Top 8 Reasons to Retire to Arizona
Top 8 Reasons to Retire to Arizona
Written by Silver Sage Magazine
Most SilverSagers who reside on the East Coast, retire to Florida. But we’re going to give you the top eight reasons why you should really consider Arizona as your retirement destination. Silver Sage Magazine took to Arizona and the streets of Phoenix and Scottsdale to help you out.
Arizona’s name originated from Arizonac, (Spanish) which in turn was derived from the Indian word, “ali sonak “ meaning small spring. The last state to join the Union in 1912, Arizona now has a population of 7 million residents (5 times less than California and 3 times less than Florida).
- Spacious. Being one of the largest (6th) states in the United States, Arizona gives residents lots of space to play, hunt, fish, eat, relax, work and enjoy. In fact, all six New England states – CT, ME, MA, NH, RI and VT) and the Commonwealth of PA would fit inside If you don’t want to feel cramped – AZ is the place to be.
- Terrain and Topography. Two main rivers, 4 deserts, more than ten mountains, The Grand Canyon National Park, 20 beautiful lakes and of course cities and suburbs abound – providing a plethora of opportunities and decisions to make of where to live, retire and play.
- Climate. Let’s face it – Florida is hot and humid, everywhere. But in Arizona, you can find a variety of climates to choose from. And more importantly – humidity is thankfully, not one of them. A variety of climates depending on altitude, AZ ranges from highs in the 90’s to lows in the 40’s in most regions of AZ; however, the mountainous regions can dip into below freezing in the winter and the AZ Deserts can reach over 100 degrees F. Rain? What rain. AZ boasts more than 250 days of sunshine and even more sun in the desert regions. Throw away your snow shovels and allergy meds.
- Tax Friendly. Arizona is known as a moderately tax friendly state. No taxes on Social Security benefits and only a modest state tax rate of 4%. No gift, estate or inheritance taxes either.
- Lower Cost of Living. Everything is cheaper in AZ than the east coast. Housing, food, entertainment, utilities, even health care – is all less expensive in Arizona.
- Culture & Entertainment. National parks, restorative retreats, festivals, rodeos, theatre, balloon festivals, fairs and NASCAR make up a chunk of AZ’s daytime and nighttime entertainment and culture.
- Golf Courses – with over 70 golf courses in Arizona – the best part is that with so much sunshine, you don’t need to worry about getting rained out – or struck by lightning (FL has the highest deaths by lightning strikes in US). We visited Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale for a perfect day of 18 holes.
- Shopping & Dining. North, south, east or western Arizona – there are awesome shopping and dining experiences everywhere you are. Native American art, pottery and jewelry are at home in AZ along with everything else you need or didn’t know you needed, yet.
Our five-day trip to Arizona was something special. The most striking takeaway was the friendliness of the Arizonians. Wherever we travelled – to the top of Camelback Mountain to the side streets of Phoenix to the watering holes in Glendale – everyone said hello and made us feel welcome!
