Taxes too high? (Huntington, Pullman: neighborhoods, income, living in)

[LPOP02]

My husband and I had been considering a move to West Virginia when we retire, but in doing research on the state and also reading some of the messages posted here, we're beginning to worry about all the taxes we keep hearing about. We're also concerned about how high utility bills might run during the winter months. For people retiring on a fixed income under $40,000, would West Virginia be a good choice to retire to and enjoy a relatively low cost of living overall? Or has anyone retired there and now regrets that decision? Any input would be great! Thanks

[tbailey1138]

WV does tax your retirement but not to a level that makes it hard to live here. There are a lot of people who actually retire here for the friendly people and places as well as the low cost of living. Huntington, for example, was named by Forbes as having the lowest cost of living in the nation. Utility bills in the winter depend on where you live but they aren't too bad in the Huntington area. We tend to have the most mild winter weather in the state here with little snow and it doesn't usually get quite as cold. I suggest you visit and see if you like the area, run the numbers and then go from there. If you want any more info on the Huntington area, I'll do my best to help. Here are some links that might be useful.
Tim

City of Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, WV Online
#100 Huntington WV - Forbes.com
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment

[LPOP02]

Thanks for the great links! Those will really help. We plan to make a trip to WV in November, so will definitely check out Huntington area. Thanks again for the info.

[tbailey1138]

No problem. And let me know if you have any other questions or if there's anything else that you need. If you want to see Huntington before you come, watch "We are Marshall" as most of the movie was filmed here. It has some really nice shots of the city and the neighborhoods.
Marshall Movie Homepage
Tim