Retire Where???

[tomustang]

3. Churches outnumber fast food establishments by at least 5 to 1.

That's anywhere in the bible belt, it really is:

church-pawn shop-church-bar-church-pawnshop-church-bar-church-bar-church-pawn shop-church etc

You can literally take one step into ill repute and the next step into forgiveness and it repeats.

Why does the Californian worry about the commute if he or she is retired?

There is no such thing as retirement in california. If you don't work anymore you still have to drive everywhere for something, you have to walk for your community mailbox, your supermarket is in another town and so are your retail stores. There your neighbors are too close and what you want is always a drive away.