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Things to consider when choosing a location in which to live during your retirement years;
- Live within walking distance of basic amenities, such as healthfacilities, drug stores, supermarkets and banks.
- Live within driving distance of a hospital that has specialists in any area where you have major problems IE heart, kidney, eyes, arthritis, Alzheimer's, etc.
- If volunteering is of interest to you pick a community where there are opportunities.
- If continuing your education is important to you check the opportunities prior to moving.
- If the arts are important check the availability and locations of symphony, ballet, art museums, etc.
- Check the crime rate.
- Check the availability of public transportation. Chose a location where you can easily reach stores and services by public transportation or by walking.
- Prepare for when you are no longer able to drive.
Many older seniors are returning to the northern states or to the area where they living prior to retiring. Retirees who moved to Florida, Arizona and other warm areas in the south are returning north. Most go back when their health deteriorates, when their spouse dies or when they are worried about their moneys running out.
When asked many also say they want to return to be near family and friends with whom they grew up. A common answer is they are lonely or have medical issues and want to be with loved ones. Some older couples indicated that the friends they moved south to join had either moved or passed on. Most have moved south during early retirement when they were active and were interested in joining adult communities. However as they age and their health deteriorates and they can no longer participate in an active lifestyle they reconsider living in these communities which are often expensive and do not suit a more sedentary life style.
It becomes more attractive to return to the place they came from, particularly if their children and other family and friends still live there. Some have grandchildren they wish to spend more time with as it is expensive to fly them back and forth for visits. Moving firms that track moves on a state by state basis note more and more moves of their senior customers back to the northern states. Florida attracts the largest number of retirees from states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio; however there are a good number of moves from Florida back to these states or origin recently.
More of these late movers are women, who on average live longer than men. Seniors who leave Florida for northern states are often twice as likely to be widowed as those who move south. Between 2000 and 2005, about 58,000 people in the older age group left the South for the Midwest, compared with about 17,000 people who made the more traditional move from the Midwest to the South.
A study by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging showed that "over half of the communities in the country had not begun to plan for the aging of their existing population, much less contemplate a boomerang population coming back in their community." Private companies are sprouting to fill the void in public services for the aging in northern cities. Companies like Home Instead Senior Care, an Omaha company that provides shopping, cooking and cleaning services for seniors. It has expanded from 228 to 533 franchises in the USA since 2000.
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Small Metro Areas Rank (cities under 1 million)
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Yuma, AZ Fort Walton Beach, FL
Naples, FL Flagstaff, AZ
Anchorage, AK Wilmington, NC
Myrtle Beach, SC McAllen-Edinburg, TX Las Cruces, NM
A survey by Economy.com showed the following cities as being the most affordable: Elmira, Jamestown, Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and Binghamton, New York; Springfield, Illinois; South Bend and Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Topeka, Kansas.
Many retirees choose to move north of the border as housing and the cost of living in most areas are less expensive, and there is a favorable exchange rate. However, Canada has stringent requirements for establishing residency. You must show good-sized net worth, pay a great deal of taxes, and, if you are intent on emigrating, a substantial amount of paperwork and up to three years waiting time. |
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Major Metro Areas Rank (cities over 1 million)
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Las Vegas Orlando
Phoenix Sacramento
Austin-San Marcos Raleigh-Durham
Houston-Galveston Denver-Boulder
Atlanta Dallas–Fort Worth |
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