Florida has always been seen as an appealing destination for retirees. Just do an internet search about the benefits of retiring in Florida and several pages will pop up with articles that list all the reasons you need to move there. Mind you, there are some pretty compelling reasons retirees would want to move to Florida when they retire, no state income tax and sandy beaches are just two examples.
However, there are also plenty of reasons you don’t want to retire in Florida. For example, Florida leads the nation in health care fraud and suffers the worst identity theft in the nation. Plus, it gets hot and muggy there in the summer and it’s full of old people.
Your Medicaid services company wants you to know that there are a number of misconceptions about retiring in New York. It might not be an appealing retirement destination in part because it is the nation’s busiest city.
But the truth about New York, the city as well as the state, might just surprise you. Here are a few myths about retirement in the state of New York.
Lousy Weather
When most people think about New York weather, they envision snow covered streets with people shoveling through feet of snow just to get to the street. And they shovel snow in bitter cold temperatures. While it is true that the winters in New York are rather cold, the state experiences some pretty moderate temperatures throughout the better part of the year.
The average low temperature in New York is 48 degrees with the average high being 62 degrees. There will be snow in the winter, but there are also three other distinct seasons when warmer temperatures are the norm. Perfect weather for retirees.
Too Expensive
There are areas throughout the state where the cost of living is high. But there are also plenty of places in New York that are relatively inexpensive to live. For example, Ithaca and Buffalo, New York are two places that are affordable and great places to retire.
Not Safe
An important consideration of retirees is crime rate. A big misconception about New York is that crime is rampant. But the opposite is actually true. The New York Post pointed out in an article that crime rate across the state has decreased dramatically in recent years. To be more specific, statewide, crime has dropped over 60 percent since 1990. In fact, New York leads the nation in reducing crime.
Outside The Big Apple, There is Nothing to Do
Hogwash. The state of New York has some of the most unique cultural cities in the nation. Most cities in New York feature plenty of art, music and theater. Obviously, there is much more to New York than just New York City. There are plenty of cities and smaller towns in New York that offer scenery, culture and would be ideal places to retire.
So before you book a flight to Florida upon retirement, seriously consider retiring in New York.
