Latest “Best Places to Retire” Lists Feature Tried and… New

Maybe it’s the chilly fall air, but whatever the reason, new “Best Places to Retire” lists are falling off the trees these days. This article will give you a run-down of some of the “best” we have seen lately.

Smartmoney.com’s “The New Best Places to Retire“. Smartmoney’s reporter asked for and received input from Topretirements on this list, which profiles 9 great places to retire. We like their list because it contains almost as many surprise picks as predictable choices. In the end San Luis Obispo just squeezed out Santa Barbara to make the list as #9, (as we recommended,mostly on the basis of lower cost). Three of the nine towns on their list included the usual suspects: Asheville, Prescott, St. Augustine, and Bellingham (WA). Some of the surprises on their list: Chattanooga, Bloomington (IN), Carson City (NV), and Auburn (AL).

CNN Money – “Retiring in Paradise“. Nobody puts out more “best” lists than this outfit, and this one is an award-winner for the range of towns chosen. The 8 spots in CNNMoney’s paradise include: Cassagnes-Comtaux (France), Hilton Head (SC), Retiring on the road (in a mobile home), Ithaca (NY), Texas Hill Country, La Veta (CO), Buenos Aires, and “On a golf course”. For more on the golf course and mobile lifestyle retirements, see articles like “Top 10 Golf Towns” and “Living the Mobile Lifestyle” series by Betty Fitterman.

Golf Digest’s “The Cost of Golf in Retirement“. In an informative and offbeat approach, the Digest reviews what a golf retirement is like (and what it costs in some of America’s most popular golfing communities for active adults. Those include Asheville, The Villages, Rogers (AR), Park City (UT), and Scottsdale (AZ). Our only beef with the article are the odd choices of homes they use for cost comparisons – we just don’t happen to know too many retirees looking to buy 4 bedroom/4 bath retirement homes!

International Living’s “Best Places in the World to Retire to in 2010“. IL publishes an annual list of great places to live if you can’t afford to retire in the U.S. (or don’t want to). This year Ecuador and Panama head up the list, followed by Mexico, France, and Italy.

And don’t forget the Topretirements 2010 List of the Best Places to Retire, which features links to our reviews of all of those towns.

Your Turn!
What do you think of all of these lists? Did your favorite make one of the lists? Any towns that have no business there? Let us know in the Comments section below.