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Wow...every one of these 'top ten lists is different! I thought I'd put it out there for discussion.
Tennessee was the top 'best' state, and Oregon was the top 'worst' state. I live in one of those top ten 'worst' states, and am looking to transition out of here in a few years.
Interesting...there was a lot of comments on the site defending Oregon!
The state of GA where I live is very favorable for over 65 retirees. I think Kiplinger magazine has GA in top 10 as does AARP. All of these lists are suspect though. I tend to think it isn't the state that is the big item but the city/town/village and in GA the county. Local taxes vary considerably in counties. I would think that you could go broke trying to stay warm in the cold states mentioned. I could not take it. Lastly, friends and connections make a place in my opinion. Relocating and trying to get on with a new doctor, new bank maybe, new heat/air tech, plumber, mechanic, church if you are so inclined, and a host of other issues, is just not on my list of things to do in retirement. Tried moving early in retirement and hated the new place though the natural beauty was stunning. Moved back to our old house and decided to stay until we are carried to a morgue. Every jurisdiction raises money via some sort of taxation. Income tax free TX has huge property taxes. Lots of low tax areas have very poor government services. It is easy to be anti-govt or to be a libertarian until you need a fire truck, ambulance or a cop. Trick is to find a balance in some community.
I didn't open the link because I know my state of Massachusetts isn't one of the ten. This said, we've found living in MA a lot cheaper than Florida. There's no broad brush approach. We live on Cape Cod where there are few roads and schools to support so our property taxes are low, MA does not tax federal pensions, and all in all, we're in very good shape here.
In the City-Data Retirement Forum, there is only one guaranteed result of these "best and worst places to retire" lists, and that is vigorous disagreement. At least the criteria are made clear (access to medical care, crime rates, temperatures, cost of living, and local tax burdens), and the sources and methodologies are also explained.
My comment on two of the criteria (access to medical care and crime rates) is that they are state-wide averages. That means a particular location within a state may or may not conform to the state average in those two categories.
I had to laugh at the "balmy temperatures" description for Louisiana. Sure, the average temperature there is indeed "balmy" but what they neglected to mention is the nearly unbearable humidity that goes along with the temperatures, at least in the southern half of the state. I know because I've spent considerable time in the Baton Rouge area during the summer months.
Sure, North and South Dakota would be attractive only for people who don't mind the extremely cold winters. I believe there are such people, but I also believe they are few in number.
A lot of "find your best place" quizzes mention "good weather," which usually assumes mild/no winters. I personally cannot stand humidity and automatically forget about any place that has more humid times than I have in the Northeast (where the winters are no big deal, and increasingly more mild over the years).
Anyway, there's more to retirement life than taxes and weather. It'd be tough to pop into someplace new in one's 60s-70s based on the view and temperature.
Still, I love reading about places.
The state of GA where I live is very favorable for over 65 retirees. I think Kiplinger magazine has GA in top 10 as does AARP. All of these lists are suspect though. I tend to think it isn't the state that is the big item but the city/town/village and in GA the county. Local taxes vary considerably in counties. I would think that you could go broke trying to stay warm in the cold states mentioned. I could not take it. Lastly, friends and connections make a place in my opinion. Relocating and trying to get on with a new doctor, new bank maybe, new heat/air tech, plumber, mechanic, church if you are so inclined, and a host of other issues, is just not on my list of things to do in retirement. Tried moving early in retirement and hated the new place though the natural beauty was stunning. Moved back to our old house and decided to stay until we are carried to a morgue. Every jurisdiction raises money via some sort of taxation. Income tax free TX has huge property taxes. Lots of low tax areas have very poor government services. It is easy to be anti-govt or to be a libertarian until you need a fire truck, ambulance or a cop. Trick is to find a balance in some community.
I agree that the state is a start but it really boils down to the city/town that you find.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ipoetry
I didn't open the link because I know my state of Massachusetts isn't one of the ten. This said, we've found living in MA a lot cheaper than Florida. There's no broad brush approach. We live on Cape Cod where there are few roads and schools to support so our property taxes are low, MA does not tax federal pensions, and all in all, we're in very good shape here.
Massachusetts is a great state to live in both regular and retired life. I find that the property taxes are higher then you describe but livable due to the lower costs in other places. My only drawback to retiring in MA is the winter. I grew up in Maine and lived most of my life here in MA and I am finding myself not wanting to spend too many more hours clearing blizzard snow from my driveway. We may remain here but if we do it will be in a townhouse or a development that has a HOA and takes care of that for me.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2nd trick op
Nine of the ten beat are solid "red",
Seven of the ten worst are deep "blue",
Need we say more?
Yes. Doesn't tell you anything except they're cheap. That is one of many considerations out there. I care more about quality of life than saving a couple of bucks because of the lack of infrastructure or lack of culture, or poor funding of public schools.
The largest net welfare states (Federal dollars), are red states too. Does that paint the entire picture?
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