Arkansas is the 10th worst state for retirees?

Hi Mike,

Thanks for giving us this article. I agree that there are broad brush strokes here that say little that is relevant about the Village. Any state with major cities with gun problems is going to be hard hit in this analysis regardless of the peace and quiet of vast parts of the rest of the state. The deeper question is the way these rating hit hard on "the South." We pretty much have to accept the down side here of wider-spread southern gun ownership. I know that is a touchy and unpopular topic, but the statistics speak for themselves.

But what can be said of "the South" in terms of crime can be said also of "the North." Just because there's high crime in Philadelphia doesn't mean the Poconos aren't safe and gorgeous and highly sought after as a place to live. Likewise, the same can be said about crime-ridden Baltimore versus the fantastic Eastern Shore of that lovely State. And so on.

The point is that Little Rock doesn't have much to say about Cherokee Village.

Arkansas is the 10th worst state for retirees?

Hmm. In further review, there is clear evidence of the state's low cost of living and a tax policy conducive to retirees. The climate is fine, and the cost of living is very low compared to the rest of the nation.

The reason for the low ranking for Arkansas, per the article (see the link below), is the high crime rate, higher local tax burden, and the life expectancy. That is all based on the average of the entire state. Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and other higher crime areas of the state have nothing in common with Cherokee Village, for example. Just because the crime rate is high in West Memphis means not very much to those living in far away, rural Sharp County. In narrowing your scope to Cherokee Village and the surrounding area, we can eliminate the very high crime in the stats. We don't have very high crime. The property taxes are low. It's a place that has a relatively low cost of living.

What does absolutely no good for the state as a whole is the state's ridiculous state income tax for working people. Arkansas is a state that should eliminate the income taxes, period, end of story. It kills incentive, takes money out of the economy and transfers it to an inefficient, bloated bureaucracy (every state has one), and is a horrible deal for the state's general population of those still in the workforce. The antiquated Arkansas state income tax needs to be eliminated and tossed to the curb asap!

The slightly lower life expectancy issue is a common one for all southern states, in the fact that historically on average the south consumes a higher percentage of fatty foods, and has eating habits that tend to lead towards obesity, as compared to the rest of the country. From what is widely reported, the general population in southern states is much more overweight as compared to the national averages. Again, those are averages, and if you don't fit that description then you can eliminate that issue also.

Overall, Cherokee Village remains a great place to retire in my humble opinion, regardless of statistics that lump us into other areas of the state that the village has nothing in common with other than the fact that they happen to be located in the same state.

Read the article for yourself and let us know what you think.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/148783/the_10_worst_states_for_retirement?page=entire