Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Notes: This is a reprint of an article from 2012, which appears to have disappeared from our site. Over the years we have produced many of these "Worst States for Retirement Lists". Connecticut has been the "winner", so has Illinois. Hope your state is not next! In Feb. 2018 we updated this article - see"Worst States for Retirement - 2018".
January 10, 2012 -- There are plenty of best places to retire lists. But how about the places where it's not such a good idea to retire? Last year our "Worst 10 States for Retirement" article caused quite a sensation, so we are back at it again for 2012. The purpose is to try to help baby boomers understand where, all other things being equal, they can enjoy their hard-earned retirement without taking on more problems. To make sure you don't miss updates to this and other lists like it, sign up for our Free weekly "Best Places to Retire" newsletter.
Your retirement is unique
Every individual has to consider his or her own criteria for identifying the worst or best states to retire. One of the most important factors for anyone is proximity to family and friends. So, if you want to be near your grandchildren the worst state on our list could be the best state on your list. Likewise, you might not share the same considerations we used to develop this list. Tax issues might be most important for you, or you might not care about spending winters in a warm state. Our 2012 list is based on 5 considerations that we think will be <!--more-->important to most people, but freely admit that these factors could be totally irrelevant to many other folks.
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Published on February 20, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Note: This is a reprint of the 2010 version of our "Worst States for Retirement", which disappeared from our site. Over the years the "winners" for Worst State have gone back and forth. Illinois won the dubious distinction in 2010, then Connecticut and Illinois took top honors. Our methodology has changed over the years in an effort to be fairer and more objective. Don't miss the 2018 version of this list, "Worse States for Retirement: New Tax Law Takes it Toll". Note: Some tax and other info from the 2010 article may have changed.
December 7, 2010 — The 50 U.S. states are in a beauty contest. Whether they know it or not, they are being judged by a tough jury of 76 million or so baby boomers looking for the best place to retire. These baby boomers are hard to please, they are used to moving to new places, and are not going to settle for second or third best when it comes to enjoying their retirement years. This article provides our list of the 10 (or so) worst states for retirement, 2010 edition. Note: We are honored to report that this report was quoted extensively in Robert Powell’s “10 Worst States for Retirement” at WSJ-Marketwatch, the Huffington Post, and AARP. To get regular updates on articles like this sign up for our free weekly “Best Places to Retire” newsletter.
Everybody’s situation is differentEvery individual has to consider his or her own criteria for selecting a list of the worst or best states to retire. For retirees who enjoy strategic games, consulting a guide to the best online poker sites can enhance their leisure time by providing engaging entertainment options. Lists from USAA.com and Military.com are a perfect example of a list that makes sense for a specific set of retiree needs. Their lists were carefully tailored to U.S. military retirees who typically have a nice pension that they don’t want taxed at the state level, and who need to be close to a base for shopping and healthcare.
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Published on February 20, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 11, 2019 -- Our "Dueling States" comparison articles remain all-time favorites at Topretirements.com (see complete list at end of article). Yet none is more popular than the one on "Dueling Carolinas". At last count there were 631 Member comments going back several years, and right up to several made yesterday. In fact, although the main article laid out the facts about each state when it comes to real estate prices, taxes, climate, geography, and where to retire, the best information about what it is like to retire in either of the Carolinas is contained within all of those comments. This article will reprint two recent comments which were exceptionally interesting. We'll also give you a tool on how to use these Comments to do customized Carolina research on topics that interest you. We look forward to even more comments too!
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Published on February 10, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Updated February 2020 - This list has been updated for 2020 with some new faces: See "10 Best of the Best Places to Retire for 2020"
. January 16, 2019 -- Late in 2018 we published a series of Best Places to Retire lists for four U.S. regions. They were based on popularity - the 20 towns and cities in each region that had the most online visits at Topretirements. To kick off the new year we are picking the "2019 best of the best" from those 80 - the 10 retirement towns that we think are the best places to retire. While the original 80 made it because of popularity, these 10 represent our subjective best places selections. Some of the factors we weighed were cultural and recreational opportunities, climate, expense, taxes, the quality of the downtowns, and beauty. Obviously, your personal criteria might make for a different list. (Note that we did not include active adult communities on this list, which meant that places like The Villages did not get included).
Here goes:
1. Asheville, NC Asheville is a prosperous small city of just over 75,000 in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina. The downtown is filled with cafes, restaurants, and art deco buildings. Because it is in the mountainous part of the state it tends to have 4 seasons. The surrounding area has other towns popular with retirees, along with a huge number of 55+ and active adult communities.
Sarasota on Gulf of Mexico
2. Sarasota, FL. Some consider this thriving city midway down the Gulf Coast to be the cultural capital of Florida, after Miami. Sarasota has a great downtown with many interesting neighborhoods. An impressive array of cultural facilities is available in Sarasota. Barrier islands like Siesta offer great beaches and developments where retirees can put their feet up.
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Published on January 15, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
November 17, 2018. We would love to share with you solid information about how many retirees are interested in becoming a snowbird. Where they come from, and where they go to for the winter. How they found the places they snowbird in. Rent vs. own. And more. But to do…
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Published on November 16, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 30, 2018 -- Last week we reported on the retirement towns we visited in Western North Carolina. This second installment continues the trip down into northwestern Georgia. Don't forget to see links to our other road trip articles in the "Further Reading" section at bottom.
The Planning BeginsWe planned the trip by going through the Topretirements State Directories, looking for potential retirement towns to explore in the western parts of Georgia.
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Published on October 29, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 23, 2018 -- For the longest time we have wanted to explore the western Carolinas and northern Georgia to get a better picture of this popular region for retirement. So for this year's southern migration my wife and I decided to take the western route, starting out on Interstate 81. What a great trip it was. We will report on the towns we visited in western North Carolina (plus a list of the ones we didn't to see). In a second installment we will continue with those we visited in northwestern Georgia. Don't forget to see links to our other site visit articles in the "Further Reading" section at bottom.
Even if you are not considering retiring to this area you might find this travelogue a source of good ideas. You could use it for either a short vacation, or as a diversion if you are a snowbird hurtling to and from your summer and winter haunts.
The Planning Begins
We started planning the trip by going through the Topretirements State Directories, looking for towns in the western parts of Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Our goal was to find towns that we
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Published on October 22, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 9, 2018 -- This is our 2018 list of the 20 most popular places to retire in the Northeast, the fourth in this year's "Best Places" series. In case you missed them, here are the links to the first three: "The Top 20 Places to Retire in the Southwest", 20 Most Popular Places to Retire in the West (California to Colorado and points north), and the Southeast's very popular top 20.
Resorts and college towns
We weren't too surprised Pittsburgh ended up #1 on this list, Since the Steel City is frequently named as a great place to retire because of its relatively low costs and livability. But we
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Published on October 8, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
September 26, 2018 -- A few years ago we published an article about small town retirement that a lot of people seemed to really like: "Five Big Reasons to Choose a Small Town Retirement". Here is the counterpoint; some great reasons why that might not be the best idea.
Moving to a small town for retirement is a frequent dream for many baby boomers. Friendly neighbors, walking to downtown for coffee, and no traffic are just some of the attractions for people fed up with suburban sprawl and city hassles. Unfortunately, sometimes the dream does not work out that well. Or, people just realize that small town living isn't for them.
Decorah, Iowa - a town many Member say is a great small town for retrirement
Some of the problems we have seen
Access to medical care. The #1 issue we hear about is people who are disappointed with the health available in the small town they move to. There might not be many doctors, few specialists, and only a tiny hospital offering limited care. This really becomes a problem if you develop a condition that requires a specialist or a big hospital. A two or three hour drive to regular appointments, or in an emergency, will be a big problem for you. Small towns also greatly reduce your choice of doctors. It is not so much of an issue with towns
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Published on September 25, 2018
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
September 10, 2018 - Based on multiple surveys we have conducted, the best places to retire in America are in its Southeast, a region made up of 12 states. In that research 48% of respondents said they would like to retire there, twice as many as in the Southwest, the next highest choice. This is our 2018 list of the 20 most popular places to retire in the Southeast, the third in this year's "Best Places" series. Here is a link to the first, "The Top 20 Places to Retire in the Southwest". The second installment has the 20 Most Popular Places to Retire in the West (California to Colorado and points north).
What States are in the Southeast?
The states included in this big region are: West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida. In general the region has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers. Areas in the west and north tend to be cooler as they generally have more elevation or are further north. Hurricanes can reach landfall in the summer and fall months along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The region's major geographical features include: Appalachian Mountains, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River.
Surprises ahead
The 20 most popular towns in the Southeast contain mostly familiar names, although they include a few towns that earned surprisingly high ranks. Asheville (NC), which has been top dog on our Top 100 list for the entire U.S. many times, was no surprise to take the #1 spot here. Its review was read by over 9,100 visitors in the first 7 months of 2018, more than four times as many as called up the #20 selection, Naples, FL. As an example of a bit of an upset, the #2 most popular place to retire on our list, Pensacola (FL), edged out many more famous retirement towns and cities.
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Published on September 9, 2018
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