BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Best 25 Suburbs For Retirement In 2014

Following
This article is more than 9 years old.

There are a lot of questions to answer as retirement nears, but here's a big one: Where? Staying put is often the answer, especially if relatives and other support systems are nearby. But moving also can be the answer, to save money, to seek a new environment like an inner-city neighborhood or the boonies, or even to follow one's personal passions.

One interesting class of end locations is the suburbs. They often offer the best of many worlds: a quiet or quieter residential environment but within a reasonable traveling distance of a big city full of cultural amenities and medical facilities.

So here is our new list of the 25 Best Suburbs For Retirement in 2014.  They can be found in 20 states across all four continental time zones, although in a few instances the suburb sits in a different state than the big city to which it relates to. The list is unranked, with places listed alphabetically. You can access the list by clicking on the image above.

We looked at a lot of data to compile this roster. We set a limit of 35 miles from the suburb to the big-city center, figuring that a longer distance would make it too hard to travel easily into the big city and back.

Economic value is important. We sought towns with median homes values of $300,000 or less, and a cost of living near or below the national average. Average home price for the places on this list is $242,000.

Reflecting the fact that many retirees say they plan to work part-time, we also took into account the economy of the metro area where the suburb is located. This was done primarily by noting the unemployment rate and rank on the latest Milken Institute list of best-performing metro areas for job growth.  We also weighed an assessment of the state's tax climate for retirees (something that Forbes has tracked for years).

We pulled information about a number of other factors. Among them: the rate of serious crime (considerably below the national average in every listed town), presence of or proximity to hospitals and colleges and air quality. We also took a close look at adequacy of available mass transit to the big city. Seven of the towns on this list--Beaverton, Ore.;  Doylestown, Pa.; Gaithersburg, Md.; Gilbert, Ariz.; McKinney, Tex, Munster, Ind., and Naperville, Ill.--have or are near solid rail connections.

Sources for our data include city-data.com, various real estate reporting services and FBI crime statistics. No single town excelled on every factor. And, although data-driven, our conclusions include a certain subjective element. Still, there is plenty of material for thought here.

One thing we didn't take into account was population of the burb, so long as it was 5,000 or more. On this list they range from Henderson, Nev. (population 266,000) and Gilbert, Ariz. (population 221,000) to Doylestown, Pa. (8,000) and Oak Grove, Ore. (16,000). The farthest out suburb is San Marcos, Tex., 31 miles south of Austin, followed by McKinney, Tex., 29 miles north of Dallas. The average is 13 miles.

For the list of the 25 Best Suburbs For Retirement in 2014, click here.

Follow William P. Barrett‘s work on Twitter by clicking here.