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Please give us some information on housing, taxes ,etc for retired senior citizens considering West Virginia . We want a place in the country , couple of acres , less than $200,000. ?? Thanks for whatever info..
There is a paradox in West Virginia. A few years ago when its economy was zero, a person was written out of the job market at the age of 45. Now there is such a shortage of workers that even the Senior Citizens Groups have created employment counseling to put the retirees back into the job market.
West Virginia is a UNION state and those unions monitor the flow of illegals.
In order for our new Walmart to be built, the out of country workers had to be used at night and housed in another city...That union (UMWA) is beginning to shy away from the political party that would end the use of coal powered electrification (56% of the nations electric power is generated by non-foriegn, domesticaly produced CLEAN BURNING coal)
Mr. Manchin is governing a state that is truly rising from its ashes. He seems to be spending the money wisely. We will never have to send out children out of state to survive if things stay as they are now.
The retirees that I meet are about 55 are coming here with pensions and intend to work for several years as sub-contractors to the entities that employed them in DC and Maryland. FBI, NASA, others. To me the retirement age seems to be extended...75 or older...as people in good health are living to 100..more productive years are seen.
A home that you wish for can be found here in your price range, contact a name brand realtor. They usually adhear to a stricter code for their employees.
What needs to be understood is this is a rural area..all of it. Grass needs mowed, sometimes twice a week, and trees need trimmed. We have rain here and the humidity is a killer in the summer. A friend visited from out west and asked me how we irrigated as he mentally compared farms. I said, "Every three days is rains."
If your intending to RETIRE here, you need to give it a GOOD look...I'm from here...when I retire, I plan on going to Savannah. I want salt air and good oysters...and it's tough to find that here..good luck.
You don't mention where you're currently living; if you've not lived in a rural area before, the change can be quite a shock.
I would suggest renting, preferably for an entire year, in the area you're interested in before you commit to a move. Snow sure looks pretty, but it needs to be shoveled (if you're retired, a small tractor is a nice "toy" that won't strain your heart).
$200K will get you multiple acres and a nice house just about anywhere in the state (Eastern Panhandle excluded). In the biggest cities, it will still get you a nice house, but not the acreage.
State Income Tax is graduated, 3.5% to 6.5% I believe. Property taxes are somewhat lower than neighboring states, but WV has a Personal Property Tax, most notable on vehicles (5% of Blue Book value???).
Try Randolph County. Its ranked as one of the cheapest places to live in WV, while offering seclusion, and some urban qualities in or near Elkins. If you have any questions.. Just ask..
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