the 10 worst states to retire in, etc

[Grainiac]

I've spent time (anywhere from a few days to a few years) in all of the 50 states, and from a few weeks to a few years in eight other countries.

If you asked me where "the best place to retire" would be, I seriously doubt if I could narrow my list down to fewer than a "top 20".

I can relate. My past jobs took me to various length visits in about 50% of the US states and to about 25% of the world's countries. During my stays it was my favorite "past time hobby" to try to understand everyday challenges to live in the area, and dream if I could actually live enjoyable life in the country or state I was visiting. With some flexibility to choose the location within the area the answer was "YES, I could make it work, and it would actually be fun" 100% of the time. Well, I did not have an opportunity to travel most of Africa or most of the arctic areas of the world, so those might have lowered my success rate a bit.

 

[Midpack]

Best states for DW and I to retire in:
#1 North Carolina
#2 Virginia
#10 Indiana

Worst States
any other (not that we don't like others, but they're all too cold & snowy/icy in winter, hot/humid in summer, dry (water rationing likely), rural, costly, fiscally troubled, liberal, far from major body of water, hurricanes, tornados, other seemingly irrational reasons or ignorance, etc.)

You may not see it published anywhere but here

 

[Huston55]

Best states for DW and I to retire in:
#1 North Carolina
#2 Virginia
#10 Indiana

I've been to North Carolina (many times). Already got the best thing they had to offer (DW ), and don't see the value of returning to live there.

 

[Brdofpray]

We drew a line across the country along the Mason-Dixon line. Nothing north, too much cold and snow. Drew another line down the Mississippi River. Nothing west, too far from family. The far south, too hot and humid. Settled on North or South Carolina. Found the Upstate of South Carolina. Tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Great climate, seasons, wild areas, and the beach is an easy drive. Taxes and cost of living are great. (Although anything compared to Chicago area would most likely be great.) Here we are living happily ever after.

 

[oldphd]

But I can easily get a dose of any of my favorites by simply taking a vacation trip whenever I like. That's one of the absolute best things about ER, as I see it.

I've also made it to all 50 states, about 25 countries, and 4 continents, including roughly 20 major Caribbean islands on both cruises and land trips.

I would have a tough time picking a single spot. As I near ER, I'm thinking along the lines of doing some extended trips, say 4-6 weeks, some to places I haven't been, some to places I'd like to see more of. Maybe once I get some of that out of my system I'll consider a move, but I don't anticipate an immediate change.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Geez, guys,

I am only looking for a place to land that I can afford and nobody shoots at me. That rules out many parts of the Home of the Rich and the Land of the Slave.

 

[haha]

Geez, guys,

I am only looking for a place to land that I can afford and nobody shoots at me. That rules out many parts of the Home of the Rich and the Land of the Slave.

Haven't you noticed? People like and get along with everyone, except their siblings of course.

Ha

 

[Major Tom]

Haven't you noticed? People like and get along with everyone, except their siblings of course.

Ha

Makes me think of the many times people have told me that they "like all kinds of music".

Sure you do.

 

[farmerEd]

I was sorry to see Maine on the list; we have ties to the state and it is on our semi-short list.

I didn't read the article, but have read many like it, and Maine usually ranks up there with states to avoid because of the high taxes. Never-the-less, it was always on my short-list as well, and I still check property for sale on at least a weekly basis (there is still affordable waterfront property if you go far enough north), and it probably among the most beautiful places I have ever been.

 

[farmerEd]

OK, I'll chime in on this one.
I've spent time (anywhere from a few days to a few years) in all of the 50 states, and from a few weeks to a few years in eight other countries.

If you asked me where "the best place to retire" would be, I seriously doubt if I could narrow my list down to fewer than a "top 20".

But I can easily get a dose of any of my favorites by simply taking a vacation trip whenever I like. That's one of the absolute best things about ER, as I see it.

I have pretty much settled into that opinion as well - I absolutely love my house and property in the rural part of New England, but Jan Feb and early March the weather is absolutely brutal. Once the youngest goes away to college, or at least is old enough to move out or be home for a longtime alone, we will do the snowbird thing - to the Bahamas and places further south in the carribean. That'll make life easier for those cold months for sure.

 

[MichaelB]

Haven't you noticed? People like and get along with everyone, except their siblings of course.

Ha

Hope you didn't get that from my post. In most places I don't get along with everyone, but in most places I can find people I do get along with. Not counting family, that is.

Geez, guys,

I am only looking for a place to land that I can afford and nobody shoots at me. That rules out many parts of the Home of the Rich and the Land of the Slave.

Sorry Gypsy Ed, but the "no shooting at ya'" kind of disqualifies Venezuela and most of Latin America. Maybe it'll get better someday.

 

[M Paquette]

Makes me think of the many times people have told me that they "like all kinds of music".

Sure you do.

Oh, I likes all kinds of music. Country, Western, C&W, pretty much anything with both a banjo and an accordion...

 

[friar1610]

I didn't read the article, but have read many like it, and Maine usually ranks up there with states to avoid because of the high taxes. Never-the-less, it was always on my short-list as well, and I still check property for sale on at least a weekly basis (there is still affordable waterfront property if you go far enough north), and it probably among the most beautiful places I have ever been.

I lived in Maine for 3 years due to my job. I would go back there to live for good. Of course, I live in Vermont now, so I wouldn't see a great weather advantage!

To me, it's all about where you feel comfortable with the environment and the local people. I've lived in a couple of Southern states (VA and FL) and although I have good memories of both, I wouldn't really want to live in either forever. I also lived in MD which some people consider a Southern state and others consider Northern. I could live there forever, but that's as far south as I would personally want to go.

Others feel differently; I understand and respect that but probably wouldn't want to live outside of New England or the Mid-Atlantic (North of DC) regardless of the tax situation.

 

[FIREd]

In most places I don't get along with everyone, but in most places I can find people I do get along with.

That's what I meant too, obviously.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Sorry Gypsy Ed, but the "no shooting at ya'" kind of disqualifies Venezuela and most of Latin America. Maybe it'll get better someday.

Hmm. I have been discovering that. Most is not all, though. Any suggestions?

 

[MichaelB]

Hmm. I have been discovering that. Most is not all, though. Any suggestions?

Well, the northernmost tip of Latin America - Broward County Fl - seems pretty safe, although as you approach Miami that is not the case. Further south, it looks like you need to be in the Southern Cone area of Chile / Argentina before things settle down, but that is quite a trip. Panama, perhaps. The combination of safe, secure and low cost of living is becoming more elusive.

 

[braumeister]

FWIW, I would also suggest southern Brazil -- Porto Alegre if you like bigger cities, or São José dos Campos if you like smaller ones.

 

[FinanceDude]

We drew a line across the country along the Mason-Dixon line. Nothing north, too much cold and snow. Drew another line down the Mississippi River. Nothing west, too far from family. The far south, too hot and humid. Settled on North or South Carolina. Found the Upstate of South Carolina. Tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Great climate, seasons, wild areas, and the beach is an easy drive. Taxes and cost of living are great. (Although anything compared to Chicago area would most likely be great.) Here we are living happily ever after.

My uncle lives outside Greenville, SC, at about 1900 feet. What a great place!

 

[Walt34]

My uncle lives outside Greenville, SC, at about 1900 feet. What a great place!

That was one of my choices too. My "retirement plan" was to put the snow thrower in the back of the pickup truck and drive south until people started asking what that machine was for. DW didn't want to go that far from family and she would have been miserable.

There is hope though. Her closest sister is talking about moving to either NC or SC and DW knows that it would take about a half ounce of arm-twisting pressure to get me to move there.

 

[Brdofpray]

My "retirement plan" was to put the snow thrower in the back of the pickup truck and drive south until people started asking what that machine was for.

Funny you should say that. As we were unloading the moving van into our new home in upstate South Carolina from Chicago, I told the young kid helping, we sold our snow blower and came south. He responded, "What's a snow blower for?"

We have arrived!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Well, the northernmost tip of Latin America - Broward County Fl - seems pretty safe, although as you approach Miami that is not the case. Further south, it looks like you need to be in the Southern Cone area of Chile / Argentina before things settle down, but that is quite a trip. Panama, perhaps. The combination of safe, secure and low cost of living is becoming more elusive.

We lived in Lakeland for a while. I did not care for Miami either. Might take another look, if DW agrees.

 

[MichaelB]

We lived in Lakeland for a while. I did not care for Miami either. Might take another look, if DW agrees.

What for? I would take Braumeister's recommendation over Miami

FWIW, I would also suggest southern Brazil -- Porto Alegre if you like bigger cities, or São José dos Campos if you like smaller ones.

 

[Koolau]

There are so many factors that make a retirement place "good" or "bad" for retirees (or anyone). Each of us has his own criteria from weather to terrain to diversity to COL, to taxes, to state-fiscal-situation, etc. etc. While there are states which are either more or less "friendly" to retirees, I think the great equalizer is whether one can afford to live in a certain area that one prefers for ALL personal reasons. At that point, the state-friendliness (or lack of it) becomes somewhat irrelevant. Case in point for me is my personal choice of where to live in retirement. Hawaii does actually (still) have quite a few retiree-friendly tax deductions. Yet, it is one of the most costly states for anyone (retiree or w*rking). But, once we calculated that we could afford to live here, we moved because we COULD and because we WANTED to - not specifically because the state was "friendly" to retirees. That was only a small piece of the puzzle. So far, at least, we are willing to pay the price to live in Paradise. YMMV

 

[Chuckanut]

How about places to retire??

Retire Here, Not There: South Dakota - SmartMoney.com

 

[Mulligan]

There are so many factors that make a retirement place "good" or "bad" for retirees (or anyone). Each of us has his own criteria from weather to terrain to diversity to COL, to taxes, to state-fiscal-situation, etc. etc. While there are states which are either more or less "friendly" to retirees, I think the great equalizer is whether one can afford to live in a certain area that one prefers for ALL personal reasons. At that point, the state-friendliness (or lack of it) becomes somewhat irrelevant. Case in point for me is my personal choice of where to live in retirement. Hawaii does actually (still) have quite a few retiree-friendly tax deductions. Yet, it is one of the most costly states for anyone (retiree or w*rking). But, once we calculated that we could afford to live here, we moved because we COULD and because we WANTED to - not specifically because the state was "friendly" to retirees. That was only a small piece of the puzzle. So far, at least, we are willing to pay the price to live in Paradise. YMMV

That is definitely true, especially the "wanted" part. There always seems to be poor people in paradise, surviving too! After traveling to St. John USVI several times, I have given serious thought to living there. Good housing to buy is out of my range, but you can definitely rent nice affordable places on the Coral Bay side reasonable for island standards (St. Thomas, no thank you). The trouble for me is by the time my GF is ready to retire ( and she would love to go there for a few years, too) health considerations may come in. Not the best place to have a medical emergency considering there is no hospital on the island, and the "ambulance service bill" to STT would finish me off if I wasnt dead already. We wont rule it out, though. No state income tax would help a lot considering I have nice taxable pension.