Best places to retire

[Purron]

Another one of those lists. Some towns I've never seen before. Naturally, my town never makes the grade

25 Best Places to Retire - Marquette, Mich. (1) - CNNMoney

1. Marquette, Mich.
2. Cape Coral, Fla.
3. Boise, Idaho
4. Danville, Ky.
5. Weatherford, Texas
6. Southaven, Miss.
7. Pittsburgh, Pa.
8. Broken Arrow, Okla.
9. Lake Charles, La.
10. Winston-Salem, N.C.
11. St. Joseph, Mich.
12. Huntsville, Ala.
13. Clearwater, Fla.
14. Clarksville, Tenn.
15. Tucson, Ariz.
16. Austin, Texas
17. Bloomington, Ind.
18. Lawrence, Kan.
19. Spokane, Wash.
20. Columbia, S.C.
21. Albuquerque, N.M.
22. Marietta, Ga.
23. Iowa City, Iowa
24. Conway, Ark.
25. Georgetown, Texas

 

[GregLee]

Another one of those lists. Some towns I've never seen before. Naturally, my town never makes the grade

25 Best Places to Retire - Marquette, Mich. (1) - CNNMoney

I never expect to see my town, Waimanalo, turn up on one of these lists -- for one thing, it doesn't have a college. I have fond memories of Northern Michigan College in Marquette, MI (#1), where I spent the summers of 1959-60. My sister went to college in Bloomington, Ind. (#17), and my wife went to college in Iowa City (#23).

Somebody likes small college towns.

 

[Midpack]

And of course the lists are all different, often they don't divulge their criteria which makes them useless.

I am stunned by #11 St. Joseph MI. I've been there dozens of times - the cost of living is probably low (though MI taxes aren't) but it doesn't have much else going for it. It's not an appealing place at all. And ahead of Bloomington & Austin, that's absolutely absurd!!! This list must have started with monkeys and darts...which would mean some are correct.

 

[Purron]

I never expect to see my town, Waimanalo, turn up on one of these lists -- for one thing, it doesn't have a college. I have fond memories of Northern Michigan College in Marquette, MI (#1), where I spent the summers of 1959-60. My sister went to college in Bloomington, Ind. (#17), and my wife went to college in Iowa City (#23).

Somebody likes small college towns.

If that's the case, where's Charlottesville, VA? Wonderful college town. Full of beauty, history and culture. Not the cheapest place to live though. Just goes to show these lists are of limited value.

 

[FIREd]

Yeah, #12!

 

[haha]

Another one of those lists. Some towns I've never seen before. Naturally, my town never makes the grade

Just glancing at this list, commenting only on those that I know -Lake Charles is great if you are into refineries.

Danville is nice small town with a strong southern feel and a good small liberal arts school. Close to Lexington, a high class place with a large university and high grade medical school, and of course Keeneland Race Course and yearling sale.

Clarksville is an Army town. Ft Campbell, home of the 101st Screaming Eagles straddles the KY-TN border, and Clarksville is the nearest TN town. Also close to Lake Barkley, a pretty impressive fishing hole. In a short period of insanity I considered retiring there. Not that it would have been insanity for a different person, and particularly a different family, but just for me and my family.

Spokane is in many ways a very nice city, and I have lived nearby. Lately it has become a meth capital and a very different city from before, but likely the outlying areas are as nice as before. Fairchild is just to the SW. Totally different politics and feel from that of Seattle.

I've definitely seen worse lists.

Ha

 

[W2R]

Yeah, #12!

Hey, Huntsville is a terrific place! It was #2 on our list, when we were planning to relocate. Alabama has a great tax structure for retirees, as I recall, and "Rocket City" has plenty of scientists, engineers, things to do, U. Alabama at Huntsville, lovely and varied architecture, and so much more.

Just glancing at this list, commenting only on those that I know -Lake Charles is great if you are into refineries.

Southhaven, Mississippi seems pretty unsophisticated to me as well. Might be good for some folks, not so good for others.

 

[JmfromTx]

And of course the lists are all different, often they don't divulge their criteria which makes them useless.

I am stunned by #11 St. Joseph MI. I've been there dozens of times - the cost of living is probably low (though MI taxes aren't) but it doesn't have much else going for it. It's not an appealing place at all. And ahead of Bloomington & Austin, that's absolutely absurd!!! This list must have started with monkeys and darts...which would mean some are correct.

Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Austin is my idea of a nightmare, retired or not. Neat stuff to do but too much competition for it. My one horse town is like an oasis to me. I can go to the big city or its outskirts if I have to or really want to or stay in my 15 mile radius cocoon that satisfies most of my wants. Every city in Texas on that list is way too big for me to live in.

 

[palomalou]

Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Indeed! I grew up in Huntsville and counted the days until I could escape to go to school as far away as possible. And there's not a place on the list I'd retire to, even if at twice the income.
OTOH, where we plan to retire is a place most folk consider an insane choice: NYC.

 

[Lisa99]

Weatherford TX? Uh, no thanks. And seeing that now has me discounting the entire list!

 

[calmloki]

Boise?

 

[youbet]

Gosh, another list with no Illinois towns....... I would think that the appeal of a state where public services suck despite high (and skyrocketing) taxes would be attracting retirees from all corners of the world.

 

[Want2Bfree]

Wow, I work in Marietta, Ga., No. 22 on the list. And I had a Marietta address for 18 years, though I now live in Atlanta. Marietta is nice enough, I suppose, but there are a lot of places I would expect to see listed ahead of it. It's not where I will retire to.

 

[Purron]

Indeed! I grew up in Huntsville and counted the days until I could escape to go to school as far away as possible. And there's not a place on the list I'd retire to, even if at twice the income.
OTOH, where we plan to retire is a place most folk consider an insane choice: NYC.

IMHO, NYC is THE great american city. How could it be insane to retire in the place you love?

Most of these lists focus a lot on low housing costs. Often a place is cheap because few people want to live there. Either due to a lack of jobs or the place itself.

 

[braumeister]

My favorite thing about this kind of list is that many will probably believe what they read and go to live there.
That will keep the real best places less crowded.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I'm not saying Marquette, MI isn't a nice town, but to retiree there? Give me a break. One could really love the winters there.

 

[happy2bretired]

I can kinda see the appeal of Iowa City. I've only been there once, several years ago, but from what I saw it wouldn't be bad. The downtown was close to the university campus and had a hippie vibe to it. There were nice shops, coffee shops and ethnic (Indian that we ate at) restaurants. If I remember right, this area was a pedestrian strip thru the downtown. I also know that medical and health related needs would be met at Iowa City and surrounding towns. Now, if the river would flood again...maybe, not so good in that way, but otherwise...not bad.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

If that's the case, where's Charlottesville, VA? Wonderful college town. Full of beauty, history and culture. Not the cheapest place to live though. Just goes to show these lists are of limited value.

I agree. I love Charlottesville.

I live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and I think it is a commendable retirement spot if you can escape during winter to a warmer clime. Excellent health care options in Pittsburgh, many cultural and sports related things to do, notable universities, moderate cost of living. I think it is also a friendly, unpretentious place and depending on where you live, multi-cultural.
I have always thought that Gettysburg would be a pretty nice retirement town here in PA. It has a college, assorted restaurants, and I think the weather is a little less harsh than Pittsburgh in winter and it is also just a couple of hours to Philly, Baltimore, D.C and some beaches.

 

[travelover]

I'm not saying Marquette, MI isn't a nice town, but to retiree there? Give me a break. One could really love the winters there.

I thought the same thing. I don't think they shovel snow there - they tunnel.

 

[plex]

Obviously they completely ignored weather, you get multiple feet of snow up there, and it stays on the ground for months.

 

[02camp]

Happy to see South Carolina make the list but Columbia? Charleston, Myrtle Beach or the Greenville areas are better choices imho.

 

[Ronnieboy]

Boise?

I could handle Boise or at least a suburb of Boise

 

[audreyh1]

Weatherford TX? Uh, no thanks. And seeing that now has me discounting the entire list!

Weatherford TX? Seriously? Was that on the list? OMG!

 

[audreyh1]

Boise?

In my last visit, I found the Boise area to be pretty neat. But I also noticed their summers to be almost as hot as deep south TX, with the sun even brighter (how is that possible - the ultra-low humidity?) and I have a feeling the winters are much, much worse.

 

[oldtrig]

I spent a year at the air base close to Marquette, MI in 1970. It is a beautiful town. I wonder what the person that did this list was smoking when he listed Marquette as number one. My wife is from that area and no way would she ever go back. The summers are short (July-August) but they are nice. The winters are long and COLD and way to much snow for me. I have never been so glad to leave the Marquette area in my life. Oldtrig