Plenty of factors go into determining the best place for any particular individual to retire: proximity to family; walkability; the presence of museums and cultural events; nearby supermarkets; good-quality medical care and facilities.
The financial element is important too, particularly since so many people are so poorly prepared financially for what could be many years spent in a single place.
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Bankrate took health care data from HealthView Services, which calculates the total average lifetime health care costs for seniors in each state, and from the Agency for Health care Research and Quality, a government agency that rates states on health care quality.
It took cost-of-living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER); tax data from the Tax Foundation and weather data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
And finally, it took crime data from the FBI; arts and cultural data from the Creative Vitality Index, developed by the Western States Arts Federation; walkability data from WalkScore.com; and overall well-being data from the Well-Being Index from Gallup-Healthways.
Those data then went into a statistical analysis that sought to rank cities based on how well they placed overall—with the caveat, of course, that one size does not fit all.
Here's a look at the 10 cities (out of nearly 200) that Bankrate put at the top of its list. Your mileage, as the saying goes, may vary.
The courthouse clock in Murfreesboro, one of the top 10 cities for quality of living for retirees. (Photo: Getty)
10. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Tennessee was the big winner of the Top 10 sweeps, with three cities finishing in the standings. Murfreesboro and Nashville have some of the same problems, with a high crime rate and walkability issues (Murfreesboro finished below Nashville, with a "poor," compared to the latter's "below average").
But both have a low cost of living and very low taxes, good ratings for health care and well-being, average ratings for weather and great ratings for culture.
Low cost of living and low taxes help Des Moines, Iowa make the top 10 best cities list. (Photo: Getty)
9. Des Moines, Iowa
If you go a bit east from our fifth-place finisher, you'll find that Des Moines doesn't do a whole lot worse than its sister city. Its crime rate is higher (it got an "average"), but its walkability is better—average, as compared to West Des Moines' "below average" (although apparently one might wish to be cautious when doing so).
It has a low cost of living and low taxes, a well-being score of "good," and the same ratings on health care ("great"), weather ("below average") and culture ("average") as its neighbor.
Cost of living is high but the crime rate is low in Rockville, Maryland. (Photo: Getty)
8. Rockville, Maryland
Seniors might like Rockville, but they'll be between a rock and a hard place when it comes to cost of living and taxes (both rated "high") and health care and weather (both rated "below average").
On the other hand, this Maryland city has a low crime rate, great well-being rating, good walkability and a great culture rating.
Low cost of living and low taxes offset a high crime rate here in Sarasota – but wait, there's more. (Photo: Getty)
7. Sarasota, Florida
A high crime rate is Sarasota's chief drawback, although the fact that its health care is only rated "average" may be a turnoff to seniors with health concerns.
Other than that, however, this Florida city has a low cost of living and low taxes; a "good" rating for well-being, walkability and culture and a "great" rating for its weather.
Even though it's lacking on the walkability score, Nashville's downtown area offers lovely views and interesting architecture. (Photo: Getty)
6. Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville couples two drawbacks that play off one another: a high crime rate, which is never good, and below-average walkability. So don't plan on strolling from one destination to another in Nashville, no matter how much of a country music fan you may be.
On the other hand, it received a "low" for cost of living and a "very low" for taxes, a "good" for well-being and for health care, an "average" for weather and a "great" for culture. If you're not a fan of country music, your opinion on that last may differ.
The Red Bridge across the Des Moines River will be refurbished, but this won't change the overall good ranking for quality of life for West Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo: AP)
5. West Des Moines, Iowa
West Des Moines has two notable drawbacks: walkability and weather, for both of which it received a "below average" ranking.
However, it got a "low" for cost of living, taxes and crime rate—all good—a "good" for well-being, a "great" for health care—definitely a positive for retirees—and an "average" for culture.
Silver Spring, Maryland got a 'good' for walkability, though its weather score wasn't that great. (Photo: Getty)
4. Silver Spring, Maryland
One might wonder why Silver Spring ranked so highly, when it scored "high" on both cost of living and taxes—not a good thing—and "below average" on both health care and weather. While the latter may not matter all that much in a relatively temperate zone, the former certainly looms large in retirees' thoughts.
But it also got a "great" for well-being and culture, and a "good" for walkability.
3. Franklin, Tennessee
It might not have done well on walkability (actually, it scored a "poor"), but Franklin, Tennessee acquitted itself well on all other counts (well, it does have "average" weather).
It rated a "low" for cost of living, a "very low" for crime rate and taxes, "good" for well-being and health care and "great" for culture.
Its cost of living rating and weather scores weren't good, but every other score for Alexandria, Virginia was much better. (Photo: Getty)
2. Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria also did very well on the list, only narrowly beat out for the top slot. Its cost of living is just as bad as Arlington's, but it too got "great" ratings for well-being, health care and culture, along with low taxes and a low crime rate. Alexandria, however, only rated a "good" for walkability.
Oh, by the way, while both cities scored just "average" for weather, Alexandria's is a tad worse than Arlington's.
Non-residents know it for the national cemetery, but Arlington, Virginia also offers great walkability, health care, and low crime for retirees looking to relocate. (Photo: Getty)
1. Arlington, Virginia
Arlington finished at the top of Bankrate's list, despite having a very high cost of living. However, considering that it also has low taxes, a low crime rate, "great" ratings for well-being, walkability, health care and culture, that's probably not hard to understand.
Just make sure you save your pennies before you call the moving man—you'll need them.
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