Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Retire in Allen, Texas?
Overview: Considered a northern exurb of Dallas, this fast growing city was established in 1872 and claims to be the site of the first Texas train robbery. It has a reputation as a great place to live.
Leafy, established neighborhoods with modest ranch ramblers now mingle with well-manicured subdivisions boasting large, custom designed residences. The city is home to a small Collin College campus, the Allen Civic Ballet and the North Texas History Center. The Arts Alliance nurtures a community theater, public art, a symphony chorus and a philharmonic orchestra. The city supports an active heritage guild, and the 7,500-seat Allen Events Center is the base for a hockey team, an indoor football team, and a soccer team. Residents also enjoy a bounty of parks, pools and recreation centers, as well as more than 40 miles of trails, a canine commons and a senior center. Dayspring Nature Preserve is a wooded greenbelt that follows Watters Creek, and the nearby Connemara Meadow Preserve is 3,500 acres of sweeping Blackland Prairie.
Shopping venues are plentiful and include The Village Shopping, with 150 stores, and Allen Premium Outlets, with 100 stores. Restaurants are mostly national chains but run the gamut from Italian to Japanese. Residents drive SUVs and take their kids' education seriously. They lend a helping hand when needed, and they rally around Friday night high school football games. A point of pride, and some contention, is the Allen High School football stadium, which cost $60 million in 2012 and seats 18,000 spectators.
Population: 98,000 (city proper)
Age 45 or Better: 35%
Cost of Living: 10% above the national average
Median Home Price: $334,000
Climate: Summer temperatures in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures dip into the 30s, 40s and 50s. On average, the area receives 35 inches of rain and a dusting of snow each year.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? Yes
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? No. The Hospital at Craig Ranch is four miles away in McKinney and accredited but not by the Joint Commission. It is accredited by DNV Healthcare.
Public Transit: No
Crime Rate: Well below the national average
Public Library: Yes, and it receives rave reviews.
Political Leanings: Very conservative
College Educated: 54%
Is Texas Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Mostly yes (property taxes are high)
Cons: The tornado risk is 275% higher than the national average.
Notes: Allen has grown by 25% in the last 10 years and has a prosperous, manufactured feeling about it.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Texas:
With a name based on a word used by Caddo Indians meaning "friends," Texas is the second biggest state by population in the country. It is estimated that 70% of residents live within 200 miles of Austin, the capital city.
Houston is the largest city, while Dallas-Fort Worth is the largest metropolitan area. Connecticut and Delaware could fit inside Texas' largest county - Brewster. The state is larger than all of New York, New England and Ohio combined.
In addition to the Caddo, the historical people of Texas include members of the Native American tribes of Apache, Choctaw, Tonkawa and Hasinai.
When Texas became the 28th state of the United States (1845), it adopted the official flag called the Lone Star Flag. Symbols include the Bluebonnet - the state flower.
Almost 10% of Texas is covered by forest. The state has nearly 24,000 farms, 90 mountains a mile or more high and is the nation's leading producer of natural gas, oil, wool, cotton, watermelons and rice. It also has the most airports of any state in the Union and is one of the most business-friendly states. Its culture has a blend of of Southern, Southwestern (Mexican) and Western influences.
Famous natives and residents include Mary Kay Ash, George W. Bush, Tommy Lee Jones and Joan Crawford.
Stats:
Population - 27,862,596
Persons 65 years old and over - 12%
High school graduates, persons age 25+ - 82%
Bachelor's degree or higher, age 25+ - 27%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin - 40%
White persons, not Hispanic - 42%
Median household income - $43,470
Median home price - $132,000
Social Security taxed? No
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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