|
Retirement isn’t what it used to be. Today’s Baby Boomers aren’t looking to go quietly in the night and as such are pushing the boundaries of aging, as well as redefining the entire concept of retirement. Certainly if one is looking to find a climate conducive to physical activity and outdoor life in general, then retirement planning in San Diego makes a great deal of sense. Since the winters are quite mild, with average high temperatures of around 70 degrees and lows rarely breaking 50 degrees on the downside, and summer heat moderated by the Pacific breezes, keeping temperatures from rarely getting past 90 degrees, one can see why this is such an attractive place in which to retire. Yet, the wonderful weather wouldn’t be reason enough to make San Diego home. In addition to everything that a city approaching 1.5 million people has to offer, and it certainly has much to offer, the city is also strategically located. A two-hour drive to the north takes you to downtown Los Angeles and all the famous beach towns in between. The beautiful wine country of Temecula is a mere hour away. Of course an entire country sits right next door, beginning with the exciting Mexican city of Tijuana. Due south through Mexico is the breathtaking coastline and resort towns of Baja California and just off the city’s own shoreline is another world in Catalina Island. For a completely different climate, in just a few hour’s drive, there’s the Palomar Mountain to the north of the city, topping out at 6,100 feet, and the Laguna Mountains to the east, topping out at 6,400 feet. A few more hours' drive will get you to Lake Tahoe and all the skiing--snow skiing, that is--your heart desires year round. If you like it a lot hotter, then the desert awaits you a few hours northwest of San Diego at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is the largest state park in California. If you don’t mind driving a little further, you can visit San Francisco, Phoenix, or Las Vegas all within an 8-hour drive, with spectacular views along the way, or you can take Amtrak and let the train do the driving. Of course, one needn’t travel more than within the city’s boundaries to experience a plethora of nature’s wonders. Within the city limits, in the San Carlos neighborhood on the northeast side, there is Cowles Mountain, which at 1,591 feet is the highest point in San Diego. Surrounding the mountain is the Mission Trails Regional Park, which at 7,200 acres is one of the jewels of the San Diego park system. Further northeast in the Rancho Peñasquitos community of the city, is Black Mountain, with an elevation of 1,228 feet, and surrounded by 2,300 acres of sage-covered hills, ridges, and canyons in the city’s Black Mountain Open Space Park. For a real spectacle, there’s Mount Soledad, rising over 800 feet in the La Jolla community, nearly smack dab in the middle of the city and just off the coastline. As for running through the middle of the city, there’s the San Diego River, which splits the city from east to west. It originates in the Cuyamaca Mountains northeast of the city, flows into the El Capitan Reservoir, through Mission Trails Regional Park, one of the largest urban parks in America, and eventually discharges into the Pacific Ocean at Mission Bay. The river itself creates a valley which effectively divides the city into north and south segments. It’s not hard to see that, with all this spectacular ecology literally at one’s doorstep, that San Diego is an ideal place for anyone seeking to enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer and why retirement planning in San Diego can be such a delight for anyone who wants to live an active life far into their senior years.
Related Articles -
Retirement, Planning, San, Diego,
|
