America's Best Healthy Places to Retire
U.S. News writers profile 10 healthy retirement spots around the
country
Posted September 18, 2008
Think of it as retirement reinvented. As Americans live
longer and in better health, all those old retirement clichés
seem evermore removed from reality. Long walks on the beach?
Hitting the links? Fiddling around the house? Nope, modern
retirement can be so much more than that, from triathlons to
deep-sea fishing. (OK, and maybe a little golf.)
Of course, to make the most of this next stage of life, you
have to be healthy. And whether you practice yoga to heighten
your mental acuteness and flexibility, soak up the panoramic
views at the highest peak of a hiking trail, or get a rush when
a gust of wind hits the sails, where you spend your
later years can make all the difference.
To help you get started on the process of finding the
healthiest spots to retire (assuming that such a thing is still
possible despite the dismal stock market), U.S. News
traveled the country and selected 10 editors' picks. These are
places way ahead of the healthy living curve—they provide
numerous places to exercise, promote strong social support, and
encourage healthy lifestyle habits. And each has a little
something extra, too.
Between Maine's forest-blanketed mountains and rugged coast
lies
Portland, with its seemingly endless hiking-and-biking
trails and an island-studded Casco Bay, perfect for outdoor
enthusiasts. Traverse through the desert and you'll find
Green Valley, Ariz., which boasts 12 local recreation
centers offering a litany of recreational activities, from
woodworking shops and computer labs, to tennis, swimming, and
bocce ball. For something a bit lighter,
Walnut Creek, Calif., might be more your speed, where
retirees come together through a love gardening and socializing.
Those who beckon to a retirement of boating and world-class game
fishing will probably fancy
Punta Gorda, Fla.
But our list is just the beginning. Want to search for the
retirement spot that best fits your needs? Just go to our 2008
version of our Best Places to Retire
search
tool. It allows you to sort through more than 2,000
locations throughout the United States according to the criteria
that are most important to you, including climate, access to
healthcare, cost of living, and recreational choices. You'll end
up with a customized list of places with detailed information
about each city or town. You can also find more editors' picks
of the
greenest,
brainiest, and
outdoorsiest places to retire. We've even got something for
golf nuts and the most fanatical of
football fans. Finally, we've included favorites
submitted by readers, who describe what they find special
about their retirement havens.
Now it's no secret that healthy folks tend to live longer,
get fewer colds and flues, experience less aches and pains while
aging, recover fast from an illness, and are happier mentally
and emotionally. "The three prerequisites for well being in the
later years are good health, financial security, and social
integration," says Victor Marshall, director of the
University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute on Aging. "You want
to move to a community that is set up to make it easier for
people to get out and walk." Marshall recommends three,
45-minute periods of brisk walking a week. But other activities
like yoga, gardening, biking, or even raking leaves can count
toward that total.
Staying active and engaged in a healthy community may even help
you live longer. "I certainly don't recommend a treadmill or
jogging," says Eric Tangalos, a Mayo Clinic physician who
specializes in geriatric medicine. "But walking, bicycling,
swimming, and Thai-chi especially are great and preserve the joints.
You should be sweating." Budding up with a neighbor can produce even
better results. "Networks of friends and family and active social
engagement are associated with better mental and physical health and
lower death rates," says Gene Cohen, director of the
Center on Aging,
Health & Humanities at George Washington University.
There's no better time than retirement to focus on your health.
By choosing the best place for a healthy retirement, you can bet
you'll look forward to personal fulfillment and a longer life. Oh,
and feel free to break some myths along the way.
U.S. News writers profile 10 healthy retirement spots
around the country to whet your appetite.
-
Bella Vista, Arkansas
-
Boulder, Colorado
-
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
-
Green Valley, Arizona
Issaquah, Washington
-
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
-
Portland, Maine
-
Punta Gorda, Florida
-
Reston, Virginia
-
Walnut Creek, California
Next Page
Reader's comments:
My husband & I grew up in a south suburb of Chicago. Married &
have 2 wonderful children. Our daughter is now 16 & son 14. In 2001
we decided that as much as we loved our family & friends in the
windy city, we could not stand the winters any longer. We both
agreed that God has put us on this earth only once & we need to do
what is going to make our life as a family the best that we can make
it. So being the boat lovers & fishing nuts that we were we decided
to check out Punta Gorda Isles, a recommedation from a Fl. resident
that we had met on a beach in Naples while visiting my parents on
Easter break. They had told us that there was affordable waterfront
property in Punta Gorda. The very next day we headed to Punta Gorda
to check it out. We could not believe we had found this diamond in
the rough that was affordable to us. We bought a lot a week later &
two years later started the building of our dream home. We moved
here in 2003 with our children only being 9 & 11yrs. old. We have
never dreamed that you could love a town as we all do. My son's
first love is baseball & gets to play all year round! If we were up
north we would be stuck inside for 6 cold gray months, where as now
we are on our boat, kids are out having fun & doing sports,fishing,
tubing,and going to the beaches. We have all met so many wonderful
friends & the kids are very active in school activities. We have
never regreted our decision and our quality of life is beyond
anything we imagined.. Many of our family & dear friends from
Chicago come to visit us regularly, which we are so thankful for. My
sister & her family have since fell in love with Punta Gorda & now
live right around the corner. LIFE IS GREAT!!!
karen wumkes of
FL
Our search on the left
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