Another list of best retirement cities

[NW-Bound]

Apache Junction, AZ is #2 on the list? Who would have thunk?

It's about 35 miles from my home. I thought my neck of the woods, er, desert, is far superior. Can't tell anybody about it though. It's getting more and more crowded ever since we moved here 30 years ago.

 

[Ronstar]

Apache Junction, AZ is #2 on the list? Who would have thunk?.....

NW - the list was by alphabetical order, but still I agree - who would have even thunk that Apache Junction was in the top 25 retirement spots? Maybe the bottom 25.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, be careful in what you say though. I knew someone who had a mini-mansion there (I have not seen it), so there are new developments I do not know about even though I consider myself an Arizonan, having lived here for more than 4 decades.

 

[Ronstar]

Maybe I shouldn't be too critical of Apache Junction. I've only been there about 10 times - and every time on the same route. So I haven't seen the whole town. But I don't intend to either. Now if Fountain Hills, Az was on the list, I would have no problem with that.

 

[NW-Bound]

Forty years ago when I came into town, Fountain Hills was already there and growing. I have not visited the town for many years now, and wonder if it got too crowded.

 

[W2R]

You all can have Arizona all to yourselves. When we were looking for a retirement destination, I unilaterally removed the entire state of Arizona from our consideration because my ex lives there.

 

[NW-Bound]

But he has moved to Nawlins for the food, I heard. You may run across him one of these days during your lunch excursion.

 

[W2R]

But he has moved to Nawlins for the food, I heard.

Naw, he hates New Orleans! If he ever even visits, you'll know the end of the world is nigh. And that's wonderful, to me - - I love having several thousand miles between us so I don't have to worry about running into him like that. He can have Arizona all to himself.

 

[NW-Bound]

But you don't know his whereabout. And people change. He may be tired of the dry heat here, and misses the Cajun food. How can you be sure he will not come back?

 

[ElizabethT]

NW - the list was by alphabetical order, but still I agree - who would have even thunk that Apache Junction was in the top 25 retirement spots? Maybe the bottom 25.

I find these lists to be so silly - if you compared them all, I'm confident every city in the USA would come up as being in the Top 25 at some point.

I even saw Detroit listed a couple of years back, primarily due to 'it's terrific real estate prices.' Um, yes . . . for a reason.

 

[W2R]

But you don't know his whereabout. And people change. He may be tired of the dry heat here, and misses the Cajun food. How can you be sure he will not come back?

That's about as likely as the sun rising in the west. Believe me, Arizona is forever crossed off of my list of potential retirement destinations (even if I was still considering moving, which I am not).

 

[Major Tom]

But you don't know his whereabout. And people change. He may be tired of the dry heat here, and misses the Cajun food. How can you be sure he will not come back?

NW-Bound - the way you are playing with W2R, I can almost imagine you as siblings

 

[W2R]

NW-Bound - the way you are playing with W2R, I can almost imagine you as siblings

+1

True, I used to joke around like this with my brothers sometimes too.

 

[W2R]

I find these lists to be so silly - if you compared them all, I'm confident every city in the USA would come up as being in the Top 25 at some point.

I even saw Detroit listed a couple of years back, primarily due to 'it's terrific real estate prices.' Um, yes . . . for a reason.

Yes, the cities that make these lists really amaze me! The first time I saw such a list, I took it seriously. But in the years since, I have noticed that they are completely inconsistent.

 

[NW-Bound]

I find these lists to be so silly - if you compared them all, I'm confident every city in the USA would come up as being in the Top 25 at some point.

I even saw Detroit listed a couple of years back, primarily due to 'it's terrific real estate prices.' Um, yes . . . for a reason.

A while back, I was fascinated by the unbelievable demise of the city, so spent a day surfing the Web, looking at photos, stories, youtube videos. There were so many homes in decay, and some I could still imagine how they looked back in their glorious past.

It is so sad, although I have never lived or even been there. I intend to at least drive through the area at some point, but the occasion has not arisen.

NW-Bound - the way you are playing with W2R, I can almost imagine you as siblings

I was not playing. W2R was so cocky sure about her ex's location, so it just made me wonder.

 

[Bamaman]

Naw, he hates New Orleans! If he ever even visits, you'll know the end of the world is nigh. And that's wonderful, to me - - I love having several thousand miles between us so I don't have to worry about running into him like that. He can have Arizona all to himself.

I have never been a fan of New Orleans, but the rest of Louisiana is very much understated. The rest of the state's nothing like their largest city.

I especially enjoy the spirit of the real cajuns and the food's incredible. And I can honestly say that few places in the U.S. have more beautiful people than Louisiana (outside of New Orleans.)

 

[garyt]

Apache Junction, AZ is #2 on the list? Who would have thunk?

It's about 35 miles from my home. I thought my neck of the woods, er, desert, is far superior. Can't tell anybody about it though. It's getting more and more crowded ever since we moved here 30 years ago.

What's wrong with Apache Junction? It and Abilene Texas were two places on the list that intrigued me.

 

[zinger1457]

What's wrong with Apache Junction? It and Abilene Texas were two places on the list that intrigued me.

It's located on the eastern outskirts of the Phoenix metropolitan area. If you're considering being a full time resident you will have about 4 months a year of 100+ temperatures to deal with.

 

[aja8888]

A while back, I was fascinated by the unbelievable demise of the city, so spent a day surfing the Web, looking at photos, stories, youtube videos. There were so many homes in decay, and some I could still imagine how they looked back in their glorious past.

It is so sad, although I have never lived or even been there. I intend to at least drive through the area at some point, but the occasion has not arisen.

I spent 4 years in Detroit in the late 1970s working at a small metal fabrication plant a few miles south of central city. I was the Plant Manager of the place and had about 150 employees. Not the greatest talent as Big Auto got the cream of the crop. It was so bad that it was common for murders in bars to happen on the same street as our plant. I lived in Livonia at the time and commuted in.

The plant is gone now as is most of the run down homes and bars in the immediate area. I guess the area was bulldozed for one reason or another.

Detroit as a great place to retire to? Not happening. That even goes for the suburbs as the crime has moved out of city limits.

 

[Ronstar]

What's wrong with Apache Junction? It and Abilene Texas were two places on the list that intrigued me.

IMO, there are several Phoenix area cities that are more desirable retirement spots than Apache Junction. Just my opinion, and also that of several studies.

 

[latexman]

Here's the list sans the pretty photo of each and the verbiage about why each made the list:

Abilene, Texas
Apache Junction, Arizona
Athens, Georgia
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Blacksburg, Virginia
Bluffton, South Carolina
Brevard, North Carolina
Cape Coral, Florida
Clermont, Florida
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Columbia, Missouri
Corvallis, Oregon
Fargo, North Dakota
Grand Prairie, Texas
Largo, Florida
Lexington, Kentucky
Lincoln, Nebraska
Meridian, Idaho
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
San Marcos, Texas
Smyrna, Tennessee
Traverse City, Michigan
The Villages, Florida
Walla Walla, Washington

Thanks for taking one for the team! You saved us lots of time.

 

[NW-Bound]

What's wrong with Apache Junction? It and Abilene Texas were two places on the list that intrigued me.

When I came to Phoenix more than 40 years ago, Apache Junction was just a spot I drove through on my way to Canyon Lake. There was not much there.

Now, there have been more houses. I looked on Zillow, and found that home prices are generally low compared to the rest of the area. It appears that the population is mostly retirees, hence the cost of RE is lower. This could be due to it being on the outskirts, and workers would have too long a drive into town. It could also explain the low crime rate cited by the article.

Considering some factors like the above, it may give this place some positive points, although some people think of it as boring and not upscale.

It's located on the eastern outskirts of the Phoenix metropolitan area. If you're considering being a full time resident you will have about 4 months a year of 100+ temperatures to deal with.

The entire Phoenix metropolitan is hot as Hades in the summer. So, Apache Junction is not any worse in terms of the temperature.

IMO, there are several Phoenix area cities that are more desirable retirement spots than Apache Junction. Just my opinion, and also that of several studies.

Yes, and the homes cost more.

 

[travelover]

............Detroit as a great place to retire to? Not happening. That even goes for the suburbs as the crime has moved out of city limits.

I'm currently trying to sell a home in the Detroit exburbs, but I don't think it is fair to paint the metro-Detroit suburbs as having a crime problem. A place like Livonia, where you lived, is a safe as any city of similar size. Where I live, just a little farther west, gets two cop cars and a fire truck allocated to get a cat out of a tree.

 

[braumeister]

Every time I see a "Best City" list, I rarely find more than one or two that elicit even a slight interest.

Clickbait indeed.

 

[FI_RElater]

Of course, it is on the west side of the Cascades and averages up to 66" a year, but it is a nice place. I'm planning to retire on the dry side in Central Oregon.

But this year central Oregon has had some serious snowfall-- over 18 inches again now on the ground

I DID FI-RE in the area-- moved from far away; now have Cascade view every day.

As far as Abilene-- you mean ft phantom and dyess aren't huge attractions??

For retirement cities:
For more temperate and affordable I would say Nashville (Smyrna is near-- between Nashville an Murfreesboro-- but is way too small), Colorado Springs or Fort Collins (not always temperate), or Carson city/ Gardiner / Minden ( for proximity to Tahoe without the price)