Choosing Your Retirement Location

Choosing your Retirement Location

All of us dream of retiring to a place that is perfect for us. Perfect for you and your spouse may be near a beach in Florida or in the mountains of Colorado. It could be in the deserts of Arizona or the scenic hills of Oregon. Either way, the perfect spot for you may not be the perfect spot for another retiree. Your needs and wants may be very different from some of your best friends who are also retirees. Either way, when picking a retirement area, you need to make sure that the needs are met before the wants. Below is a list composed of things that are a necessity for many retirees. Your needs may not be listed here, but hopefully this will give you an idea of where to begin.

Health seems to be one of the foremost factors in deciding on a place to spend your golden years. Hospitals are an integral part of health care, and here is a list of 12 cities with an abundance of hospitals.

Union City, NJ - 736 hospitals within a 30 mile radius Jersey City, NJ - 732 North Bergen, NJ - 728 New York, NY - 727 Passaic, NJ - 720 Clifton, NJ - 709 Mount Vernon, NY - 706 New Rochelle, NY - 704 Yonkers, NY - 704 Paterson, NJ - 698 Bayonne, NJ - 696 Newark, NJ - 693

Owning and being able to afford the upkeep on a home is an important aspect of some people's retirement plans. Here is a list of larger cities that offer the lowest median home prices in the country.

Reading, PA - $42,850 Buffalo, NY - $45,000 Niagara Falls, NY - $47,000 Camden, NJ - $55,000 Youngstown, OH - $55,000 Utica, NY - $55,000 Flint, MI - $59,000 Rochester, NY - $60,000 Saginaw, MI - $62,000 Dayton, OH - $63,000 Pittsburgh, PA - $64,500 Syracuse, NY - $64,650

Some retirees want to know that there are plenty of opportunities for them within a city. Those opportunities may include entertainment, part time jobs, senior centers, etc. The following are twelve cities with high populations over 50.

Tamarac, FL - 51% Lake Havasu City, AZ - 47% Port Charlotte, FL - 47% Prescott, AZ - 47% Palm Desert, CA - 46% Largo, FL - 46% St Simons Island, GA - 46% Spring Hill, FL - 45% Surprise, AZ - 45% Walnut Creek, CA - 44% Port Orange, FL - 43% Deerfield Beach, FL - 43%

During the many years of work for some people, there just was not enough time to play a round of golf. Popular with both men and women golfers are the following cities.

Coconut Creek, FL Palm Harbor, CA Palm Desert, CA Lake Havasu City, AZ Woodbury, MN Yorba Linda, CA Boca Raton, FL Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Greenville, NC Diamond Bar, CA Cape Coral, FL Burke, VA

Some prefer to play tennis, and the following are cities where tennis tops the list of leisure activities.

Bethesda, MD Greenwich, CT Davis, CA Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Newport Beach, CA Williamsburg, VA Laguna Niguel, CA West Bloomfield Township, MI McKinney, TX Asheville, NC Mission Viejo, CA Sandy Springs, GA

There are many retired men and women who want to be a part of a country club after retirement to keep up with friends and have many choices on how they spend their day. The following is a list of cities that have a large population of residents with a country club membership.

Palm Desert, CA - 2% Bethesda, MD - 2% Greenwich, CT - 1.8% West Bloomfield Township, MI - 1.8% Lower Merion, PA - 1.7% Lake Havasu City, AZ - 1.7% Newport Beach, CA - 1.7% Palo Alto, CA - 1.7% Spring Hill, FL - 1.6% Carmel, IN - 1.6% Burke, VA - 1.6% Prescott, AZ - 1.6%

Some people want to surround themselves with knowledge in their golden years. Whether that be to be around people that share similar interests with them or just to learn more as they age, these cities offer a high percentage of residents with graduate degrees.

Arlington, VA - 35.7% Davis, CA - 34.6% Brookline, MA - 32.5% Evanston, IL - 31.2% Bloomington, IN - 31.2% Townson, MD - 31.2% Oak Park, IL - 29.1% Bethesda, MD - 29.1% Alexandria, VA - 29.0% West Hartford, CT - 28.9% College Station, TX - 27.7% Ames, IA - 27.5% Columbia, MO - 27.5%

The key to choosing your retirement location is finding the place that suits you best. Whether that reason be for health or recreation, this list should help you get started on the track to finding the place you are looking for.