Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Retire in Goodyear, Arizona?
Overview: Goodyear started out as a cotton farm for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company in 1917. Today, it is an attractive, growing bedroom community in the West Valley, about 20 miles outside of Phoenix.
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin is located here and employs many residents. The city has been noted for its "livability" and is a pleasant place with a fresh, manufactured feeling. Much of the housing is fairly new and includes gated communities and tract homes. Goodyear's warm, dry climate allows for plenty of outdoor recreation, including hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding through the area's White Tank Regional Park. "Snowbirds" arrive each winter, and the city is the site of two major league baseball training camps, one for the Cincinnati Reds and one for the Cleveland Indians. Wag & Tag, Dry Heat Comedy Nights and G.A.I.N. (Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods) are a few of Goodyear's annual events.
The city is adding new business parks, malls and other developments, and the old cotton farm is now Palm Valley, a beautiful mixed use, master-planned community with national retailers, eateries and two golf courses.
Population: 76,000 (city proper)
Age 45 or Better: 35%
Cost of Living: 12% above the national average
Median Home Price: $299,000
Climate: Summer temperatures reach into the low-100s, and winter temperatures are in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The sun shines 300 days a year, and the area receives 8 inches of rain on average per year.
Public Transit: Valley Metro provides bus service to downtown Phoenix.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? Yes
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? Yes
Crime Rate: Meets the national average
Public Library: Yes, the Maricopa County Library System has a branch here.
Political Leanings: Conservative
College Educated: 30%
Is Arizona Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Yes
Cons: None
Notes: Luke Air Force Base, a large, active-duty F-16 Fighting Falcon training base, is one mile north of Goodyear. Zoning protections are in place so that homes are not built in flight paths. The base is also a Superfund site. Goodyear has grown by 30% in the last decade.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Arizona:
The Grand Canyon State was originally part of New Mexico. After the land was ceded to the U.S. in 1848, it became a separate territory. It did not enter the union until February 14, 1912. Copper was discovered in the area in 1848, and metals mining continues to be an important part of the economy. Cattle and tourism are two of the states other vital industries.
Although Arizona can be one of the hottest states in the union, air conditioning continues to bring more and more people to the urban areas. The Colorado Plateau spreads through Arizona from the north and is interspersed with remnants of the Rocky Mountains. The land flattens into desert near Phoenix. The Colorado River forms the state's western borders and snakes through the Grand Canyon.
Arizona is home to places with names like Nothing, a ghost town in western Arizona, and the Horspitality Resort.
The state is stubborn when it comes to time. It observes Mountain Standard Time on a year round basis.
Stats:
Population - 6,931,030
Persons 65 years old and over - 17%
High school graduates, persons age 25+ - 86%
Bachelor's degree or higher, persons age 25+ - 27%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin - 31%
White persons, not Hispanic - 58%
Median household income - $50,225
Median home value - $167,500
Social Security taxed? No
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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