Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 3, 2019 — So many times we are asked, what are the best states for retirement? There are many ways to answer that question, and in fact over the years we have tried several. You could consider it from a tax viewpoint, as in which states retirees will experience the lowest taxes. Or you could compare on other economic factors like cost of living. Alternatives are best climate, natural hazards like hurricanes, geographic features like beaches and mountains, political climate, financial health of the state, medical care, etc.
Ultimately, identifying the best state for retirement is a very personal question. In the end it boils down to what is the best state for YOUR retirement. It is very possible that your best state is where you live now, if it meets your desires, since 80% or more retirees do not cross state lines after they retire.
In this year's best states for retirement roundup we are going to attack the question in a very practical way. First we'll look at where the most people are actually moving in retirement. Then we'll add some states that folks seem to be very interested in retiring to, based on the ones they spend the most time reading about on this site.
Where people actually moveFirst, let's look at where people actually move for retirement, because that is the acid test of retiree preference. SmartAsset.com has done a great job extracting U.S. Census data to track the net migration of people ages 60 and over - that is, where more people that age move into a state than move out.
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Published on April 2, 2019
Comments 26
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 26, 2019 -- Not everyone is looking for an active adult or 55+ community. Many prefer to stay where they live now, but there is another interesting group too - people looking to move to the city.
The attractions are many, particularly for people who are tired of the suburbs or small town living. The idea of walking to restaurants, coffee shops, the library, and cultural events can be very appealing. So is being able to take public transportation, and do without a car most of the time. For others the attraction is being around interesting people of all ages. Cities can be great places to retire - and they come in all sizes - from the huge (New York, Chicago, Miami) to midsize like Sarasota or Columbus (OH).
NPR did a very interesting radio program that you can listen to, see "Listen" in this NPR link. It describes several different baby boomers and why they decided to move to various cities, including Hartford, CT.
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Published on March 25, 2019
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Updated June, 2024 -- Over the years millions of Americans from the Midwest and Northeast have packed up and moved to Florida for their retirement. They move there because of the warm winters and long coastlines, and retirees have been doing it for at least 100 years. But the Sunshine State has its detractors too - a Florida retirement is not for everyone. There are plenty of articles that give tons of reasons not to retire in the Sunshine State. One was an article from Kiplinger, "11 Reasons Not to Move to Florida,", and another was "16 Reasons Not to Retire in Florida" from the Frugal Expat (which looks like it cribbed from the earlier Kiplinger article).
We agree that there are some valid reasons against retiring in Florida (and we will include them later in this article). But we have to say that many reasons cited in both articles seem more than a bit grasping. These are the basic reasons why they said you shouldn't retire to Florida:
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Published on March 13, 2019
Comments 76
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
Comments 0
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
Comments 1
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
Comments 58
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
Comments 5
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
Comments 4
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
Comments 22
