10 Prettiest Retirement Towns

It was Really MaryNB who deserves credit for the eloquent description of Little Compton, RI. She and I had a discussion about this town because I will travel there in September. The words are hers, but the appreciation for that area belong to both of us.

Editor Comment. Thanks to you both! Hope we didn't mess up the attribution - the comments were great.

Any other suggestions about Tennessee?

I agree with Annapolis MD.... It is gorgeous, and so much to do, Steeped in history (Naval Academy) and fantastic restaurants!

Sandy SW - not only is Sacramento a charming city, but there are lots of very charming towns in the Gold Country foothills of the Sierras just a hop, skip and a jump to the east of the city. Many of them are retiree friendly.

Annapolis is nice, but hurricane-prone. If that doesn't bother you, fine. It probably should, though.

Laney - If there is heaven on earth, The Mother Lode Country located on the Western Slopes of the Sierra Nevada's has to be damn close. This is an incredible vacation and retirement area, especially for the outdoor enthusiast.

I wouldn't say Annapolis is hurricane prone to the same degree as say the Outer Banks or Florida. I wouldn't let that influence my decision, except in buying close to the water and the cost of flood insurance. It seems like any area on the east coast is subject to some kind of winds, rain, and flooding.

Uh huh. Well, that's interesting, but Annapolis has had substantial hurricane damage several times in the last decade. I'm in the DC area; watching the damage on TV is close enough for me. But, if you like your possessions afloat in the house, go for it.

Have some money if your coming to Annapolis.
Love the eastern shore but being in Maryland is high taxes. We are leaving in few years,when hubby retires to???
Love Delaware, close to a lot but family not here.
If money not an issue than go with Maryland but...

Just wanted to mention that Conway SC flooded severely last year, along with N. Myrtle beach, and Georgetown, SC another retirement favorite.

Check out the website smartasset.com. Under "retirement" if you list your various sources of income and your zip code or town of interest, it can give you an "estimate" of what your state income taxes will be. It also can provide info on real estate taxes.

Thanks, Florence. Will do!

Under the 'retirement' section of the smartasset website I was able to get a very quick estimate of state income taxes. Thanks, Florence!

Thanks, Florence for that website info. That's a great tool!

Wow, you are clearly an East coast publication! I was amazed that you selected areas that have some of the harshest weather! Expand your horizons to the west coast, Pacific Northwest.

Gaffer, not sure what you mean - it appears that 5 of the 10 towns are def not east coast. I think this list is a great cross section of our vast country! Gives me great ideas for road trips!

Gaffer, there are about 3 -5 West Coast contributors who try to remind everyone of the beauty of the West, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. There are also several lengthy blogs about Oregon and Washington. As an original Easterner ( but a 46 year West/ Southwesterner) I agree that the majority of posts definitely address Florida and North and South Carolina. They are the favorite re-location sites of the East, are closer to family members for trips back home, and considered more affordable. Please feel free to join me and the few others in offering your praise of the West.

Florence and/or Elaine B.,

Could you possibly help me? I've gone to the Retirement section of the smartasset website, and could not find where to get an estimate of state income taxes. I found a how much to save for retirement calculator, and something dealing with property taxes; but no state income tax area. This is something i've been very interested in for years.
Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks!

By the way, the property tax listed for my area was short by over $2000!

Look under retirement guide not the retirement calculator. You should see a number of sites including the Retire tax friendly calculator. That's what you want.
Hope this helps

This question came in from Dave. It is not perfectly on topic but the link we provide at end will get you there:

Q: I recall seeing an article in Topretirements about folks who retire and have winter and summer residences? But I can’t find it. If not this would be a great survey question to raise. As we ponder our next landing zone we’re thinking ‘one’ may not be the answer – you know, like Conn and Fla J. It would be interesting to see how folks pick their ideal winter/summer pair – location, climate, family, cost of living (oh yeah, let’s not forget Golf, Golf, Golf) – and how much time do they spend in each location. Do they own 2 residences, rent one while not being used? Is one of them a condo? Two condos?

A: Here is the link to this topic and related. Your question might lead to an interesting discussion over there.
http://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/best-places-to-retire-ideal-snowbird-pairings.html/

Has anyone lived in Queen Creek Arizona or looked into living there? Thoughts if you have? Good or safe area for a single woman?
Also as to the state of Washington as a former Spokane Resident cost of homes the property taxes depending on the area of Spokane ( mead school district can be higher) can tend to follow King county. Homes are however less expensive there. Finding a one story is harder if you do not want a basement but good if you don't care. Snow in the winter has tended to much less and not as often as it used to be. I have siblings and a daughter still there so I keep up on the weather. They do get more rain there than it used to. There is a problem with drugs especially meth. Downtown Spokane has changed a lot from many years ago. It has been cleaned up though.
They have finally started a N/S freeway. Other wise it's I90 E/W.
Property crime is higher. Spokane Vslley or the South Hill is more desirable. But can be icy coming down the South Hill in the winter. They have Walmart Costco and Coeur d Alene is just across the border where they put in a new Cracker Barrel.
Lake Coeur d Alene is very nice and Spokane has many lakes. Also has Shopko similiar to a Target that they also have. No SAMs Club. The jobs are medical mostly or construction. A lot of retired farmers. Or used to be. Several hospitals
Then come over to the Seattle area I live in Bellevue what used to be called the bedroom of Seattle. About 130,000 people hop skip and s jump from Microsoft main campus. There a big mall in downtown Bellevue Square but tends to have high end shops. We do get rain this last winter a lot of rain. Many homes with basements got water in them. But it is very pretty here. Summer's are beautiful August is the warmest month. We are minutes away from other small towns Bellevue borders, Redmond, Kirkland or across the bridges into Seattle. I90 does not have a toll yet but 520 does. Homes have recently sky rocketed not as bad as CA. But heading there. Mainly due to a huge shortage of listings. But a lot of jobs here. Lot of huge big companies. A lot of I feel lack of restaurants unless you go into the food court at the mini mall Crossroads or the large mall Bellevue Square. Watering your yard in summer can be expensive. We have no food or prescription taxes except deli or restaurants. No state income tax.
Any questions glad to answer.

MarketWatch.com reprinted most of this story recently and added some wonderful photos. Check it out http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-of-the-prettiest-us-towns-to-retire-2016-09-15

I guess "prettiest" is more subjective than I thought. Homer Alaska is in a beautiful setting, but I would not call the town pretty.

Pretty for me in my honest opinion is the sun shining 330 of 365 mornings per year as I awake at my Southern California locale!!!

We should have mentioned 2 other "Prettiest Places" articles we've written in the past, which include some sunnier and warmer locales:
Where Are the Prettiest Places to Retire
Prettiest Towns in Florida

Here's my most prettiest (and charming) towns in no special order
Jackson WY
Bar Harbor ME
Beaufort SC
Southport NC
Oxford MD
Chestertown MD
Delaware River Towns of PA & NJ-Lumberville, Lambertville, and Frenchtown

The town we moved to (from Long Island NY) and live in is No Doubt one of the 10 best in all of America. Venice Florida has Old Town charm, beautiful beaches, great restaurants, low taxes, Great Schools, low crime, friendly people, quiet, and is super affordable to live in. What more could you want?!

Congratulations, TopRetirements.
Many reputable websites, including MarketWatch, references TopRetirements.com. This site has become the de facto web site for information about places to retire. What makes this site so amazing are all the people that contribute with their knowledge, advice, and experiences. Yes, a real community effort. But, my hats off to the TopRetirements staff for a continuing job well done. It all shows: the research, well written articles, subject focus and constant watchful blog editing.
Thank you for providing this gift to us.

Check out Wilmington, NC

Wilmington came off my list. Beautiful town with a new problem. Google Gen-x in Wilmington water supply. One article says it may be the new Flint.

Roberta sent in this comment concerning Fairhope, Alabama:

looking to hear more from those who have relocated to Fairhope ala area
by Roberta Bengtson — June 23, 2019

I am interested in locations that offer the lowest cost of living, lowest crime rates, where seniors can walk through communities without fear of harm. I am especially interested in the south eastern part of the United States. I thank you very much

New concept of Intergenerational communities is healthy idea. Also there are areas all ages where one pays a set amount annually to cover help with repairs. Portland I think is one. There is also Village to Village concept.