Tennessee promotes itself as hot spot for retirees

By JOE EDWARDS

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Low taxes. Few blizzards. Music. Those are just some of the reasons the state is citing to promote Tennessee as an attractive location for retirees.

Not enough? Here's more:

Fifty-four state parks. Three major league sports teams. Bass fishing. Civil War battlegrounds. The Great Smoky Mountains. And Elvis.

The state just received a $15,000 grant to publicize Tennessee nationally as an attractive location for retirees and to support continuing education opportunities for retirement communities.

It does so through the Retire Tennessee program and its website RetireTennessee.org.

State officials say Tennessee is one of just a few states with a formal program to recruit retirees.

The program's website boasts Tennessee's lifestyle in a section called "the good life." Another section boasts that Tennessee has no state property tax, which is set locally, or a personal income tax.

Karin Miller, communications director for the AARP in Nashville, describes Tennessee "as a wonderful place to live your best life. AARP members who move here to retire tell us that the climate and the natural beauty are big draws, as is the low cost of living."

All these were factors when Jim and Judy Winchester retired to Knoxville from Glens Falls, N.Y., 13 years ago. They particularly wanted calm weather, cultural events and a central location to leave for camping trips.

"Jim didn't want to be bothered by hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes," said Judy, 72, a retired employee of a county social services department.

For Jim, 79, a retired life insurance agent, "It was the best decision we could have made."

They may not escape tornadoes, which can and do rip across the state in the spring and fall, but the weather will generally be an improvement.

The temperature in Tennessee averages 83 in the summer and 40 in the winter, with the hotter weather in Memphis and the colder readings in northeast Tennessee. Snowfall averages 12 inches annually in Knoxville, 10 in Nashville and 5 in Memphis. Snowfalls exceeding 4 inches at one time are rare anywhere in the state except for higher elevations of the Smokies.

Bobby Goode, state director for the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, says retirees like the Winchesters offer much to their communities.

"They buy homes, pay taxes and increase the demand for many goods and services, which in turn creates good jobs," he said. "Just as valuable, they also bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience - resources that money can't buy."