Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Note: This is the first in a 2 Part article: See Part 2, "10 More Surprising Places to Retire". April 11, 2020 -- Every week you probably see a barrage of "10 Best Places to Retire" lists from various media outfits. While many of the towns are great places to retire, they tend to be the same ones from list to list, the "darlings" of the retirement world. So if you are looking for a retirement town that is not a cliche, overcrowded, and a great place to retire, here are 10 interesting places to retire that you (probably) never heard of.
A funny thing happened when we started preparing this list... we quickly realized we could have named 100 towns, stopping at 10 didn't seem fair. To remedy that we promise to come out with "10 More Great Places to Retire That You Never Heard of" in the near future.
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Published on April 11, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 24, 2020 -- Thanks to the just under 100 community-minded Members and visitors who have contributed to our call to tell us where they are thinking about retiring. We really appreciate you selflessly taking a minute to share your hopes, dreams, and experiences for the benefit of this community. We wish more people had responded, but there is still time (which a lot of us seem to have right now!) You can see the original request and all of the Comments in their entirety here. Reading them is most interesting!
In all, 23 states and 2 countries were mentioned as potential retirement destinations. Many people mentioned regions rather than states. Multiple states and towns, some very different from one another, were often in the mix. Not all of the choices were predictable. We hope you find these real-world suggestions as useful as we did.
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Published on March 24, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 8, 2020 — Back in 2012 we ran an article that asked people to share their plans, thoughts, and dreams on where they might retire. It was phenomenally successful, generating over 700 comments (see link to that article and comments at bottom). We then summarized those comments by State…
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Published on March 8, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 8, 2020 — We are in the process of upgrading all of the photos for the almost 1200 towns we have reviewed on this site. There is nothing better than a good photo that shows what a place really looks like. Each city review has space for 3 photos,…
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Published on March 7, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 4, 2020 -- California has sunny skies, a Mediterranean climate... and super-high housing prices and unending traffic. The Zillow Home Value Index was $561,000 in early 2020. A pleasant victim of its own success, it is a bit like Yogi Berra was alleged to have said, "It's so crowded, no one goes there anymore".
For those looking for the California experience, but don't want to either have to pay for it or fight its crowds, this article will explore some places to retire that might be good alternatives. The good news is, there are plenty of great places that are much more affordable. Most are not near a coast, but many have lakes and/or mountains to enjoy.
Flatiron Mountain: Photo by Molly Brady
Tucson, Arizona. Warm in winter, blessed with sunshine almost 300 days per year, Tucson is surrounded by beautiful desert mountains. At 233 performing arts dates per year, it also has one of the nation’s highest number of arts performances. It retains a distinctive relaxed, western flavor (Tombstone is nearby). The Zillow Home Value Index was $212,648 in 2020.
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Published on March 2, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 24, 2020 – Just heard from a friend who is concerned because she no longer gets our weekly “Best Places” newsletter. Unfortunately, due to a bone headed mistake I made, she is not the only one. Here is what I wrote back: Hi, The newsletter is still…
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Published on February 23, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 18, 2020 -- Every year we have fun rendering our opinion on the very "Best Places to Retire". To start that process, late last year we featured the 20 Best Retirement Towns in three major U.S. retirement regions. In today's installment we are going to winnow those lists down into our top 10 overall picks.
For 2020's best places to retire our overriding criteria: how interesting it is to live there, recreation and culture, climate, taxes, economic situation, location, transportation, walkability, healthcare, and to a minor extent - cost of living. We also wanted to mix it up a little bit, offer diversity and some new faces.
Popularity on this site, as measured by online visits by our Members, is also very important. Here, in our opinion, are the best of the best places to retire in all of the U.S.
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Published on February 18, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 8, 2020 — Our popular series comparing different regions of the country for retirement has a new update. The Southwest, featuring comparisons of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah has all new data and a fresh look. You’ll find up to date information on housing prices, taxes, climate, and…
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Published on February 8, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 5, 2020 -- For many retirees, getting to where you want to go in a golf cart is just about heaven. For those living in one of the best golf cart communities, they can forget the car; a golf cart (or low speed vehicle) is all they need to get there and enjoy the surroundings in the open air. Most active adult communities allow you to keep a golf cart and drive on community roads to golf, pickleball, or the clubhouse. But the real bonus comes with places where you can get to destinations outside of the community like the supermarket, doctor's office, and movie theatre. In this article we'll review some of the best communities and towns in America for golf carts.
Best Golf Cart Communities in America
Special roads in Peachtree City
Peachtree City, Georgia is a huge planned community about 25 miles south of Atlanta, Georgia. Although it is famous for its golf cart oriented transportation system, it is not a 55+ community – it is for people of all ages – the median age is 37.5. You probably can’t walk to too many places nor take public transportation, but you sure can get about anywhere in your golf cart. There are special roads throughout that let you get to shopping, amenities, or different developments. Cresswind Peachtree City is an example of the type of active community within this city.
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Published on February 4, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 2, 2020 -- For Europeans and residents of the British Commonwealth, the answer to that question might be yes, it is a great choice for an expatriate retirement. The area around Cape Town at the southern end of the Continent is particularly appealing. This article, based on our recent trip to the country, will explore what it might be like to retire in South Africa, list some possible retirement towns, and provide the pros and cons of retiring here. Our visit was brief and with the viewpoint of an affluent tourist, so our impressions are not comprehensive. We welcome those with more experience to chime in in the Comments section.
South Africa has long had the most prosperous economy in Africa. Much of that wealth came from gold, diamonds, and agriculture. Business is strong as well. Since apartheid was eliminated in 1994 the economy has softened, but still strong. Some people believe the Rand, the National currency, is undervalued by as much as 60%.
Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 28 years and then became South Africa's President, was the major force in overcoming the horrible oppression of apartheid (see this link for John Brady's talk about Mandela's inspiring legacy - my talk starts about 16 minutes into the service).
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Published on February 1, 2020
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