Approaching retirement a few years ago, Joanna and Roger Beam began searching for a new home by looking in the usual direction: south. “There was a house in North Carolina that we really liked, and we almost bought a house on a river in Virginia,” said Joanna Beam, 75. But instead of following other snowbirds, the Beams moved north two years ago, buying a house in Exeter, N.H., to be close to their granddaughters, now ages 3 ½ and 6. “It’s just so much fun,” Joanna said. The Beams aren’t alone. Family typically trumps warm weather and low-cost living for people heading into retirement. …

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