Top Snowbird Destinations Named for 2021-2022
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 27, 2021 – When it comes to naming the best places to be a snowbird many familiar towns come to mind. Most are in Florida, Arizona, California, Texas, and South Carolina for the obvious reasons, as they are the warmest contiguous states in winter. But this year a list by StorageCafe´ has come up with some winners that are not exactly household names.
The company used a number of criteria that make sense – miles of beaches, winter temperature, crime, housing costs, parks, internet speed, etc. Many of the choices are unusual, but most are familiar. Some we would have picked, others not (particularly in Arizona and Texas). But in the end the best place to be a snowbird is the place that you like the best, not one picked by someone else.
The winners:
Arizona
- Apache Junction. One of the more affordable locations east of Phoenix, it has many communities to choose from.
- Gilbert. In the same area south of Phoenix, with many active communities.
- Mesa. The third largest city in Arizona, it is a suburb of Phoenix.
Florida
- Venice. A great pick, Venice is a nice little town on the beach with many active communities in the area.
- Naples. One of the most expensive and exclusive places in Florida, it is beautiful, crowded, and has fantastic beaches.
- Dunedin. We love this pick, one of our favorite small towns. Just north of Clearwater and on the water.
Texas
- Mission. Very close to the Mexican border, Mission is famous for pink grapefruit and birding.
- McAllen. Located at the extreme southern tip of Texas, in the City of Palms warm winters are almost guaranteed.
- Friendswood. This city is located in the Houston Metro, and was founded by Quakers.
California
- Irvine. South of LA and north of San Diego, Irvine sports a low crime rate and two universities.
- Thousand Oaks. This suburban town is located in the Valley north of LA. It wouldn’t have been our top pick in California – how about Palm Springs instead!
- Yorba Linda. Southeast of LA, this is one of the wealthiest cities in America. Seems like another strange pick.
South Carolina
- Mt. Pleasant. Just north of Charleston, there are many 55+ communities and other places to enjoy being a snowbird.
- Bluffton. A very old and charming town with dozens of active communities to choose from.
- Charleston. This community is one of the oldest cities in America, and it is beautiful too. Surrounding it are all kinds of little towns and communities that make for a great retirement.
Comments? Where do you think is the best place to be a snowbird? Please share your opinions in the Comments section below.
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Comments on "Top Snowbird Destinations Named for 2021-2022"
caps says:
We think rental units and homes on the golf coast are fairly expensive. We also find that renting anything less for than 3 months is almost impossible to locate. North of Sarasota might be different. We haven't checked up there.
Drew says:
This year I found rentals in Florida to have risen a fair amount when I looked for something back in early spring, and I wasn't surprised considering the rise in the cost of housing this year. Maybe next year will be better, or maybe a small RV will appeal to me more. In the end we did decide to shell out the extra money it's worth seeing the sun and our grandchildren who visit over spring break.
Admin says:
Just completed our trek to southern Florida. Plenty of cars on the road. Fewer people masked, although employees in most stores are. Many short term renters in our community. Seems like we are slowly returning to normal.