Retirement Planning : Texas Cities : Athens is a Great Place to Live Out Your Golden Years

Dallas, Texas is a great place to work and live, but for retirement, some may prefer Athens, Texas; a small town nearby that offers good fortune and adventure!

By Danny S. (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

English: Category:Images of Dallas, Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Looking for a Great Place to Live Out Your Golden Years? Planning Retirement? Athens, Texas is a Certified Retirement Community. Learn More

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July 2011, Forbes magazine published a TOP 10 List of Cities considered to be "economic superstars". Dallas, Texas was chosen as one of those cities because of its relatively low housing prices and its attractive job market. While Dallas may be a terrific place to work and live, some may prefer to retire to one of the surrounding Texan communities or towns such as Athens (population 10,000+ as of 2010).



Good Luck Peas and Texas Caviar
In 1971, Athens held the first-ever Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree. The history behind this event is as follows.


The late J. B. Henry, an Athens businessman, decided to grow the black-eyed pea and market the legumes on a commercial scale as "Good Luck Peas for New Year's Day"; and for the wealthy and well-to-do (or those who like to dream they are), pickled black-eyed peas were sold as "Texas Caviar".


Mr. Henry passed away in 1940 but to this day he is still referred to as the "Black-Eyed Pea King of East Texas". Such loyalty to his kingship is deserved. Giving black-eyed peas the aura of "good fortune" and calling them "caviar" for the rich folks. Who would've thunk it? That was genius!!!


Today, all the credit being given to the savvy marketing talents of Mr. Henry, Athens, Texas is referred to as the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World".


First GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community
In addition to the honor of being designated the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World", Athens holds the honor of being chosen as one of the first "GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Communities" in the state.


If you visit the site Retire in Texas, and go to the respective page, you will find a list of all the communities that have been approved for this program. The Texas Department of Agriculture, Trade and Business Development state their intentions plainly as follows:


"The GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community Program is a certification and promotion program provided by the Texas Department of Agriculture.  The GO TEXAN stamp of approval ensures each certified community has demonstrated through its application that it can meet the living, employment/volunteer, health, entertainment, education and safety needs of its citizens and visitors - all the things that make Texas a great place to retire."


Other Texas cities or towns are welcome to apply for this program.


Final Accolade
Per USA Today, ziplining is a zany form of adventure for thrill-seekers that first became popular in Costa Rica but has now become popular in the USA.


Athens, Texas is the first city that I have ever known that puts New York and Texas together and makes it work. Not New York, New York (which is what I thought of when I first saw one of the advertisements for the New York, Texas ZipLine Adventures; but New York, Texas (about 20 miles east of Athens). It's easy to get confused, especially when you discover that there is also an Athens, New York!


But an article by freelance writer, Veronica Terres, entitled "Get Up and Get Out" in the May-June 2011 issue of the East Texas Outdoors Magazine made everything plain when she pointed out the location of the NY TX Zip Line Adventures and aptly described this attraction in two words: "Adrenaline Rush".


But why would this attraction about a ziplining adventure be significant if you're planning to retire to Athens, Texas, instead of say ... assurances about golfing? I don't know! Why did former President George Bush Sr. decide to go parachuting on his 80th and 85th birthdays and plan to do it again when he turns 90? Ziplining may be a key factor in deciding whether or not you want to retire to Athens, Texas.


Recommended Reading:

• Purposefully Planning Your Retirement - What Is Time To You?

Practical advice and information from Jeff Brown (aka "The Bawld Guy"), who has extensive knowledge and experience in long term retirement planning.


General Information Links:

• Athens Daily Review
• City of Athens, Texas | Official Website
• Welcome to The City of Athens Texas
• Athens, TX Housing and Residents

References:

• Kotkin, Joel. "The Next Big Boom Towns In The U.S." Forbes.com, 6 July 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• Bly, Laura. "The Zany Joy of Ziplining Catches Hold in the USA - USATODAY.com." Travel. USATODAY, 13 June 2008. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• Terres, Veronica. "Get Up and Get Out." East Texas Outdoors Magazine. Youblisher, May-June 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• "Bush Parachutes for 80th Birthday - CNN." Featured Articles from CNN. 13 June 2004. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• "George Bush Snr Celebrates 85th Birthday with Skydive over Maine - Telegraph." Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk, 12 June 2009. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

For Retirement Planning and Investing Purposes Consider Panama

International real estate investing in Panama is encouraged by the Panamanian government. Foreigners are just as welcome the citizens to buy real property and it is a preferred retirement haven.

Several years back (in 2009), well-known publications such as Business Week were touting Panama as being “the New Florida”. Panama has beautiful scenery with exotic looking flowers and dazzling sunsets, great fishing spots, fantastic weather, and it is already a place where many retirees opt to spend their golden years. The same goes for Florida. While it is true that Panama and Florida have so much in common they could easily pass for twins … fact is … they are not!

Panama is Panama

Panama is a Central American nation. Central America is also referred to as “God’s country” with pleasant amenities of city-style life woven into its fabric.Panama literally means “a place with abundant fish”. However, I think Panama should have been named Abundancia which means “abundance” because it has so much more in abundance there than just fish.The official language is Spanish, but English is widely spoken.Panama’s close proximity to the United States, its low cost of living and affordable quality healthcare are what makes this place very attractive to retirees.
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Real Estate Investing in Panama

Panama has implemented the Pensionado Program, a real estate investment program aimed at attracting foreign investors, US investors/retirees, in particular, to buy real estate, and to relocate or retire there. Experts in retirement planning state that Panama is recognized as one of the world’s top offshore havens for investment purposes. Panama did not always offer a comfortable living environment nor were its doors always open. It took the forcible removal of the dictator Manual Noriega in 1989 by American troops to provide a significant impetus for change. If you want to educate yourself further regarding this topic, just use a keyword search phrase like “Panama Pensionado Visa” and include terms like “immigration law” and/or “retiree” to narrow down the results.

Additionally, in case these two sites don’t pop up on the first page of the search engine results, Live and Invest Overseas (LIOS) and International Living are both proven reliable information sources. They both publish a blog, an official Guide which shares information about retiring overseas (“overseas” by their definition means outside of the United States), and every year they distribute a free report which lists the 10 best places to retire overseas. Each organization has a team of country-specific professional advisors who can answer your questions about the healthcare, housing affordability, cost of living, the crime rate, and the weather!

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Let’s Be Real! Can We Talk

The harsh and cruel reality of life is that you could buy or build the most beautiful home located on the most beautiful piece of real estate on the planet, move in, settle down, and find yourself living in hellfire! Why? Well because some countries, no matter how much they advertise about how wonderful life is in their part of the world, they don’t welcome “your kind”. In some places being hateful or racist is not a crime.

Lord knows the USA has its share of hate crimes and there are those who live within this country’s borders who support and promote hateful ideologies. But there are laws against hate and discrimination, even if those laws are not always enforced.

So! Dear People of Color:

If you’re planning to live overseas, i.e. outside of the United States … you better do diligent research. Some countries may not approve of your lifestyle and/or just don’t like the color of your skin.

According to some sources, while Panama does have a history of slavery and racism, it also embraces and takes pride in its rich cultural diversity. For research purposes, if you are fortunate enough to know people who live in or are from Panama, they could probably shed a lot of light on the subject. It also recommended that you simply read local news reports published via The Panama News or Newsroom Panama.

Real Estate In Panama: Complete Guide To Buying Real Estate | Live nd Invest Overseas

Note:  This is my original content that was previously published on a website that shut down.

Cedar Park, Texas – Small City-Town USA

Cedar Park, Texas is part of the Greater Austin Community.

It is is a small city-town, near Austin, Texas, the state capital, that was incorporated in 1973. Since 2005, the community’s population has grown by about 30%. In 2010 the population was a little under 50,000 and by 2015, it is projected that the population will have increased by another 30% to approximately 65,000.

H-E-B Center at Cedar Park; Wikimedia Commons

The boundary lines encompass two Texas counties, Travis and Williamson, and it is is the third-largest city in the Austin Metro area.

It is a lovely and thriving family-oriented community with a rural feel to it; located just 20 minutes from downtown Austin, the state’s capital; making it close enough to provide easy access to all the facilities and services the big city has to offer. A current project, the Schlitterbahn Cedar Park; a water park resort, had a targeted opening date of May 2012; however, the incentive package expired. The City Council is still interested and they are optimistic about reaching their goal. Visit the city’s official website to view more projects.

Home building efforts for this lovely city can be credited to a response by the city’s economic development representatives who invited IBM (over a decade ago) to relocate their business to Austin, Texas. IBM indicated that if they accepted the invitation they would need a place to relocate their employees along with their families.

The real estate market consists mainly of single-family homes for sale, starting in the low-$100,000s and can go as high up to $650,000 plus. It has all the appeal of small-town charm with the conveniences of living in and living close to a metropolitan city. There are golf course properties, condominiums, townhouses; and land is also available for custom building. Investors (or home-buyers) can locate foreclosures, short sales, bank-owned properties, and other investment real estate.

Having lived in Cedar Park, Texas, it has my personal stamp of approval as a fabulous place to work, live and raise a family. Below are all of my plusses based on my family priorities:

• Excellent schools
• Low crime rate
• Convenient access to major highways
• Nice neighbors and nice neighboring communities (Leander, Georgetown, etc.)

Perfectly situated between metro Austin and the Texas Hill Country, it could easily be classed on any official listing of Best U.S. Cities to Live In. It’s a fine place to own your home, excellent for real estate investing, and a great place to retire.

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Fun Fact About Panama:  "The Pollera is the most beautiful and admired national costume of the Americas. There are many tales related about its origin, but the popular opinion is that it was adapted from a gypsy dress worn in Spain at the time of the conquest of Peru and brought to Panama by the servants of the colonial families. It normally consists of a blouse or shirt and a two-tiered full skirt. ..." (Source: Polleras of Panama | PanamaLiving.com)

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