traveling around with the military, we've been stationed in the northeast, New England and Alaska.  I'm an avid nordic skier (or at least used to be) and dearly miss skiing and snowshoeing on a fresh snow and watching the Aurora dance across the skies.

I must say, however, winters in Alaska are MUCH easier to deal with than winters in the northeast.  After our tour here, we're hoping to get back to Alaska.

trekrider520 wrote:

I must be the only one on the forum who misses the winter

Traveling around with the military, we've been stationed in the northeast, New England and Alaska.  I'm an avid nordic skier (or at least used to be) and dearly miss skiing and snowshoeing on a fresh snow and watching the Aurora dance across the skies.

I must say, however, winters in Alaska are MUCH easier to deal with than winters in the northeast.  After our tour here, we're hoping to get back to Alaska.

Understandable given that you like winter sports. Unlike some of us that much rather stay inside and look at the pretty snow out the window if we don't need to shovel it.

If the Army would have send me to Alaska like some Puerto Ricans I know I would have probably gone AWOL

Pretty but cold and low number of women.

Hector left the island in the '70s as a 19 year old busboy working for $3.00 a week in the Condado.  His brother and cousin went to Michigan first, found employment immediately, and called him to make the move.  After working 40 years, 30 of which were at GM, he retired in 2009.  We purchased our PR property in 2001 with the idea that when he retired, we would move, or possibly migrate between the two locations. When the house in Rio Grande was finished in 2010, I was just beginning a new job that I really liked, and because I am 15 years younger, I just wasn't ready to retire. Over the past five winters, he has stayed in PR for 2-3 months on his own, while I have handled the snow blowing, ice, and blizzards on my own back in Michigan.

When we decided last year to share our house with vacationers instead of leaving it vacant, we did not expect that it would be on such a regular basis, and I did not expect to enjoy the hospitality aspect of it, and meeting people from all over the world. I was feeling guilty and selfish about Hector waiting for me to get out of work to go places and spend time together. The timing to make the move to PR just became a natural conclusion, that we would add a second story to our house for us to stay and manage the rental of the first story, and maintain the property.   

We know the island and its faults, I don't think either of us have rose-colored glasses on.  Hector was born and raised there, and I have been traveling there the last 23 years.  It's not like we are just packing up and moving to a foreign place.  Our kids (2 Hec's and 1 mine) are grown and doing well in their own lives and have vacationed there with us, with friends, and other family members. It is very different from the US in the way they do things, and the length it takes to get some things done, the traffic jams in San Juan, the stray dogs, just to name a few; but the good outweighs the bad hands down. We are simple people with simple needs, and we will do the best we can to adjust, make it our home, and make it welcoming to others visiting.

just limin, we are ready to be empty nesters, as well, lol!  We've one still at home at almost 20yr. old and going to a community college. So it will be a little while yet for us to go full time to PR.

All mines left the coup a long time ago, but my step daughter and one of her friends decided to move in our home about a year ago to save money. They now have been told that we are planing on putting the house for sale as soon as our closing is done in the PR home.

It will be just me, the wife and a couple of small dogs making the move.

Our girls are in the process of getting their own place. As soon as they are established we are selling the house and moving to PR. Hopefully is less than a year we will be at least part time in the island, still have to travel back and forth for at least another year.