Portfolio.com has compiled a list of recent retiree hot spots across the country. While Florida and Arizona destinations lead the list there are some surprising candidates across the country.
With 2011 having the fist wave of baby boomers retiring, retirement has been a very hot topic. Four percent of the retiring population will be looking to relocate to spend their golden years….. Find out where they are looking!
Urban markets: Tampa-St. Petersburg leads this group, which is restricted to metropolitan areas with at least a million residents. It’s followed in popularity by Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Riverside-San Bernardino, California, and Tucson.
Small markets: The Prescott, Arizona, area, with 215,000 residents, ranks first in this classification, which is limited to regions with fewer than 400,000 people. The runners-up are Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and three Florida markets: Naples, Homosassa Springs, and Ocala.
Florida: Bradenton-Sarasota, of course, is the leader on this list, the only one that’s confined to a single state. The four retirement destinations ranking next in popularity are Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Naples, Palm Bay-Melbourne, and Homosassa Springs.
Rest of the South: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which is 25th overall, ranks as the No. 1 Southern retirement market outside of Florida. It’s followed by Chattanooga, Tennessee; Wilmington, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and Kingsport-Bristol, Tennessee.
Northeast: Seaford, Delaware, which offers easy access to the Atlantic Ocean and a fairly warm climate, is the most popular retirement destination in this group. Next are Barnstable, Massachussetts (better known as Cape Cod); Portland, Maine; Washington; and New Haven, Connecticut.
Midwest: This region is not especially attractive to retirees, which is why you won’t find a single Midwestern market among the national top 35. The regional leader is Rockford, Illinois, followed by Springfield, Missouri; Akron and Youngstown, Ohio; and Detroit.
Interior West: Arizona dominates this classification, placing Prescott and Lake Havasu City in the top two slots. Reno, Nevada, is sandwiched in third place, followed by a pair of major Arizona metropolitan areas: Phoenix and Tucson.
Pacific Coast: Santa Rosa, California, earns the highest score in this group. Four other California markets round out the top five: Riverside-San Bernardino, Stockton, Vallejo, and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks. The favorite retirement destination outside of California is Eugene, Oregon.
