1. South Dakota
Can you believe that South Dakota is actually considered one of the best places to retire? There’s a reason we chose to put it there in the first place. Believe it or not (or maybe you already know if you’re a citizen), but the most significant progress has been accomplished in South Dakota, where the percentage of seniors living in poverty has decreased by 19% over the decade ending in 2020. That’s something indeed! If this didn’t convince you, then you must also know that the state is always super dedicated to making the lives of seniors easier by offering access to public transportation since not everybody can afford a personal car.
If you’re an outgoing person and you like being active most of the time, then you’re going to love South Dakota. For instance, the state has the second-highest number of social groups per inhabitant 65 and older, such as golf courses, bowling alleys, fitness facilities if you’re interested in having a healthy mind and body, and last but not least, religious organizations.
Where’d you get your info? Joe Biden’s press secretary? Washington? Come on. Utah? Where most houses are 25 miles apart and the elderly freeze stepping out their doors in December. Minnesota? Where setting fires is a hobby and elderly more likely to be harassed and/attacked by goons of Antifa, etc. New Jersey (well nothing more needs to be said th
an we all already know)
All of those places are too cold for me. Good article.
Very skewed toward the NE and with very little regard for climate. All are ‘winter’ states with the possible exception of DC. I’m 80 years old, retired for 19 years and can’t see myself living in any of those places even though most of my family is in or near one of them. Which of these states do you think would suite those folks who live in the SE, SW or PNW? Why not choose the best state in each of the 5 or 6 regions of our country plus DC
and one at-large state, explain what you are doing, and make this more realistic. And what about AK and HI? There is a great tendency among those on the east coast to forget that they are even a part of our country.
I would not have expected New Jersey to be on a list of “best” for seniors, but it is my place because of its cultural and historic richness in addition to the benefits which our high taxes support- wonderful public spaces, first-class libraries and well-funded public schools which permit even our poorest resident children to learn what is needed for productive lives as adults. Our immediate proximity to Philly and NYC plus day-trip access to Baltimore, DC, and Boston and subsidized public transportation further enrich our lives. Plus there are many major airports to travel the planet. New Jersey is like heaven on earth, even ignoring the many Ivy League schools and major medical facilities which provide us places to do serious research and bump shoulders with academic giants.
In regard to your article on the 7 premium quality of life states for retirees, you had Minnesota as #7. While I do agree with it being a beautiful state and really good medical services, a few things made me leave the state when I retired. 1. Minnesota taxes all forms of income so even though I’m slightly over what is considered the federal poverty level, I would have had to pay income taxes on both social security and my small retirement withdrawals. 2. I could not keep shoveling all that snow every winter and I certainly don’t have the level of income needed to hire someone else to do it for me. 3. With the long winters, snowy and icy roads, it makes it much more difficult to get around in winter months so you become more isolated from others a large portion of the year. 4. With winter months being overcast most of the time; I suffered severely from S.A.D. each winter. That combined with the winter isolation made it too difficult for me to stay there.