Life (Not) in the Big City

[REWahoo]

USA Today article on the benefits, to both the retirees and local community, of retiring in rural America. Seems the retired are an economic growth opportunity.

Retirees find that rural life suits them


...Thomasville [GA], like many other rural communities, is waging a calculated effort to attract residents just like them — members of the baby boom generation, whose oldest members will turn 60 next year and carry considerable spending power into their senior years.

"When a city goes out and attracts a new factory that will have 100 jobs, it makes headlines in the paper," says Gene Warren, who advises communities on how to bring in retirees. "But the economic impact of those retirees will far and away exceed the economic impact of the industrial development. ... Retirees are really the most effective and efficient type of economic development for many of these little communities."

<snip>

The East Texas town of Tyler has promoted itself as a retiree haven for the past five years. It cites its low crime rate and good health care. The town has a strong economy based on oil, manufacturing and other industries, but retirees remain "one of the pistons that's driving the engine," says Tom Mullins, president of the Chamber of Commerce. The largest payroll in Smith County, which includes Tyler, is Social Security checks, totaling nearly $30 million a month, he says.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-29-rural-retirees_x.htm

 

[Dawg52]

<snip>

The East Texas town of Tyler has promoted itself as a retiree haven for the past five years. It cites its low crime rate and good health care. The town has a strong economy based on oil, manufacturing and other industries, but retirees remain "one of the pistons that's driving the engine," says Tom Mullins, president of the Chamber of Commerce. The largest payroll in Smith County, which includes Tyler, is Social Security checks, totaling nearly $30 million a month, he says.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-29-rural-retirees_x.htm

BTW, I saw a video clip on Yahoo news that Texas is also the most under valued state in the country. With all this good press, Texas just might be the new Florida for retirees.
The crowds are coming JG! 

 

[REWahoo]

BTW, I saw a video clip on Yahoo news that Texas is also the most under valued state in the country. With all this good press, Texas just might be the new Florida for retirees.
The crowds are coming JG!

Get a rope...several of them.

 

[Lazarus]

http://www.kansasfreeland.com/

There are some catches. Besides being in Kansas.

Also see the new homestead act.

http://www.cfra.org/resources/summary_newhomesteadact.htm

 

[Kitty]

Rural living is not for everyone, but if you like the quiet life, can do without fancy this and that, like being a good neighbor, and it is possible for you to slow down your talking thinking and get your manners back maybe the rural life is a good idea for you. If you need speed, don't care about other folks' feelings, everything has to be bigger, better, faster and cost more maybe you should look elsewhere.

Rural life is usually fine for those who experienced it in their childhood or at some time in their life and enjoyed the sense of community and different pace of life. The folks in rural America have some strong feelings about things that may come as a shock to people from the urban areas. When you enter a business an urbanite might be stunned to see the ten commandments on the wall or to see people saying grace in McDonald's. Or get this you have been in the store once and they remember your name go in a few more times and they will know your dog's name and what truck you drive and how nice you are or aren't .....

Just some random thoughts

Kitty

 

[Outtahere]

Kitty, I love that kind of life. My town use to be that way until all the yuppies from the Boston area moved in. My neighborhood has remained pretty stable, most of the kids that grew up here either stayed here or have moved back, we know most everyone, we help our neighbors and try to educate the newbies. I am fortunate to live in an area that's considered protected (watershed) so that limits building. It's funny but dh and I were talking about all this just the other night and that if we ever decided to move that it would be to a very rural place.

 

[Arif]

...Thomasville [GA], like many other rural communities, is waging a calculated effort to attract residents just like them — members of the baby boom generation, whose oldest members will turn 60 next year and carry considerable spending power into their senior years.

I thought about buying rental property there but at the time the demographics were terrible. Population was shrinking and wasn't much going on to turn that around.

 

[JPatrick]

Rural living is not for everyone, but if you like the quiet life, can do without fancy this and that, like being a good neighbor, and it is possible for you to slow down your talking thinking and get your manners back maybe the rural life is  a good idea for you. If you need speed, don't care about other folks' feelings, everything has to be bigger, better, faster and cost more maybe you should look elsewhere.

Rural life is usually fine for those who experienced it in their childhood or at some time in their life and enjoyed the sense of community and different pace of life. The folks in rural America have some strong feelings about things that may come as a shock to people from the urban areas. When you enter a business an urbanite might be stunned to see the ten commandments on the wall or to see people saying grace in McDonald's. Or get this you have been in the store once and they remember your name go in a few more times and they will know your dog's name and what truck you drive and how nice you are or aren't .....

Just some random thoughts

Kitty

Great random thoughts Kitty.  What you describe is how I grew up.  I can't wait to get back to it 8)

 

[AltaRed]

DW and I want to retire in a quiet neighborhood of empty nesters, but have the conveniences of the city within a few miles. We "use" the city for our comfort and convenience. While both DW and I grew up in very rural areas of Canada, we would not want to retire to smalltown Canada or America. So we go against the grain of our upbringing.

Our current rental location is a heavily wooded area in north suburban Houston (a quiet cul-de-sac of about 50 patio homes/villas) and perhaps 2 kids total. Most everyone else is an empty nester within 10 years of retirement or into retirement. The remaining are young professional couples not yet ready to start families. Everything we could possibly want is within 5-6 miles.

 

[sgeeeee]

BTW, I saw a video clip on Yahoo news that Texas is also the most under valued state in the country. With all this good press, Texas just might be the new Florida for retirees.
The crowds are coming JG! 

I think Texas also has one of the better plans for guaranteeing health insurance for people who are considered high risk by health insurance companies. Yes . . . I think everyone should move to Texas to retire. Florida is okay too. But I definately would not recommend Arizona.

 

[MJ]

I think Texas also has one of the better plans for guaranteeing health insurance for people who are considered high risk by health insurance companies. Yes . . . I think everyone should move to Texas to retire. Florida is okay too. But I definately would not recommend Arizona.

With this kind of recommendation SG, I would definitely move to ARIZONA!