Places to Live After Retirement

By Marion in Mississippi. (Guest Post)

I grew up in west Tennessee and have spent my adult life in southern Mississippi. My daughter's family live in Cleveland, TN which is about 25 miles north of Chattanooga and very near the Smokey Mts.
Knoxville, Atlanta and Nashville also offer many opportunities for diversion from a smaller community setting. I always look forward to my visits there.

By Connie (Guest Post)

I was born in eastern KY moved away in my 20s to Georgia and then to California. I've moved back to eastern KY two years ago and I've found that life here is difficult adjustment. Attitudes are so strong and passed down from generation to generation and there is no culture or diversity in this area at all. Property; food; clothing living expenses are low but car insurance is outrageous. We've built a home here and very settled in but still not satisfied. I would recommend you come to eastern KY and spend a few days listen and look.

By Carol in PA (Guest Post)

I once had a book on this subject. If I were you, I'd do an internet search to find the book. It considers everything including cost of living.

I should tell you that many people from NY and NJ are moving to northeastern PA where I live. We have a much lower cost of living and PA has many benefits for Seniors. We are called a Grey State because we have so many Senior citizens living here. We are 2nd only to the counties in FL where people go when they retire.

By

NokomisNims

Here's another site to check out: www.city-data.com. You have to register, but it isn't a problem. On this site you can check out information on any locale, and go onto the various state forums to ask questions about living in that area.

And don't rule out North Carolina while you are looking!

Good luck,
Nancy in NC

By

tennesue

I live in E TN (Bristol). I grew up here, then lived in northern CA for 30 years before coming back. Just to let you know, this IS the Bible belt and you have to be willing and adaptable if necessary to let religion (Protestant, sometimes Fundamentalist) permeate most all parts of your life. On the other hand, the people are great. The traffic is manageable, the shopping is not very extensive, chain restaurants are everywhere. Check out Southwest VA also. There are some nice little towns up there. If you need to consider this, salaries are mostly minimum wage and there there aren't a lot. If you have advanced technical skills you might be alright. Good luck.

By

ChloeA

Having spent time in Eastern Kentucky, I'd rather visit than live there. I think the remoteness and different culture would be especially hard to adjust to, coming from the east coast.

I lived for a long time in Central Kentucky (Lexington) and suggest you investigate some of the small towns in that area, especially Danville.

By

mulberry204

Hi! I am from Mass. too. I lived in Louisiana for about 20 years. I taught there. I never really fit in. Lots of people were very nice, but I have come back to Mass. to live now. I am looking for a cheaper place for retirement, probably in the South, too. I am thinking living near a major university, or close to an urban area will probably satisfy me the most.

Things I have checked are taxes, costs of living, housing prices, & demographics. I would prefer not to live where only 1 or 2% of the population is older.I realize that I don't want extreme heat, so I check average monthly temperatures.I look for major medical facilities within a 45 minute radius. Be sure to check crime stats.

I found housing, taxes, groceries, & many things to be cheaper, but major purchases like cars were not cheaper. Car insurance was as much as here, south of Boston.
I look for activities that I am interested in. That one was a problem for me in LA. The people there hunted, fished, drank a bit, but the area lacked many cultural things that I consider a plus.

Also, I like sailing & where I lived that was out too. It was extremely hot, & I never adjusted to the humidity. I got better with it, but I never liked it much.
My religion was different then about 90% of the people, so that cut out a lot of that type of socializing. In fact, the church I prefer to attend was not available within a 100 mile radius (Congregational).

Is it possible to rent a place somewhere before you make a move? Hope so.

By

Bookeesmom

My in-laws moved to Bainbridge, GA and they love it. I love it too. A small community with a lot of retirees and families too. I like that the areas around it are not developed and it is not far to the big city Tallahassee FL either.

By Harry (Guest Post)

Try this web page. They list a lot of stuff including taxes state by state and places to live. twetzel AT retirementliving.com