Best Places to Retire Near Metro Areas
By Andrea Coombes, From Marketwatch
April 24, 2006


The characteristics that make a town the "best place to retire" will vary depending on who's doing the retiring, but it's a safe bet that those who want to stay near the cultural hubbub of a metro area will like an area that's a little quieter than most urban areas, with a low crime rate and a vibrant mix of residents.

For those who like the sound of that kind of active retirement, a new report details the top towns for retirees in the country's 15 largest metro areas.

These are towns where "you're in the metropolitan area or its hinterland and you would be able to go out to dinner in the central city on a Saturday night and still return home," said Andrew Schiller, a geographer and founder of NeighborhoodScout.com, a site that lets visitors compare communities nationwide on various criteria.

While retiring in or near a metropolitan area isn't what many consider an ideal retirement, most retirees do stick relatively close to urban centers, unwilling to give up the cultural attractions, proximity to family and friends, and other conveniences that are hard to replicate in more pastoral settings.

Seventy-one percent of people 60 and older who moved to another state in the previous five years settled in a metropolitan county, according to the second edition of "Retirement Migration in America," based on 2000 Census data, by Charles Longino, a professor of gerontology at Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"Sometimes you don't have to go that far outside the city to find quiet areas that are peaceful," Schiller said. "We looked for places that had that. These places are the best overall combination of safety from crime, and peace and quiet," he said.

A variety of criteria
Schiller used a variety of criteria to create his list of best retiree locales. Using FBI and U.S. Justice Department crime statistics, Schiller's methodology ranks towns based on number of violent crimes and property crimes per capita.

To find quiet areas, Schiller measured population density. "Peace and quiet means a little less densely populated, but also somewhat fewer college students and small children, so a little bit quieter," he said.

These locales also have a high proportion of college-educated residents, Schiller said.
Plus, all of these locales are within 75 miles of the city center, and they all offer an array of housing options, including single-family homes, condominiums and rental units.

Two separate lists
Schiller created two lists: One is the best towns for retirees, based on the criteria detailed above, in the 15 biggest metro areas nationwide, regardless of housing costs.
The second list takes housing costs into account, detailing the best places that are also a good value. Still, even this second list doesn't describe cheap places, Schiller said.

"These are not the cheapest places. These are places that are great quality at a fantastic value," he said.

If you don't see your favorite place on either list, consider that this methodology focuses on the biggest metro areas nationwide. Plus, it's a "best of" listing, Schiller said.

"Each area has hundreds or even thousands of towns that didn't make the list. The vast majority of cities and towns in those areas didn't make the list because we only picked the top choice and the best value," he said.

For instance, Mill Valley, Calif., and Orinda, Calif., would be in the top 10 locales out of a total of 1,725 options in the San Francisco Bay area, yet neither made the list. "And sixth best out of 1,725, that's terrific. That's a great place!" Schiller said.

"If somebody were to come to NeighborhoodScout.com they could find places and say, 'Oh wow, that's the sixth best. I love that place, and look it's 10% cheaper," he said.

Top towns in 15 metro areas -- if money's no object
• In the Boston metro area: New Castle, N.H.
• In the New York metro area: Point Lookout, N.Y.
• In the Philadelphia area: Newton Square, Pa.
• In the Washington-Baltimore area: Pikesville, Md.
• In the Atlanta area: Decatur, Ga.
• In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area: Palm Beach, Fla.
• In the Detroit area: Farmington, Mich.
• In the Chicago area: Lake Forest, Ill.
• In the Dallas-Ft. Worth area: Highland Park, Texas.
• In the Houston area: West University Place, Texas.
• In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area: Edina, Minn.
• In the Phoenix area: Fountain Hills, Ariz.
• In the Seattle area: Mercer Island, Wash.
• In the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area: Belvedere-Tiburon, Calif.
• In the Los Angeles area: Bradbury, Calif.

Top towns that are also a good value
• In the Boston metro area: Sandwich, Mass.
• In the New York metro area: Southbury, Conn.
• In the Philadelphia area: Jenkintown, Pa.
• In the Washington-Baltimore area: Boyce, Va.
• In the Atlanta area: Monticello, Ga.
• In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area: North Palm Beach, Fla.
• In the Detroit area: Rochester, Mich.
• In the Chicago area: Michigan City, Ind.
• In the Dallas-Ft. Worth area: Lindale, Texas.
• In the Houston area: Bellaire, Texas.
• In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area: Paynesville, Minn.
• In the Phoenix area: Sun City, Ariz.
• In the Seattle area: Greenbank, Wash.
• In the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area: Martinez, Calif.
• In the Los Angeles area: Yucaipa, Calif.

Go to the following page on NeighborhoodScout.com to search for other retirement locales: http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/retirement.jsp.