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You might be looking for the best place in America to retire. You may enjoy owning firearms, paying low taxes, and being left alone. That’s the definition of what I’m calling a “liberty retiree.”
Recently a liberty retiree, known as U, asked MarketWatch‘s Catey Hill where would be the best place for them to retire. Hill answered (abridged):
To answer your question, I went right to the source: the Libertarian Party itself, where I had a lively chat with Dan Fishman, the party’s executive director, who had a lot of advice for you. He said that, while the Libertarian Party doesn’t maintain a list of the most libertarian cities and towns in America, there are certain states known to be more libertarian-friendly in many ways: New Hampshire — with its motto “Live Free or Die” — being the most obvious one, but also some spots in the mountainous western U.S., as well as parts of Texas.
That said, U, you probably won’t get all of the items on your libertarian checklist. But you can get many. To make my list of suggestions, I first looked at the states that seemed the most libertarian-friendly, based on Fishman’s advice and an assessment of the tax and gun laws. Then I looked at where in those states retirees might love. Here are some suggestions.
Cheyenne, Wyo.
The state of Wyoming is a solid spot for libertarians to consider retiring, thanks to its wide open spaces (you can “live and let live” here), lower tax climate for retirees (the state has no income tax and low sales and property tax) and its gun-friendly environment. It’s one of the 10 best states for gun owners, according to Guns & Ammo magazine, and there is “no statewide emissions inspection requirement,” according to AAA.
Keene and Laconia, N.H.
The state of New Hampshire is probably the best known of the libertarian-minded states (that’s why I picked two spots here): Not only because of its state motto, either; it’s the home of the Free State Project, which bills itself as “a movement of thousands of freedom-loving people to New Hampshire, where we are working to reduce the size and scope of government in order to achieve Liberty in Our Lifetime.” In other words, you can be around like-minded folks in this state, which is why we chose to include it. The tax situation, though, is mixed: New Hampshire has no income tax on salaries and wages and no sales tax, though it does tax dividends and interest, and property taxes can be high. It scores decently on gun friendliness, according to Guns & Ammo magazine, and highly on health care, which is obviously good news for retirees.
Mesa, Ariz.
Arizona is one of the most tax-friendly states for retirees, according to Kiplinger’s, in addition to being gun friendly (it ranks No. 1 on Guns & Ammo’s list). Though Fishman points out that Arizona residents generally aren’t keen on open borders, as many libertarians are. And unlike New Hampshire and Wyoming in most months, Arizona offers warm weather, which is a big reason it’s popular with retirees.
I suggest combining Hill’s work with my ranking of the Top 10 Best States for Survival. Both New Hampshire, the “Smith Family Robinson’s Live Free or Die” state, and Wyoming, where you can find success with slow money, rank in my top ten.
The top state on my list of Best Survival States is Idaho, where the state legislature is advancing a bill to give educators the ability to protect the children they teach from danger by allowing them to carry a concealed firearm at work. Legislators in Idaho are actively working to expand their citizens’ rights, not reduce them. Fox News reports:
A bill that would allow some school staffers in Idaho to carry a concealed firearm at work without the permission of the school board moved forward Thursday after the Idaho House passed it 58-18.
The Republican who sponsored the bill said it was a “Second Amendment issue,” the Idaho Statesman reported.
“The Second Amendment right doesn’t stop at the door of a school. I trust Idahoans to be responsible,” state Rep. Chad Christensen said on the floor of the House.
State Rep. Karey Hanks, another Republican, said she works for a school district and wants to carry a gun “to be able to protect those students.”
Action Line: If you’re choosing where to retire, you need to keep your liberty in mind. Moving to a state that’s going to treat you like a piggy bank, while taking away your freedom is no way to spend your life. There are many places in America you can still go to live a free life, and most of them are in America’s “growth corridors.” You can learn to Survive and Thrive, even in Joe Biden’s America, by clicking here to sign up for my free monthly newsletter. You’ll be glad you did.
Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.
