Best Places to Retire

Best Places To Retire In The United States

The biggest problem with compiling a list of the best places to retire in United States is determining a cut off point. The fact is, you could probably list 100 best places to retire in the United States. However, most experts agree that here are the very best places to retire in United States. Maybe.

Columbia, South Carolina

This city has low housing costs and is the home of both South Carolina's state capital and its state university. It is also very affordable as its median home price in 2010 was just $147,000. The city is less than two hours from Charleston, 1 1/2 hours to Charlotte, NC and just a 2 1/2 hours drive to Savannah Georgia. So Columbia not only has many things to do and see. it is close to other places that offer a variety of attractions.

Tucson, Arizona

This city is one of America's favorite places to retire due to its warm, dry climate and its affordable cost of living. It is a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts with biking, camping and hiking. The Tucson Audubon Society offers more than 153 birding excursions each year and you can buy a manufactured home there for less than the cost of a luxury car.

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth offers the interesting combination of the glitz of neighboring Dallas and the feel of a small town. Housing is generally on the affordable side in Fort Worth as the median home price there in 2008 was $128,500. It has two world-class museums, a great zoo and the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.

Aurora, Colorado

Aurora is next door to Denver but offers much cheaper housing with a median home price of $138,000 or about $40,000 less than its sister city. Aurora has 300 days of sunshine a year and four seasons but its winters tend to be on the mild side. Aurora is just an hour's drive away from the spectacular Rocky Mountains.

Prescott, Arizona

This is an old mining town that has become one of the country's most popular areas for retirement. It borders on the Prescott National Forest and is close to the towns of Chino Valley and Prescott Valley. Prescott has much to see and do and has been officially designated as "Arizona's Christmas city."

Durham, North Carolina

One of this` city's biggest attractions is that it is home to Duke University. The school has a life-long learning program for retirees. Durham has four seasons, but none is very extreme. The median price of a home is just $163,000. Durham's Duke Nasher Museum has a growing collection of contemporary art. The city is home of many parks and golf courses.

Key West, Florida

This is the most southeastern city in the United States. It has a subtropical climate, a rich cross-section of people and is a very charming city. The lower parts of town were hit hard by a hurricane in 2005 but have been rebuilt since then. You really don't even need a car in Key West as almost everyone gets around the town on a 1950s style cruiser bike.



Kansas City, Missouri

People who retire to Kansas City say that it's both a fun and affordable place to live. It has a reasonable cost of living with a median home price of $118,000. Kansas City offers everything from symphonies to jazz clubs and from great barbecue to sushi. Retirees can stay busy visiting the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art or the city's Crossroads Art District.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

This town is far enough away from Detroit to be insulated from that city's problems but its access to a major city does have benefits. One of the things that make Ann Arbor an attractive city is that it is the home of the University of Michigan and has fairs, sporting events, museums, lectures and numerous other attractions-many of which are free. The median sale price of a home in Ann Arbor in 2011 is $199,000.

Annapolis, Maryland

This city is the capital of Maryland and has a population of 36,524. The US Naval Academy is there. It has a humid subtropical climate and is on the Atlantic Ocean-so offers much in the way of water sports. It is also the home of St. John's College, a non-sectarian, private school. Annapolis real estate is a bit on the pricey side as the sale price of a home is currently $387,600, though this is down about 3% in the last year.

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Several magazines have named Las Cruces as an ideal place to retire. It offers a combination of great weather, a vibrant cultural scene, low cost of living and good health care. In 2010, the median list price of a home in Las Cruces was 189,900.

Sarasota, Florida

The city's population is about 52,000 and it plays home to dozens of historically significant buildings and institutions. Sarasota is considered by many to be Florida's cultural capital. It has one of the state's best downtown areas. It is located on Florida's central West Coast on the Gulf of Mexico AND Sarasota Bay.

El Paso, Texas

El Paso is rich in history and offers much cultural diversity. It is also a very inexpensive place to live, as the average purchase price of a home is currently $120,974. This is an excellent time to buy a home in El Paso as real estate prices have dropped dramatically over the past four years.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Gatlinburg's population is 3,778 and its median home price is $ 249,900. The town sits at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It offers shopping and dining in its downtown area and if you want to venture outside Gatlinburg, there is nearby Pigeon Forge with Dollywood and outlet malls.

Moab, Utah

This small city offers some of the most pristine and beautiful terrain in the country, including Canyonlands National Park. Its mountain valleys butt up against spruce and aspen forest. Life there revolves around cross-country skiing, camping and biking. In other words, Moab's biggest attractions are all outdoors.

Fredericksburg, Texas

This city is located in the Texas Hill country and is near the Enchanted Rock State Park. It is home to the Nimitz Hotel and National Museum of the Pacific War. Fredericksburg has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and generally mild winters. It is home to eight vineyards and wineries and some amazing bed and breakfast is.

Winter Park, Florida

Winter Park is a resort town and a storied retirement area in central Florida. It is a planned community that is built around a group of lakes. It claims to have the most parks per capita of any city in Florida. The town is relatively prosperous and offers much in the way of culture.

So are those the best places to retire in the United States? There is no one size fits all best place to retire that will make everyone happy. You are different from your neighbor. You may want a small quiet college town to spend your retirement while your neighbor may want to live by the beach or near a mountain. The choice is ultimately yours. These are just ideas to give you a sense of the possibilities around the US.