Is this a 'places not to retire' list?

[timo2]

"Annie Lowrey writes in the Times Magazine this week about the troubles of Clay County, Ky., which by several measures is the hardest place in America to live.
The Upshot came to this conclusion by looking at six data points for each county in the United States: education (percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree), median household income, unemployment rate, disability rate, life expectancy and obesity. We then averaged each county’s relative rank in these categories to create an overall ranking."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/up...bt=0002&abg=1#

[flyingaway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 "Annie Lowrey writes in the Times Magazine this week about the troubles of Clay County, Ky., which by several measures is the hardest place in America to live. The Upshot came to this conclusion by looking at six data points for each county in the United States: education (percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree), median household income, unemployment rate, disability rate, life expectancy and obesity. We then averaged each county’s relative rank in these categories to create an overall ranking." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/up...bt=0002&abg=1#

When people are saying that they are poor and have to move to other countries in retirement, maybe they should look at these counties.

[FUEGO]

I guess it depends on what you want out of a place you live. My county is in the top 5% (of good places) and often makes the "most desirable places to live" lists. I love it here and property values and other costs of living remain very moderate compared to other top 5% places. Highly educated populace, plenty of jobs with relatively good salaries all make for a vibrant economy.

But a county or two over in most directions and you go from most desirable to near the bottom of the list. But some folks swear by living in those more rural areas that tend to populate the bottom of the list. Quiet country living, lots of land, who cares if your neighbors are educated if you can't see them through the woods anyway? To me the biggest downside would be the 1-1.5 hour drive to shopping and culture, but that's considered as a big positive to some.

To each their own I suppose. That's what makes a "best places to retire (or not)" list so hard to develop.

[Big_Hitter]

the map looks reasonable to me; no surprises

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingaway When people are saying that they are poor and have to move to other countries in retirement, maybe they should look at these counties.

Or not. Eastern KY is not a welcoming place. Most people from off would be about as welcome as fire ants at a picnic.

Americans tend to be romantic. The truth is, nice places attract affluent people who make these places expensive.

Ha

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Americans tend to be romantic. The truth is, nice places attract affluent people who make these places expensive.

Exactly - look at the "nice" places in states like Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Or not. Eastern KY is not a welcoming place. Most people from off would be about as welcome as fire ants at a picnic. Americans tend to be romantic. The truth is, nice places attract affluent people who make these places expensive. Ha

Sometimes it's as much about attitude as where you're from.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO Sometimes it's as much about attitude as where you're from.

Sure thing. You helped me change my mind On second thought, I think ERs would be very happy there.

Ha

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Sure thing. You helped me change my mind On second thought, I think ERs would be very happy there. Ha

Some probably would! It's not for me though.

[38Chevy454]

The Appalachian region has always been a tough area, and this is not really anything new. It was made considerably worse since the demonization of coal. Coal mines used to provide jobs and stability to the region, but now many are closed or those still in operation are running at a bare minimum life support level. Combine that with lack of much other job opportunities and you have the result of the residents being high on gov't dependencies.

I used to live in KY for about 10 years 1990-2000, although in Louisville and Lexington areas. Appalachian region was struggling back then, but it has gotten worse with the slowdown in coal industry.

[timo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO Sometimes it's as much about attitude as where you're from.

+1
When my Dad retired, he went from a county that was #452 to one that is #2622. He went for the golf and scenery, and ended up running the food bank at his church. He wasn't shocked at the need there, but it was an eye opening experience that helped him stay part of the community.

On the other hand, where I live now in Colorado, we get people from well-to-do out of state counties that move to the our lesser-to-do counties. Enough of these new people suddenly want their new county to add amenities like they were used to. Things like home mail delivery, paved county roads, snow plowed on back roads, etc. This has happened enough that it creates resentment among the locals.

It would be nice to have a guidebook "what to expect when you move to a poorer county than your own", sort of like those 'how to retire to a foreign country' books.

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 +1 When my Dad retired, he went from a county that was #452 to one that is #2622. He went for the golf and scenery, and ended up running the food bank at his church. He wasn't shocked at the need there, but it was an eye opening experience that helped him stay part of the community. On the other hand, where I live now in Colorado, we get people from well-to-do out of state counties that move to the our lesser-to-do counties. Enough of these new people suddenly want their new county to add amenities like they were used to. Things like home mail delivery, paved county roads, snow plowed on back roads, etc. This has happened enough that it creates resentment among the locals. It would be nice to have a guidebook "what to expect when you move to a poorer county than your own", sort of like those 'how to retire to a foreign country' books.

Yes! Well said.

You keep your country living and I'll stay in the city and we'll all be happy!

I love my paved roads getting scraped right after the freeways and my mail being delivered to my post office box. It's a little hard to move to a new area and expect it to immediately elevate to your standards overnight (even if us citified folks consider that a bare minimum of civilization).

[timo2]

BTW I found a #1 county on the map: Los Alamos, New Mexico

[LoneAspen]

All of Wyoming is in the blue. I wouldn't have guessed that.