Some people dread heading into retirement. “What am I going to do with all of this free time on a fixed income?” they ask themselves. No one wants to spend their retirement feeling like they are a prisoner of their circumstances stuck in an area they don’t want to be in and wasting their opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor. One of the best ways to make sure this doesn’t happen is to move to an area that offers an attractive lifestyle; meaning it has good weather, a rich culture, educational offerings, volunteer work, opportunities to stay physically active, and a lower cost of living. Taking all of these things to heart, Forbes has created a list of the 25 best places to retire to in 2016.
The list includes cities and towns from 19 different states and across all four continental time zones. And since research has shown that retiring baby boomers tend to move to sunnier, warmer climates, the list reflects these tastes.
Florida is represented four times on the list, the most of any state, and Texas and North Carolina follow with three cities and two cities on the list respectively. Not every locale is all about warmth and sunshine, however, as North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Michigan all have offerings as well.
College towns are well represented on the list, as they tend to be very walkable and provide ample educational offerings. Athens, Ga., Blacksburg, Va., and Columbia, Mo. are all college towns that made the list.
There are 14 newcomers on Forbes’ list for 2016 with financial and economic factors being the most significant factors in determining why towns come and go. The local cost of living and home prices are compared with historical norms and the state tax climate for retirees is also factored in. Due to high taxes and other expenses, very few locations from California and the Northeast made the list. While scenic beauty and cultural attributes are not statistically factored in, all towns that made the final list had to have an aspect other than just numbers that was enticing.
To view the entire list, as well as seeing why a particular town was selected, follow the link below.
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