Another "Best Places to Retire" Article

[kcowan]

Good catch - that's just silly.

Another example of the need to be able to adjust the weights for your priorities. Pretty meaningless results.

 

[Gumby]

Seven degrees this morning in CT, wind chills in the negatives, and snow coming Monday-Tuesday. It really sucks when your job requires some outside activity... I could go for some “too damned hot” right now.

To be fair, we haven’t had a bad winter this season, but the older I get, the less tolerant I am of snow/cold.

But you can always put on more clothes if it's cold. There's a limit to how much you can take off when it's hot.

 

[oiseux]

Some of the unexpected results are probably the results of the methodology, that puts together factors that are oddly combined (concerns on opposite end of the lean/fat spectrum) or just downright inappropriate (why rate both retired tax friendliness and non retired in a ranking about retirement places?). And of course, as others had mentioned, individual weightings vary. I also find that certain quality of life measures are missing.

The biggest issue I have is that many of these states are big places and often have very diverse regions that vary wildly in these metrics (and your own financial situation will vary the importance of the criteria, at both ends of the spectrum).

 

[Gunny]

We live on the coast of 27. Very happy here. Lots to do and a very affordable COL. It did get hot and humid in summer, but a quick trip to the beach for a swim is nice.

 

[ERObjd]

California at #28?? I figured it would be way lower. In 70's and 80's I knew lots of people who were moving to California since about the mid 90's i have met very few people if any who are moving there and most of the ones who did mover there back in 70's and 80's have been moving out of the place.. priced out tired of the taxes, crime traffic or unaffordable housing and rent.

 

[ERObjd]

That's a pretty cold top ten list. The sparsely populated western states don't usually feature in the "where to retire to" threads on this forum. A quick look at Bismarck's airport shows that traveling internationally from North Dakota would require a connection to a US hub first. This list doesn't seem to pass the "smell" test to me. Mind you, I am sure ND can be a wonderful place to live.

I grew up in Fargo, we were too poor to afford airline flights and would have had nowhere to go if we could, winters were cold but as a native you just adjust adapt and overcome... no other options. snow in the winter and mosquitos in the summer. maybe 4-7 days crack the 90 degree mark all summer. And some years there are the Red River floods from the snow melt, been through 3 of those growing up

I like Nebraska winters are cold but not ND cold and I like hunting and fishing and low population states. No love for the east coast or west coast. too much of everything mainly traffic,crime and people. I doubt if we could save much or invest much at all if we lived in CA or NY or some other expensive state or big city. Lincoln is small and affordable.

 

[someday soon]

Been hanging out in #2 for 40 years -- suits me just fine.
Getting pretty popular in recent years though...

 

[Big_Hitter]

We live in #15, I'll take that. We lived in FL for 3 years, you couldn't pay me to live there again, but to each his/her own.

having lived in the gulf coast area for 40 years, +1

 

[unclemick]

Washington, Colorado, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas.

As to the best the answer is:

'Yes Dear.'

Heh heh heh - If we don't live there we can drive there and visit.

 

[finnski1]

Been hanging out in #2 for 40 years -- suits me just fine.
Getting pretty popular in recent years though...

CO is a beautiful state.

 

[Rusa]

Been living in #2 for 30 years. Not a low COL state. Half the state burned down last year and smoked out the other half. Waiting for the water to run out. Aside from that, it's pretty nice.

 

[aleabo]

Must be all those dang mud chiggers that gum up everything from high school football fields to [-]carburetors[/-] fuel injectors.

I live in a bottom half state - Washington. And even if only half of the tax increases proposed this year are passed it will go down farther. Imagine living in a state with not only the highest gasoline tax but also the highest liquor taxes.

Actually I surprised that WA so low. No state income tax. Yes, Seattle (and some eastside cities are expensive) and trying to increase taxes for everything but if you retired you don't need to live there. There are very good places in WA, affordable, good healthcare, nature, decent climate.

 

[Nemo2]

There are very good places in WA, affordable, good healthcare, nature, decent climate.

I recall, when I lived in B.C., that Sequim was a (sorta) popular retirement destination for some.

 

[Pointby2]

California at #28?? I figured it would be way lower. In 70's and 80's I knew lots of people who were moving to California since about the mid 90's i have met very few people if any who are moving there and most of the ones who did mover there back in 70's and 80's have been moving out of the place.. priced out tired of the taxes, crime traffic or unaffordable housing and rent.

People move to California for jobs. Retired people either stay in CA or move out, assuming a paid of mortgage with prop 13 protections. I can't imagine anyone moving TO California to retire. If we stay in California after retirement it's going to cost us about an extra $15,000 a year.

 

[barak]

Here's a fun one...every time I take the quiz I get a different answer though
https://www.best-place-to-retire.com/places-to-retire-quiz

 

[jldavid47]

Notice that none of the "experts" doing the rankings are actually retired. It's like getting advice on marriage from a Catholic priest. No experience and no skin in the game. My advice? Live wherever you are happy. If that's New Jersey (#50), then that's the best place for YOU to retire. Personally, you couldn't pay me to live in Florida (#1). Basing your decision on what these ratings say is the worst thing you could possibly do. Decide based on YOUR criteria and YOUR preferences. NEVER listen to a bunch of non-retired PhDs. They aren't living it. You are.

 

[Sand101]

Have you ever lived in Texas? It's too damned hot!

Growing up in New Orleans has immunized me to claims of other places being hot.

Anyway, the list is just too generalized. My state (AL) is rated as most affordable (it's up there, though maybe not my little part of it), and near worst in medical care. In my specific area I have access to superb medical care, which belies the overall rating.

 

[Sunset]

Actually I surprised that WA so low. No state income tax. Yes, Seattle (and some eastside cities are expensive) and trying to increase taxes for everything but if you retired you don't need to live there. There are very good places in WA, affordable, good healthcare, nature, decent climate.

Could you suggest some places reasonably close to good healthcare, and affordable in WA.
Post Covid, I want to visit to scope out if we would move there, so having an idea of places to visit would be nice.

 

[Sunset]

Here's a fun one...every time I take the quiz I get a different answer though
https://www.best-place-to-retire.com/places-to-retire-quiz

Interesting site.
I tried it and it ended up showing me places I had never heard of before.
Lots of fun...

 

[Gumby]

Quite interesting. Two of the places are where I currently live in coastal Connecticut and where we have rented in the summer for the last 20 years in Mid-coast Maine.

 

[2tswhite]

Interesting site.
I tried it and it ended up showing me places I had never heard of before.
Lots of fun...

It was fun. Places came up that are near the area we're wanting to retire. Guess we're looking in the right place

 

[scottpush]

Don’t understand why Pennsylvania is so low. Healthcare is very good here and there are many affordable places.

Because it's all someone's opinion. New Mexico is very affordable but that's not high on the list either.

 

[meleana]

We retired north to #10 (NH). Would have liked #20 (VT), but NH offered no income or sales tax, an opportunity to be with an organized like minded group of people (politically), and our only child lives here. Not to mention the only place in either state we could find an affordable (for us) new construction home in a 55+ like development near the lakes and mountains, and yet also to conveniences like medical care, shopping, activities and restaurants.


And we are now very close to VT so we can drive there whenever we want.



We actually spent 20+ years vacationing in VT and NH so we at least were knowledgeable as to what each offered and we obviously liked them enough to return every year, so a no brainer to choose.

 

[unclemick]

Here's a fun one...every time I take the quiz I get a different answer though
https://www.best-place-to-retire.com/places-to-retire-quiz

OMG - TEXAS!!

Heh heh heh - Great place to visit but I don't want to live there. . We do Texas once a year(pre Covid) whether we need to or not.

 

[FIREarly]

This is about US states but want to include Portugal after watching tons of YouTube videos about how it is Top 5 safest countries and health insurance cost a family with 2 kids around $1500/year (?). This is from YouTube vlogger OurRichJourney who retired from federal jobs around 38 years old.