Retirement doesn't always mean packing up and moving to Florida.
In fact, if you're a Gwinnett County resident, there are several reasons to stay right at home during your golden years.
Here are 10 reasons you should consider retiring in Gwinnett County:
1. Gwinnett has several exemptions for property taxes, including two for seniors, county communications director Joe Sorenson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The Senior School Tax Exemption (L5A) provides seniors ages 65 and older a 100 percent exemption from taxes levied by the Gwinnett County Board of Education on your home and up to one acre of property.
- The Regular School Tax Exemption (S3) provides seniors ages 62 and older a partial exemption from school taxes.
2. There's a free Senior Helpline for seniors and caregivers with up-to-date answers to questions about housing, social security, counseling, rehab services, healthcare and much more, Sorenson said. The helpline is available at 678-377-4150 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
3. You can earn some medals at the Gwinnett Senior Golden Games. From swimming to billiards to archery, bowling and more, the Gwinnett Senior Golden Games is an annual event that provides the senior residents of Gwinnett the opportunity to have fun, compete and participate in an athletic event. The games generally run from April to mid-May.
4. Gwinnett has four senior activity centers that function as gathering places and provide activities like fitness and dance classes, billiards, day trips and more, according to the Gwinnett County website. There are also speakers and performers to entertain and inform the participants. Lunches are provided Monday through Friday.
Here are the four senior activity centers in Gwinnett County:
- Buford Human Services Center: 2755 Sawnee Ave, Buford, GA, 678-225-5367
- Centerville Senior Center (closed on Thursdays): 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville, GA, 770-978-4532
- Lawrenceville Senior Center at Rhodes Jordan Park: 225 Benson St, Lawrenceville, GA, 678-277-0970
- Norcross Human Services Center: 5030 Georgia Belle Ct, Norcross, GA, 678-225-5430
5. Active seniors can also take advantage of Gwinnett's two recreational senior centers and eight senior recreational clubs. These centers offer social, recreational and educational opportunities for Gwinnett's active seniors ages 50 and older. In addition to fitness classes, the centers provide arts and crafts sessions, field trips, computer trainings and much more.
Here are Gwinnett's two senior centers:
- Bethesda Park Senior Center: 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville, Georgia, 678-277-0179
- Prime Timers Pointe at Georgia Pierce Park Community Recreation Center: 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee, Georgia, 678-277-0910
Listed below are Gwinnett's eight senior recreational clubs, which meet every month at various locations.
- Best Friend Club, 678-277-0860
- Bogan Gold Wing, 678-277-0850
- Dacula Rainbow, 678-277-0850
- Evergreen, 678-277-0179
- Get Up & Go, 770-822-5414
- Lawrenceville Fun Time: 678-277-0179
- Shorty Howell Hi-Steppers, 678-277-0910
- Suwanee Goodtimers, 678-277-0910
6. Home-delivered meals. Seniors who are homebound or unable to prepare their own meals can get tailored, home-delivered meals from a service called Meals on Wheels. The service delivers frozen or chilled foods Monday through Friday. For more information about eligibility, call 678-377-4150.
7. Homemaking services help keep your house clean. To learn more about this light housekeeping service, call 678-377-4150.
8. You could be living in one of Georgia's safest cities, according to a ranking by SafeWise that used FBI data from crimes reported in 2014. Braselton and Auburn in Gwinnett both ranked in the top 10 of the study, which evaluated violent crimes to calculate "the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city," according to the report.
9. Gwinnett provides a transportation voucher for seniors. The voucher program, called Get in Gear, allows senior citizens to pay transportation providers to drive them to senior centers, their medical appointments and more.
10. It's better than anywhere else. Seriously. Here are 9 reasons why Gwinnett County is simply the best.
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