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I must be especially dense this morning. None of the past couple of posts make any sense to me.
"My biggest complaint about some transplant retirees is that many look for better weather and cheaper places to live without considering why the places they move to are cheaper than the places they left." I do not understand this big complaint. What is wrong with moving to a place with better weather and lower costs?
"it's infuriating because they change the voting patterns of the small town by their sheer numbers and the natives wind up being taxed more." Why do retirees moving into a community increase the taxes? In fact the opposite seems to be true. Local costs and taxes are usually heavily influenced by the high cost of public schooling. The retirees are paying taxes, but do not have kids to educate. At the worst they resent the high costs going to education and often try to vote for tax reductions and controls on these costs.
"I seen many newcomers wanting to be in all the other tonier, wealthier, enclosed newer communities and glitzy places of new city neighborhoods." I am not sure what tonier means. I do understand that some retirees have more money than local residents and buy bigger houses. They may even spend more money in the local stores and restaurants. ...And what is the problem with this? I do understand that many new communities are gated. Some also have home owners associations and property management services. I am sort of thinking that might be a good idea. Some of us don't have the strength or desire for maintaining yards and houses and having a HOA to handle this assures properties are maintained. I am also thinking about moving to a gated community. I want to travel and the extra security of a gated community would make that less of a concern.
Is the big issue just envy of those who have more money and are able to spend some of that money to live well?
Wow that question was all over the place. I moved to a gated "Active Adult " Community in Arizona. I hated it, I didn't use the golf course or resturants but had to pay for them in hefty HOA dues anyway. The people there spent all thier time on teir foo foo dogs and endless rules and meetings.
The local government seemed surprised when the newcomers voted them out and installed their own.
I moved out, made a bundle on the real estate, and like living out in the community
I must be especially dense this morning. None of the past couple of posts make any sense to me.
"My biggest complaint about some transplant retirees is that many look for better weather and cheaper places to live without considering why the places they move to are cheaper than the places they left." I do not understand this big complaint. What is wrong with moving to a place with better weather and lower costs?
"it's infuriating because they change the voting patterns of the small town by their sheer numbers and the natives wind up being taxed more." Why do retirees moving into a community increase the taxes? In fact the opposite seems to be true. Local costs and taxes are usually heavily influenced by the high cost of public schooling. The retirees are paying taxes, but do not have kids to educate. At the worst they resent the high costs going to education and often try to vote for tax reductions and controls on these costs.
"I seen many newcomers wanting to be in all the other tonier, wealthier, enclosed newer communities and glitzy places of new city neighborhoods." I am not sure what tonier means. I do understand that some retirees have more money than local residents and buy bigger houses. They may even spend more money in the local stores and restaurants. ...And what is the problem with this? I do understand that many new communities are gated. Some also have home owners associations and property management services. I am sort of thinking that might be a good idea. Some of us don't have the strength or desire for maintaining yards and houses and having a HOA to handle this assures properties are maintained. I am also thinking about moving to a gated community. I want to travel and the extra security of a gated community would make that less of a concern.
Is the big issue just envy of those who have more money and are able to spend some of that money to live well?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with retirees or transplants. They are a great benefits to an area, as you have pointed out.
However, what I was trying to say is that I do not want to be in neighborhoods that have too many, people moving, in and out, that is necessary to advance their careers. These mobile people are important for society--as they are creative and generate wealth, which I respect.
There is another wrong with rich retirees who relocate and can afford to separate themselves into enclaves. Again, they contribute and bring in good spending power. I just am saying, I prefer to live in more long term established neighborhoods and most of these are not poor; obviously long term residents have money and some are very wealthy.
I and my extended family are also transplants. We live all over the metro area, from extremely wealthy areas to less wealthy. We are all from New York but have been here for some many decades that we are considered local and our children and grandchildren have been born here. I have found as we, as a family, have integrated into the community, our lives have become richer with more interaction with even more long term residents and natives.
We need all type of residents in an area; those who have lived a long time and those who bring in new ideas, wealth and ideas. For there are areas of the country, where there are no influx of new people and ideas and the area stagnates. There are also areas where there are too many and out transplants, and they do not develop a sense of a community and local traditions are not established.
Livecontent
Last edited by livecontent; 01-07-2010 at 11:40 AM..
I must be especially dense this morning. None of the past couple of posts make any sense to me.
"My biggest complaint about some transplant retirees is that many look for better weather and cheaper places to live without considering why the places they move to are cheaper than the places they left." I do not understand this big complaint. What is wrong with moving to a place with better weather and lower costs?
"it's infuriating because they change the voting patterns of the small town by their sheer numbers and the natives wind up being taxed more." Why do retirees moving into a community increase the taxes? In fact the opposite seems to be true. Local costs and taxes are usually heavily influenced by the high cost of public schooling. The retirees are paying taxes, but do not have kids to educate. At the worst they resent the high costs going to education and often try to vote for tax reductions and controls on these costs. ...
We moved to a rural area when I retired, and we are mostly trying to fit in amongst the natives. To us a large part of what attracted us has been the low cost-of-living and greater freedoms.
However I have observed locals who do complain about newcomers raising taxes.
Here in CD, even, I have read many of the complaints about new-comers.
Newcomers often want a higher level of policing.
They commonly try to demand that preexisting farms stop their farm operations.
They try to demand more municipal services to be provided to them.
Unfortunately if they show up consistently to town meetings, then they become elected to hold office. Which is when the real changes begin to happen, all of which include higher taxes.
In looking at retirement communities, I found quite a few where the home owners association handles the sewage, waste disposal, and road maintenance and security. It makes you wonder why the residents should even have to pay property taxes since they are paying for all there services separately.
[quote=jrkliny;12333976]I must be especially dense this morning. None of the past couple of posts make any sense to me.
"My biggest complaint about some transplant retirees is that many look for better weather and cheaper places to live without considering why the places they move to are cheaper than the places they left." I do not understand this big complaint. What is wrong with moving to a place with better weather and lower costs?"
You missed the part about "without considering why the places they move to are cheaper than the places they left." It's not that they are cheaper. It's why they are cheaper than the place you left.
Why do retirees moving into a community increase the taxes?"
Roads, fire, police, utilities, hospitals, libraries, ambulance, parks. They want the same stuff, the same variety of stuff and the same caliber of stuff that they had in the old place. They want the same laws and regulations which means more local government (signs, administration, enforcement, courts).
Yes, not schools.
I am not sure what tonier means. I do understand that some retirees have more money than local residents and buy bigger houses. They may even spend more money in the local stores and restaurants. ...And what is the problem with this? I do understand that many new communities are gated. Some also have home owners associations and property management services. I am sort of thinking that might be a good idea. Some of us don't have the strength or desire for maintaining yards and houses and having a HOA to handle this assures properties are maintained. I am also thinking about moving to a gated community. I want to travel and the extra security of a gated community would make that less of a concern.
This wasn't me directly above but let me see if I get this right. You (not you, the poster but the general "you") move to new master planned community within a small town, where people have lived since they were born, and your first impulse is to make sure there's a wall around it to keep the locals out. The second impulse is to make the new place over because "that's how we did it where I'm from." Do I have that right?
Because you didn't move to their town to live in their town with the people who live there or because you liked the culture and wanted to be a part of it. That's not why you came. You came for the weather and the cheap and you'll settle with others just like you who also have no intention of mixing with the natives and to make sure the locals know, you put a gate around it. You'll just import the things from the place you left to the new town and you'll probably keep your recreation within the gate as much as possible so you don't have to do that "stupid locals stuff." How am I doing so far?
But you have to drive through the town to actually get to "the big city and beyond" and you have to have services come to you within the gate. So you expect roads that meet your standards and you expect new stores with all of the stuff you had back in the former city/town, cable, decent hospitals, enough police, better libraries, parks and with all of that comes bigger government and bigger government is what made the old place you came from so darn expensive. And you expect zoning to keep those "low class" people, who have lived there all of their lives, from having their trailers or modest homes within your sight of vision. God forbid they work on their trucks in their yards. Perhaps you aren't a hunting fan so you inside the gates throw your weight/numbers around those laws, too. And gosh darn it, why isn't my new "hick town" recycling? Can they BE any more stoneage? If they have a volunteer fire department maybe you'll let them inside of the gate to keep your house from burning down or to take your husband to the hospital when he has chest pains. As long as they don't stay. With bigger government comes higher taxes. But, you vote for it because you want the same stuff you had that made the place you left, expensive. But now, people who have lived in those small towns for generations and were able to make ends meet, hunt where and when they decided, fish and swim by walking through the property that is now part of the gated community, drive their ATVs without worrying about noise complaints, didn't mind the unpaved roads, were happy with the Sheriff and his deputy that everyone knew, didn't need the fancy stores and restaurants to be happy, find themselves priced out of their homes because you inside the gates vote contrary to their desires and needs but your numbers overwhelm them.
I see it differently. I bought my home in Florida and look forward to living there in about 2 years. I will bring my pension with me. I'll spend it at local businesses. I'll get involved in a local church and support it well. I'll get my car fixed at a local shop, and bring donuts with me when I do and have coffee with the boys. (So far, even when I'm only down there a few months a year, I have done all of this.)
I will get involved with local volunteer projects. Just as I have served my local NY community all my life, I'll do the same down there. I will NOT try to make my new home like my old one...why would I, if I wanted Florida to be like NY, I'd stay in NY....!
You infer that we transplanted retirees are snobs. That is rude and wrong of you. It sounds like you've been dealt a bad situation where you are, and if that is so, I'm sorry....but don't suggest that it is that way everywhere, and that every one of us are bad.
Oh, and BTW, I pay more in homeowners taxes down there now, and have been because I'm not a Florida resident. I do not get the homestead exemption......so my HO taxes are double all of my neighbors, even though I am only there 2 months a year. I'm NOT complaining about that, I knew it would be that way. Just understand that I'm paying more then my way down there, and will totally pay it forward more when I'm there full time.
I see it differently. I bought my home in Florida ...
I don't see her as bitter, just realistic. I've seen what happens, and I agree with LauraC.
You are moving to the Leesburg area. By any chance are you moving to The Villages or any of the dozens of other big developments around there? You might want to google a bit on how that massive development overwhelmed the basically rural/small towns of the counties (yes, counties, it is that big) that it is in, and how the sheer mass of villagers affected them.
As for me - we are moving to TN from SC when I retire in a couple of years. I am basically 'going home', after living in several states for my career. My place is far from the developments, my friends and neighbors are locals, and I can hardly wait to be back in the sticks where I belong. I'm going there because it fits and I don't want to change a thing.
If you are asking if I am going to TN. The answer is most definitely no. It is also very unlikely that I will move into a gated retirement community. I do need to deal with how to travel and leave a house unattended, in a strange area, for months at a time. I wonder if I can trust any of the "natives"?
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