The 20 Cities Where the Most Baby Boomers Will Retire

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After a really bad winter nearly everywhere in the United States, the only town in Florida to get any retirees is Kissimmee near Orlando?
Right. Weather has nothing to do with retirement location, right? And all those people crowding the highways with license plates from everywhere, they aren't really in Florida.
So that old saying, 'let them freeze to death in the dark' may actually apply.

Floridian of FL 9:05PM April 07, 2009

The number of Americans and Canadians living abroad, approximatley 7 Million according to The Washington Post, which is twice the population of Chicago and greater than that of 33 U.S. States, has steadily grown over the past decade and it is expected to more than double within the next 10 years.
There is also a strong upward trend in the number of Americans traveling abroad for health care. According to The Medical Tourism Association demand among U.S. residents for medical treatment (including elective surgery) in other countries will quadruple from 1.5 million patients in 2008 to 6 million in 2010 as consumers, health insurers and employers seek medical care that is not available in the U.S. or not as affordable
www.BoomersAbroad.com was born in direct response to hundreds of conversations with baby boomers from the USA and Canada who were seeking to better understand how they could live, move, relocate, retire and/or invest abroad.
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Boomers Abroad Dot Com 7:50PM April 02, 2009

In response to "Florida is the pits!!!" You are right on! Do not move to Florida unless you want to pay outrageous taxes. There is a reason that Florida and California are states in which foreclosures are out of control. Even if you can afford your house payment, the taxes and insurance make it impossible to have anything extra. My taxes are 14,000 and my insurance is over 7,000. Equality is not one of Florida's virtues. Discrimination is rampant. "Save our Homes" gives all the breaks to old timers that feel they are very deserving.
The legislators and governor are not going to change any of the tax laws because they are looking after their re-election. Please go somewhere else. I wish I had!

No to Florida! of FL 8:33AM April 02, 2009

Anyone contemplating moving to Raleigh/Cary/Durham - or anywhere in the Southeast for that matter - should first read
Cynthia Barnetts's excellent book: Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. They should then conduct an in-depth investigation on the water supply in the city they want to move to. Just last year, the reservoir that supplies Raleigh had a 90 day water supply (yes... DAYS) before the city/county instituted emergency conservation measures, including stopping development. Durham was in similar straits.
It appears that neither the city, county, or state is doing anything to ensure that projected growth matches available resources. I read that California will not allow new development in some areas unless the builder can ensure the water supply for the new homes for the next 20 years. Raleigh and all these other cities with projected high growth rates need to do the same. Buyer Beware. For those concerned about declining property values, a porta-pottie in front of your home would reduce the value to zero.

Janet in NC of NC 9:15PM April 01, 2009

Sorry Ms. Brandon; I disagree with you when you mentioned FLORIDA as a great place to retire.
I live in Odessa, Fl. (Hillsborough County) in the Tampa area and my PROPERTY TAXES are outrageous at almost $8,000 per year.
Florida's property taxes in Florida are assessed UN-equally for it's homeowners. I own a little less than 2 acres on a private road. The nearest fire hydrant is 2 miles away. We have NO city water and NO city sewer. This is just plain country.
My neighbor owns 7 acres, his property taxes are HALF of what I pay. So I go down to the County and complain; This is what they told me.."you can't compare properties". This is "equality"??
So our home values have dropped in value; do our property taxes go down??? NO, Florida has a "recapture rule"--the County does not lose any tax dollars- you pay what you did at the peak of your tax bill.
I say Florida is corrupt; discriminates against homeowners and especially retirees or new homeowners. We are TAXED above and beyond what people that bought homes 10 years ago.
So, if you are thinking about retiring in Florida; BRING ALL OF YOUR MONEY and GIVE IT TO FLORIDA!

bruce clements of FL 8:52PM April 01, 2009

Chincoteague, Virginia, land of the wild ponies, quiet streets, old time charm, you can't beat it!

Dorothy of VA 3:40PM April 01, 2009

I am a baby boomer who currently lives in the Raleigh-Durham area. I never thought of it as a great place to retire but compared to other places I've been (Ohio, MAssachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, West Virginia),it far outranks them. I would add Asheville, NC to this list.

Beverly Mahone of NC 10:40AM April 01, 2009