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Guide to Best Places to Retire in Tennessee
Best Places to Live & Retire in Tennessee
Ideal-Living offers a free comprehensive service that begins with helping you find your Ideal Lifestyle. Until you know how you want to live, you can’t know where you want to live. We offer a wide array of tools to help you get answers to the questions that are keeping you from moving to your ideal destination. That includes finding the best place to retire in Tennessee.
There are plenty of hotspots in Tennessee, such as Nashville, Gatlinburg and Knoxville, as well as secluded locales that offer all the privacy you seek. Besides its natural beauty and great retirement communities, Tennessee is one of the most tax friendly states for retirees and seniors. The tax benefits of living in Tennessee include:
- No state income tax
- No tax on social security benefits
- Property tax relief program for qualifying seniors
- Prescription drugs are exempt from state sales tax
Idyllic Communities in Ideal Locations
Tennessee is home to a diverse music scene, with Nashville known as the country music capital. For fans of the King of Rock and Roll, there’s even Graceland. But music isn’t the only thing to explore here. Whatever you wish to experience—Civil War sites, the Mississippi River, distilleries, outdoor adventure, amusements parks—Tennessee has a little bit of everything for you to explore and enjoy.
Prospective residents should choose a community that best fits their lifestyle. Some neighborhoods are only a short walk or ride away from bustling city centers. Others are closer to quieter, small-town shops.
Our free Digital Choose Your Ideal Place Guide and Ideal-Living Magazine offer an abundance of information on which states, towns and cities are the best for retirees, vacationers and second-home buyers.
Sample Communities to Discover
Southern Harmony
Now Open and new to the Nashville area, Del Webb Southern Harmony
Imagine thriving in the breathtaking countryside of middle Tennessee surrounded by rolling hills while soaking in the fresh air and warm sunshine. Now imagine discovering everyday conveniences minutes away, a lively social calendar, diverse clubs and interest groups, plus world-class amenities just steps away from home. All of this will be waiting for you at Southern Harmony, Tennessee’s premier active adult community.
Southern Harmony in Murfreesboro, TN offers an abundance of social and recreational activities, a mild four-season climate, and a collection of innovative, flexible floor plans coupled with Tennessee’s low cost of living. A private community clubhouse and resort-style outdoor amenities are relished by residents who enjoy an active lifestyle. But the best reason to make Southern Springs home is the home itself. Our thoughtfully designed, well-crafted homes offer purposeful design options for easier living.
At the heart of this dynamic, master-planned community is a 21,000+ Sq. Ft. Residents Clubhouse including a state-of-the-art fitness center, hobby and meeting rooms, large event room, indoor and outdoor pools, sport courts, arboretum, Veterans Park, event lawn and open-air performance pavilion. From games, to cooking class, to line dancing, and parties, there is something for everyone.
Southern Harmony is located minutes from the big city of Nashville and the beautiful Tennessee countryside with hiking, fishing, golfing, wineries and so much more to explore. Living just south of Nashville, you will be able to enjoy the Frist Museum, Grand Ole Opry, Cheekwood Botanical Garden, a concert at Bridgestone Arena, or cheer on the Tennessee Titans. Nashville International Airport is just twenty-nine miles from home. Experience exceptional healthcare close to home at Ascension Saint Thomas, Williamson Medical Center, and Alvin C. York VA Medical Center.
At Southern Harmony you will find well-crafted, new ranch homes in a low-maintenance setting. Choose from ten innovative floor plans with flexible indoor and outdoor entertaining space for hosting family dinners and neighborhood get-togethers. You can expect luxury features such as zero-entry showers, point-of-use storage, widened hallways, and open flowing spaces in every plan.
Join the VIP Interest List to gain advanced access to community announcements, building progress emails, information sessions, and events.
WindRiver
WindRiver is a stunning, lakefront and golf community located minutes outside Knoxville, Tennessee on Tellico Lake. Inside our gates, you will find world-class amenities surrounded by sparkling, fresh-water lakes and dramatic mountain views. This unique combination is what makes WindRiver the ideal place to call home and create a lakefront lifestyle you and your family will cherish.
You will sense it when you look towards the welcoming shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains. You will feel it standing on the gentle slope of five miles of shoreline along beautiful Lake Tellico, named one of the top inland boating destinations in the nation.
Members enjoy a collection of world-class club amenities which include: a full-service marina, a championship 18-hole golf course, Golf Club and Grill, the Sports Complex with a resort-style swimming pool, sports courts, and a state-of-the-art exercise facility at Overlook Manor, the elegant Lakeside Inn, and Citico’s Restaurant, a signature Member dining experience. For outdoor enthusiasts, WindRiver has access to over 30 miles of walking and hiking trails and a peaceful, lakefront retreat, Brightwater Park.
In addition to WindRiver’s amenities, innate beauty, and temperate climate, an equally important factor is that the state of Tennessee is extremely tax-friendly: NO State Income Taxes, NO State Inheritance Taxes, NO Personal Property Taxes, and low property taxes.
This is Life As It Should Be – this is WindRiver.
Retire Tennessee Program Communities
Whether you’re ready for full-time retirement or want to relocate to a better place, Tennessee is a state that deserves your attention.
Consider these facts before deciding on another location: Tennessee collects no state tax on income or other retirement-plan benefits and no sales tax on prescription drugs. Property taxes in Tennessee are very reasonable, especially with available exemptions for retirees and age 65+ residents, resulting in the second-lowest overall state and local tax burden per capita in the nation. And Tennessee offers the eighth-lowest cost of living in the U.S.—more than 10% below the national average.
The Retire Tennessee program is a state government initiative designed to spread the word about all of the great reasons for retiring or relocating to the Volunteer State. From the Great Smoky Mountains in the east to the banks of the Mississippi River in the west, a total of 19 urban and rural counties in the program highlight the unique natural attractions and cultural amenities that each has to offer.
Tennessee has more than 60 state and national parks with some of America’s finest freshwater fishing lakes and hiking destinations that range from the 210-mile Cumberland Trail to Chattanooga’s 16-mile Riverwalk. The delightful four-season climate means that you can enjoy a round of golf or a kayak excursion any week of the year. And the world-famous Tennessee music scene includes Beale Street blues in Memphis, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and bluegrass festivals in charming mountain towns like Kingsport and Cookeville.
Request more information below and let the Retire Tennessee program introduce you to the next great adventure in your life.
Get Started
Finding and choosing the right active adult community can be a daunting task. This is where ideal-LIVING can help. Sign up below to receive our complimentary relocation package, which offers tips on how to find a community that suits your needs. In this guide, you’ll discover the top communities in Tennessee, as well as what you can do to get started. Sign up for this free package to take the first step in your exciting journey.
Free Package includes:
- ideal-LIVING Relocation Guide
The ultimate guide to find your ideal destination, life and home. This annual guide contains more than 15 state maps, a location-based cost of living and climate comparison chart and discovery travel packages.
- ideal-LIVING Magazine
Quarterly print magazine features the best places to retire and/or purchase your ideal second home.
- ideal-LIVING E-Newsletter
Receive our digital newsletter, two to three times a month, highlighting communities around the country and abroad.
- Tickets to ideal-LIVING Live Events
The ideal-LIVING Resort & Retirement Show has helped retirees and second-home buyers find their ideal community and home for more than 30 years.
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