Best of the West - Retirement Picks

I am pursuing my final career - and I am quite comfortable working a 40-hour schedule for the first time in my life. I take my time and pick my clients carefully. I get to take a day off here and there for golf, and I travel around the western states every couple of months. Over the past two years I have been keeping an eye out for the perfect spot to retire in the Western US. I now live in a small community near the Bay Area in Northern California. I've lived here for 20+ years, and it has been great. The Bay Area is vibrant, has a good climate, and is home to some of the most creative people on the planet. But it certainly isn't paradise. It is an expensive place to live. The highways are congested. The boarders of the US are out of control and that has hit California hard. The government is dysfunctional, and we pay a premium for that. While we have good weather, it is great half the year and somewhat over-rated the other half. My business has changed over the past five years. I can do about 80% - 90% of it from anywhere. That's the beauty of information and communication technology. Let me share with you what I have found as I looked for better working/ retirement locations in the western US. - Portland, Oregon area; especially Southern Washington - Prescott, Arizona - Northern Baja, Mexico - Hilo, the big island of Hawaii - Boise, Idaho Southern Washington: I recently visited a friend who built his dream house on a few acres in Southern Washington, about 30 minutes from Portland. His 2,500 square foot house cost about the same as a