The AARP has come out with their list of top retirement cities in the United States. Instead of staying in ones house as they get older, many retirees are looking to head someplace where they can enjoy the glory years.
One thing I am amazed at is the amount of cold weather cities on the list. I would think that a Wilmington, North Carolina with it’s temperate climate would have an edge over Ann Arbor or Madison. Both are college towns, but I can not imagine an 80 year old trying to navigate the cold and ice that is so prominent in the Michigan winters.
But that is me. I have always had an aversion to the cold weather since I left New York to come south.
Top 10 Retirement Cities For 2008
- Ann Arbor, Mich: Fully 86 percent of residents exercise daily and the city boasts 580 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to the U.S. average of 223.
- Honolulu: An impressive 95 percent of residents are covered by health insurance; residents spend more time exercising than almost any other city surveyed.
- Madison, Wisc: Residents have low rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Santa Fe, N.M.: The city ranked No. 2 in the U.S. in air quality by the American Lung Association; the rates of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are among the lowest in the country.
- Fargo, N.D.: Ranks No. 9 in the nation for regular flossing and brushing; it has one of the best air-quality-index scores, and it uses biodiesel fuel to power its transit buses.
- Boulder, Colo.: This is one of the nation’s healthiest cities with extremely low rates of smoking and obesity (BMI of 24.94).
- Charlottesville, Va.: Ranks among the top ten cities for family-practice doctors, oncologists and cardiologists, and it ranks fourth among U.S. metropolitan areas in the number of physicians per capita.
- Minneapolis-St. Paul: Residents rank among the top 10 in the country for share of residents who exercise regularly and the state is No. 1 in the nation for the overall quality of its healthcare by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
- San Francisco Bay Area: Residents are among the least likely to be overweight and smoke, plus the city offers free or subsidized health care to uninsured residents.
- Naples-Marco Island, Fla.: Residents received very high scores for regular exercise, healthy eating and not smoking; the area has one of the lowest cancer mortality rates in the country.
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I like your site. Its a great read. Expect me back soon!
Thanks AARP for rating Ann Arbor number 1. As an Ann Arbor resident, I will be the first to say that by about February, I need to get out of town to someplace warmer! I guess the weight of other factors out weighed the negative aspects of the cold winter. Certainly two things that make Ann Arbor vibrant are the University of Michigan and the U of M medical center hospitals. They bring a largely diverse and highly educated group of people to town that help make us what we are. These institutions also go a long way to keeping our economy strong and our real estate market healthy while so much of southeastern Michigan has suffered.
Andy Piper
I would say Romania. Cheap and pleasant stay
I am retired residing in Florida. I read the list here of top 10 cities to retire. I see Honolulu as listed #2. I can't imagiane how
expensive it is there to live and on a fixed income to boot. Housing, food (most shipped from the mainland) is quite expensive.
If someone call say what the cost of living is there, we'd all like to know. Many thing that Florida is a retirement home in itself. To the contrary. If you look up the median age for Florida you will be
surprised. It is also getting expensive to live in Florida. It's not the Florida we once knew for living on a fixed income.
While retirement should be a time of great joy, it is also important to ensure you can live the rest of your life in comfort. Finding cheaper places to retire will neither diminish nor detract your ability to seek cultural diversification and affordable housing.
I see this is a 2008 top city list to retire. I say evern thought the list must change yearly for whatever reason, you must decide what’s good for you. I live appox 3hrs from Naples, Florida which is on the west coast. I live on the east coast, Palm Beach County,
Fl. Most of Florida is a great place not only to retire in but have any age family live here. If anyone really does their homework and goes to the demograhpics for that state, they will see in particular,Florida, it is not just ‘old’ people. It is getting expensive to live in south Florida as well as most places in the U.S. I guess that’s why many are re-locating to Costa Rica and the like. Good luck.
I have read your blog and it seems that it is really very interesting since it directly points into the Top 10 Retirement Cities. Searching for best cities to retire encompasses many challenges. Does it offer affordable housing? Is the crime rate low? Does the state have top quality health facilities? Are there enough recreational activities to enjoy? Does the state have a variety of landscapes conducive to your lifestyle? How is the year round climate? What is the medium age? Does the state have cultural and historic value? These are just some of the questions you may have on your list. Well the good news is that there are a myriad of cities which not only fit your criteria, but in which you can afford-ably and safely relocate to after you retire. While it will take some time to research the best city to retire, you can be assured you will find the place of your dreams.
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nice post. these places has its own way to relax people, maybe it is the nature or environment.