Where to retire?

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For retirees Texas was just rated #1 based on cost of living and retiree taxes in a report I saw from AARP. But it's really "warm" here in the summer. Onvce you reach 65 you no longer have to pay school district property taxes, which are one of our larget, and of course no personal property or income tax.
 
Georgia has its issues but its pretty gun friendly. Just stay above the gnat line. The heat is one thing but gnats are another. Mind you I am from England so even California is free and easy compared to the UK. Question is really you looking rural or city?
 
I've lived in the west, midwest and south. Nothing beats the west. The midwest is pretty close to where you live now. Hard winters for about 3 months of the year and nice weather the other 9. I think the south is the worst weather in the US. Brutally hot and humid in the summer and a wet cold in the winter that cuts through you no matter what you are wearing. The west is sunny and dry. I lived in the front range in Wyoming and loved it despite the fact it snowed from October to June. The dryness and sun made it alright. You still get out and around in the winter. I think Las Vegas is the best place I've lived. About 20 nights of frost in the winter but its nice during the day and pretty hot in the summer but the nights are not bad. Plenty of things to do even if you don't gamble and I didn't. One thing I liked about Vegas was its probably the least judgmental place in the country.
 
For retirees Texas was just rated #1 based on cost of living and retiree taxes in a report I saw from AARP. But it's really "warm" here in the summer. Onvce you reach 65 you no longer have to pay school district property taxes, which are one of our larget, and of course no personal property or income tax.
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Plus Houston has some of the best restaurants in the country.
 
I saw a study done lasty week by MSN and they rated Albuquerque as one of the top 10 places to retire. Affordable housing, excellent climate, low taxes, gun friemdly, plenty of fishing and hunting, lots of BLM land to shoot on, what's not to like? Depending on which part of the state it can get pretty cold in winter but with very low humidity you don't feel the cold. Likewise the heat isn't nearly as bad with no humidity. Today it's about 94 but out of the sun it's very comfortable.

Winters are generally mild. I live in the mountains west of Santa Fe, and while we do get some snow in winter, it's usually gone (read evaporated) in a day. Here's a picture from my place.
 

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Like Robert said back up on post #5...Colorado.

I spent 9 of the best years of my life in the Glenwood Springs area. Though there are MANY small towns to choose from but still close to urban activities.
Elk, mule deer, trout fishing the colorado river, whistle pigs, aspen trees during fall, big horn sheep in the glenwood canyon, rafting the colorado and on and on and....

Now I'm stuck in west central florida & pray for the day I can return ($ dependent)
(and Robert, I'm sure you do but I'll say it anyways. Enjoy, take advantage & be grateful what ya got there...minus the fires)

Want warmer and drier come to the Front Range of Colorado. Here in Colorado Springs the winters are not too bad, nothing like the picture above. Though it is windy here. That being said Colorado is one of, if not the best sportsman's states in the country. Like to fish? We have you covered. Like to bird hunt? We have that too. Want to hunt big game like Elk or Mule Deer? Oh brother do we have you covered there. Come to Colorful Colorado and retire in the splendor of the Rocky Mountains.

Man I need to send that to the travel board...
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Except Glenwood went through a major fire not lone ago - I used to live in Rifle, nice trout and OK deer/elk but if you want to avoid nasty winter weather you have Vegas (HIGH crime and gun registration), or you have Florida - you can keep Phoenix and Tucson with their illegal immigration issues
 
^^^^^

That fire was ten years ago. I just went up to Glenwood for a long weekend with the wife, and it's still nice. There are still many beautiful areas in the state.

The only thing you have to watch out for is Boulder, central Denver, and Highlands Ranch. The rest of the state is full of normal people.
 
We had a fire come through northern NV 30 years ago, it is still a scrub wasteland, trees don't grow fast in dry high mountains - it's beautiful country until something like that happens
 
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I don't know where.

But I would for sure trade you some of that snow right now for the hot dry weather we are having in Kansas the last two years..

I can take cold.
I get cold in the winter, I put more clothes on.
Still cold, I go inside and watch TV.

When its 100+ and high humidity, there is nothing you can do except be miserable all summer and try to pay the A/C bills.

rc
 
. . . . Texas . . . Once you reach 65 you no longer have to pay school district property taxes, . . .
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Incorrect. Senior citizens can have the school portion of their property taxes frozen, which means they won't be hit with future increases. But they still pay.

The way I see it, if moving to retire, the things I would look at are:

1. No state income tax.
2. Gun friendly.
3. Warm climate.
4. Low local crime rate.
5. Good medical care available.

You could do a lot worse than central Texas . . . the only real downers are the limited number of good local shooting ranges and very little public land hunting.
 
Look at Western Colorado. Out of the traffic, tornados, and crackerbox all jammed together subdivisions of the I25 area. Less crime and more gun friendly.
 
Go to texas! It's like a whole other country..... That's what they advertise. That's what they say..... Go there and I bet you won't have a pic of your front yard and mailbox like the one you posted to get this thread started. Go to texas.

The Dove
 
I saw a study done lasty week by MSN and they rated Albuquerque as one of the top 10 places to retire. Affordable housing, excellent climate, low taxes, gun friendly, plenty of fishing and hunting, lots of BLM land to shoot on, what's not to like? Depending on which part of the state it can get pretty cold in winter but with very low humidity you don't feel the cold. Likewise the heat isn't nearly as bad with no humidity. Today it's about 94 but out of the sun it's very comfortable.
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I like NM a lot, but I don't know that, as a 2A supporter, I could give much credence to anything MSN says (I doubt they mentioned "gun friendly".) ABQ itself is getting to be a rough city; ABQ's mayor even asked the producers of "Cops" out of town because he felt their show made the city look bad, but the towns out to the east can be quite nice and picturesque. Towns like Edgewood and Moriarty, along the old Route 66 (now highway 333.) Well south of there, in the Estancia Valley, are several more nice little towns, but you do get far from decent healthcare and some of that area is getting to be drug country, such as around Mountainair. Santa Fe was pretty nice when I was out there. But, you gotta like the color brown. Everything is brown most of the year.
I love NM, but I'll stay here in Florida.
 
Want warmer and drier come to the Front Range of Colorado. Here in Colorado Springs the winters are not too bad, nothing like the picture above. Though it is windy here. That being said Colorado is one of, if not the best sportsman's states in the country. Like to fish? We have you covered. Like to bird hunt? We have that too. Want to hunt big game like Elk or Mule Deer? Oh brother do we have you covered there. Come to Colorful Colorado and retire in the splendor of the Rocky Mountains.
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That just about sums it up. There is a reason this is one of the most desired locations for outdoor enthusiasts, both hunters and the folks who do all the other recreational stuff.

We get a few bitter cold days, and it can get over 100* F in the dead of summer (it's been a hot one this year), but most of the time the climate is very conducive to outdoor activities. It is dry, though, so if you have health issues that are exascerbated by dry climates, that could be a problem. The upside to the dry is that guns don't rust and 30 year old cars are usually still in pretty good shape, corrosion-wise.

I live on the Eastern Plains about 40 miles from Denver. It's very rural, but close enough to the Metro area that there are very few things I can't get with a couple hours of drive time. Outside of Denver City & County, there is preemption, and we are only governed by Federal firearms laws, with the sole exception of the stupid gunshow loophole bit that passed in the wake of Columbine.

I know I'll probably never leave this state :D
 
Seemed a little too hot just NW of Colorado Springs lately!

I used to live near there, and am sure glad I didn't last week when the mountain burnt down.

rc
 
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I have lived in northern MN, NW IA, all over NM, same of AZ, UT, WY, S CA and have settled in western CO.
The only place off my list is CA, the rest all have something to offer that the rest don't. If I had my choice and lots of money I would winter out west at 5-6000' and split fall between IA and the west for the hunting then MN in the spring and summer to fish and enjoy the cool weather.
My 2 favorite mountain areas are or have been burned this summer, the fire in SW NM hit the Gila pretty hard and the Western Slope of CO is catching fire almost daily.
 
Prescot Az, 4000 ft elevation = not to hot and the most gun friendly place on the planet!
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Just a slight correction, elevation is 5,200. 4 mild seasons and 300 days of sunshine a year. And some of the most gorgeous sunsets (and sunrises) your likely to see.
Want a gun? Order thru Davidson's Inc. and pick up the next day at the dealer you choose. It's sooooooooo ez.
J&G Sales? Yep they're here, just walk in.
Gunsite Academy? Just up the road.
Did I mention Ruger manufactures their pistols here?
 
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Seemed a little too hot just NW of Colorado Springs lately!

I used to live near there, and am sure glad I didn't last week.
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Yeah, we're definitely setting records this year. I don't recall the last time we saw 100*+ temps in June. Elbert county is higher elevation (I'm at 6,700 ft), so usually about 10* cooler than Denver, but I've definitely been sweating my keester off in my non-air conditioned shop. But the lack of humidity makes it much more tolerable than 100* in the Midwest, North-East or deep South! I've been in NY, NJ, CT, PA, DE, WV, VA, MD, OH, IN, IL, MO, IA, NE, KS, KY, TN, OK, TX & GA in the summer; I'll take dry mountain states, thank you very much! CO, WY, NM, AZ, NV and UT are the climates I prefer.
 
I love where I live, but it is California, so I can't honestly recommend that for a gun lover.

Southern Oregon would be one place pretty high on my list. If you can get over all the bad rep about Cali here's what the top of the state looks like around Christmas time.

mMnuK.jpg
 
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