A San Francisco couple who once expected to leave the city after retirement has changed its plans, finding that the convenience, culture and community of urban life have made the expensive city increasingly attractive in retirement.
Stephen Kreider Yoder, 68, a longtime Wall Street Journal editor, and his wife, Karen Kreider Yoder, 69, retired in late 2022. When they began documenting their retirement experience three years ago, they expected to eventually move to the Midwest, where they could live more economically and closer to family.
Instead, the couple says retirement has allowed them to enjoy many of the amenities that attracted them to San Francisco in the first place but that they had little time to use while working.
Convenience becomes more valuable in retirement
For Karen, one of the biggest advantages is proximity. Within a few blocks of their home are several grocery stores, restaurants, shops and parks. The couple can cycle to the hospital, church and major waterfront destinations, while public transportation provides access to much of the city.
That accessibility has become particularly important as they think about how their needs could change as they grow older.
The couple lives in a neighborhood where many daily necessities can be reached on foot, by bicycle or by public transportation, fitting what urban planners describe as a “15-minute city.”
Karen says the city also offers an unusually wide range of cultural and recreational activities. With no longer having to work around office schedules, the couple can visit museums at quieter times, cycle to botanical gardens and parks, and spend more time outdoors.
Retirement has created more time for community and volunteering
Retirement has also allowed the couple to become more involved in their neighborhood.
They regularly meet friends while walking or cycling and organize informal gatherings for neighbors. Their home has also become a place where visiting family and friends can stay, as well as a venue for occasional community activities.
Volunteering has become another major part of Karen’s retirement. She teaches literacy to inmates at a state prison and participates in activities supporting refugees, while the couple also volunteers with local nonprofits, schools, parks and their church.
For the couple, these activities have helped replace the routines and social connections that once came from working.
High costs remain a drawback
The couple acknowledges that San Francisco comes with significant financial disadvantages.
Restaurant prices, contractor costs and taxes are high, while housing remains expensive. Although the couple bought their home decades ago, they still question whether keeping so much of their wealth tied up in the property makes financial sense.
They also acknowledge frustrations with local politics, some aspects of city life and what they describe as difficult conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
Despite those drawbacks, they say their lifestyle allows them to manage many of the city’s costs. They eat at home frequently and have found contractors whose work they consider worth the expense.
The couple also disputes the portrayal of San Francisco as a city in decline, pointing to improvements in public safety and the quality of life in their neighborhood.
Retirement may not mean leaving the city
Stephen says San Francisco is not necessarily the only city that could offer the lifestyle they want. During five years of cycling across 32 states, the couple has encountered other cities and smaller communities that could provide similar combinations of accessibility and community.
They have considered places including Seattle, New Orleans, Denver and Austin, as well as smaller towns such as Sandpoint, Idaho, and Goshen, Indiana.
But for now, they see little reason to leave.
The couple says retirement has given them the time to make full use of a city they once experienced mainly through the constraints of working life. Their home, neighborhood, volunteer activities and social connections have all become more important since they stopped working.
They also value the ability to leave San Francisco when they want to travel for extended periods. San Francisco International Airport is close enough to make longer trips relatively easy.
Yet returning home has reinforced their decision to stay.
After a long trip, the couple says the sight of San Francisco’s lights appearing during the drive home from the airport often produces the same reaction: despite the city’s costs and shortcomings, they are happy to be living there.
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