East Tennessee Favorite Retirement Destination
According to MSN Money, Doug and Kate Judd were ready to retire. The only question that remained to be decided was where to go. “We definitely wanted a friendlier climate,” says Doug, a former machine-tool-company employee, who like his wife had grown up in Milwaukee and spent his life nearby. Fans of outdoor activities, the couple wanted to spend more time hiking, canoeing and camping.
Florida, the clichéd retirement destination, simply didn’t appeal. “The lifestyle there seemed a bit more sedentary, involving a lot of shopping,” Kate says. “I don’t think we’re retirement community material.
“With low cost-of-living, low insurance rates, low taxes, low real estate prices, beautiful topography and friendly people, Chattanooga, TN and the surrounding area is increasingly showing up on retired or soon to be retired folks’ radar screen. In addition to many other attractive features, Tennessee boasts the third best overall tax burden, third only to Alaska and Rhode Island. And because the weather is mild, Tennessee has not experience crazy insurance rate hikes like Florida and other areas. Speaking of weather, if you want four seasons without bitter cold and snow shoveling, we have the climate for you.
According to J. Ed. Marston of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee and Chattanooga in particular have done a lot to promote themselves to retirees, and it is starting to pay off. A recent article in The Chattanooga Times Free Press discussed this trend and Chattanooga’s recent selection as a top 20 city for retirement by Money Magazine. The story featured interviews with people like Roger and Shirley Bohren who were traveling through East Tennessee when they learned about a retirement village in Collegedale.
From San Diego, they had read about the advantages of retiring in Tennessee and were looking for a winter home closer than California to their grandchildren in Wisconsin. “We were so impressed with the area that we decided to relocate to Collegedale without knowing anyone in the area,” Mrs. Bohren was quoted saying. The people here are fantastic and the cost of housing is far better than California.” The Bohren’s have discovered what an increasing number of people are discovering, that East Tennessee has a lot to offer.
