| Retirement doesn't have to be boring. In fact, it can | | | | prolonged vacation in a state where there are less |
| be an exciting new page in your life when you can | | | | crowds and more quiet, take a look at some |
| explore possibilities and push your limits further. | | | | possibilities in states like Arkansas, West Virginia and |
| If you're a baby boomer about to retire, chances are | | | | Tennessee. Not only are the views breathtaking, |
| you're not thinking of just fading quietly into the | | | | they also come with affordable prices. Go for: |
| sunset. You're probably scouring the map to find the | | | | Williamsburg in Virginia is a colonial town that's rich in |
| best place to make your new mark. If you're looking | | | | heritage, boasting of a friendly population of only |
| for the best state to retire in other than Florida, here | | | | 11,800. While the town has an old-city feel, you'll get |
| are some of our suggestions: | | | | access to some modern facilities, including seven |
| Away from the maddening crowd | | | | hospitals and three airports, all less than an hour's |
| If much of your working life has been filled with | | | | drive away. |
| deadlines, crowded commutes and heavy traffic, | | | | A lifelong education and plenty of play |
| there's a good chance that you think the best state | | | | Unlike the past generations of retirees, today's baby |
| to retire in is something that offers the opposite - | | | | boomers don't take retirement sitting down. |
| peace and quiet, no traffic jams and friendly | | | | Retirement doesn't mean being cooped up in your |
| neighborhoods. It also wouldn't hurt if low taxes were | | | | home knitting or gardening anymore - it's about living |
| thrown into the package. If that's your dream | | | | a second life and learning more. This is what makes |
| retirement, consider states like Washington, Idaho, | | | | plenty of college towns the best places to retire in, |
| Wyoming and Colorado. Here are some suggestions | | | | where colleges and universities can offer plenty of |
| where to go: | | | | jobs along with a host of activities and a young |
| Fort Collins in Colorado | | | | crowd to add a lively vibe. Here's a place to try: |
| If the blue skies of Colorado beckon and you're | | | | Charleston, South Carolina |
| willing to give in, try Fort Collins. There's plenty to see | | | | If you like the look of the south and have access to |
| here, thanks to its location. Being near Rocky | | | | excellent health care and nine universities and |
| Mountain National Park is great if you like skiing, | | | | colleges, South Carolina may just be the best state |
| fishing and hiking. Fort Collins is also where you'll find | | | | to retire in. There are plenty of places in Charleston |
| Colorado State University and plenty of art galleries | | | | or in nearby Edisto, where you find oak tree-lined |
| and great restaurants. | | | | country lanes and still get the chance to go fishing, |
| Spokane and Walla Walla, Washington | | | | boating or playing a round of golf. |
| Spokane lets you commune with nature and enjoy | | | | Right where you are |
| the peace and quiet of the northern Rockies and the | | | | Most retirees, especially those in their mid-40s to |
| Columbia River Valley. There are no income taxes, | | | | their mid-50s, prefer to stay at home, where they |
| houses are affordable and utility costs are low. | | | | raised their children and built their lives. In fact, less |
| Walla Walla may have an ever so slightly higher cost | | | | than 5% of this age group actually move across |
| of housing, but it still offers really great buys. If | | | | county and state lines, believing that it's better to |
| you're a wine connoisseur, this town in the south | | | | stay put than to uproot oneself and start all over |
| eastern part of Washington is a great place to retire | | | | again. |
| in. | | | | If you're quite happy with your home and |
| A home with a view | | | | neighborhood and have access to medical care |
| Many retirees opt for places that offer the most | | | | facilities, government agencies and entertainment, |
| spectacular views as the best states to retire in. As | | | | why go someplace else? Oftentimes, home is right |
| such, many actually spend money to buy vacation | | | | there where you are. If you don't have any strong |
| homes out of state, preferably in places that offer | | | | reasons to pack up and find another place, your very |
| the most in terms of livability. So if you like some | | | | own place may just be the best state to retire in. |