Find your best retirement spot.
The type of retirement spot a retiree might want is as varied as the personalities of each retiree. Because retirement could last for 30 or 40 years, retirees must carefully consider what type of features they can afford and want. Some people might long to live at the beach while others might want a part-time job and others want health facilities nearby. According to Best Retirement Spots, top considerations for a retiree are climate, employment, health care, cost of living, recreation and safety.
Climate
Most retirees want to escape frigid winters, making Florida and Arizona prime retirement destinations. While those states are popular with retirees, there are many other warm-weather areas to consider.
Laguna Beach--Dana Point, California, is an expensive place to live, but if you can afford it, it's a lovely place to retire. It's right on the ocean. More than 50 percent of the population is more than 45 years of age. Laguna Beach boasts an impressive artist colony, has mild weather year-round and is sunny 150 days of the year.
Yuma, Arizona's cost of living is below average. If you like hot climates, Yuma is one of the hottest cities in the United States. The average temperature for July is 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are mild, with January temperatures averaging 69 degrees Fahrenheit.
Employment
If you want to work part-time during retirement, choose a place that doesn't have a lot of competition from young people, such as you would find in a college town.
Branson, Missouri, is an Ozark Mountains boomtown that hires many seniors. The cost-of-living is below average.
Lake Conroe, Texas, 40 miles north of Houston, is for golfers, having more holes per capita than anywhere else in Texas. Many retirees find work here, but the cost-of-living is slightly above average.
Health Care
If health care is your primary retirement concern, college towns are usually best, but other towns fill the bill as well.
Hot Springs, Arkansas, is a tourist spot because of its famous healing spa waters. The general hospitals are good here, and the area sits in the middle of lakes and rolling hills. The cost of living is below average.
Athens, Georgia, home to the University of Georgia, is a regional health care center providing emergency care, cardiac care and all major medical services. The town has excellent restaurants, galleries, live music and more than 200 places of worship.
Low Cost of Living
If you will be living on a low fixed income, then you'll want a place that's inexpensive to live. The most affordable places to live take into consideration health care, housing, recreation, taxes, transportation costs, food and utilities. Places to consider are Gainesville, Florida; Pensacola, Florida; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Bloomington, Indiana; Natchitoches, Louisiana; Holland, Michigan; Paris, Tennessee; Kerrville, Texas; and Lynchburg, Virginia.
Recreation
If you have always been active and plan to remain that way, consider Fort Collins, Colorado, or Asheville, North Carolina. Fort Collins has mountain sports like camping, fishing, hiking, bicycling and skiing. Many wilderness areas are there as well. Asheville is "golf heaven," according to Best Retirement Spots. It's a great place for tennis players, too. Not far out of town, you can hike, raft, kayak, horseback ride, snow ski and go antiquing.
Safety
If safety is your top concern, some places rank below the national average on crime. They are Boulder, Colorado; Meredith, New Hampshire; and Ithaca, New York.
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