Retirement in the USA: Best Places to Retire Within Your State

It seems like that the average monthly living expenses for a couple on retirement in the U.S.A.  is $4,000 a month. Meanwhile, the average Social Security retirement benefits is $1461/month.  So for a couple, this means about $2900 .... about $1000 short every month.   -- W P
( Read the article below.   Many of us may soon need to relocate, eeek!  --- RRE)

BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN EACH STATE- Forbes Magazine , By William P. Barrett, edited by Janet Novack 

Most folks who move in retirement chose to stay within the same state. In recognition of that fact, Forbes has created its first list of the Best Places To Retire In Each State. We’ve picked a best and a runner-up for each and every state—even those we have avoided in our annual nationwide Best Places To Retire list due to their high costs and state taxes. Still, three-quarters of the 100 places we identify have median home prices below the national average of $269,600. In every place write-up, we’ve included information on taxes, just in case you’re looking to make an interstate move.

True, some of the 100 places on our list, including Athens, GA; Colorado Springs, CO; Fargo, ND; and Pittsburgh, PA, are among our perennial retirement places favorites. But a good number, including Columbus, IN; Homer, AK; and Northampton, MA, haven’t appeared on any other Forbes retirement list.

Old Woman Dozing by Nicolaes Maes (1656)

We compiled our list of the Best Places To Retire In Each State by comparing data on more than 650 places across all 50 states. Generally, we looked for relatively affordable places (as measured by median home price and cost of living) with high quality of retirement living and populations of 10,000 or more (except for our top Alaska pick, Homer, population 6,000). The key word when it comes to affordable is “relatively”. Some states, especially in the Northeast and along the West Coast, are just a lot more expensive than others. 

When it came to judging quality of life, we looked at a range of factors. Among them: doctor availability, the serious crimes rate, ranking on the Milken Institute list of best cities for successful aging, air quality and walkability and bikeability. Since this is a retirement list, we ignored data on local school districts. But the presence of colleges was considered a plus, as that tends to expand cultural and other amenities for senior citizens.

The L I S T

Read the full article H E R E

The Lord will supply!

Forbes: List for Each US State

senior lady: picture credit

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