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Read what David Savageau has to say about best retirement communities in his book called "Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve".
“The pattern of migration in retirement used to be exclusively southern, to resorts in the Sun Belt. Now it's all over the map.
There's more focus on ambience, on finding "authentic places." It's not just sand, palm trees, and early bird specials. It's more things like taking a college course, working as tour guide of a house museum, maybe rehabbing a Victorian house, or taking part of the year off and exploring other parts of the world. And golf is something that used to be a big part of retirement. That's less so now. It's not your father or mother's retirement.” (As quoted in Business Week, November 5, 2007)
The traditional picture we see in our mind's eye is a sunny place like Florida.
But intrepid retirees are thinking outside the box when it comes to choosing best retirement communities.
Researching best retirement communities in North America
If you’re about to research best retirement communities in North America, count yourself lucky. There are so many books and web resources to help you find the best retirement locations.
One book that makes it super easy for you to start your research is "Retire in Style, 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada", Warren R. Bland, PhD, Next Decade, Chester, NJ 2005
Dr. Bland used these 12 criteria to rank his best retirement locations.
| Landscape | Climate | Quality of life | Cost of living |
| Transportation | Retail services | Health care | Community services |
| Cultural and educational activities | Recreational activities | Work and volunteer activities | Crime rates and public safety |
10 best places to retire in North America
Dr. Bland narrowed his list down further to the 10 best retirement communities. You may be surprised to see that Victoria, British Columbia is the top of his best retirement locations. Boulder, Colorado is in second place and London, Ontario scores the “bronze medal” of number 3. Find the complete list in his book.
Retiring abroad or out of North America
Once you decide to leave North America, your research task grows. Along with the criteria above, you will want to research more retiring out of country and retiring abroad considerations.
| Narrowing down the choices | Choosing a home | Taxes | Health care if you become disabled or seriously ill |
| Isolation | How will your move affect your pension and benefits | If you move with a partner who gets ill or dies | Legalities of your will and assets in a different country |
| Immigration and visa questions | DrivingTaking your pet | Voting or not |
Best retirement places in Central America
Ageless explorers who search for more offbeat retirement destinations often look to Central America.
Many eyes are falling on Panama. It is now far more than a popular cruise destination. It is one of the most popular retirement locations in the world.
Retiring to Costa Rica and retiring to Belize are still at the top of the Central America list for best retirement places. Retirement places in Mexico and Nicaragua find favor with a lot of ageless explorers.
Best places to retire abroad
Intrepid retirees who want to retire overseas can also find lots of rating information. A good place to start is to Google “retire abroad” or “retire overseas”. You’ll come up with resources like International Magazine’s yearly rating of best retirement places abroad.
In 2007 they rated Italy, Malaysia and Ireland among others in their list of best retirement locations.
Lists like this help you to narrow down to one or two countries. You can also read their postcards from other intrepid retirees who have already taken the plunge to retire abroad.
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