Today’s seniors are in search of a lifestyle as diverse and dynamic as they are. While many folks will choose to remain where they’ve spent most of their lives and built their communities, others will look for new adventures in a different location — and deciding where that place will be is an extremely important choice.
With that in mind, Livability.com, a site focused on exploring what makes small-to-medium sized cities great places to live, has just released its Top 10 Best Places to Retire, 2017.
Coming in at no. 7 on this year’s list is Birmingham, Ala.
The Magic City has evolved dramatically over the years. The former steel town is now one of the leaders in the health care industry, with more than a dozen hospitals, as well as a premier medical school and research facility in the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The city center has been revitalized, earning accolades as one of the nation’s 10 Best Downtowns and one of the top Spring Break Destinations for Families.
“This year’s retirement cities list perfectly reflects the diverse, dynamic lifestyles of today’s retirees,” says Winona Dimeo-Ediger, managing editor of Livability.com. “Some of these cities might surprise you, which is a good thing, because retirement looks very different in 2017 than it has in the past.”
The full list of best retirement cities was determined by analyzing a range living characteristics including health care, climate, crime rates, cost of living, housing costs and access to recreational activities.
Here are all top 10 places to retire in the U.S:
- Walnut Creek, Calif.
- Reno, Nev.
- Boca Raton, Fla.
- Plano, Texas
- Sioux Falls, S.D.
- Vancouver, Wash.
- Birmingham, Ala.
- Littleton, Colo.
- Bismarck, N.D.
- Salt Lake City, Utah
To determine these rankings, Livability.com experts examined surveys and data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Medicare, Esri, NOAA, Walk Score, the EPA and other sources, and crunched the numbers to determine the best U.S. cities for retirees.
Research shows that seniors care most about health care, climate, crime rates, cost of living, housing costs and access to recreational activities — the site found 10 cities that deliver on all counts, each offering a completely different lifestyle to fit a wide range of tastes and interests.
