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Madison CT — August 15 — Topretirements has been curious to see which towns and cities its visitors are most interested in learning more about. The results offer significant insight into what active adults think are the best towns to retire to. The top profile is generally: small town or city, Sunbelt location, vital downtown, usually with a college or university in town.

Asheville North Carolina Scenery

Here are the top 10 most popular retirement towns as tallied by Topretirements.com:

1. Asheville, NC
2. Paris, TN
3. Old Saybrook, CT
4. Oxford, OH
5. Sarasota, FL
6. Halifax, Nova Scotia
7. Prescott, AZ
8. Green Valley, AZ
9. Athens, GA
10. Winston-Salem, NC

North Carolina and Arizona each had 2 towns in the Top 10. The only 2 communities not in the Sunbelt were Old Saybrook, CT and Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada). Arizona is the only state west of the Mississippi to be represented on the current list. Visits were tallied between January 1 and August 1, 2007.

To a certain extent this survey is more about people’s pre-conceptions about where they would like to retire than where they actually might put down their roots. Certain towns and cities (like Paris, TN or Athens, GA) have good word of mouth about their retirement desirability. While other towns are probably just as attractive because of their amenities, cost of living, and climate (e.g.; Leesville, LA or Las Cruces, NM ) – without a strong marketing buzz they have to fight harder to get a share of the lucrative retirement market.

Links:
Topretirements news about the best active adult retirement communities
100 Best Places to Retire
Certified Retirement Communities
CNN Money Magazine Best Places to Retire

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February 15, 2009 - You have probably read about the problems Greece is having with its unmanageable debt these days. Well if you thought that sort of problem couldn’t effect you as a retiree in the good old USA, think again. A recent article, These 7 States are Headed for Something Worse , by Gregor Macdonald at Seeking Alpha makes a good case with 4 different reasons why 7 U.S. states are NOT the best place to retire. His conclusions are quite similar to what Topretirements reported on back in November (see links at end of article).

While Mr. McMacdonald’s piece was not specifically directed at retirement decisions, we think it is relevant. Here are the 4 reasons why he thinks these 7 states are in trouble:
1. All of the states on his list have large populations (at least 8 million people)
2. They are borrowing heavily,at least 1 billion dollars, to pay unfunded unemployment insurance claims
3. Each state has at least 15% underemployment
4. All are net importers of energy

The 7 states on his list are:
New Jersey
California
Illinois
Michigan
Ohio
North Carolina
Florida

So what does this mean to these states? Macdonald makes the point that all 7 states are being squeezed very hard, with no great resolution in sight. Real wage growth is stagnant or going backward. According to Macdonald, all “…seven states are squeezed hard at both ends: no wage growth at the top, and no relief through cheaper energy costs at the bottom.” The result - taxes will have to go up, interest costs on borrowing will increase, and services will decline. The spiral might get worse as residents get fed up and move elsewhere.

Is This Relevant to You as a Retiree?
For you as a potential retiree the impact of these states’ financial predicament might not be quite as bad. if you are retired, you probably don’t have to worry about being unemployed. You might have to pay higher taxes - if you have taxable income. You do have to be wo...

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Picking towns for “best places to retire” lists can get to be a lot like selecting prom dates - the bright lights overshadow the deserving candidates who don’t get asked to the big party. All too often the result is best places to retire myopia - too many lists that share the same old towns and cities - Asheville, Athens, Austin, Beaufort, etc.

This week we set out to identify 20 best retirement towns that aren’t on that many lists. We looked for towns that we know are terrific, but don’t seem to have the press that their more famous brethren do. Some will be familiar and some will not. Our apologies to all of the other great places to retire whose lights are still hiding under the basket; please give us your nominations in the Comments section below.

Bisbee, Arizona . Bisbee is an historic mining town in south central Arizona, almost at the Mexican border. If you are looking for an interesting, off-beat place to retire, Bisbee might be the place.

Flagstaff, Arizona . At an altitude of 6910 feet the climate is dry and much cooler in the summer than anywhere else in Arizona. Cecil B. DeMille tried but failed to make Flagstaff into an earlier version of Hollywood because of its great scenery, which includes the Grand Canyon and the San Francisco Peaks .

Eureka, California . Eureka’s northern isolation means that it missed much of the post-war redevelopment. As result Eureka is filled with examples of 19th and early 20th century architecture and historic districts. It’s been likened to a west coast Williamsburg, Virginia.

Jackson, California . Jackson is a small town (4,000 people) in the historic gold mining country of California. Jackson is nestled at the 1200 foot level in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Amador County.

Klamath Falls, Oregon . Klamath Falls is a beautiful town for retirement in south central Oregon, east of Medford and Ashland. Nearby are 2 very large and beautiful lakes: Upper Klamath Lake is the largest natural lake in the Pacific Northwest, and Crater Lake.

Maryville, Tennessee . Maryville is blessed with Maryville College, a private liberal arts college of about 850 whose campus is in the center of town. Its 400 acre campus has several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and also has trails and paths for walking and running.

Yakima, Washington . Located in the Yakima Valley midway between Walla Walla and Seattle, this area is one of the best apple growing regions in the world.

Huntsville, Alabama . Huntsville is famous for its NASA Marshall Space Flight Center , the Redstone Arsenal, and as a high-tech center. It is a popular destination for retirees from all over the country, based on availability of desirable housing, beautiful parks, and a vibrant cultural infrastructure.

New Haven, Connecticut . New Haven, long downtrodden, is having a resurgence with young adults and retirees. The downtown is packed with restaurants, Yale students...

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Much has been made in the press lately about the phenomenon of seniors who in their old age move back north again to be near family and friends. The New York Times reported that for the first time since the depression more older Americans left the south than those who moved there. Many of the elderly (75 years or older) are the so-called "halfbacks" - people who moved to Florida in their 60's who are now moving to the Carolinas or mid-Atlantic states (half-way back north). Indeed the Orlando Sentinel reported on the results of the 2008 American Community Survey in September, 2009: " For a second consecutive year, census figures show more people moving out of Florida to other states than moving in from other parts of the country". Thanks to births the overall population grew a slight .4% in the 2008 Census.  An expert from the University of Florida, Stan Smith, believes that the housing crisis and job losses are behind the net out-migration.


The actual numbers are fairly startling - the Census Bureau study reports that about 121,000 people 75 years or older left the south in the 2000-2005 period, while 87,000 moved to the region. The same survey done 10 years prior found the reverse; 57,000 seniors moved out of the south and 92,000 moved in. The experts don't completely understand the reason for the switch in migration patterns, which could be a complex statistical or generational issue. There is some agreement on why older retirees tend to move north, however. The overwhelming reason for moving northward seems to be nearer family or old friends - often one spouse dies and the survivor moves to be closer to existing kin. Or in the case of both spouses moving, senior services might be better in the north, or reduced health propels the move. Some people find they just don't like living in Florida, or are unhappy about the direction of the State, which has had its share of fiscal real estate woes in recent years. One thing to keep in mind in this study is that only a relatively small percentage of the population over 75 ever moves. Another is that it makes sense that those seniors who move to the south from the north and make the strongest personal connections are more likely to stay there in their older age. Looking for a list of retirement communities by state? Check out our state retirement guides

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