ST. GEORGE — Although St. George is considered the fastest growing city in the U.S., experts still consider it one of the top destinations for retirement.
According to a report released from 55 Places, a resource for people looking for information on active adult communities, close to 10,000 baby boomers retire every day, which means more individuals will be seeking homes in areas that offer a high quality of life for an affordable price.
Out of the top 20 places to retire in the nation, 55 Places dubbed St. George as No. 4 for its proximity to other states and outdoor destinations. The Tampa Bay and Sarasota-Bradenton areas in Florida and Scottsdale, Arizona, took the top three places, and just down the road, the Las Vegas area made No. 9.
The report mentions Southern Utah’s notable attractions, such as Zion National Park, St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, Tuacahn Center for the Arts, award-winning golf courses and multiple trails for hiking, cycling and running. St. George is also not too far from Arizona and Nevada.
“We won’t say St. George is a well-kept secret because the secret is starting to get out,” the report states, “but we will say that if you didn’t think you’d ever look to Utah for your retirement, you might want to think again.”
Bill Ness, CEO and founder of 55places.com, said in a press release that it can be challenging for individuals considering a new place to enjoy their “active retirement” to find a destination offering desired amenities at an attainable price.
“We understand there are dozens of factors active adults consider when choosing a place to live,” Ness said, “and while there are areas that combine pleasant climates with lifestyle-choice flexibility, other components – like nearby medical facilities, property taxes, and economic opportunities – are important, too, and were examined when assessing this list.”
In order to make the list, 55 Places analyzed the cost of living, geographical landmarks, property taxes, economic opportunities, tax break available to seniors, overall quality of active adult communities and access to area amenities, attractions, convenience and medical facilities.
The company also conducted a survey of 1,300 adults aged 55 and older on questions regarding moving decisions, home features and community preferences.
Statistics from survey
- 60 percent of respondents were close to buying a new home within 12 months.
- 53 percent plan to live in Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina or Texas within the year.
- 36 percent cited better amenities and social opportunities as the motive for moving.
- 33 percent cited downsizing a home as motive.
- 27 percent cited decreasing maintenance work as motive.
- 26 percent cited better weather as motive.
To learn more about the top 20 places for retirement, click here.
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Cost of living is important to any retiring person,, this is the place! I retired here 23 yrs ago and find diversity of people coming in make it very interesting, people are friendly and love to help one another..
Given that this report looks to have been done by real estate people, perhaps they’re keying in on places with high home values rather than just nice places to retire generally.
In come the retirees and they’re bringing gentrification and its attendant higher prices with them and squeezing working people out. Good luck.
Gee, I expected more “anti expansion” and move back to California comments here. So, thank you mmsandie, we felt the same way. We fell in love with the location as well as the people here.