Another list - AARP 10 Affordable Places to Retire (move, social security, state)
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I lived 30 minutes from Harrisburg, PA as a kid and when I went to college. It would be a place that I would have no interest in retiring to.
Now Portland...maybe. But up the coast more would be more fun.
I agree, but where you are going, far up from Portland, is very pricey. Other towns along the coast are great in summer but very remote in winter. One interesting thing about Maine, including Portland and Bar Harbor, is that there are no less than 17 Seniors Colleges in that state. Somehow Maine is quite progressive when it comes to older citizens.
San Antonio, Sheridan, WY, and Bremerton, WA come immediately to mind (just the few I know). I'm think'n Tuscon would be your closest spot (IIRC, you have relocated from a 'less desirable', to get to SV) I was just there, but as much as I hate the rain in PNW, I like to fly too much to be in AZ and not near a major Airport. I certainly could not tolerate Phoenix. (I don't do stoplights) Currently live 20 minutes from an international Airport (hub) and no stoplights in the entire county.
I agree, but where you are going, far up from Portland, is very pricey. Other towns along the coast are great in summer but very remote in winter. One interesting thing about Maine, including Portland and Bar Harbor, is that there are no less than 17 Seniors Colleges in that state. Somehow Maine is quite progressive when it comes to older citizens.
Its not as if we don't know what the cost of living in Bar Harbor are. What is pricey for one person is not pricey for another.
Actually my taxes in Lancaster County PA, the cheapest tax area in any of the counties locally, are only slightly less that the taxes in Bar Harbor, Maine. So anyone moving there from south central PA, who could survive adequately there will not find it too difficult to survive in Bar Harbor. Additionally we may take in a couple of college students(girls preferably) from the College of the Atlantic to supplement our income, and to provide assistance if we should need it.
And as you say, MDI has one of the most active senior colleges, and one of the most stimulating, since a large percentage of the retired there, are retired from College of the Atlantic, Maine Bio Lab, and Jackson Lab, as well as some of the idle rich or famous politicians. What I HAVE idscovered is that once you are retired it levels the playing field. Nobody really cares anymore how powerful you were when you worked, and much of the social climbing sh@t that existed before doesn't really exist anymore. And the people who try to keep that stuff going tend to get isolated.
Additionally, having a full fledged REAL LIVE college on the island tends to bring groups and activities in, which enrich the winter community. So some of the isolation that one has elsewhere in little fishing villages along the coast does not exist on Mount Desert Island.
There is a reason why these ten places are considered the most affordable places to retire ... There is no real demand to move there (retired or otherwise), ... which would drive prices up.
Yikes... Who does the research for these lists and what are the parameters? Some of these places are dismal with awful weather. I guess it's the different strokes thing.
Everyone posts lists for retirees: best places to retire, most affordable places to retire, etc. IMO it all depends upon what you as an individual, or couple, are looking for in a retirement area. What is your priority? Affordability? Activities? Entertainment? Peace and quiet? Good Shopping? Climate? Friends? Hobbies? family?
There are so many things to consider that are dependent upon individual circumstances and wants and needs, that to me, these lists, are not much use to the average retiree.
...maybe Portland? This list is pathetic and I agree with the early statement, "Cheap due to NO demand."
Good lord...Tulsa and Cheyenne? Are these people nuts?
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