Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
December 12, 2024 — What is the best town to retire to? That is the most frequent question we receive at Topretirements. Of course, our standard answer is that it is a very personal question—it depends on what you are looking for. Do you want to live in the mountains, on the beach, by a lake, in a small town, or a big city? Plus, what do you want to do in your spare time? Will your chosen town be a good fit for those activities? Not to mention factors like climate, medical care, cost of living, taxes, crime, and more. Any list other than the one you create yourself is not going to do the job.
You can see where this is going: answering the question of the best place to retire is not easy. However, some places consistently come up as favorites that fit the description. Here are a few that are frequently mentioned. If they match the criteria you set out in the first paragraph, they might be worth considering. Note that most of these towns are especially suited to outdoor recreation.
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Published on December 11, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Updated October 22, 2024 — The stunning devastation from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, so quick in succession, puts an exclamation point on climate and other natural disasters. It would not be crazy to wonder - is there anywhere you retire that is safe. And it's not just hurricanes - the natural disasters that have occurred across the U.S. in recent months are causing a lot of people to reconsider where they retire.
Where is a safe place to retire
Residents of Florida expect hurricanes and their damage, but as people in other states like the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia found out last week, no one is immune from storms like these. What made Helene's damage so bad was that no one was expecting just how serious its impact was. Residents of the Asheville NC area, 500 miles away from the Florida Coast and one of the most popular areas of the country for retirement, are stranded by washed out roads and bridges, flooded infrastructure, and ruined homes. There is no power, fresh water is only available from state, local, and federal emergency supplies, and cell service is limited. Supplies are being brought in by mule trains. At least 57 people were killed in Buncombe County alone, home to the city of Asheville, and no one even knows how many more deaths will be in the final tally. Here is how you can help victims of the storm.
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Published on October 2, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
September 18, 2024 — “What is the worst state for retirement?” This is one of those questions with a frustrating answer – it all depends. Despite what some list you see on the Internet might say, the reality is that while there are many states that would be “worst” for…
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Published on September 18, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
August 27, 2024 -- Florida is definitely one of the most popular states for retirement - and for people of all ages. It was the second fastest growing state in 2023, and had the highest rate of net immigration (more people moving in than out) in the nation in 2022. The influx of retirees is one of the biggest reasons for this growth. Yet the Sunshine State is a lot more than just Disney World and beautiful beaches. This article will explore some of the essential things you need to know before you pull up stakes and move there. Some of these items might be positive for you, others not so much.
13 Things to know about retiring in FloridaIt’s hot and humid in The summertime. Living in Florida year round means hunkering down in the air conditioning for most of the summer. Powerful hurricanes and storms hit the State frequently, sometimes with mandatory evacuations.
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Published on August 26, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
August 1, 2024 -- Pocket Neighborhoods were a surprising favorite in our recent poll of your preferred type of community for retirement. (Use this link to see all results from the poll). Last week we did a feature on another winner, New Urban Communities, so here is the lowdown what you need to know about pocket neighborhoods along with some outstanding examples.
What is a Pocket Neighborhood?The most common characteristic of a pocket neighborhood is a group of small homes or cottages sharing a common, open space. That area might be for gardens, pedestrian walkways, shared yards, or gathering places, and recreation. The idea is to promote a close knit sense of community and neighborliness with an increased level of contact. These usable public spaces belong to everyone who lives in that neighborhood.
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Published on July 31, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
New Urban Neighborhoods Have "Lots" to Offer
July 24, 2024 -- New Urban Urban Community was the surprising winner of our recent poll of favorite retirement community types. Of the 5 possible choices in that poll, New Urban got 28% of the votes, narrowly beating out "I wouldn't live in any of these" and "All Ages Active Adult". That development prompted Patricia to ask if we were going to have an article about New Urban Communities, which was a great suggestion! Here is a link to all the results from "Your Favorite Types of Communities".
New Urban communities (often called traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) are an often overlooked choice for retirement. These communities deliver on many of the requirements desired by many baby boomers. Those include walkability, a neighborhood feel, bike or pedestrian access to a town/city center via paths or sidewalks, and an attractive environment with recreational possibilities.
Retro VillageNew Urbanism is, in our opinion, an oxymoron. “Retro Village" or "Retro Urbanism” might be better terms. That is because the movement seems more like a return to what towns were like before cars changed everything – there is really nothing “new” about it! There are plenty of examples of very old towns that are a perfect example of great urban planning – Savannah, GA; Washington, D.C.; Venice, FL; not to mention almost every walled city in Europe. In all of these cases residences are clustered around parks, shops, and restaurants – making everyday life possible without the hassle of cars and traffic.
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Published on July 23, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 23, 2024 — Once you retire there are oh so many different types of communities to live in. We count at least 10, and that doesn’t include just living in a traditional neighborhood in town or the suburbs. To help illustrate the various choices we are proposing a fun little exercise modeled after the New York Times popular real estate feature, "The Hunt". The paper describes a couple or individual’s quest for a home, including the various places they considered, and then tell which one they actually bought. Readers are asked to vote on which home they think the couple actually would buy in the end, and then indicate the one they would have purchased, if they were the potential homebuyer.
Voting instructions
You and/or your partner are the buyer in this exercise. Read these descriptions and then vote (below) on which community type you would choose. If you already own your retirement home, pretend that you just retired and have a clean slate - which of these 5 community types (or none of the above) would you take. The choices are presented at the bottom of the article as an instant poll - vote and then you will instantly see how others have voted. These are the first 5 options; in 2 weeks we will give you 5 more options if we get enough people voting.
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Published on June 23, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 17, 2024 -- Brian, a long time visitor to Topretirements.com, had a problem. Retired in Beaufort, SC, golf and boating held no allure for him, and he felt stuck in the wrong place. The area was getting expensive too. Family members were urging him to move, but with conflicting advice.
Coming to Topretirements.com, he asked for help. The most important thing Brian wanted in a place to retire was to have access to the outdoors and mountains. Budget limitations ruled out a return to his native New England. Could Topretirements help him find some great places to retire in the Southeast that met his criteria? Here we go, we love a challenge!
10 Best Mountain Places to Retire in the SoutheastThe Topretirements editorial team got to work combing through its capsule Reviews of thousands of great places to retire, looking for the 10 best mountain towns in the Southeast, which generally means the Blue Ridge mountains. Great possibilities immediately emerged in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Here is the list of the 10 best mountain towns in the Southeast we developed for Brian.
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Published on June 17, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 11, 2024 — Websites looking for clicks love to opine on the best, or worst, reasons to retire here and there. Sometimes their logic is good, other times it’s….iffy. To try to set the record straight on such topic, the worst reasons to retire in Florida, we have updated…
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Published on June 10, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 31, 2024 -- It is a sad state of affairs, but the reality is that politics are driving the decisions some people make about where to live in retirement. The NY Times wrote an article on the subject, "Sick of Your Blue State? These Real Estate Agents Have a Place for You". In it they describe how many retirees are moving to red states like South Carolina, Texas, and Florida from more liberal states in the Pacific Northwest or Northeast. One of their main reasons is to find a place with like minded people where their support of Trump, conservative politics, religion, and cultural issues are not ostracized.
Jen Hubbell is a real estate agent in Greenville, S.C. who has a clientle eager of people looking for more conservative pastures. Business is booming for her and for Greenville, one of the fastest growing Metros in the fastest growing state in the country. She points out that the city has hundreds of churches along with neighborhoods whose residents conservative values and morals. Another real estate person in this market is Paul Chabot, president of Conservative Move. His company has many retired clients who have expressed interest in moving to conservative states like Texas, Florida, and South Carolina.
Downtown Greenville
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Published on May 29, 2024
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