Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
August 27, 2024 -- Florida is definitely one of the most popular states for retirement - and for people of all ages. It was the second fastest growing state in 2023, and had the highest rate of net immigration (more people moving in than out) in the nation in 2022. The influx of retirees is one of the biggest reasons for this growth. Yet the Sunshine State is a lot more than just Disney World and beautiful beaches. This article will explore some of the essential things you need to know before you pull up stakes and move there. Some of these items might be positive for you, others not so much.
13 Things to know about retiring in FloridaIt’s hot and humid in The summertime. Living in Florida year round means hunkering down in the air conditioning for most of the summer. Powerful hurricanes and storms hit the State frequently, sometimes with mandatory evacuations.
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Published on August 26, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
August 1, 2024 -- Pocket Neighborhoods were a surprising favorite in our recent poll of your preferred type of community for retirement. (Use this link to see all results from the poll). Last week we did a feature on another winner, New Urban Communities, so here is the lowdown what you need to know about pocket neighborhoods along with some outstanding examples.
What is a Pocket Neighborhood?The most common characteristic of a pocket neighborhood is a group of small homes or cottages sharing a common, open space. That area might be for gardens, pedestrian walkways, shared yards, or gathering places, and recreation. The idea is to promote a close knit sense of community and neighborliness with an increased level of contact. These usable public spaces belong to everyone who lives in that neighborhood.
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Published on July 31, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
New Urban Neighborhoods Have "Lots" to Offer
July 24, 2024 -- New Urban Urban Community was the surprising winner of our recent poll of favorite retirement community types. Of the 5 possible choices in that poll, New Urban got 28% of the votes, narrowly beating out "I wouldn't live in any of these" and "All Ages Active Adult". That development prompted Patricia to ask if we were going to have an article about New Urban Communities, which was a great suggestion! Here is a link to all the results from "Your Favorite Types of Communities".
New Urban communities (often called traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) are an often overlooked choice for retirement. These communities deliver on many of the requirements desired by many baby boomers. Those include walkability, a neighborhood feel, bike or pedestrian access to a town/city center via paths or sidewalks, and an attractive environment with recreational possibilities.
Retro VillageNew Urbanism is, in our opinion, an oxymoron. “Retro Village" or "Retro Urbanism” might be better terms. That is because the movement seems more like a return to what towns were like before cars changed everything – there is really nothing “new” about it! There are plenty of examples of very old towns that are a perfect example of great urban planning – Savannah, GA; Washington, D.C.; Venice, FL; not to mention almost every walled city in Europe. In all of these cases residences are clustered around parks, shops, and restaurants – making everyday life possible without the hassle of cars and traffic.
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Published on July 23, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 23, 2024 — Once you retire there are oh so many different types of communities to live in. We count at least 10, and that doesn’t include just living in a traditional neighborhood in town or the suburbs. To help illustrate the various choices we are proposing a fun little exercise modeled after the New York Times popular real estate feature, "The Hunt". The paper describes a couple or individual’s quest for a home, including the various places they considered, and then tell which one they actually bought. Readers are asked to vote on which home they think the couple actually would buy in the end, and then indicate the one they would have purchased, if they were the potential homebuyer.
Voting instructions
You and/or your partner are the buyer in this exercise. Read these descriptions and then vote (below) on which community type you would choose. If you already own your retirement home, pretend that you just retired and have a clean slate - which of these 5 community types (or none of the above) would you take. The choices are presented at the bottom of the article as an instant poll - vote and then you will instantly see how others have voted. These are the first 5 options; in 2 weeks we will give you 5 more options if we get enough people voting.
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Published on June 23, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 17, 2024 -- Brian, a long time visitor to Topretirements.com, had a problem. Retired in Beaufort, SC, golf and boating held no allure for him, and he felt stuck in the wrong place. The area was getting expensive too. Family members were urging him to move, but with conflicting advice.
Coming to Topretirements.com, he asked for help. The most important thing Brian wanted in a place to retire was to have access to the outdoors and mountains. Budget limitations ruled out a return to his native New England. Could Topretirements help him find some great places to retire in the Southeast that met his criteria? Here we go, we love a challenge!
10 Best Mountain Places to Retire in the SoutheastThe Topretirements editorial team got to work combing through its capsule Reviews of thousands of great places to retire, looking for the 10 best mountain towns in the Southeast, which generally means the Blue Ridge mountains. Great possibilities immediately emerged in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Here is the list of the 10 best mountain towns in the Southeast we developed for Brian.
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Published on June 17, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 11, 2024 — Websites looking for clicks love to opine on the best, or worst, reasons to retire here and there. Sometimes their logic is good, other times it’s….iffy. To try to set the record straight on such topic, the worst reasons to retire in Florida, we have updated…
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Published on June 10, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 31, 2024 -- It is a sad state of affairs, but the reality is that politics are driving the decisions some people make about where to live in retirement. The NY Times wrote an article on the subject, "Sick of Your Blue State? These Real Estate Agents Have a Place for You". In it they describe how many retirees are moving to red states like South Carolina, Texas, and Florida from more liberal states in the Pacific Northwest or Northeast. One of their main reasons is to find a place with like minded people where their support of Trump, conservative politics, religion, and cultural issues are not ostracized.
Jen Hubbell is a real estate agent in Greenville, S.C. who has a clientle eager of people looking for more conservative pastures. Business is booming for her and for Greenville, one of the fastest growing Metros in the fastest growing state in the country. She points out that the city has hundreds of churches along with neighborhoods whose residents conservative values and morals. Another real estate person in this market is Paul Chabot, president of Conservative Move. His company has many retired clients who have expressed interest in moving to conservative states like Texas, Florida, and South Carolina.
Downtown Greenville
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Published on May 29, 2024
Comments 35
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 21, 2024 - When we ask people what they want in a place to retire, living near the beach is often their #1 desire. They like the idea of being close enough to the beach so they can walk, bike, or take a short drive to relax in the sun and enjoy the relaxing sound of the surf. That might mean a beach on the ocean, a bay, or even a big lake - any of those could fit the bill. Here are 10 great beach towns to consider for retirement. We welcome your suggestions for more.
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Published on May 20, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 13, 2024 -- When it comes to learning about the best places to retire in the Southeast, it turns out there is no better source than the faithful Members of Topretirements. A few weeks ago we wrote about Brian's where to retire quest. Immediately the comments and suggestions started rolling in, and they were both interesting and helpful. They were filled with details that you just can't find anywhere else.
So to help Brian, and anyone else struggling to find a place in the eastern part of the country that has mountains and outdoor life opportunities, here is a recap of the suggestions made in Comments to the original article. Feel free to pile on with more Comments at the end. Note: we did a little editing for brevity's sake.
One Editorial Comment:
One thing we have noticed lately is an uptick of retired people who are changing their plans. This comes not only from the comments we received here, but among our circle of friends. More folks seem to be deciding not to be snowbirds any more - because they want to travel more, or sometimes health concerns. A few appear to be capitalizing on their appreciated real estate. Are any of you seeing this?
Carol:
I am a New Englander but spent 6 years in Chattanooga. If you like the outdoor life AND cultural things to do (theater, music, TN Aquarium), along with a vibrant business energy, you definitely should check out Chattanooga.
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Published on April 12, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 10, 2024 – Last week we posed a situation for a hypothetical couple, eager to leave California for an active, outdoor lifestyle in the West somewhere. After thinking about it we suggested 4 very popular towns in as many states that might fit the bill, and asked our Members…
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Published on April 9, 2024
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