Where to retire

[Dash man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn Hey if a person was to risk snake bites what would the property taxes be like in 'snake country'? I'm paying $9k presently. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Well, I'm in Southeastern PA paying over $7k in property taxes. Last year we had a copperhead in our vegetable garden. I didn't pick any peppers or tomatoes that day.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras On a serious note: it is funny how perceptions work. Perhaps one thing that does irritate me a bit is that some people from a certain West state that is the center of the tech world actually DO think the Southeast is nothing but scenes from Deliverance and cannot imagine internet access or educated people live here.

I'm pretty familiar with the states on the I-65/I-75 corridor, and one doesn't have to venture far off the interstate to find some "interesting" characters...

Then again, there's plenty of modern if that's your thing.

And yes, there are coppermouth rattle mocassins in them there parts...

[JoeWras]

Yeah, there are "characters" everywhere. I'm kind of glad, because it makes life interesting. Someone was complaining about a vanilla world. The characters help make it rocky road.

It is amazing what a TV show or movie can do for perceptions, however. Not just the South, but anywhere. I suppose some people watch Twin Peaks and imagine that backward talking dwarfs are everywhere in Washington, Idaho and Montana.

[aja8888]

We have BIG snakes in Texas.....then again, everything here is Big....so please don't relocate here.

[kcowan]

Nice to see the active discussion about places to live in retirement. We have friends who relocated from MN and WI to Hot Springs and to Branson. Aside from the weather and the golf, they wish they didn't.

SoCal needs rain. Wish they could import it from Washington!

Florida has bugs and hurricanes.

Everybody has Home Depot.

These debates break out regularly and are very entertaining...with no definitive conclusions.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Yeah, there are "characters" everywhere.

Indeed, no shortage of characters in Texas, DFW included...

[MBSC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn Hey if a person was to risk snake bites what would the property taxes be like in 'snake country'? I'm paying $9k presently.

Here is a map I have used in the past. I use the "percent of home price" option.

Property taxes: How does your county compare? - CNNMoney.com

[rayinpenn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man Well, I'm in Southeastern PA paying over $7k in property taxes. Last year we had a copperhead in our vegetable garden. I didn't pick any peppers or tomatoes that day.

I live in Southeastern Penn close to De. I thought we didn't have poisonous snakes!!!!
I looked it up... Dam you are right I'll pay attention from now on...

I looked up Knoxville....
"What is not special about this retirement community
Knoxville has had its ups and downs but is in a good phase now. Crime rate is high, about double the national average"
I assume crime is centered around the city...


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[MBSC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn I looked up Knoxville.... "What is not special about this retirement community Knoxville has had its ups and downs but is in a good phase now. Crime rate is high, about double the national average" I assume crime is centered around the city...

Quote:

Comparing Knoxville’s crime rate to the rest of the nation is difficult, mainly because Tennessee switched to an incident-based reporting system that counts every charge against a person during one incident, while many states use uniformed crime reporting, a system in which only one charge is counted per incident, even though several other charges may be filed.

Source: How Bad is Knoxville Crime? - Memphis Daily News

[Rosie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCGamecock Here is a map I have used in the past. I use the "percent of home price" option. Property taxes: How does your county compare? - CNNMoney.com

That's a really interesting map, thanks! Who knew the property tax rate in CA was so low?

[hnzw_rui]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosie That's a really interesting map, thanks! Who knew the property tax rate in CA was so low?

Well, it just cancels out with real estate pricing.

[Bamaman]

Ah, someone would have to be somewhere they didn't need to be to be bit by a poisonous snake. They're more afraid of us than we are of them.

And Bronxites in the south? We've been fighting off Yankees for 150 years. Heck, all our relatives came from East Rutherford, NJ--in 1815. It'doesn't take very long to get their speech slowed down and calling everyone "Y'all" and answering to your new nickname, "Honey."

It's nice that our lower cost of living allows us to live well on savings/pensions, etc. and we don't have to work 2 part time jobs in retirement--like those in California. We can retire young and not have to work to age 75.

[Bamaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man Well, I'm in Southeastern PA paying over $7k in property taxes.

In Alabama, you'd be in a 10,000 square foot house if you were paying $7K a year in property taxes. Since my wife is on SS Disability, we don't even have any property taxes on our main residence.

We downsized to 3500 square feet on 4 acres 10 years ago (from Atlanta), and our property taxes would be $600 a year if we were paying property taxes.

Side note: There's a gentleman here with a new 28,000 square foot house on a 2000 foot lake lot, a 2 acre fresh water swimming pool and a large tennis pavilion. His property taxes are $15K yearly on $5 million assessed value. He has a $25 million yacht without any ad valorem taxes, as boats are not taxed here.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn As a former New Englander (NYC area) I can tell you what I've noticed about the south. ....

When did NYC or southern Pennsylvania (you mention in the OP that you've "had it with New England winters - even here in southern Pennsylvania gloomy gray skies for 3 months and 2 degrees - no thank you.") become part of New England? Yankees, yes--but New Englanders?

Quote:

New England is a region of the Northeastern United States consisting of the six states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New England is bordered by New York to the west, Long Island Sound to the south, the Atlantic Ocean and the Canadian province of New Brunswick to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New England - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[rayinpenn]

My aren't you literal - thanks and good point. Been in Penn for 9 years.. 51 years on LI, true guess that makes a Pennsylvanian but it is only 100 miles to NYC - weather is very much the same. Any yes technically NY isn't part of New England but when it's 2 degrees out, windy and it just snowed a foot and your standing on the platform waiting for the LIRR @ 6:55AM and you've done it for a 30 years you really don't care. True it's worse in NE.

LI is beautiful in the summer, but too much congestion, over priced housing, taxes..etc

Rephrase for the close reader and the interest of accuracy --"I'm tired of those NY and Pennsylvania northern mid Atlantic winters..."

Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman Ah, someone would have to be somewhere they didn't need to be to be bit by a poisonous snake. They're more afraid of us than we are of them.

Hold the phone there, Bamaman. Although the picture I posted isn't a picture of my neighbor, my neighbor's hand ended up looking a lot like that.

What happened was this. A nice little copperhead decided that the hollow under the dog bowl on the porch was a perfect place to coil up in. Imagine that: the coil of a small snake fits perfectly in the hollow of the underside of a dog bowl. Cool and moist too!

Neighbor went outside, picked up bowl. Finger protruded under bowl into coil right at copperhead's head. CHOMP!

Yes, the snake was afraid. But it turned out to just be bad luck on all sides.

So, be careful out there!

That said, Lyme disease scares the crap out of me so no way am I moving up to New York!

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn My aren't you literal - thanks and good point. Been in Penn for 9 years.. 51 years on LI, true guess that makes a Pennsylvanian but it is only 100 miles to NYC - weather is very much the same. Any yes technically NY isn't part of New England but when it's 2 degrees out, windy and it just snowed a foot and your standing on the platform waiting for the LIRR @ 6:55AM and you've done it for a 30 years you really don't care. True it's worse in NE. LI is beautiful in the summer, but too much congestion, over priced housing, taxes..etc Rephrase for the close reader and the interest of accuracy --"I'm tired of those NY and Pennsylvania northern mid Atlantic winters..." Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

My New England relatives woild be happy to trade winters with you.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan These debates break out regularly and are very entertaining...with no definitive conclusions.

One thing we can conclude is stereotypes abound, and can be found everywhere one looks.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 We have BIG snakes in Texas.....then again, everything here is Big....so please don't relocate here.

How well I know. My coworker quit his job because of the snakes we ran into while surveying the Addicks Reservoir northwest of Houston. Biggest snakes I've ever seen. I never had the desire to retire in Texas after that.

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB One thing we can conclude is stereotypes abound, and can be found everywhere one looks.

Boy, you said it!