Posted on 07/10/2009 1:07:13 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The Zip Codes were ranked based primarily on the concentration of affluent retirees (and people nearing retirement age) as well as relative cost of living. But sunny days, the home price forecast for 2010, and the number of nearby amenities including golf courses, hospitals, theaters, museums, religious institutions, shopping centers, and airports, were also factored in. The 2010 housing forecast is Cyberhomes' projected home price change from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31. 2010. The cost of living index compares cost of living among Zips with "100" being average, 200 being twice the average, and 50 being half the average and so on. Only Zips where the cost of living index was between 100 and 200 were considered. Cost of living was also heavily weighted in the final ranking of Zips.
No. 1 - Tucson Zip: 85755 Cost of living index: 109.44 2010 housing forecast: 0%
No. 2 - Richmond, Va. University of Richmond area) Zip: 23173 Cost of living index: 112.2 2010 housing forecast: +2%
No. 3 - Overland Park, Kan. Zip: 66207 Cost of living index: 102.9 2010 housing forecast: + 5%
No. 4 - Apache Junction, Ariz. Zip: 85218 Cost of living index: 108.7 2010 housing forecast: -2%
No. 5 - Jekyll Island, Ga. Zip: 31527 Cost of living index: 113.3 2010 housing forecast: -4%
No. 6 - Pinehurst, N.C. Zip: 28374 Cost of living index: 105.5 2010 housing forecast: N/A
No. 7 - Reading, Pa. Zip: 19610 Cost of living index: 108.3 2010 housing forecast: -1%
No. 8 - Independence, Ohio Zip: 44131 Cost of living index: 102.3 2010 housing forecast: +1%
No. 9 - Lexington, Ky. Zip: 40510 Cost of living index: 113.4 2010 housing forecast: +3%
No. 10 - Elgin, Ariz. Zip: 85611 Cost of living index: 106.8 2010 housing forecast: N/A
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
I live in Overland Park and it isn’t a bad place to settle down. Nice to see my house’s value is increasing. It’s been going down the last few years.
Tucson, if you desire no quality of life.
“LOL: maybe for except a hospital, “
Yeah, hospitals are REALLY good things during retirement. I found a great place to retire, far away from the cities, congestion, crime, inexpensive, aesthetics to die for etc. Didn’t retire there though. Good thing too, as I woulda’ died there already, and so would my kids. Heck, all of us would have been dead looking at it objectively.
Best to be within a commuting range of really good medical care, unless you won’t ever need it.
No way in hell would I retire to Reading.
Retire?
Don’t we need jobs before we can retire?
Doesn’t retiring require a pension plan that has not gone belly up?
Doesn’t it require a social security system that is not bankrupt?
Don't give those Eastern socialists any ideas about screwing up Missouri, puh-lease!
How hot is the summer in Cville?
No. 7 - Reading, Pa. Zip: 19610 Cost of living index: 108.3 2010 housing forecast: -1%
You can not be serious..
There are no jobs
The city is over run with drug dealers
Ofcourse the cost of living is low because no one wants to live there........
Shhhh, don’t let that out! We like our quiet place. The few Yankees who’ve moved here have been thoroughly retrained to be easy going Tennesseeans. You start sending more of the buggers down here and we won’t have time to retrain the poor things and it will ruin the place!
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas .... not a bad little nation-state to start building from.
Thank God none of those are in Texas. We’re getting tired of carrying this nation’s load. <)8~)
A little warmer than Blacksburg where I am. We have not run the air conditioning yet this summer.
“The Missouri Ozarks and eastern TN were completely missed.”
Sorry. East Tennessee is full up; no vacancies.
Please pass the word and send them to Gary, Ind. instead.
Thanks.
Shhhh....
Hilton Head does not have the medical facilities and you have to worry about hurricanes. For the elderly, a hospital is not as important as access to doctors and clinics. We’ve added a bunch of them as more retirees have moved here to be closer to their alma mater. Our retirement communities are building as fast as they can. Most importantly, crime is nearly non-existent.
And they both go to Beaufort to warm up. Pariss Island - the only place in US where it is below freezing at 6 AM and you can fry eggs on the ground by noon - in January.
“Don’t we need jobs before we can retire?
Doesn’t retiring require a pension plan that has not gone belly up?
Doesn’t it require a social security system that is not bankrupt?”
You don’t need any of those to retire, IF you made the proper financial decisions early on in your career.
1. Don’t ever assume that a pension plan is going to be there for your retirement. Make your plans accordingly. I know a bunch of arrogant fools that fly for United that learned this the hard way.
2. As to SS, ditto.
How to accomplish this long term financial task?
#1 Have one wife, and don’t ever play with the girls.
#2 Always live below your means. Learning and living this “art” will stand you in good stead WTSHTF. Tough economic times? Ain’t no big thing. You already know how to handle it since you’ve been doing it all your life.
#3 Learn to love conservative investments. You may not retire rich, but you WILL retire comfortable.
#4 Read, read, read. Be as smart as you can about EVERYTHING.
#5 Never trust someone else to do your investing, and never invest based on which way the herd is heading. Herd animals tend to go off cliffs.
#6 Diversify out the wazoo. You’ll never get hurt by diversification.
#7 Defer gratification. A cheap Ford or Toyota will get you down the road just as fast as a Caddie.
#8 Eat at home. Restaurant food will kill both your wallet and your arteries. Save both for your retirement. Besides, if you’re any good at all in the kitchen, you can do better food on your own.
Lotsa’ discipline in all that, but it’s not supposed to be easy. Just lots safer.
This article should be titled the best places in Fla. and Arizona to retire.
Surely there is at least one place in Texas in the top 52.
Well, when I passed through years ago I enjoyed the Sequoia cactus, Tombstone and Bisbee.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.