Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 20, 2018 -- The Nation's Capital is buzzing about a new article from Politico Magazine on The Villages and its politics. The article provides an extensive and interesting discussion of politics in this giant active adult community in Central Florida. Its title, "Generation Pickleball: Welcome to Florida’s Political Tomorrowland," foreshadows what its authors believe is coming for Florida's electorate.
For four of five recent years The Villages has been the fastest growing metro in the country. And, in Politico's political focussed article, it ..."is Trump country, a reliably Republican, vocally patriotic, almost entirely white enclave that gave the president nearly 70 percent of the vote." The area represents the future of the Republican party, and is considered to be the key to Gov. Rick Scott's bid to unseat Democratic Senator, Bill Nelson, in the 2018 election.
The article makes many points. Depending on your politics, you might agree with some
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Published on June 19, 2018
Comments 46
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 30, 2018– We have just updated our ever-popular “Dueling Retirement States” series with the North and South Carolina comparison. With all up to date demographic and pricing information, this article, “Dueling Retirement States: Which Is a Better Place to Retire, North or South Carolina” has a treasure trove…
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Published on May 29, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 20, 2018 -- Maps can tell you a lot in a hurry. Comparing two demographic representations, one from the New York Times and one from the Wall St. Journal, can tell you a lot about America's birth rates, aging patterns, and where retirement age people are moving. The maps represent different themes on the aging of America, much of which is proving to be a surprise to demographers, who are puzzled by an an unexpected decline in birth rates.
Counties where deaths exceed births
The New York Times map offers a fascinating moving image of areas of the country that are aging out - where more people die than are born. As you watch it the map changes: it starts out with the picture as it was in 1991, and eventually ends showing 2016. During this 25 year period you can see that massive parts of the country that now have negative natural population decreases. Although much of the Midwest and Appalachia have been in this
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Published on May 19, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Does Your Retirement Town Deserve You?
April 11, 2018 -- When it comes to finding the right retirement town, remember this - you are the customer! After all, even a moderate income couple brings a lot to the party. If you move to a new location to retire you strengthen the local economy by buying or renting a home. Even if you decide not to move and stay where you live now, you add stability to the local real estate market. Wherever you live you (or your landlord) pay sizable property taxes. In many locales you might have to pay local income taxes, which boost the local economy. And, your Social Security, pension, and 401(k) distributions will pump money into local stores and businesses (the so-called mailbox economy) every month.
Rating towns for retirement
Various outfits try to rate towns on the basis of retirement-friendliness. For example, states including Texas (about 50 towns) and Louisiana (8 towns) have "Certified Retirement Community" programs. To qualify as certified, the towns have to pass muster on a variety of criteria. For example
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Published on April 10, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
By Flo Williamson
Note: This is the 3rd in Flo's series about retirement in the Lake Tahoe area. In this installment she concentrates on some surprising Nevada towns that make great places to retire, and are a less expensive alternative.
March 18, 2018 -- In this article, we’ve got some good news - there are several Nevada towns close to Lake Tahoe where you can benefit from the Tahoe lifestyle without spending a small fortune.
One of the best, and less expensive alternatives is Reno, Nevada, “The Biggest Little City in the World”. I have to admit, that while I’ve flown in and out of Reno, dozens of times over numerous years, my main objective was getting to Lake Tahoe ASAP. I’ve spent little time in the town, but my research on the benefits for retirees in Reno proved to be a most pleasant surprise. Reno is VERY retiree friendly.
Reno is located about 30 miles from Lake Tahoe, over the Sierra Mountains by way of the Mt. Rose highway which starts in Incline Village. The Reno, Nevada climate is similar to a high desert. The winters are cold, with some snow, but it's usually not nearly as cold or snowy as at
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Published on March 17, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 17, 2018 -- The most frequent question we get asked at Topretirements is, "what is the best place (state or city) to retire". Interestingly, the negative of that query, what is the the worst place for retirement, sparks even more (morbid) curiosity. Seems like our Members want to know where to avoid almost as much as they would like to know the best places to retire.
This article presents our 4th list of the worst states for retirement, which we have been publishing since 2008. But before we get to that list we have one important thing to stress - everyone's retirement situation is different. A one-size-fits-all approach will not provide the right answer for you. Your geographic and climate preferences, the kind of activities you enjoy, where your friends and family live - all of
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Published on February 17, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 3, 2018 -- A lot of people would like to know which state is the best for retirement. There are many ways to answer that question, and in fact over the years we have tried several. Here are a few of the approaches we have used in the past (you can find links to each at bottom of page):
- Most popular state. The State Retirement guides at Topretirements that were read the most by our visitors and Members.
- Best state by factor. Taxes on retirees, low property taxes, cost of living, climate, variety of interesting places to live
- Lowest tax states. A big factor for many people
- Comparison of competitive "Best States" lists. We compared lists from Bankrate and Wallethub against each other and to where actual retirees moved (there was very little agreement!).
At the end of the day identifying the best state for retirement is a
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Published on February 2, 2018
Comments 98
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Note: Coincidence or not, one of Topretirements' Best Places to Retire lists was picked up as a feature on January 26 by both TheStreet.com and MSN.com ("Best U.S. Cities to Retire in"). We are definitely honored!
January 20, 2018 -- How many "best places to retire" lists have you come across this month? We know we've seen plenty, in fact our son even forwards them to us. The big question about the never ending barrage of lists is, are they worth reading? Here we will explore the somewhat wild and crazy of best places lists, a topic we hope you will find interesting.
#1 - There is no limit to how specialized these lists can get
Thanks to a Denver Post article we learned a whole lot of new ways to tackle the "best places" list game. Consider some of these candidates
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Published on January 19, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Part 2: Is the West Shore the Best Shore? (See Link to Part 1, the East, at end of article)
By Flo Williamson
January 8, 2017 -- There are many folks that claim the West Shore of Lake Tahoe and areas north offer the best living on the lake. The hardest part in visiting the West Shore is actually getting there, especially heading north along the lake from South Lake Tahoe.
West shore Lake Tahoe
While the areas just north of South Lake Tahoe have some of the best beaches and great state parks, it is also the route for some of Lake Tahoe’s greatest tourist attractions. In fact, this part of the lake in particular is generally much more oriented towards tourists than it is retirees. Camp Richardson is a government run campground, RV park, marina, restaurant, and more, catering to lake visitors. With 300 camping and RV sites and more cabin accommodations, the resulting traffic along this stretch of the one road around the lake can be horrendous, especially during the summer. Then, as you continue north, the road rises hundreds of feet above the lake with hairpin curves (and no guardrails) that seem like they’re ending in the lake itself - not for the faint hearted!! This leads us to Emerald Bay, one of the most beautiful and photographed bays in the world and the starting point of numerous hikes and
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Published on January 7, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
January 3, 2018 — Many people are intrigued with the idea of retirement to one of America’s oldest communities - Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are attracted by the beautiful mountains, the dry air, the charming old architecture, and the abundance of art. In this article we will discuss our recent retirement scouting trip to Santa Fe - what we learned about retiring there along with its pluses and minuses. We also hope that our Members who are familiar with the area can give their opinions and advice too.
Spanish explorers came to this mountainous area in northwest New Mexico and were followed by mssionaries in search of souls - the native Americans, the Pueblo people. These native Americans visited the area in search of game for thousands of years, then a few hundred years before Columbus discovered America settled here to farm and live in cliff dwellings and pueblos. Spanish settlers arrived about 1600 and in 1610 Santa Fe became the capital of the territory, the oldest State Capitol in the U.S. They built its charming downtown with a central plaza in the Spanish style. There you can find the Palace of the Governors, St. Francis Cathedral, several very old churches, and an
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Published on January 2, 2018
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