Forbes ranks Charleston as one of best places to retire
If you are thinking of retiring, Forbes lists the 16 best places to retire and Charleston is included.
According to Forbes, here are the pros and cons of retiring to Charleston.
The pros:
Lowest tax bite of all, low cost of living, agreeable climate, plenty of physicians.
The cons:
Hurricane threats
A couple of comments.
Property taxes in South Carolina are low. In the Charleston area, you could use one half of one percent of the value of your home as a conservative estimate. That means that a home valued at $200,000 would have annual property taxes of approximately $1000. Even better, once you reach age 65, the first $50,000 in value is reduced.
The cost of living is reasonable, homes are available in all price ranges from the low $100's to multi million dollar luxury homes in Charleston's Historic District or on the beach. You'll also find homes in golf course communities, waterfront homes for boating and fishing enthusiasts and lots of new construction in new home communities throughout the metropolitan area.
And our great weather is a big plus, a short and mild winter, long spring and fall seasons that are spectacular and yes, summer is hot.
The photo, courtesy of Forbes by Getty Images is of the Charleston Medical Center and you can be sure that health care in Charleston is first rate.
Now about those hurricanes. First of all, yes, the possibility exists and Hugo in 1989 was one of the most damaging storms of all time. But that doesn't mean that hurricanes are an everyday occurrence, in fact in the ten years that I've lived here, we have been very fortunate to have been grazed by Gaston one Saturday morning and that's been it.
It's important to stay vigilant during the season and pay particular attention during the peak hurricane season of mid August to late September. But after all, there are weather issues everywhere, tornadoes, flash floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc., and I for one kind of like taking my chances with the threat of a hurricane due to the technology available today that accurately predicts where they might land and when and if so, you can plan ahead and evacuate if necessary. That isn't always the case with some other weather events.