STUDY: WV NUMBER ONE OF BEST PLACES TO RETIRE (04/08/2021) WV LANDS AT THE TOP? In Calhoun County and West Virginia, young people have been leaving since World War II, many not looking back. I've often written that Calhoun and West Virginia is one of the safest places in America, a low crime rates and not subject to natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, wild fires and earthquakes. We do have flooding, but there is time to take to the hill. It's a good place to live. It’s the dream of many to spend their golden years relaxing near an ocean or enjoying warm weather, but the top states for retirees — Iowa and West Virginia, according to a new study — are far from either coast and outside the sunbelt. Read more: Here's how to recession-proof your retirement plan “While climate was one of the factors we looked at, from day to day, there is a lot more to a safe and happy retirement than whether or not it’s warm outside,” said Richard Barrington, senior financial analyst for MoneyRates. Barrington stressed that there’s more for retirees than Florida and Arizona — often considered traditional retiree destinations — and that general impressions don’t tell the entire story. “It pays to look at the data [because] you might overlook some good possibilities,” he said. “You might miss some of the potential drawbacks.” MoneyRates evaluated the country’s best states for retirees for the 10th year in a row, using 10 data sets across four major categories: economic factors (cost of living, property taxes, and unemployment), crime and safety (violent and property crime rates), lifestyle factors (older population and average temperatures), and health care conditions (nursing facility capability, life expectancy, and health care costs). Tied for number one, Iowa and West Virginia might not come to the top of mind for retirement havens, but both score exceptionally high in a variety of cost-related factors — an appealing trait for financially-conscious retirees. Iowa offers retirees a strong economy — boasting the third-lowest unemployment rate in the country — which may appeal to seniors looking for part-time work after they’ve retired from their primary career. The Hawkeye State also has an extensive nursing care facility network with large capacities to support the state’s older population. West Virginia leads in affordability with its overall cost of living — 9.1% below the national average — and the third-lowest healthcare costs in the country. Residents in the Mountain State also have the benefit of the fifth-lowest average property tax burden in the country. Arkansas and Mississippi (tied for No. 3); Florida and Kentucky (tied for No. 5); Connecticut (No. 7); Missouri (No. 8), and Alabama and Rhode Island (tied for No. 9) round out the top 10. Five worst states for retirement - those coming up on retirement age should steer clear of West Coast states like Colorado, California, Washington, Nevada, and Alaska. The cluster of West Coast states received demerits for high crime rates (Alaska at No. 49 and Nevada at No. 40); poor healthcare conditions, including low life expectancy rates in Alaska (No. 50), Nevada (No. 49), and Washington (No. 46); chilly year-round temperatures (Alaska at No. 50, Colorado at No. 48, and Washington at No. 45); and California’s high cost of living (No. 44), the study found. ‘It’s not just taxes.’