Best Places to Retire

Best Small Towns To Retire In

Small towns can be a great place to retire in. The living area is generally slower, the people friendlier and the cost of living cheaper. Retiring to a small town can be especially attractive if you have spent most of your life in a major metropolitan area-fighting the traffic and crowds, and worrying about the crime.

What are the best small towns to retire in?

There are many cities that could be called the best small town to retire in. However, there are some that are better than others because the taxes are lower, there are good health facilities, and offer opportunities for recreation, arts and culture. Given these criteria, here are some of the best small towns to retire in:

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

This small city has a population of 3,778 and the median home price is $249,000. Gatlinburg is at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where the air is clean and crisp. Flowers seem to be almost as common as the air. They blanket the town's ground and spill out from barrels and baskets all over the place. There is shopping and dining in the downtown area and when you have had enough of it, there is nearby Pigeon Forge that has outlet malls and Dollywood.

Moab, Utah

Moab has become sort of the fat tire biking capital of America. It offers some of the most pristine and varied terrain in the country for cycling. Its mountain valleys butt up against spruce and aspen forests. You will definitely need to get in shape before retiring there because life in Moab revolves around cross-country skiing, camping and, of course, biking. In other words, Moab's biggest attractions are out of doors. However, on those days when you're not feeling very energetic, you can kick back in one of the cities microbreweries. The population of Moab is 5,000 and the median price of a house is $364,000.

Thomasville, Georgia

While this town of 18,000 is one of the cheapest places to retire, it also offers much in the way of cultural diversity. It is called the City of Roses and has an abundance of plantations as well as the historic downtown area. Housing in Thomasville is also very affordable as the median list price of a home there in 2010 was 169,500. And the median sale price was a very modest $112,400.

Los Cruces, New Mexico

Several publications have rated Las Cruces as the ideal place to retire. It has great weather, a fun cultural scene, good health care and a low cost of living. In fact, in 2010, the median list price of a home there was 189,900. This is due in part to the fact that property values have declined considerably in the past four years from $230,000-plus to about $170,000.

Aurora, Colorado

If you're a sun over, you will love Aurora as it has 300 days of sunshine a year. The Rocky Mountains are only an hour's drive away and you can ride Denver's light rail downtown for just about a buck. If you are a senior you can ride the sky ride bus to Denver international Airport for just four dollars. Aurora also has many bike trails so if you enjoy cycling you'll like this city. The population of Aurora is roughly 300,000 and the city covers a whopping 154 mi.². It has nine colleges and universities, 10,000 acres of parks, open space and trails. Homes are reasonably priced as in 2008, the median home price was $138,000 or about $40,000 less than Denver.

Columbia, South Carolina

Low housing costs are one reason to want to retire to Columbia. The median home price there is $147,000 and the average property taxes are just over $1000. The city plays home to the University of South Carolina with its 27,500 students. In addition to being a capital city and college town, Columbia has several hospital systems. If you are interested in preventive care, you can go to the Capital Senior Center for tai chi, Pilate's classes, yoga and some socializing. Columbia also has the contemporary Richard County Library, fascinating exhibits at the Columbia Museum of Art, and the Governor's mansion, which dates back to 1805.

There you have 6 of the best small towns to retire in around the United States.

As a bonus here are two best places to retire that are not exactly small towns:

Columbus, Ohio

This city offers big green spaces, friendly neighbors and enough low-cost activities to keep a retiree busy full-time. It is, in fact, one of the country's most underrated retirement spots. It is situated along the shores of the Scioto River, is the state's capital and home of the Ohio State University. It is also head quarters of major corporations such as Nationwide Mutual Insurance and the Evans Farms. Columbus plays home to the 10,000-seed Huntington Park where you can watch the Columbus Clippers play for just seven dollars if you are a senior. The population of Columbus is 787,033 according to the 2010 census. And its median home value is, believe it or not, $90,000.

El Paso, Texas

This is a community that is rich in history and cultural diversity. It is also a very inexpensive place to retire. The average purchase price of a home in El Paso is currently $120,974. Given this low cost of living and a low crime rate, residents of El Paso have a very high standard of living. This is also a very good time to buy a home in El Paso as prices there have dropped dramatically over the course of the past four years. In 2007 the median list price of a home in El Paso was $230,000 and now it is only $170,000.

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