Which Are The Best Retirement Communities in the United States?

Many people, upon reaching retirement age, begin to dream of living in a warmer climate that is perhaps easier on the aches and pains of arthritis and other age associated ailments. But which are the best retirement communities?

I remember many years ago, driving from San Diego to Lake Havasu, Arizona. One of the places we passed through was a retirement community known as Sun City, Arizona. This is now a higher end retirement community, where homes start at $100,000 and the sky is the limit! Although this is a nice place, for those of us with more modest means, this is not necessarily one of the best retirement communities.

The major theme that I hear from retirees is the desire to live where it is warmer, first of all, and secondly to live where it is affordable. Taking those two criteria into consideration, I came up with a list of several locales where you might find the best retirement communities.

Among the many locations are Texas, North and South Carolina, Southern California and several of the Midwestern states. In looking for the best retirement communities, it is wise to look at health care and the possibility that you may at some future point need assisted living situations or even a nursing home, so factor that into your decisions as well.

One of the most affordable options for retirees are modular homes and manufactured homes. These are typically purchased but the land is owned by a developer or an association, sometimes referred to as a co-op. Homeowners pay dues that cover maintenance and utilities such as water, sewer and electric. These average in cost about $100,000 and are quite widely available in North Carolina, just to name one of many locations.

A very popular option is the ubiquitous mobile home, most commonly found in Southern California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. The best retirement communities are those where the residents own their own land as well as their mobile homes.

Mobile homes can start as low as $50,000 and go as high as in the $200,000 range. Generally as price increases, so does size. For a couple who are interested in a lot of upkeep, a smaller mobile home would be best.

With most of the best retirement communities, maintenance of the grounds are included in the cost of either rental or land ownership.

So find somewhere warm and affordable and enjoy your retirement! Louis Zhang, Over55retirementcommunities dot com