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Old 06-14-2012, 09:32 AM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,972,490 times
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Since this seems to be a hot topic this week, let's look at some of the lower COL states in depth. What are the pros and cons of retiring to Arkansas, Missouri, Maine, etc.? Which communities in particular would you recommend for retirees?

And most of all... anyone have any photos? (You guys know how I love looking at photos. ) I may have some of my friend's place in Hot Springs Village, and if I can find them I'll post them. I just think photos can tell you so much about a place.
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Old 06-14-2012, 01:20 PM
 
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We have been doing quite a lot of research into Maine, as it's one of our favorite states and we would love to live there. I've never lived in Maine, so I'm not nearly an expert, so take my comments with a grain of salt:

I don't think Maine is generally thought of as a low COL state. It is definitely a lower COL than New York, which is where we're currently living. Yes, there are good deals out there, in towns (or unincorporated areas) where the taxes aren't as high. Many Mainers are adept at stretching their budgets and making do, but this doesn't mean it is a low COL state.

Many of the places people would consider for retirement, such as southern Maine, are the most expensive areas in Maine. Of course, those areas are still cheaper than other areas of New England, such as Mass or Ct. But they are pretty pricey when compared to Arkansas and Missouri (or Michigan, or Oklahoma, etc). In addition to some of the higher taxes, it can cost a bundle to heat your home (heat is often oil, wood or LP gas). Wood is cheapest, but is the most labor-intensive. That may be fine when you're a young retiree, but you may not feel the same about it when you're old-old. There are people to hire to take care of such chores for you, if you're willing (and able) to pay.

On the plus side, Mainers are some of the nicest people I have ever encountered. And the relaxed lifestyle certainly makes up for the heating issues and taxes.
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Old 06-14-2012, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
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I have had several extended stays - by that I mean about four or five days each, more or less - in Little Rock, Arkansas at the home of my sister. If one doesn't mind being in a smallish city, Little Rock would be a wonderful place to live. You can drive north-west not all that far into the foothills of the Ozarks and do a nice day hike in one of the numerous state parks and return to Little Rock all in the same day. The city is just big enough to have an airport well served by at least Southwest Airlines - I can fly there from Los Angeles with only one stop. It is also big enough to have excellent medical care, from what I gather. But it is small enough to have pretty reasonable traffic conditions. As for cultural amenities, they are there but are rather limited from a Los Angeles perspective. (How could they not be?) There is one art house movie theatre which shows foreign films; not all the foreign films that we get in Los Angeles ever make it to Little Rock, but many do, eventually. I have been to classical music concerts at local churches which were fairly good. The Clinton Library is there, as well as a World War II submarine moored in the Arkansas River. Taxes are in the reasonable range.

The weather is not bad. There are occasional, rather rare snows in the winter, but the snow doesn't last long on the ground. The summer heat and humidity are a bit uncomfortable - more than anyone would call ideal - but not nearly as bad as the Gulf Coast.

If people prefer small town living, there are a number of them north-west of Little Rock (and probably in other directions too) which are nice. Fayetteville is a university town.

If I were not totally captivated by the world-class cultural advantages of Los Angeles, and if I needed to seek out a place with a lower cost of living, I would consider Little Rock. But neither of those things applies in my case so I have never given the least thought to leaving.
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Old 06-14-2012, 02:12 PM
 
Location: In a state of denial
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We are thinking of Arkansas to retire. How long does the summer last? Does it at least cool off at night? How high does the summer temperature get? Is it as bad as Texas?
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Old 06-14-2012, 02:20 PM
 
Location: Virginia
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OK, as promised here are some photos from Arkansas. These are really old, so the quality will not be great. But they'll give you an idea of what the area looks like.

My friends bought a lakefront 2000 sf house in Hot Springs Village for a song. I think it was $70-80,000 back in the 80s when they bought it. It would probably be around $100K now (I think). I've visited many times over the past few decades and it's very pretty. They LOVED this area (in fact the husband still does. His wife died a few years back but he stayed, even though his family is elsewhere, because he loves it.)

HSV isn't my cup of tea, but I think it has many good points for someone who is interested in this part of the country.


These are my friends. The photo is actually in Hot Springs, not HSV, but I thought it would be good to start off by showing you my friends. OK, now that everyone is introduced, here are a few photos of HSV.

Hot Springs Village:


The view from their window. In the winter Lake Balboa looks much more impressive. In spring, this view included spectacular dogwoods. By mid summer the trees cut off the view of the lake and the watched the squirrels instead.


The shot show how close they were to Lake Balboa. It was a steep backyard, though. Great because they never had flooding issues (also, when bad storms are on the horizon HSV lowers the lakes). However, by the time they were in their mid 70s they moved from this house to the Good Sam facility. HSV has care at all levels (including assisted living and a small hospital care for the hospice care).


This is Lake Balboa seen from a nearby mountain trail.


Entrance to HSV. One down side is the campus is huge but has almost no stores or businesses inside the gates. Big mistake, IMO. So most residents need to drive many miles out to the shopping plaza outside the gates.


HSV mini golf was free if you brought your own golf clubs.


Lots of golf courses in HSV. Also a snazzy theater complex with some fairly good shows (although the recession cut deeply into the budget for bringing shows to the community. I'm not sure how much the theater is used now.)

Hot Springs is the closest city, and is 30-45 minutes from the HSV campus (varied because this campus is humongous. Seriously. It covers two counties.)

Hot Springs:








Note: even though this is a small town, traffic can get congested and in places is a little nerve wracking. The trucks on I-40 scare me, and I'm used to driving in LA and on the DC beltway. This street isn't scary, but it can be a real PITA to drive on it. Don't kid yourself that small towns don't have traffic headaches.




I love the Uneeda Biscuit Building. The fountain in the center of the photo is gorgeous. I wish it had come out better.


This was a goofy internet greeting card I sent them a few decades back. Grainy by today's standards but back then it looked cool. Anyway, it shows several of the hot springs in Hot Springs. They are quite hot, and considered medicinal. In the downtown area you see many of these little pools, as well as highly decorated water fountains from which residents collect buckets of the water. That thing that looks like a statue? It's a fountain for collecting water. And yes, the babe in the boat was me, many moons ago. Many, many moons ago.

Last edited by Caladium; 06-14-2012 at 02:39 PM..
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Old 06-14-2012, 03:53 PM
 
Location: Northern Wisconsin
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There isn't much of a downside to either Missouri or Arkansas, unless you like the ocean or beach or mountains, IMHO, that's why both states are on my list of potentials. It might be too hot or humid in the summer for some. Other than that, I can't think of much.
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Old 06-14-2012, 04:09 PM
 
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Thanks for posting the Arkansas pics, Caladium! I've never been there, but the low COL is intriguing.
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Old 06-14-2012, 04:13 PM
 
Location: Virginia
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There are a few downsides, IMO. YMMV as to how much these things might bother you.

1. Icy roads in the winter. Snow isn't bad, but ice can be a problem. And (at least in HSV) you have to drive, because nothing is within walking distance.

2. Insects can be bad, in particular ticks and chiggers. So bad that you never NEVER walk through grass, not even walking over a grassy median in a parking lot.

3. The airport is quite far from HSV. To visit my friend, I have to take two flights, then drive for more than an hour. The roads are not always in the best shape, and you drive through an area that is very low income (and a little trashy). Safe enough, but it can be a very depressing drive, especially since the recession. You'll see a fair number of empty stores and abandoned businesses.

4. The variety of stores is limited. The grocery store is often Wal-Mart or a very small local business that may not stock much. The stores were much better in the 80s and 90s, so I'm hoping this changes.

5. Speaking about changes that happened as a result of the recession... how do I put this delicately... the local residents have become less friendly and are not always happy to see visitors from out of town. They are sometimes a little openly racist. I have had people try to run me off the road (just for laughs, I guess). When you go into a local business you can expect that Fox News will be playing, and people will want to share their political opinions. I try very strongly to avoid this, but it gets harder and harder. People I used to meet at the hotel I stay at there used to be pretty open minded--not so much lately.
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Old 06-14-2012, 04:49 PM
 
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We took a look at such places. They are not completely off the table however here's the thing. Both me and my wife have spent most of our lives in large / mega cities (especially her). While there are many things in such places we despise, on the other hand we enjoy our wide array of ethnic dining, art house in actual theaters (we're just not big screen TV people or really any sort of TV people), direct international flights, etc. That may sew up the deal with somewhere that is mid cost. Think Philly or Portland (OR). There are a few others.

But who knows. It's going to be a while (15 - 20 years) and a lot can change (including our own proclivities) by the time we actually make the move.
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Old 06-14-2012, 04:55 PM
 
Location: Virginia
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By the way, with that last point I really hope I just had a bad experience the lat time I visited. Before my last visit, I had 20+ years of visits in which I met people who had a wide variety of viewpoints, and they seemed pretty open to new ideas and welcoming to new people. It was mostly my most recent visit where the people I met fit more of a backwards cliche. So which is the truth--did the recession bring out a side to people that I don't feel comfortable with, or did I just meet some bad apples? For now I will give the benefit of the doubt. But it made me wonder enough that I thought it was worth mentioning.

Also, these are observations from a visitor--if I lived there I might see very different things, since I wouldn't necessarily have to deal with the same drives, the same experiences, or the same people. If I mostly spent time in HSV and with friends and neighbors, as my friend does, I might have a very different take on things.
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