Your MesaZona blogger really has no idea exactly what the word retirement means other than buying a set of four new rubber tires for a car.
On August 27th Forbes published a new list to follow your PASSIONS in retirement - if that includes playing golf, then this list is for you. There are seven passions in it with no mental link to The Seven Deadly Sins, intended or otherwise
https://www.forbes.com/sites/williampbarrett/2019/08/27
Great Places To Follow Your Passions
In Retirement In 2019
by contributing writer William P. Barrett, who states he covers personal finance, taxes, retirement, nonprofits & scandals
"Want to be happy in retirement? Then cultivate relationships and spend more money on leisure activities—at least that’s what new academic research (as well as common sense) suggests.
To help you with the leisure part, Forbes presents its 2019 list of 25 great places to pursue seven retirement passions:
(1) arts
(2) fine dining
(3) lifelong learning
(4) volunteering
(5) outdoor activities on water
(6) outdoor activities on land
(7) golf (in its own category)
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While our flagship Best Places To Retire list highlights locations that offer the best retirement value for the buck, our passions list doesn’t disqualify places simply because they’ve got high costs or taxes.
Although high costs (or high taxes) won’t keep a city from making this new list, we do take into account such practical quality of life factors as air quality, crime, doctor availability and how walkable and bikeable a city is.
You can read more about our selection method here.
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The only location here in Arizona
CHANDLER
This Phoenix suburb, named for Arizona’s first veterinary surgeon, offers myriad outdoor activities, including 185 golf courses in the region. There’s a low serious crime rate, a good economy and a high rate of volunteering. With an elevation of 1,200 feet, the city is very bikeable, although not all that walkable. There is no state income tax on Social Security earnings and no state estate/inheritance. The sate income tax rate tops out at just 4.54% on a married couple’s taxable income above $317,900.
On the downside, the number of doctors per capita is below the national average and the air quality is poor. Cost of living is 23% above the national average.
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Other cities small and large that make the Follow Your Passions list include New York City, both Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Salt Lake City, and others.
For a comparison with Mesa [500,000+ population] there's Boston, quite different.
This buzzy historic coastal state capital city of 685,000 offers a wealth of cultural. and educational activities. Not too surprising, considering there are more than 50 area colleges. Boston has good air quality, abundant doctors per capita, and a good economy. At an elevation of 140 feet, the city, named for an English town, is both highly walkable and bikeable. The top state income tax rate is only 5% and there’s no state income tax on Social Security earnings.
On the negative side, there’s a state estate tax and a higher than average serious crime rate. But the big downside is the cost of living: 82% above the national average.
