10 Great Places to Retire for Winter Sports Nuts

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Would you people please stop talking about MT. It is a narrow minded redneck's paridise. Do not come here. We have 5 million guns amongst 1 million people. It's still the wild west out here; everyone's packin, and the mail is still delivered by pony express (it seems).

Rebel Whisper of MT 11:03AM December 03, 2010

Good article, but you only scratched the surface. There are many places where the living is reasonable, compared to places like Bozeman, and still have great ski areas and abundant snow fall. If you want to retire now and not wait until you’re richer (and also less athletic), you might want to look into places like Philipsburg, Montana. The local ski area is Discovery Basin and has more than 1,700 vertical feet, great snow conditions, and a season pass is only $225!!! Land prices in this part of Montana is relatively cheap. Other places to look into are near the Targee ski area in Idaho and near the many small ski areas in the Wasatch of Utah, including places like Snow Basin and Powder Mountain. So pick a small area with great snow and retire now! After all, we’re not getting any younger.

bob rennick of MT 2:58PM March 05, 2009

We don't like to talk about Buffalo or the rest of Western NY because too many people might discover what a great area it is. The summers are temperate with everything from fresh water coastal plains, lakes and access to the worlds largest fresh water supply. Beautiful hills for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. The climate is more temperate than anywhere in the midwest. The finger likes are one of the worlds great wine regions and most beautiful places on earth. The Adirondacks, Catskills, Poconos, and every major city from DC to Boston is less than a days drive and only our hours to Cedar Point. If our political leaders to fix their ridiculous tax policies, there would be no other area in any of your Best Places TO: list which could compare. I've lived all over this country and in tavelled overseas extensively. Just let the weather channel keep talking about lake effect snow. None of them ever lived here anyway.

Joe from Scottsville, NY of NY 5:31PM December 19, 2008

There are only 9 in the article.

Tom of WA 3:40PM December 19, 2008

Anchorage, AK didn't even get a mention, yet there is an extensive lighted Nordic trail system right in town, a major downhill ski resort 30-min down the road (with senior discounts), large outdoor areas for ice skating, cultural activities such as plays and concerts throughout the winter, great restaurants, snow machining, mushing, ice fishing, and almost any other winter activity imaginable. If you like a variety of winter activities, yet want to live in a location with plenty of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment, there really is no comparison to anywhere else in the US.

AKRetiree of AK 12:29PM December 19, 2008

What is amazing to me is the bad rap that Buffalo gets. We have one of the natural wonders of the world, ski resorts that boast several olympians as home towners, ease of use, professional sports teams, large universities and ALL FOUR seasons

LovingGreaterBuffalo of NY 1:51PM December 17, 2008

This is a pretty pricey list of retirement towns, given that many seniors are on a fixed income. Even with the housing crisis, land values and taxes in Bozeman are some of the highest in the state. So why stick to the popular "big towns" that have gained national fame? For example, Butte, with average home values of the $150,000 range vs the $350,000 range of Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, sits at one mile high, and is surrounded by mountain ranges. Anaconda is nearby and is nearer the ski resort. There are within a fifty mile radius four or five hot springs resorts. Great Falls is near to Showdown, Helena to Great Divide. Or White Sulphur Springs--named for the hot springs there--sits north of Livingston, making it easy to get to Bridger Bowl, Showdown, a bit further to the ultimate tourista ski resort, Big Sky. Don't accept these high priced options--look around!

MontanaMountainWoman of MT 8:42PM December 16, 2008