# Bad news for retirees who hate the south **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 11, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217 "2012-01-11T22:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/21 "2012-01-13T00:26:57Z")
I’m retired but stay in Canada. For health care. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/22 "2012-01-13T00:56:09Z")
I don’t think that the New York listing was accurate. The _ranking_ might be, but in it, it explicitly avowed high taxes as the reason NYS was so bad. They claim it’s the cost of living. But while it’s true that NYS’s real estate prices have not fallen as far as they have in the boom states, it’s still cheaper to buy an equivalent house in upstate New York than in many other places in America. So much so that it makes up for the increased price of staples and heating. Now, the property taxes are pretty high, but the article claims that NYS didn’t get in there for the taxes 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/23 "2012-01-13T01:02:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > That’s what we did: moved south from Alaska to Oregon. Looking for warmth? ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/24 "2012-01-13T08:26:45Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > No kidding! > > Actually “up north” here in Michigan means…further north, even the UP (Upper Peninsula.) And I do know people who retire “Up North” here; it’s not that uncommon. Extremely cheap real estate and property taxes, very clean air and water, decent access to medical care. I have visited Marquette in the Summer and it’s is beautiful. I often thought if I could stand the winters, it’d be wonderful to retire up there. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/25 "2012-01-13T10:41:26Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Tons of people live on lakes in northern Minnesota (and Wisconsin) for half the year and spend the other half in Florida. Best of both worlds. I’ve spoken to plenty of people who live in Canada or New England in the summer and Florida during the winter too. Some people call them snowbirds. We call them pantywaists. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/26 "2012-01-13T15:32:14Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Tons of people live on lakes in northern Minnesota (and Wisconsin) for half the year and spend the other half in Florida. Best of both worlds. I’ve spoken to plenty of people who live in Canada or New England in the summer and Florida during the winter too. I’d rather stick a dagger in my eye than spend an hour in Florida. Seriously, it’s my idea of hell on earth. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217/27 "2012-01-13T18:46:07Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > Some people call them snowbirds. We call them pantywaists. 😃 I’m planning to snowbird to Arizona in my old age - after 60 or so years of Canadian winters, you can call me a pantywaist for getting tired of them if you like. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-for-retirees-who-hate-the-south/609217.md?page=1)