We spend a majority of our life working to support ourselves and our loved ones. And while working hard and being able to provide for our families gives us a great sense of joy, getting to the part of life where we can just enjoy having every day to ourselves sounds phenomenal. Retirement is what we call this life altering event. A great way to start this stage of life is by finding a great new place to live – for many who felt stuck in a place due to the constraints of the employment, now is the time for change.
Everybody has a different idea of how they want their retirement to look and therefore picking the 10 best places in the US was not the easiest task. For the purpose of this article, we took several things into consideration before deciding the places to enjoy the golden years: climate, surrounding areas, living cost, average housing cost, recreational activity options, cultural diversity, and crime rates were taken into regard. We also tried to cover as many regions of the country as possible. From cities to suburbs to paradise, we have covered them all!
1. Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is a great destination for the active adults. The city is overwhelmingly scenic and caters pleasingly to those who enjoy doing outdoor activities and the air is exceptionally clean. With Western Washington University, and three other community colleges, the city is a college town, extremely culturally active and filled with amenities associated with an educationally active town. It has a thriving, safe and interesting downtown. Winters are cold but certainly beautiful this can be a plus if you enjoy skiing. Unfortunately, the city’s average house cost is $250,000+ and the cost of living is higher than nation’s average; but for those who can swing the lifestyle, do keep Bellingham in consideration.
Con: Although, the rate of violent crimes in Bellingham is quite below the national average, the numbers are slightly higher for property crimes and houses are slightly towards the expensive end.
2. Boise, Idaho
Statistically, Boise is below the nation’s average in both violent and property crimes. It is a pleasant experience for those that enjoy outdoor activity with a lot of outdoor activities to offer. The average cost of housing is slightly below the national average around $170,000 but the overall cost of living is slightly higher than the average. The weather is dry throughout the year and is temperate, so you don’t have to worry about extreme weather here. Being the state’s capitol, it also has all the required amenities and is pleasantly bustling.
Cons: Not as culturally blissful as large cities should be but recent attitude suggests that change is on the way.