1 of the Worst Places to Retire? (Memphis, Knoxville: transplants, crime rate, homes)

[WOWAddict]

I found this kind of odd. I think the statistics are skewed due to Memphis maybe?

Best, worst states to retire

[hiknapster]

Crazy list. They put New Hampshire as the best state to retire to. Only reason given for Tennessee put on the "bad" list was due to crime. Thank you, Memphis, once again. They skew all of our stats.

Great reasons to retire to Tennessee: cost of living, tax burden is 44th in the country, affordable homes, friendly people, beautiful scenery and weather in East Tennessee.

pffftt to that list.

Retire Tennessee

[Lamplight]

Does unemployment really affect retirement that much? I guess they're including it because it can negatively impact an overall area, even if it doesn't necessarily affect an individual so much.

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Crazy list. They put New Hampshire as the best state to retire to. Only reason given for Tennessee put on the "bad" list was due to crime. Thank you, Memphis, once again. They skew all of our stats.

Great reasons to retire to Tennessee: cost of living, tax burden is 44th in the country, affordable homes, friendly people, beautiful scenery and weather in East Tennessee.

pffftt to that list.

Retire Tennessee

Don't put it all on Memphis (5)... Chattanooga (11) and Knoxville (18) are also in the top 20 nationwide. As far as Chattanooga goes, the geographic regions with high-crime are relatively small compared to the overall area of the city, but they all have fairly high population densities so the per-capita crime rates are skewed. Also Chattanooga's defense, the officials say they report the crime honestly. There have been a few reports lately about how police departments nationwide are under pressure to "under report" major crimes (i.e., convince the victims to not file a report, or find a way to file the crime as a lower offense).

But I agree, TN is a great place to retire and the list is bogus. pffftt indeed.

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

OH WELL, I'm there very soon.
I don't understand why FLORIDA isn't on that list!? We have shootings almost evey day and robberies???? Hello...

[westtnman]

Let's not forget about Nashville being high on that crime list.....Everytime that Tennessee doesn't do well on a list doesn't mean it is all Memphis' fault.

I am not trying to bash Nashville....it just seems that lists on the internet have become so popular over the last few years and so many of them make no sense. Tennessee's crime rate is high because of crime but also (especially important) the way the TBI reports crime. I won't go into the details about this but doing a little research on the internet can explain a great deal about how it skews the numbers.

The fact of the matter is anyone can put a list on the internet. Criteria is different for every list. What is important to some may not be important to others. For example, I could do a list of the best places to live and base that on a preference of long straight roads, cool summer temperatures, and low population density. I bet Nebraska would be pretty high on that list. Take all these internet lists with a grain of salt. I think Tennessee is ok in this category.

Here is another list to look at www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/sunbelt-shines-on-the-100-best-places-to-retire-list-for-2010.html/. This might make people feel better.

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

I was wondering about that. I thought I had just read something saying TN was one of the places to retire.
Whatever, I'm going to take my chances. You don't know unless you try, right.

[hiknapster]

That is exactly right. This state reports crime very, very differently than a lot of other states. For instance, in Florida, if someone is charged with five counts it is considered one incident. In TN, it is considered five.

Further, Atlanta actually already got caught once under-reporting their stats. Chattanooga has worse crime than Atlanta? Cut me a break.

Florida is very dishonest, often due to tourism. But in Lee County it also has to do with politics. There are two sheriffs that routinely accuse the other of falsifying the stats.

I've lived in the northeast, Florida and now Knoxville. It is a beautiful, small city with wonderful weather and people.

Let's take a look at their top picks. Would you want to retire there?

1. New Hampshire. Weather. 'Nuff said.
2. Hawaii. Sure. If you can afford it.
3. South Dakota. Weather and well, just no.
4. North Dakota. See: "South Dakota"
5. Iowa. Weather.
6. Virginia: Okay. I can buy that.
7. Utah. That one, too.
8. Connecticut. Expensive, weather.
9. Vermont. Expensive, weather.
10. Idaho. Too brown and too many transplants.

Originally Posted by westtnman

Let's not forget about Nashville being high on that crime list.....Everytime that Tennessee doesn't do well on a list doesn't mean it is all Memphis' fault.

I am not trying to bash Nashville....it just seems that lists on the internet have become so popular over the last few years and so many of them make no sense. Tennessee's crime rate is high because of crime but also (especially important) the way the TBI reports crime. I won't go into the details about this but doing a little research on the internet can explain a great deal about how it skews the numbers.

The fact of the matter is anyone can put a list on the internet. Criteria is different for every list. What is important to some may not be important to others. For example, I could do a list of the best places to live and base that on a preference of long straight roads, cool summer temperatures, and low population density. I bet Nebraska would be pretty high on that list. Take all these internet lists with a grain of salt. I think Tennessee is ok in this category.

Here is another list to look at www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/sunbelt-shines-on-the-100-best-places-to-retire-list-for-2010.html/. This might make people feel better.

[DonCorleone]

I have one question: was the likelihood of encountering brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and tornadoes included in this survey?

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Crazy list. They put New Hampshire as the best state to retire to. Only reason given for Tennessee put on the "bad" list was due to crime. Thank you, Memphis, once again. They skew all of our stats. Great reasons to retire to Tennessee: cost of living, tax burden is 44th in the country, affordable homes, friendly people, beautiful scenery and weather in East Tennessee. pffftt to that list. Retire Tennessee

Thanks, but no thanks. Crime is a Tennessee issue, not just a Memphis issue. Memphis also has, by far, the most comprehensive crime reporting system in use within the state (actually the nation too). Based on sheer FBI stats, neighborhoods in Nashville & Chattanooga have surpassed Memphis' worst before.

U.S. News Editorial Pick: Best Places for Single Seniors to Retire

Memphis has been selected by U.S. News as one of the top 10 places for single seniors to retire. Based on research by the Brookings Institution, it's one of a handful of cities boasting both an attractive environment for retirees and a hefty portion of singles over 65.
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CNN.Money Names Memphis "Most Affordable Place to Retire"

CNN.Money.com says Memphis is the most affordable place in America to retire. Other factors include air quality, number of restaurants, diversity of culture, tax structures, weather, health-care facilities, etc. But hey, we're number one when it comes affordability.
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