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[quote=Escort Rider;36866171]I may sound like a broken record, as I've posted this same thought more than once before, but considering crime statistics for any state as a whole is pretty meaningless. Tennessee covers a lot of square miles! It is certain to have neighborhoods where crime is a problem as well as other neighborhoods that are very safe. And how do we know that the crime rate in Memphis doesn't skew the statistics for the entire state? I would assume that is exactly the case.
I think depending on charts and studies to decide where crime is high and low accomplishes nothing. All one has to do is read a study on the "10 best places to live, work, retire" and then read a study on the same things next month: they will be totally different. Every sturdy on the subject is different and I can't think of a state that has such a high crime rate I wouldn't move there, maybe a few cities, but there are a lot of things to consider when retiring and high crime in a state is not one of them in my book anyway. We all know what the crime rate is like on the south side of Chicago, does that mean Ill would not be a good place to live?l
I think some research is necessary, but the best way is to visit an area for a few days, maybe find a realtor that is willing to spend time with you, talk to people, drive around, pick up the local newspaper. Find out if the activities you enjoy are available and if you are a church goer, will there be the right match for you or if you are politically involved does the area you are considering share your views? There are so many things to consider, but sometimes a place just feels right.
Combining my DH's criteria with mine created the following list:
Lower housing costs
Lower taxes OVERALL (not focusing on one tax over another but the sum of all)
No more than a few inches of snow per year
No "deep south" 90% humidity + heat
No desert
Must have a golf course
Must be green and have mountains
Must be near a big lake or ocean
Must have many outdoor recreation opportunities
Must be friendly and/or have ways of making new friends
Nice development with amenities
We found it!
We really didn't even look at crime stats. I hate to say this but I don't relate to them. I have lived many places and have only once in my life been a crime victim and that was in CA at my job, not at home. I certainly wouldn't look at crime for a whole state as being equal, even in one city there are crime prone areas and areas that are pretty much crime-free. That's a VERY local judgment to make based upon the actual neighborhood and talking to the people there, not something you can see on the internet.
In Tennessee we have a lot of crime in some parts of Memphis, and we have drug problems, especially in the far northeast part of the state (meth/pills), but this has little impact on us. Our community is tight-knit and ANY criminal activity is closely followed by residents. We watch out for one another.
For me, my number 1 criterion is probably going to be "overall tax burden" -- which means I will likely have to move out of my beloved state, New Hampshire. No sales or income tax here, but that means our property taxes are insane. As a working person with a decent salary, I can easily afford the property taxes now AND enjoy the benefit of not paying income or sales tax, but after retirement when my house is paid off, I don't like the idea of still having to pay so much every month (would likely be close to $1,000/month by then JUST in property tax). My income will be significantly lower so the no-income-tax "benefit" won't be very large, AND I doubt that I'll be buying much (I'm not a big spender now!) so the lack of a sales tax won't help much either. (Some New Hampshire towns DO have property tax relief programs for seniors, but they're not very generous and don't benefit very many people. EG, my town's program allows seniors to defer their property taxes -- but ONLY if their income is poverty level, so it wouldn't help me. The only thing that MIGHT help me stay in my current house despite the property taxes is a reverse mortgage, but I will have to do a LOT of calculations before I get one -- retirement is at least 15 years away for me!)
I don't mind the cold weather at all, and I love New England, so I am thinking of retiring to coastal Maine.
I dream sometimes of retiring to England or Wales (I have dual citizenship from my mom, who's British), but I suspect that is just a dream. (And Nmnita, whenever I see your posts about NWA, I must say they make that area sound SO appealing too! Just not sure I could be that far away from an ocean ...)
Last edited by karen_in_nh_2012; 10-14-2014 at 06:33 AM..
Reason: clarification
Crime is the top criteria, second is taxes, but we take all the taxes into account. You have to. Texas has no income tax but high property taxes, so if you're buying a home, that tax is a big cost factor. Third factor is the effect on my wife's allergy problem. After that comes recreation and distance to our children. That's about it. We discounted weather pretty much. Lots of folks like the idea of moving south, but summer is brutal. Its not as tough as winter in the north, but it can still drag you down and get to you.
However, we also project ahead and see what are the current trends and possible outcomes of changes that might happen based on those trends. Texas open border is a continual worrying trend, so we decided to vamous.
We are not retired yet, but looking ahead to that swiftly upcoming stage of our lives and putting the pieces into place. This forum has been invaluable to us in that process.
First consideration is proximity to our children/grandchildren. That's the hardest one since we have 4 children and who knows where they'll all end up? Since we can't know, we have focused on choosing a place with the sorts of activities and amenities that would make it fun for everyone to gather at least once in a while--an attractive vacation spot for the kids and grandkids, in other words. It's been our goal to take a few family trips to whatever location(s) we choose so that the kids will have some history and family memories there.
The alternative is to keep our current home, in its current location, in the hope/expectation that they will enjoy "coming home" periodically with their families. As much as that's a sweet idea and I'd love to provide that kind of base for my children, I'd personally very much rather not stay here for the rest of my livin' life! So the proximity to the kids factor is by far the most complicating one to consider, and I read with great interest and consideration those post from folks who have chosen a retirement "home" place irrespective of children's locations or wishes.
I want to be a regular part of my (future, I have none yet) grandchildren's lives, not a visitor. I recognize that might not be possible, but if that's the case we'd like to have a place that our grandkids would enjoy visiting for weeks at a time. This virtually rules out an age restricted community for us.
Overall tax structure is important, with property and income tax most important. We'd rather spend our limited retirement income on airfare and hotels than taxes.
Weather and proximity to the activities we enjoy is huge for me, less so for MrMontanama. We have a small vacation/future retirement home in the Phoenix area that addresses this factor somewhat (heat, golf, pool, etc.), but what I miss in Phx is the beach and the sort of gardening I most enjoy.
For me, finding "home" has been the driving force in our search for the best retirement location. Finding not the perfect, flawless place, but just the place that makes me exhale and smile.
I am so happy for those who have that. I think it will be hard to find at this point in life, and harder to mesh with the other criteria we've set out.
If the worst case scenario is being stuck in "The Last Best Place" I guess I can't complain. (But I will, lol, Ohhhh, I will!)
ETA: Crime is a consideration only in choosing perhaps a city and more likely a neighborhood. It's something we look at, but not anywhere near the top of our list. For MrMontanama, the political climate is a concern--we would both prefer an MYOB attitude and he especially doesn't like a lot of in-your-face politics from either end of the spectrum. MT is a live-and-let-live sort of place, and any other attitude is jarring for us though we'd probably adjust.
Combining my DH's criteria with mine created the following list:
Lower housing costs Lower taxes OVERALL (not focusing on one tax over another but the sum of all)
No more than a few inches of snow per year
No "deep south" 90% humidity + heat
No desert
Must have a golf course
Must be green and have mountains
Must be near a big lake or ocean
Must have many outdoor recreation opportunities
Must be friendly and/or have ways of making new friends
Nice development with amenities
.
Regarding taxes, your approach is the only one that makes sense, in my opinion.
I may sound like a broken record, as I've posted this same thought more than once before, but considering crime statistics for any state as a whole is pretty meaningless. Tennessee covers a lot of square miles! It is certain to have neighborhoods where crime is a problem as well as other neighborhoods that are very safe. And how do we know that the crime rate in Memphis doesn't skew the statistics for the entire state? I would assume that is exactly the case.
Closer to my home, Los Angeles has some rather grim neighborhoods that I wouldn't want to drive through in a car at night, much less be out walking. But where I live I do not hesitate to walk in my own neighborhood during hours of darkness. I have lived here 13 years.
I agree. I live within walking distance of DC. The crime is pretty bad, like one of the homes of the drive by shootings. I also work in DC and come home late many a night. You just have to be aware and not do the obvious, like go in bad areas. I like Tennessee and think it would be a nice place to retire... just pick the right area.
We had 3 criteria...Warm weather, warm weather, and warm weather...We moved to Bradenton, Florida...
Where were you before moving to Florida? And since other places (the southern part of the entire southern tier of the United States) also have warm weather, what factors induced you to choose Florida?
We've just begun the process of looking for a retirement spot that meets our "must have" criteria. We currently live in the deep south and are tired of pretty much having just 2 seasons, 9 months of hot, steamy summers and 3 months of chilly, damp winters. Crime in the community where we live is not an issue, but the city where I work and the "cultural" center (using that term loosely) of the area has become a crime ridden mess that most people and a lot of businesses now avoid. With that said, the list of what we're looking for includes:
1. A large enough body of pretty, clean water for boating. Being on the water is my "happy place"!
2. A mild climate. 4 seasons would be nice and wouldn't even mind a dusting of snow once in a while.
3. Comparable cost of living to what we now have, which is fairly low.
4. Lots of outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, golf.
5. Opportunities to socialize with genuinely friendly people.
6. Access to shopping, dining, entertainment, etc.
7. Quality health care nearby.
It's an important decision and I'm so glad for forums like this. It's helped me to research some places and am looking forward to visiting a lake community in East Tennessee at the end of this month. Anybody have suggestions based on our list, would love to hear them!!
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(And Nmnita, whenever I see your posts about NWA, I must say they make that area sound SO appealing too! Just not sure I could be that far away from an ocean ...)
