USAA.com and Military.com jointly released the 2011 top 10 best places to retire for second careers for military retirees. If you are in the military and approaching retirement you could find this list useful as you decide where you want the next stage of your life to take place.
USAA and Military.com used data from Sperling’s BestPlaces to find what would be most useful to retirees as they transition from military life to retired civilian life.
They looked at things like military skill related jobs, volume of DoD contracts, number of small businesses, veteran’s affairs hospitals, affordability, military pension taxation, climate, crime level to name a few.
Here is the listing for 2011:
1. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2. Norfolk, Virginia
3. Richmond, Virginia
4. Austin, Texas
5. San Antonio, Texas
6. Madison, Wisconsin
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8. Raleigh, North Carolina
9. Omaha, Nebraska
10. Manchester, New Hampshire
San Antonio already has a large military base presence so it’s easy to see why it is also one of the best places to retire. Many people fall in love with the city and surrounding areas, the low cost of living, affordable housing, numerous golf courses, plenty of things to do, good Mexican food, and the Riverwalk.
Not to mention plenty of sporting activities including college football – UTSA, Incarnate Word, Trinity, minor league baseball – Missions, and professional basketball – Spurs.
San Antonio and south Texas as a whole can have hot summers though.
But it has a lot to make up for as far as job opportunities for military retirees. You can try out a mini retirement or part time retirement and see how well San Antonio or Austin will suit your retirement needs.