Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
November 11, 2019 – As a place to retire the American West offers perhaps the biggest range of geography and the lifestyles that go with that. This huge area comprises 9 states with every kind of geography. Most impressive is its huge coastline that runs from coastal California to the state of Washington. There is the Pacific Northwest with its rain forests and deserts. Then there are towns in the real wild west from Idaho to Montana, along with deserts, mountains, and national parks in Nevada and Utah. There are college towns, some big and small cities, and many towns in tourist areas, so it's likely there is a great place to retire for just about everybody. Here in our the third installment of our "Best Places to Retire 2019" are the top 20 most popular retirement towns in the U.S. West. Here are links to the other two: "The Top 20 Places to Retire in the Southwest" and "Best Places to Retire in the Southeast".
What States are in the West?The National Geographic Society includes nine states in the American West, a huge territory made up of Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. With the exception of the coastal Northwest, most of this region is dry with hot summers. Most of the region has low humidity. For more information about what it is like to retire in the West see our "Dueling Retirement States" series: Dueling Retirement States: The Pacific Northwest, andDueling Retirement States: The Western Mountain States.
A Surprising # 1The 20 most popular towns in the West contain some surprises, including a few not familiar to many. The surprising #1 most popular place to retire on our list, Sequim (WA), edged out many more well known towns and cities. Its review was read by over 3,300 visitors in the first ten months of 2019 by Topretirements.com visitors, beating out Grand Junction (CO). Last year's winner, St. George, UT, slipped to third place this year. This year there were four newcomers to the top 20 list: Cheyenne (WY), Eureka (CA), Brookings (OR) and Port Townsend (WA). Dropping off from the 2018 were Coeur D'Alene (ID), Medford (OR), Spokane (WA), and Las Vegas (NV).
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Published on November 10, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 30, 2019 -- Ahh, the mountains. Snowy peaks, amazing trails, clean air, and majestic scenery that one never tires of. Although many people dream of a retirement near the beach, in a small town, or even the downtown of a city, there are plenty of baby boomers whose ambition is to retire near the mountains.
To help them find their best mountain retirement town, we have assembled a list of sixteen. From most of them you can look up and see mountains rising above, while in others they are just a short drive away. All are proven great places to retire - some are college towns and others are also on a lake. At the end of this article we will discuss some of the pros and cons of retiring in the mountains, but first here is our list, in no particular order (they're all nice!). Note this is Part 2 of Mountain Towns for Retirement, see Further Reading at end for 10 more.
Shoshone Falls
Twin Falls, Idaho. Sitting above the Snake River Canyon, this town is known as the hub of the eight-county Magic Valley region. Its location atop the Snake River Canyon provides for outdoor activities including boating, fishing, hiking, golf, whitewater rafting and skiing. There are many parks, a national forest, and the popular Shoshone Falls. It is home to the Shoshone Falls, “The Niagara of the West”.
Williamstown and campus
Williamstown, Massachusetts. This small town in western Mass. offers a double pleasure - it is in the Berkshire Mountains and is home to prestigious Williams College. The famed Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival are just some of the proud artistic accomplishments of the town. Williamstown is in Berkshire County. Mt. Greylock rises to 3,500' above town.
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Published on October 29, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 16, 2019 - According to our surveys, the most popular places to retire in America are in the Southeast. In that research 48% of respondents said they would like to retire in the Southeast, twice as many as for the Southwest, the next highest choice. This is our 2019 list of the 20 most popular places to retire in the Southeast, the second in this year's "Best Places" series. Here are links to other reports: "The Top 20 Places to Retire in the Southwest" and the 20 Most Popular Places to Retire in the West (California to Colorado and points north, which will come out in Nov.).
What States are in our Southeast compilation?The states we have included in this big region are: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida (MS did not have any towns in the top 20). In general the region has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers. Areas in its 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 the Appalachian Mountains, Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Changes this year - Ups and downsThe 20 most popular towns in the Southeast are mostly familiar names. 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 7,400 visitors in the first 9 months of 2019, more than three times as many as viewed the #20 selection, Jupiter, FL. One of the hottest towns on this list was St. Petersburg (FL), which rocketed from #18 on last year's list to the #7 spot. Four very familiar retirement towns dropped off the list in 2019: New Bern (NC), Brevard (SC), Jacksonville (FL), and most surprising of all, Naples (FL). Of the four newcomers to this year's list, three have been on the list in previous years (Ft. Myers (FL), Charlottesville (VA), and Fairhope (AL). Jupiter (FL), in the #20 spot, was the fourth new town on this year's list.
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Published on October 15, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 2, 2019 – Many baby boomers might not know exactly where they want to retire, but they probably have an idea of what region or state they prefer. So if the Southwest is on your retirement radar, here is our 2019 list of the 20 most popular retirement towns in that region. In the coming months we will be providing similar lists for the West and Southeast.
The 20 most popular towns in the Southwest are almost all recognizable. This year Prescott, a former cowboy town that celebrates that image, is a close favorite for baby boomers looking for a relaxed southwestern lifestyle. It narrowly beat out last year's winner, Green Valley (AZ).
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Published on October 1, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
August 21, 2019 -- There seems to be a never ending supply of articles touting the best and worst states to retire in. People obviously enjoy reading them. The trouble is that many of the websites publishing them have no expertise in retirement, and a result the lists they come up often have no connection to where people actually want to retire.
A good example is the recent list from Bankrate.com, which must have been overjoyed to see their picks reprinted in the New York Times and many other big media outlets. For the record, Bankrate.com is a website that promotes credit cards and loans, very similar to what wallethub.com does (but which generally produces more credible lists). Other frequent list generators are GOBankingRates.com and Smartasset.com, the latter of which is a site promoting financial advisors. Search on Google for "best places to retire" and sites like these will have prominent rankings, because it is good for their financial businesses. See the top listing in this screen capture, Homesnacks.net - anyone see their connection to retirement? (see more list companies at end)
Here is the list of Best States to retire from Bankrate.com:
NebraskaIowaMissouriSouth DakotaFloridaKentuckyKansas North CarolinaMontanaHawaii
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Published on August 20, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
July 17, 2019 -- Those of you who have been members for a few years might remember our two-part retirement exploration of Michigan's eastern coast in 2017. Today we are happy to follow up with a report on our recent visit to the Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Coast of Lake Superior
The Upper Peninsula lies between Lake Michigan on the south and Lake Superior on the north. People have described it as looking like a fist with the thumb sticking out in the northwest portion. The area is sparsely populated and has a rugged climate. We visited two towns east of Marquette. Both would be interesting places to retire, although for most people only as a summertime residence.
Map courtesy Google Maps
Downtown Munising
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Published on July 16, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
July 8, 2019 — If you are looking for a place to retire where it is tranquil and beautiful with a cool temperature, you might want to consider Scotland. During our recent enchanting exploration of the country, which definitely lives up to the beauty portrayed in Outlander, Monty Python, the Davinci Code, or Game of Thrones, we discovered more than just stunning landscapes. While enjoying the breathtaking views of Scotland’s 130 inhabited islands, we also noticed an emerging interest among retirees in leisurely pursuits, including exploring best online casinos for entertainment during their downtime. A country that is part of Great Britain, Scotland is bigger than you might think, about the size of South Carolina, with a tremendous range of regions where you might want to retire. Even if retiring here doesn’t appeal to you, Scotland still makes a wonderful retirement trip!
Cupar - castle used in "Outlander"
There are livable cities like historic Edinburgh or Glasgow. Charming market towns like Peebles or Moffat. University towns like St. Andrews. Or you could choose to live in a town like Portree on the stunning Isle of Skye. The areas around the many lochs (lakes) provide idyllic living choices. One of our friends would like to retire in Scotland because he likes its relaxed atmosphere and cool climate. It is also rainy much of the year, which is one reason why everything seems so green and there are flowers - both wild and cultivated - everywhere. But as beautiful and charming a place as Scotland is, there is one great problem - it is very difficult, but not impossible for an American to retire here. But more about that later.
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Published on July 7, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 22, 2019 – We have been posting on Facebook about some of the most likely places to retire as we continue our tour of Scotland and a little bit of Ireland. These posts will give you a little hint…
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Published on June 21, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 21, 2019 -- Possibly you are one of those baby boomers who can't wait to retire and do all the things that your job wouldn't let you do. If so, here is our list of 10 great places to retire where you can go, go, go from dawn to sunset, and maybe not even quit then!
By active we mean all kinds of things, not just sports. Your best retirement town might be in the mountains, where hiking and skiing is available in your backyard. It might be at the beach, where you can swim, sail, fish, or surf. Or maybe a vibrant community where you can catch a concert or play, get dealt into a bridge game, or find volunteer work - just about any day of the week. We gave extra points on this list for towns and cities that are walkable and have good biking, since we don't consider riding around in our car active living. One thing is certain, it staying busy is your thing, there is a retirement town where you can be very happy.
Here is our 2019 list of the best places for an active retirement. We concentrated more on mid-sized towns and cities since just about every big city offers opportunities to stay active.
Lakes in Madison
Madison, WI. The city boasts a 30-mile web of paved trails that are lit, snowplowed, and biked year-round. Beautiful lakes surround this walkable town. The University of Wisconsin and all its attractions. You can be busy all year round in Madison, a great place to retire.
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Published on May 20, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 9, 2019 -- The Carolinas are extremely popular retirement states, with good reason. Their winters are warmer than in the midwest and northeast, taxes and the cost of living are agreeable, and there are many great retirement towns. Here are some of our favorite retirement towns in Carolina, based on how attractive they are. The competition for prettiest retirement town in the Carolinas is pretty stiff, in fact you probably have some of your own favorites. Please share your suggestions in the Comments section at the end.
Beaufort
Beaufort, SC. The Old South lives on in the quaint seaside charm of this town, pronounced b'yoofurt. Known as the “Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands”, the Spanish came here in 1514 and it was chartered by the British in 1711. It lies in the Sea Islands or “Low Country” area of South Carolina near Hilton Head.
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Published on April 8, 2019
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