Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 20, 2021 -- Virginia's recent Comment to our "25 Most Popular Active Communities in the Southeast" article really got things going. Many folks jumped in to help answer her question, which asked what people thought about retiring in Maryland. Since hers generated so many other Comments (and Maryland is not an active community nor is it in the Southeast) we thought we would pull everything together under a new post to keep everything in better focus.
Most of the Comments quickly got into taxes and cost of living, although just about everyone liked other aspects of the Free State. Regarding taxes, an estate lawyer once said something very wise to my mother and I. He said: "Don't let the tax tail wag the dog". In other words, if you want to do something for good reasons (like move to another state), do it. His mantra - enjoy your life; fear of taxes is not the way to live. Just as important as that thought though, you also have to act on the basis of the facts, not on what you think you know or heard from someone else.
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Published on June 19, 2021
Comments 11
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 19, 2021 -- If you are a retiree looking for a place to retire that offers superior outdoor recreational opportunities - you are in luck! There are countless towns in this country where mountains, lakes, rivers, or trails are just outside your door. In addition to traditional activities like tennis, golf, and fishing, these retirement destinations usually provide great hiking, skiing, water sports, etc.. Here are our top 10 picks for great outdoor places to retire.
10 Great Retirement Towns for Outdoor Activities
Bend, Oregon. Located on the Deschutes River on the eastern edge of the Cascades, the area offers great scenic beauty, skiing, mountains, golf, fishing, and more. Word about how nice this city is has gotten out: the population keeps increasing by leaps and bounds.
Burlington, Vermont. On the eastern shore of Lake Champlain you will find this town, home to the vibrant University of Vermont. Burlington is very popular with outdoor loving retirees who also want the youth and enthusiasm provided by a major university. Mountain bikers enjoy many great trails such as "The International", which is about 20 minutes outside of town. Nearby ski resorts including Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, Smugglers Notch, and Stowe, which now offer year round recreation. For the recreational bicyclist/walker/jogger there is the Island Rail2Trail path, which has 8 miles right along Lake Champlain.
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Published on June 18, 2021
Comments 4
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 27, 2021 -- Not everyone dreams of retiring in an active community, a small town, or the suburbs. There is a sizable group of baby boomers who yearn for something bigger than that. For these folks, retiring in a small or medium sized city might be just the ticket. This lifestyle has the attraction of living in the center of things, walking to everything, choosing from a raft of interesting restaurants, or seeing a good play production or concert. To these folks that is a lot more appealing than endless rounds of golf, pickleball, or mowing the lawn. Here are picks for some great places to retire that offer an urban lifestyle.
For cities to be considered we had several wish list items, although not every city will have all of them. We tried to find cities that are walkable; where pedestrians enjoy wide sidewalks, safe crossing zones, and some separation from cars. Pedestrian-only zones are a big plus. Bike lanes and paths that keep you and your bicycle out of harm's way from cars are nice to have. There has to be a number of good restaurants and cultural venues to choose from. The presence of a college or university definitely adds value. And finally, there should be some living options either in the downtown or in a quiet nearby neighborhood. Another bonus would be low cost of living (not all of our picks met that hurdle). We published a list of 9 Great Small Cities for Retirement a few years ago, and boy did that generate a lot of Comments and suggestions (199) - we think you will find them worth reading.
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Published on May 26, 2021
Comments 25
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 19, 2021 -- Last week we asked our Members to tell us where they retired, or where they are considering. The response, although certainly not overwhelming, did come up with a lot more suggestions. To see all of them you can go to the Comments from that article, 29 of them so far. We have summarized (lightly editing) the places that were mentioned there, but you should really read the originals in their entirety to get more detail. We also encourage you to tell us where you are retiring, either at the bottom of this article or on the original one. Thank you to all who contributed, we really appreciate you making the effort!
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Published on May 18, 2021
Comments 3
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 11, 2021 -- Maybe the question should be, "Where Are You Going to Retire", as many of our Members have either not yet retired, or haven't quite come to a final decision. We all want to know about those greener pastures that beckon(ed) to you. Or perhaps, you have decided to retire where you live now, either in the same home or in a different neighborhood. Whatever the case, the Topretirements community is very interested in your plans, because where people are actually retiring is always a lot more interesting than what all those "best places to retire" articles come up with.
Knowing what other people are thinking about gives people ideas as well as food for thought. There will be many possibilities where baby boomers are retiring that you hadn't thought about, as well as considerations that you hadn't taken into account before. To get things started, we have copied a sampling of suggestions from over 140 Comments we received a few years ago on this topic (although that Blog was specifically about where singles will retire, most of the Comments were applicable to couples as well as singles).
Your thoughts please! We encourage everyone reading this Blog to give us at least a sentence or two about where you retire, or the places you are considering. If everyone will do that, which will only take a minute, we will have an amazingly rich resource that thousands of people will find fascinating. Just go to the Comments section at the end of this article and give us a sentence (or more about why if you would like). In some cases we have to approve it before it goes live, but we will try to do that quickly. Thanks!
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Published on May 11, 2021
Comments 42
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 4, 2021 - Back in the day St. Petersburg was considered one of the best places to retire for people from the Midwest and Northeast. Tourists also flocked to this amazing city on Tampa Bay, about half way down Florida's West Coast. Some retirees settled here permanently, others spent the winter months in one of the many classic downtown hotels that are still present (but in different form). After the 1970's the city faded into a retirement backwater, supplanted by trendier destinations like Fort Myers, Naples, and affordable towns in Central Florida. Blight and poverty took over in many parts of the city, leaving some big downtown buildings as unused relics. Fast forward to today, when St. Pete is not only a very hot destination for retirement, but people of all ages are moving here. The population is 265,381, with 18.6% of the population 65 and over (about 2% points higher than the U.S. overall).
Downtown St. Pete
On a recent visit to the fair city we were very impressed with St. Petersburg's revival. It is not hard to see reasons for the resurgence. The city's location could not be better - a manageable city sitting on peninsula surrounded by the gigantic Tampa Bay. Broad streets host gracious buildings. Along the edges, nothing obscures the views of the Bay. Very few towns in the world can match the number of its parks and amount of open space along the Bay. Nicknamed the "Sunshine City", it logs an average 361 days of sunshine per year. On a recent late April evening the streets and parks were filled with people of all ages and types. The human diversity on display was refreshing. There were straight and gay pairs, mixed race couples, baby boomers, and millennials. The sidewalks were full of people out for a stroll along the boulevards and parks, having dinner in an outdoor restaurant by the Bay, or enjoying an ice cream. Soon even more will be coming to enjoy St. Pete's enviable cultural scene, which, as Covid ebbs, is on the verge of opening up. Retirees live in high rises, neighborhoods, or surrounding communities. There is a big variety of living choices.
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Published on May 4, 2021
Comments 5
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 22, 2021 – Which Carolina, North or South, is the best place to retire? We get asked that question a lot. To help you make the most informed decision on that topic we have revised our Dueling Carolinas: North vs. South Carolina as a Retirement Restination feature, which…
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Published on April 23, 2021
Comments 1
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 20, 2021 -- Our mission here at Topretirements is to find great places to retire, so we are always on the lookout for undiscovered gems. Today we are going to spill the beans about some undiscovered retirement towns that you might not have heard about before. See end of article for more ideas for underappreciated places to retire.
By definition, most of these places are small.
Boca Grande, Florida. This small, upscale and beautiful residential community is located on Gasparilla Island between Fort Myers and Sarasota. It is home to many retirees and seasonal residents with an average age of 66. The Boca Grande Pass is the deepest natural pass in Florida, and is considered to be the world’s best tarpon fishing spot. That makes the small town not only a tourist destination, but a haven for fishermen. The seven mile island also offers white sand beaches and a quaint downtown and restaurants, but you won’t find any high rises, traffic lights, grocery stores, or gas stations.
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Published on April 19, 2021
Comments 7
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 14, 2021 -- One thing about Florida, it's bigger than you think. Google Maps, which assumes no one ever has to stop for gas or a health break, figures it takes 12 hours and 20 minutes to drive from Pensacola to Key West. Looking for a great Florida place to retire on that trip takes you through many very different areas. Today we will travel to Florida's Atlantic Coast, which is loaded with best places to retire. Our tour will start north and move south. See list of our other regional retirement tours at end.
The east coast of Florida, which runs from the Georgia border and ends in Key West, is fairly uniform. Most towns here have two components: a barrier island with a beach town, and the main town and bigger residential developments located across a causeway on the mainland. Its many bays and inlets provide great boating and waterfront living. It is very flat and very low; coastal flooding is here and it is getting worse.
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Published on March 13, 2021
Comments 4
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 16, 2021 -- Last week on this Blog we posed the question, "How Much Is Enough for Retirement". So when we came across this new study on the cheapest and most expensive places to retire from NetCredit, it seemed like the perfect follow-up.
As most retirees in the US or UK are figuring out, retiring in their own country means they are going to need over half a million dollars in the bank to do it comfortably. If that sounds unreasonable, then retiring abroad might be the next best option. NetCredit's new study crunched the numbers to find out what it would cost to retire comfortably in (almost) every country around the world.
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Published on February 15, 2021
Comments 5
