Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When cities and towns run low on money, taxes go up. The best strategy is to find an unassuming place that is not being touted for anything, that does not have an abundance of town offices and pensions to pay, and is happy with their little library with no plans to expand. Also, a town with no kids. Those danged schools and their budgets!
True, although it can be hard to predict if taxes will or will not go up, no matter how many of those things you consider. I agree, if a town throws money around it might not be the wisest choice. At the same time, unexpected expenses can cause a huge dent in a small town's finances, and you might see your taxes go up anyway. Amherst, MA, for example, saw their general fund decimated by a lawsuit. The plaintiff got one of those ginormous awards that juries sometimes like to give, and the expense got passed on to the taxpayers. I think you could make yourself crazy trying to find a town if you start looking for a place where taxes will never go up--it's just too hard to predict.
To the states you have mentioned, there is a Thread about Single Woman retiring; which state would be best for a single
woma, how about TN, NC, to live in a college town? Any suggestions? Was told to live six months before deciding to relocate.
Currently, living in the Olympic Peninsula, WA, think of relocating to TN, MO; dear husband and I vacationed in the
Great Smokies, feel in love with area and people, good food. Had planned to visit Hendersonville, NC, south of Asheville.
The wife and I visited Hendersonville NC a couple years ago ( we were staying at our son's time share in Gatlinberg TN )
I really liked that area . (especially that 55+ community near the huge orchard )
From the research I did, although close to Ashville, housing prices are much more reasonable in Hendersonville compared to Ashville.
It ranked high on my list, but my wife was concerned with driving distance from Minnesota.
It ranked high on my list, but my wife was concerned with driving distance from Minnesota.
That's a good point. If you want friends or family to visit, and they don't live in the immediate area, it can be difficult to get to western NC. There aren't a lot of airports or trains that service the area and the roads can get icy in the winter (and some roads are hilly and windy).
Boy oh boy, it's a beautiful part of the country, though.
Don't forget Kentucky - Kentucky has one of the lowest COL in the nation and it is an absolutely beautiful state, full of green forrests, blue skies and lovely historic towns and cities. We live on the edge of horse farms yet are 20 minutes from Trader Joe's and 2 large malls and multiple soulful, wakable historic neighborhoods, 15 minutes from Costco and a wonderful outdoor mall, Lowes, Home Depot, 25 minutes from the airport. You can find very nice areas with lovely homes under $200,000. A friend of mine just sold her house, comletely remodeled in a decent neighborhood for $180,000. There are many highly rated hospitals and a wide choice of doctors. Lots of water, parks, marinas, hiking, sailing, jet skiing, kayaking, tons of golf courses public and private, wineries, senior centers, fishing, first class restaurants with every ethic food you can imagine and a lively cultural scene. For the last 2 months we have the most glorious weather - warm, low humidty, sunny and beautiful....very similar to So. California sometimes...it is the middle of June - no uncomfortable humidty usually until July and then it is gone by mid September (as opposed to the deep-south states that have high humidity and heat beginning in May and lasting until late October.
And don't forget the $41,000 exemption on state taxes for retirees - the largest state exemption for retirees in the United States.
When cities and towns run low on money, taxes go up. The best strategy is to find an unassuming place that is not being touted for anything, that does not have an abundance of town offices and pensions to pay, and is happy with their little library with no plans to expand. Also, a town with no kids. Those danged schools and their budgets!
Why not a 'town' that has no office, no town employees with pensions, no library, no school?
That is located adjacent to towns that have those things.
Don't forget Kentucky - Kentucky has one of the lowest COL in the nation and it is an absolutely beautiful state, full of green forrests, blue skies and lovely historic towns and cities. We live on the edge of horse farms yet are 20 minutes from Trader Joe's and 2 large malls and multiple soulful, wakable historic neighborhoods, 15 minutes from Costco and a wonderful outdoor mall, Lowes, Home Depot, 25 minutes from the airport. You can find very nice areas with lovely homes under $200,000. A friend of mine just sold her house, comletely remodeled in a decent neighborhood for $180,000. There are many highly rated hospitals and a wide choice of doctors. Lots of water, parks, marinas, hiking, sailing, jet skiing, kayaking, tons of golf courses public and private, wineries, senior centers, fishing, first class restaurants with every ethic food you can imagine and a lively cultural scene. For the last 2 months we have the most glorious weather - warm, low humidty, sunny and beautiful....very similar to So. California sometimes...it is the middle of June - no uncomfortable humidty usually until July and then it is gone by mid September (as opposed to the deep-south states that have high humidity and heat beginning in May and lasting until late October.
And don't forget the $41,000 exemption on state taxes for retirees - the largest state exemption for retirees in the United States.
ky.gov says that "Forty-seven percent of Kentucky is forest"
Not exactly 'full' but almost half full.
We have 93% of our state forested. [it is not full of forest either]
To the states you have mentioned, there is a Thread about Single Woman retiring; which state would be best for a single
woma, how about TN, NC, to live in a college town? Any suggestions? Was told to live six months before deciding to relocate.
Currently, living in the Olympic Peninsula, WA, think of relocating to TN, MO; dear husband and I vacationed in the
Great Smokies, feel in love with area and people, good food. Had planned to visit Hendersonville, NC, south of Asheville.
Have you looked into Johnson City TN or the other small towns in that area?
True, although it can be hard to predict if taxes will or will not go up, no matter how many of those things you consider. I agree, if a town throws money around it might not be the wisest choice. At the same time, unexpected expenses can cause a huge dent in a small town's finances, and you might see your taxes go up anyway. Amherst, MA, for example, saw their general fund decimated by a lawsuit. The plaintiff got one of those ginormous awards that juries sometimes like to give, and the expense got passed on to the taxpayers. I think you could make yourself crazy trying to find a town if you start looking for a place where taxes will never go up--it's just too hard to predict.
I'm not looking for neverland (where taxes never go up). I lived previously in a town where they went up reasonably every year. I lived there for 15 years, starting off at $1400 and when I left, $2200. Pretty reasonable over all that time. The same town has now built an enormous library that they cannot afford to stock or staff. There are the same 3 dinky computers that had at the old building, and now they can't afford to carry some major newspapers. But to keep that building going (that jr hi and h.s. kids never use, because they have their own library and ipads, etc etc) the town's taxes, I hear, jumped way up in a year.
No one expects taxes to never go up. One could reasonably hope that the town admnistrators would rein in their unnecessary spending (did I mention that my current town has two fire chiefs and two fire stations?)\
The Midwest, topic here, may be a lot more stable in regard to taxes. In the 7 years I lived in Missouri, prop taxes went up only a few hundred over that time.
I'm not looking for neverland (where taxes never go up). I lived previously in a town where they went up reasonably every year.
I hear ya. My question is, how are you going to predict how taxes will be in the next town you move to? If you choose a town that doesn't have amenities like libraries and fire stations now, in five years they might decide they need them.
If you choose a town that has already built those amenities, something could happen to the building and they would need to pay for repairs.
You could choose a town based on how loudly people argue tax positions for this election--but will that attitude last? Within ten years those people may change their minds or move away or die off and their kids will be voting and have a very different attitude.
You could choose a town that has had a long history of never raising taxes... and after you move there the town has to raise taxes anyway due to an unforseen emergency such as a huge lawsuit that has to be paid for.
I suppose you could look for a town that does not have a college, (thus not having a population that would vote for libraries and schools). And you could look for a town that doesn't have many wooden structures, so the townspeople won't feel a fire department is necessary. But something else would become the expense--roads, or police, or bridges, or something.
Plus, if you did find a town where the people are strongly against building libraries, etc., would you really be happy there? You strike me as a person who really values living in a town with lots of little amenities. You like the people who are attracted to towns with things like libraries and art galleries--you may not feel all that comfortable with the neighbors you have in a "strippy" town.
I don't know what the answer is--maybe find a state with tax relief programs for seniors? Down where I live they have programs like that but I'm not sure how easy it is to move to a new place and get the relief program. Plus, would you really be happy moving to a new state for a reason like that?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
