You have literally worked your entire life to get to this point: retirement.
You may find that your golden years are upon you and you’re now asking yourself where you should go, or what you should do. According to a 2019 survey by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave, a research firm focused on the aging population, 37% of respondents said they plan to move to the South Atlantic (including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida), making it the most popular retirement region in the U.S.
Go look at Memphis houses for sale or condos in Tampa, and read on to find out why the South holds a strong appeal for retirees.
You Can’t Beat the Weather
The Southern United States has weather that is overall pleasant year-round. Gone will be the days of shoveling out of snowstorms or chattering teeth as you pull your coat tighter the second you step outside.
The south has two distinct areas when it comes to climate. The Deep South (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina) experiences warm spring days and incredibly hot summer days and nights. Winters are cold in the sense that the average temperature hovers around 52 degrees.
The Piedmont (Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina; Tennessee; Virginia and West Virginia, plus the mountains and foothills of Arkansas and South Carolina) have similar spring and summer temperatures, but are much cooler in the mountain areas.
There’s A Lot To Do
If you’re looking to stay active in your later years, the South is ideal due in part to the aforementioned weather. Warmer days means more time outside. You can enjoy walking, tennis, golf, or any other outdoor activities more frequently, strengthening your health.
If you’re not as much of an outdoor enthusiast and are looking for other things to do, there are many other opportunities.
All through the south there are pockets of retiree communities that host groups and activities specific to hobbies like needlework, writing, painting, photography, and numerous other hobbies.
You can also find local activities through universities near where you decide to settle down. Often colleges hold cultural events with free or little admission attached to them. You might even be able to find a higher education institute where you can take courses for a smaller fee than what a full-time student would pay.
Cost of Living is Low
Overall, the cost of living in southern states is lower than those in the upper regions of the nation. According to a ranking by World Population review, states with the lowest cost of living in 2022 include Mississippi, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and New Mexico.
This was determined by looking at the housing, food, childcare, educational, transportation, and medical costs of each state.
Many states in the south are Red States, or led by a Republican majority. This lends to lower taxes in these states.
Southern states also tend to have less dense areas of population, so fewer people with more room to sprawl out means land is cheaper as it’s not competitive. This helps with housing costs.
