Online Tools Help Seniors Choose Best Places to Retire

Choosing the best places to retire is a matter of personal taste. Some people like the ocean, others like the mountains or the desert. Some want to play golf every day while others would rather live near hiking trails or a major university.

No matter what you’re looking for, finding the best places to retire just got easier with “America’s Best Places to Retire” from U.S. News Media Group, the second annual special issue designed provide an in-depth look at the healthiest U.S. communities for active retirees. Available online at www.usnews.com/bestretirement, America’s Best Places to Retire offers tools and information to help seniors make informed choices about the places that can best meet their retirement needs.

The cities and towns in “America’s Best Places to Retire” were chosen on the basis of criteria such as cost of living, climate, crime rate, access to healthcare, educational opportunities, and cultural and recreational amenities in each area. The list of best places to retire includes a few popular livable cities such as Boulder, Colorado, and Portland, Maine, as well as some lesser-known places like Bella Vista, Arkansas, and Issaquah, Washington. All of the selected cities made the list of best places to retire because they provide opportunities for active retirees to focus on their physical and mental health.

Here’s an alphabetical list of the 10 cities honored by U.S. News as this year’s Best Places to Retire:

• Bella Vista, Ark.
• Boulder, Colo.
• Eden Prairie, Minn.
• Green Valley, Ariz.
• Issaquah, Wash.
• Long Meadow, Mass.
• Portland, Maine
• Punta Gorda, Fla.
• Reston, Va.
• Walnut Creek, Calif.

That Top 10 list is just the beginning. USNews.com offers other features and interactive tools to help seniors find the retirement community that is right for them:

• Best Places to Retire Search Tool: With retirement information on more than 2,000 cities nationwide, visitors to can conduct customized searches to find the best retirement locations that fit their needs. People can plug in region, climate, recreational activities, cost of living, crime rates, access to healthcare, and proximity to educational facilities to produce a personalized list of “best” places to retire.

• Best Places to Retire Micro-lists: Themed lists include Top 10 Readers’ Picks; Best Retirement Spots for Football Fans; the “Greenest, “Outdoorsiest,” and “Brainiest” Places to Retire; and Great Bargain Spots for Retirement.

• Retirement Videos and Photo Galleries: USNews.com also provides virtual tours or photo galleries for many of the Best Places to Retire communities.

“As retirement becomes a reality for the country’s largest generation, finding communities that match their active, healthy lifestyles is critically important,” said Brian Kelly, editor of U.S.News & World Report, in a news release. “As they plan for the next stage in their lives, the Best Places to Retire package offers readers unmatched, comprehensive information that can help them navigate through one of their most important life decisions.”