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January 2008
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 Here's
to a Happy and Healthy 2008! This year, we're celebrating our
10th year on the internet!
As we told you in our December newsletter, we're counting down the days until we launch our new and improved ActiveAdultLiving web site. We're bringing our website into the 21st century, with search capabilities by price, by location, or by amenities. The new and improved website will be much more user friendly and easy to navigate. Naturally, we'll still give you ALL - in fact more information INCLUDING COMMUNITY WEB SITES on over 2,500 (soon to be 3,000) new and resale active lifestyle communities. This is information you won't find anywhere else on the internet!
Thanks for visiting us and
feel free to
send us your input! |
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Focus on Georgia |
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At
the time of early colonization of Georgia,
the Cherokee and Creek Indians lived there.
It is unclear who the first European
explorer was but it is possible the Ponce de
Leon sailed along the coast during his
exploration of Florida. Spain and England
fought fiercely for control around 1670 and
the British eventually won. In the early
1730’s they rapidly developed settlements.
In 1774 the Patriots started their rebellion
to gain control of the land and after some
years of intermittent fighting obtained
their goal. The early economy was driven by
rice and Georgia joined the Confederacy in 1861. This led to years of turmoil and Sherman’s infamous march to the sea burning Atlanta to the ground along the way. The march is a major part of the state’s folk history and was the setting for the 1936 novel “Gone With the Wind.” In 1870 the state became the last Confederate state to be re-admitted to the Union.
So,
from that turbulent background, it is
amazing how far the state has come together
to produce a very strong economy. In the
1980’s the state built Hartsfield Jackson
International Airport in Atlanta and at the
time it was the largest in the world. Major
economic growth followed when coupled with
low taxes, lax corporate laws and cheap real
estate. Atlanta became a national center
for finance, medicine, insurance and
convention and trade shows. The state found
its moment in the sun when it landed the
1996 Olympics. The state also landed a KIA
auto ma Politically, the state until very recently was solidly Democratic. It has produced such noted politicians as Martin Luther King and Jimmy Carter. But things turned around in the 1980’s and the state is now Republican. That turn was due in part to Reaganism and the New Religious Right. The state is conservative and it mandates a balanced budget. The taxes are low in comparison to other states and they are currently transitioning to a sales only corporate income tax. The state sales tax is 4%. There are six income tax brackets ranging from 1-6%.
The climate is considered humid subtropical. The winters are mild and the summers are hot but they do have four distinct seasons. The average rainfall in the center and lower part of the state is 45 inches and is 75 inches in the northeast.
It would be difficult to find a state with
more recreation and entertainment.
So, check out the active adult communities on our website. In Georgia, the times have changed but the pioneering spirit remains. Dee Chandler, Editor |
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Spotlight Community |
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Our Preview of 25 Active Lifestyle Communities |
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Sponsors |
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Tennessee Specialist |
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Delaware Specialist |
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Reader's Corner |
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Welcome again to Reader’s Corner! Thank you to all who wrote in this month. I enjoy getting your mail and hearing your comments. Special thanks to Robin. She wrote that she and her spouse had done a lot of research on good places to retire and they have found that Georgia and Tennessee had become their favorite places to retire to in the Southeast. Tennessee, like Florida, doesn’t have an income tax and real estate taxes are low. In Georgia she noted that the state is in the midst of income tax changes that will provide greater and greater state exemptions for those over the age of 62. Some counties in the state also exempt those over 62 from school taxes. She supposes that seniors may be better off financially in either state than Florida. Another theme that came up this month from several readers was interesting. They voiced frustration with their hunt for an active adult community they felt comfortable with. They indicated they are in their early to mid-50’s but that the age restricted communities seemed to attract people 15 to 20 years older. While they have nothing against the older persons they just want to be around people nearer their age and are surprised that they aren’t finding them in retirement communities. They all asked about the same question and that was, are we alone in retiring at what is now seeming to be an early age? What do you think readers? Keep writing us with your questions and comments. If you tour some communities let us know what you liked or didn’t like. Till next month . . .
Dee Chandler |
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Birthday Corner |
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Dates In History
Don’t forget the birthdays and other occasions of your friends and family. Stay on top of birthdays and special events for friends and family by using the free online reminders service from American Greetings! It's easy to create an online calendar for free and get automatic reminders sent to your email for birthdays, anniversaries and more! Plus, AmericanGreetings.com has a wide selection of birthday ecards and printable birthday cards you can personalize and send. Become a member today and send unlimited cards free for 30 days! |
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Links |
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Active Adult
Living.com
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Meet the Team |
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I’ve
got Georgia on my mind mostly because of the
many requests I’ve had to do an issue on the
State. It’s a beautiful state with lots of
beaches, barrier islands, forests and
mountains. As varied as the terrain, the
history of the state is filled with tales of
adventure, conflict, struggles, and above
all, a fighting spirit to survive. You
can’t really appreciate all it has to offer
today without knowing where it has overcome.
sugar crops until in 1794 Eli
Whitney invented the cotton gin which
quickly made cotton the dominant crop. In
1829 Gold was discovered in north Georgia
which led to the first Gold Rush in the
United States.
The next decades were plagued by slavery and
poverty issues. Cotton remained the main
economic factor but boll weevils kept
destroying up to 45% of the crops. The
Great Depression further hurt the economy.
However, because of the damaged economy,
Roosevelt’s New Deal benefited the state
greatly by providing over 250 million
dollars for rural electrification, housing,
roads and education. While this improved
the economy, the state still struggled with
race issues through the 1960’s and was an
important battleground for the Civil Rights
Movement.
nufacturing plant and is in the
process of building it.
Healthcare is a prominent industry and is
considered world class. The state has four
major medical schools including Emory
University. There are 151 general hospitals
and over 15,000 doctors. The state ranks 41st
in the number of persons who exercise
regularly.
They
boast four professional sports teams and a
men’s soccer team. Atlanta is third in the
nation for music production. They have two
resident ballet companies, a Grammy award
winning symphony and a world class art
museum.
