Retire Here, Not There: Kansas

[Shrek]

http://www.marketwatch.com/Story/story/print?guid=07AD4F3C-AE96-11E2-BA04-002128040CF6

With its low cost of living, solid economy, wide-open spaces, sporting options and laid-back lifestyle, Kansas can offer a compelling proposition for retirees.

For one, retiring in Kansas is easy on the pocketbook, says Jim Hanna, an Ameriprise financial adviser based in Topeka, the state capitol. The median home costs just over $111,000, significantly below the U.S. average, the cost of living is more than 12% below average, and assisted living and nursing home costs are lower than average.

I've lived here since birth and this article contains a lot of reasons why I'm never leaving. I've travelled extensively to 45 states and several foreign countries, and I've yet to find a place I'd rather live.

[Progressive dog]

1. I'm afraid of Toto and Dorothy

I've been through at least 30 states, but not Kansas. A lot of New Yorkers retire to warmer climates but I'm staying put.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Upstate NY will work just fine for me

Same idea.

[ZRT2209]

3. too many RW crazies for my liking

[House of Roberts]

4. Earning throughout a lifetime in a low cost of living state,

limits where you can afford to retire. High cost states pay more for the same skills, and result in higher Social Security benefits later. Then you can move someplace cheaper, and be better off.

[greymattermom]

5. hidden costs

I'm leaving Kansas to a warmer place with big trees. The cost of living is lower there. Less to heat, about the same for ac, even less. The grocery store is only half a mile from my new house. Living in Kansas with everything spread out puts lots of miles on my car. At my new house, I can take a train right to the check in counter at the airport. Try that in Kansas.

[SheilaT]

6. For what it's worth, my sister is retiring and will be moving

from DC to the Kansas City area. She'll spend the first couple of months staying with our younger sister while she learns the area better -- she's visited about once a year for the last ten years or so -- and decides exactly where she wants to live.

In her case it's being closer to family that is the most important factor in her specific relocation.

[raccoon]

7. I visited Kansas the first part of this month. If I didn't have ties where I am, I'd consider

retiring there.

I like the drier air, mainly.