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Oh yes.....we were told, while living in Denver, CO metro/south and thinking about moving to Florida "better watch out for all the gators there and don't forget those hurricanes!". Well, certain areas of Florida, including Jacksonville, aren't nearly as threatened by hurricanes/tropical storms as others are. As far as gators go, we've only seen one (4 footer) in an area next to the boat ramp we use and that's been in the 2 yrs we've lived here. People in some states will give the impression of.....you step out of your apt. or house door and a gator is waiting right their to attack you......BS, just plain BS!
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Originally Posted by MontanaGuy
I also retired to the South (Nashville) after living in western states all of my life. I do like the lower cost of living here and it's a fun place to live but after living the past few years in Phoenix I have to admit I'm disappointed in the weather, it gets too humid and also too cold for me even though I'm originally from Montana. North Carolina is one of the fastest growing Southern states and has a lot going for it although it tends to be more expensive. Eastern Tennessee is much cheaper and is also very pretty country so it's also worth considering. I wouldn't consider Mississippi but I do find parts of Alabama to be appealing and it also has a very low cost of living. The coastal areas in the South and of course all of Florida always has the risk of a hurricane which would make me think twice about those areas although some are riskier than others. According to the Census Bureau, the state that has the most residents that move to Tennessee is Florida and I think the hurricanes may be a major reason. That's where my dentist's assistant is from and that's why she moved here to Nashville.
There are some nice areas in Sarasota but it has its share of crime now a days with gangs. Depending on your budget..it is a nice place except when the snow birds arrive and then the roads are packed.
AL has no state income tax on many pensions and none on SS. Property tax is very reasonable compared to FL. You can live close (or on) to the Gulf in S. AL or in the hills of N.AL. There is a sales tax that is at least 8% if not more.
You might check out Dade City in FL. Very quaint little town and safe. I have several friends who moved there from Tampa. You are close enough to Tampa to enjoy the amenities but far enough away from the crime and traffic
I don't think you can beat retiring in Florida especially if you chose an inexpensive house or condo, and there are many of them now. With no state taxes, and beautiful weather at least 6 or 7 months of the year, it is hard to beat. The real estate taxes here are actually quite reasonable compared to other "No Income Tax States". This plus your new $50,000 homestead exemption makes Florida very appealing now.
If you have the funds and buy a place to accommodate (not difficult) an RV or a trailer of some sort, you can always take off in the summer months and explore different parts of the country for those hot months. Many retirees do this and love it. Even some condo's have space on the complex that is designated for housing either your boat or RV, as long as it isn't too big. Where I live, we even have some boat docks and a launching area. We have long wide driveways, and many people keep their boat or camper under their carport next to the house, and just park the cars behind it. Pretty economical.
Are doctors still taking new Medicare patients in Florida? I've read that insurance on homes is high because of the hurricanes. Could you give me an idea of insurance for an inland home that costs about $125,000?
Thanks you all for your suggestions. Keep'em coming!
I often wonder why people feel that Florida is a great place to retire because it has no income tax. As a retiree I will have no income to be taxed, so I would actually prefer to have lower property taxes than income taxes.
That said, we will probably wind up somewhere in Florida because I have family down there.
Originally from Northern Ohio I moved down to the upstate of South Carolina (Greenville - Spartanburg) 2 years ago and love it. It is retirement friendly, home prices reasonable, milder climate, 1/2 hour to the mountains, 3 hours to the beach, not overly crowded, close to shopping and resturants. We have some family 30 miles north.
Greatspark, I too am considering Greenville after a recent visit. My wife and I kind of fell in love with the downtown and all the things to do and mountains nearby and lovely terrain and certainly the upper 70s didn't help at all! Would like to talk to you off line about this if you are willing.
Are doctors still taking new Medicare patients in Florida? I've read that insurance on homes is high because of the hurricanes. Could you give me an idea of insurance for an inland home that costs about $125,000?
I'll check out the cities mentioned here.
Some doctors are taking new Medicare patients. Others aren't. Our family doc is only taking new Medicare patients when old ones leave her practice.
Insurance can cost a lot - depending on where you live. In general - the farther south you are - and the closer to the water - and the older the house (especially houses that don't meet current building codes) - the more you'll pay. I'm not sure what you consider "inland" ("inland" to me is someplace like Orlando - but houses in that area have had a fair amount of damage during some hurricanes that passed over the state). Robyn
Thanks you all for your suggestions. Keep'em coming!
I often wonder why people feel that Florida is a great place to retire because it has no income tax. As a retiree I will have no income to be taxed, so I would actually prefer to have lower property taxes than income taxes.
That said, we will probably wind up somewhere in Florida because I have family down there.
Well if you don't have much income - you probably won't be buying an expensive house. Florida has a $50k property tax homestead exemption for married couples. Robyn
My husband and I currently live in the Atlanta area and look forward to the day we can get the h**l out of here! I am originally from NY and he is originally from NC. I like a place that has the charm of a New England town. He likes anything that isn't a big city. We used to like Atlanta but over time it has turned into a crime-ridden cesspool.
We want to find a nice, reasonably priced, low-crime area and it has to be in the southeast because of family.
Some of the areas we are looking into are
Greenville, SC
Summerville, SC
Port St Lucie, FL
The Villages, FL
Sarasota, FL
Evans, GA
I would appreciate any other suggestions and Please tell me what you do or do not like about an area.
Thanks in advance.
Has Chattanooga been of interest to you?
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Insurance
