Community Corner
Forsyth County Named 2nd Best Place To Retire In Country
The City of Cumming is a good place to retire according to a recent study by Smart Asset that looks at taxes, medical care and social life.
CUMMING, GA -- The City of Cumming has been named the second best place to retire in the country, according to a recent study by SmartAsset.
A happy, healthy retirement depends a lot on location, the study said. To find the best places to retire, SmartAsset gathered data on three separate regional factors that affect the quality of life for retirees.
First, SmartAsset looked at state and local tax rates, considering two types of taxes: income and sales. Effective tax rates were calculated based on a typical retiree earning $35,000 annually (from retirement savings, Social Security or part-time employment) and spending their disposable income on taxable goods.
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Next, they determined the number of doctors’ offices, recreation centers and retirement centers per thousand residents in each area.
Finally, they found the number of seniors in each area as a percentage of the total population.
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In the final analysis, SmartAsset said it ranked each county and city on these three factors. Then they calculated an average ranking for each area, weighting the three factors equally. The areas with the lowest average ranking are the best places to retire.
SmartAsset took data from US Census Bureau 2016 County Business Patterns (CBP) and ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), Avalara, US Census Bureau 2017 American Community Survey and government websites.
| Rank | City | Tax percent | Doctor offices per 1,000 people | Recreation centers per 1,000 people | Retirement centers per 1,000 people | Percent of seniors | Best place to retire index |
| 1 | Naples, FL | 13.7 | 28.1 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 51.5 | 100 |
| 2 | Cumming, GA | 17 | 31.9 | 9.2 | 2 | 16.4 | 93.67 |
| 3 | Beverly Hills, CA | 17.6 | 24.3 | 29.6 | 0.1 | 20.6 | 78.51 |
| 4 | Gig Harbor, WA | 15.4 | 11 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 24.3 | 70.64 |
| 5 | Wasilla, AK | 9.6 | 9.4 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 13.5 | 70.17 |
| Nationwide | 16.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 17.9 |
The other top 10 cities include Media, PA; Farmington, MI; Grosse Pointe, MI; New Port Richey, FL; Orange Park, FL.
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