Best State to retire??

scdub

scdub

Basic Member
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
2,438
Hey People,

I’m getting close to retirement and have had a vague idea of eventually moving to Washington State from my home State of CA - primarily because I have some family and friends living there and I could probably afford a nicer house/property in WA than in CA.

Well that’s what I WAS thinking anyway until today when I finally thought to look into the knife laws in WA.

In a nutshell, they sound pretty lame if you like to carry knives - even compared to CA. 🙁

My wife grew up in Indiana and she’s done with snow, so that narrows the field a bit. I’d also like to stay closer to the West coast if possible because my son is likely to stay in CA for awhile at least.

So I’m curious: What knife friendly State(s) would you suggest I look into and why?
 
How about Arizona especially Flagstaff. The only downside is of course the four seasons (five if you count the forest fire season). You can escape winter by driving about 100 miles south and Mexico is not too far if you need to buy CHEAPER medicine. Then those PLUS sides. Constitutional carry, the only case where you need a concealed carry license is if you want to take a gun with you to a bar. However, then you are not allowed consume alcohol. Permits must be applied for on the Indian reservation separately. Age restrictions 21 years open or concealed carry a knife that is not a pocket knife. All knives/swords are allowed. The only restrictions on knives are schools, government buildings and businesses and private areas that are separately indicated on a sign. When stopped by the police in traffic control, there is no obligation to report (I recommend reporting), if asked if you have a weapon with you. If they ask if there are any other weapons, tell them that you don't have any, but you have a knife (a knife is not a weapon, but a tool)

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I built a spreadsheet to help me figure out where we would retire to as there are many factors you need to consider. Is a personal call for everyone so I didn't like the retirement sites which published rankings as they included things which I did not care about.

Now, many states didn't even make the first cut for my spreadsheet due to things like snow which the OP mentioned, so the options get narrowed down pretty quickly.
 
ohen cepel said:
I built a spreadsheet to help me figure out where we would retire to as there are many factors you need to consider.
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Good idea - I think I’ll be doing the same very soon.
tinfoil hat timmy said:
congratulations on being able to retire
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Thanks! I was lucky enough to get a State job with an actual retirement. It’s not much but as long as I can retire before something stupid happens it should be a fairly secure pension. 🤞
 
South Carolina is an attractive option in my opinion . Property taxes are low , plus deductions for seniors . There are literally no knife restrictions from what sense I can make of the laws I’ve read . Plus the weather is good , the four seasons are here but winters usually mild in my experience . My girlfriend is from CA and moved here a few years back and only regrets not moving sooner . I am a Brit that moved here a good while ago and whilst I’ve only lived here and North Carolina I’d say it’s a pretty good place to be 🤟🏻.
 
Taxes for your situation are key. Some tax pensions differently, some hammer property tax so if you have a big house you may pay more, some tax social security, investment taxes, etc. So, each person/couple should look at their situation in a place.

For me, voting record, population density, and firearms laws were key issues also.

It helped to narrow things down pretty quickly and well for us.
 
scdub said:
Hey People,

I’m getting close to retirement and have had a vague idea of eventually moving to Washington State from my home State of CA - primarily because I have some family and friends living there and I could probably afford a nicer house/property in WA than in CA.

Well that’s what I WAS thinking anyway until today when I finally thought to look into the knife laws in WA.

In a nutshell, they sound pretty lame if you like to carry knives - even compared to CA. 🙁

My wife grew up in Indiana and she’s done with snow, so that narrows the field a bit. I’d also like to stay closer to the West coast if possible because my son is likely to stay in CA for awhile at least.

So I’m curious: What knife friendly State(s) would you suggest I look into and why?
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I would look at a current map for the most permissive constitutional carry states .

And / or locales where your CCW license covers knives etc . :cool:

Have to keep the wife happy though ! :oops:
 
KMG723 said:
South Carolina is an attractive option in my opinion . Property taxes are low , plus deductions for seniors . There are literally no knife restrictions from what sense I can make of the laws I’ve read . Plus the weather is good , the four seasons are here but winters usually mild in my experience . My girlfriend is from CA and moved here a few years back and only regrets not moving sooner . I am a Brit that moved here a good while ago and whilst I’ve only lived here and North Carolina I’d say it’s a pretty good place to be 🤟🏻.
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Are you more towards Charleston or Myrtle Beach? Charleston may be my favorite city outside of Old San Francisco 🍺🍺
 
scdub said:
Hey People,

I’m getting close to retirement and have had a vague idea of eventually moving to Washington State from my home State of CA - primarily because I have some family and friends living there and I could probably afford a nicer house/property in WA than in CA.

Well that’s what I WAS thinking anyway until today when I finally thought to look into the knife laws in WA.

In a nutshell, they sound pretty lame if you like to carry knives - even compared to CA. 🙁

My wife grew up in Indiana and she’s done with snow, so that narrows the field a bit. I’d also like to stay closer to the West coast if possible because my son is likely to stay in CA for awhile at least.

So I’m curious: What knife friendly State(s) would you suggest I look into and why?
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What about Oregon? Crazy cities, but good knife laws. Just stay in the Suburbs
 
scdub said:
Hey People,

I’m getting close to retirement and have had a vague idea of eventually moving to Washington State from my home State of CA - primarily because I have some family and friends living there and I could probably afford a nicer house/property in WA than in CA.

Well that’s what I WAS thinking anyway until today when I finally thought to look into the knife laws in WA.

In a nutshell, they sound pretty lame if you like to carry knives - even compared to CA. 🙁

My wife grew up in Indiana and she’s done with snow, so that narrows the field a bit. I’d also like to stay closer to the West coast if possible because my son is likely to stay in CA for awhile at least.

So I’m curious: What knife friendly State(s) would you suggest I look into and why?
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Too bad your wife won't tolerate the winters in Indiana (which are not that bad compared to places like Minnesota or North Dakota). To me, the hot humid summers and allergens are much more of a problem.

Indiana otherwise is a much better place to retire than most other states, especially places like Washington that are falling deeper into a authoritarian leftist hellhole.

The only knives here that are restricted are "ballistic knives." You can carry autos, folders, fixed blades openly or concealed with no issues regarding blade length. You could carry a sword if you chose.

Our firearms laws a pretty good. We have Constitutional Carry for anyone who is 18 or up and who may legally own/possess the firearm, but you can still get a lifetime License to Carry Handgun if you choose. There are no laws about carrying rifles, so you can carry those too if you choose. Nothing falling under the NFA is prohibited if you get the tax stamp. Private transfers are not restricted.

Our income tax is low, our sales tax is 7%, no inheritance tax. Property taxes are capped at 1% of the assessed value by law (but unfortunately the state keeps reassessing and right now those values are becoming a problem for a variety of reason).

People here will mostly leave you alone if you leave them alone.

But we do get a little snow each year and it does go below 0F every year, sometimes by a significant amount and for an extended period. That not a deal breaker to me.
 
MattinLA said:
Are you more towards Charleston or Myrtle Beach? Charleston may be my favorite city outside of Old San Francisco 🍺🍺
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I’m the other way Charleston is a great city love it there I’m in the upstate not too far out of Greenville . Myrtle is a miss for me although north Myrtle is nice . If I had to pick a beach town it would be Wilmington 🍻
 
KMG723 said:
I’m the other way Charleston is a great city love it there I’m in the upstate not too far out of Greenville . Myrtle is a miss for me although north Myrtle is nice . If I had to pick a beach town it would be Wilmington 🍻
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Thanks for the info 🍺
 
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