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Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
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Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Retire in Chincoteague, Virginia?
Overview: This quaint seashore town rests on Virginia's only resort island, Chincoteague Island, and dates from 1650. It is the gateway to Assateague Island, a barrier island home to coves, marshes, pristine beaches and famous herds of feral ponies known as the Chincoteague Ponies.
A low key but touristy place, Chincoteague has neighborhoods that are a little haphazard. Many homes, including some nice but also slightly shabby Cape Cods, bungalows and stilt houses, date from the 1920s. There are also condos, motels, B&Bs, manufactured homes and a lot of vacation rentals but no tall buildings or boardwalks. The town center is organic with telephone poles, narrow streets, weathered historic structures and modern commercial buildings that house cafes, ice cream shops, bookstores and beach-oriented specialty stores. Some of the town's long history is reflected in the Captain Timothy Hill House, the Assateague Lighthouse and the Chincoteague Pony Centre.
Chincoteague's Cultural Alliance sponsors a coffee house, a 2nd Saturday Art Stroll, and Music at the Dock. The Chincoteague Island Theatre Company has a play club and acting workshops. A boat launch is at the southern end of Main Street, and the Veteran's Memorial Park has a fishing and crabbing pier. Marinas include the Curtis Merritt Harbor of Refuge and the town dock. Fishing boats still head to sea from these each morning.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is open for birding and clamming, and the Assoteague Island National Seashore has 37 miles of beach. Its annual Pony Penning Day, celebrated since 1925, draws 50,000 people to watch ponies swim the waters between Assateague Island and Chincoteague Island (weak or small ponies get a ferry ride). Then some ponies are auctioned off while the rest return to their quiet island.
Population: 3,000 (15,000 in the summer)
Percentage of Population Age 45 or Better: 54%
Cost of Living: Meets the national average
Median Home Price: $190,000
Climate: This area has summer temperatures in 70s and 80s and 90s and winter temperatures in 30s and 40s. On average, it receives 40 inches of rain and 10 inches of snow per year.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? No. The nearest hospital is 25 miles away in Crisfield, Maryland. It does accept Medicare patients.
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? No. The nearest accredited hospital is 25 miles away in Crisfield, Maryland.
Public Transit: The town is serviced by an island trolley.
Crime Rate: Well below the national average
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Nearly split down the middle
Is Virginia Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Somewhat
Cons: Hurricanes and northeasters are a possibility. Chincoteague is losing population, nearly 30% within the last decade.
Notes: Chincoteague has a community health center. Shopping other than boutique-style is limited. The area is very quiet in the winter. Chincoteague has little racial diversity. Some people say that Pony Penning Day is nothing more than a tourist gimmack.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Probably not, thanks to the population loss and lack of a hospital.
Virginia:
The Commonwealth of Virginia is on the southern Atlantic coast. Nicknames include Old Dominion and Mother of Presidents (eight American presidents were born here). The motto for the state is Sic Semper Tyrannis, meaning Thus Always to Tyrants. This motto is on both the state's seal (designed in 1776) and the state's flag (first used in the 1830s).
The Virginia Company established the Colony of Virginia and Jamestown in 1607. The state was one of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution and joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Richmond was even named the Confederate capital. Today, the Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous legislative body in the Western world.
Western Virginia has a distictly rural, southern feeling while eastern Virgina is home to military installations and northern Virginia is where many Washington, D.C. lobbyists and government workers live.
The Blue Ridge Mountains, Chesapeake Bay, the Shenandoah Valley and miles of eastern shore beaches are Virginia highlights.
Stats:
Population - 8,411,808
Persons 65 years old and over - 15%
High school graduates, persons age 25+ - 88%
Bachelor's degree or higher, persons age 25+ - 36%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin - 9%
White persons, not Hispanic - 62%
Median household income - $65,015
Median home value - $245,000
Social Security taxed? No
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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