2. Flagstaff, Arizona
To most Americans, mention of Arizona probably brings to mind images of the desert and thoughts of 100-degree summers. But anybody who’s ever been to Flagstaff knows there’s more to the Grand Canyon State than that.
Speaking of the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff is only 80 miles from that natural wonder. For this reason and many others, Flagstaff has a thriving tourist industry—yet Flagstaff is just as well noted for what it offers residents as for what it offers tourists.
Few cities in the United States boast a more beautiful natural setting than Flagstaff. Noted for its mountain views and nearby forests, Flagstaff is an excellent location for enjoying the outdoors. If you’ve spent most of your first six or seven decades on concrete, consider some of these things you can easily do in and around Flagstaff:
• hike to your heart’s content
• dust off that bike and go for a spin in the fresh air
• go camping at the foot of spectacular mountains
• ski on beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert slopes
• build up your endurance by skating
Of course, there’s a lot more. Flagstaff, a vibrant city nearing 70,000 residents, is noted for its educational and cultural opportunities, and for an economy that has undergone radical changes since the city’s heyday as primarily a lumber, ranching, and railroad center. Now Flagstaff sports a diversified economy and a quality of life that makes the locals proud.
For what it’s worth, a friend of mine who attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff many decades ago told me recently that he’d return to Flagstaff in a minute if he had a job waiting for him there. A lot of people seem to have similar feelings about Flagstaff. Why? In most cases, it seems to be because of the spectacular scenery and the four distinct seasons. Even the winters are a key factor. They aren’t extreme. Daytime temperatures during the coldest months average more than 40 degrees. To many people who’ve had the opportunity to visit Flagstaff, the winters aren’t unpleasant. Far from it. Winters in the Flagstaff area are considered spectacular—even to people who’ve retired to warmer parts of Arizona and make it a point to make regular visits to Flagstaff.
People often comment that Flagstaff’s springs and summers are even better. As far as summers go … they couldn’t be much more comfortable. Overall, consensus is that Flagstaff’s weather is hard to beat, and there aren’t many places with more sunshine year-round than Flagstaff.
Although Flagstaff may not be among the cheapest places for retirement in the USA, with a little preparation and investigation it’s more than possible to find housing to fit most retirement budgets. Compare Flagstaff to most places in the US offering a similar quality of living and spectacular surroundings, and you may even discover it’s one of the best bargains out there.
3. Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City appeared on the US News 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012 list and the US News list of 10 Affordable Places to Retire on the Water.
According to US News, Traverse City and the surrounding area sports:
• over 180 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline
• 149 lakes at least ten acres in size
• high sand dunes and freshwater beaches
• ferries to neighboring islands
• ample opportunities for boating
If you’re a sailor at heart, or if you simply have a taste for spectacular sunsets, Traverse City, located in northwest Michigan about a four-hour drive from Detroit and five hours from Chicago, may be just the sort of retirement location you’re looking for.
As with Flagstaff, a lot of Traverse City’s appeal lies in its natural setting. But along with the spectacular shoreline and forests native to northern Michigan, the Traverse City area is noted for agriculture—particularly, for its cherries and grapes. The Traverse City area produces more tart cherries than any other area in the United States, and each July Traverse City hosts a weeklong cherry festival that attracts several hundred thousand tourists. If you like wine, you’ll be happy to know Traverse City produces more than its share with the fine grapes grown in the area.
How’s the weather in Traverse City? Without a doubt, it’s fantastic in summer … the only time of year I’ve visited there. With its nearby beaches, forests, and world class produce, Traverse City is pretty much the perfect place to pass summers. Though visitors come to Traverse City from cities across the country and especially the Midwest, the pace you’re likely to find in Traverse City is anything but what you’d expect to find in a city. Don’t be fooled by the second half of Traverse City’s name because it’s feels a lot more like a laid-back town than a city. After all, there are only about 15,000 yearlong residents in Traverse City—although the metropolitan area is about ten times that many. Traverse City is a place to soak in the sights and the local culture at your own pace. For what it’s worth, Traverse City’s semiprofessional baseball team is named the Beach Bums.
Winter sports are big in Traverse City. If you’re a fan of professional hockey, you’ll glad to know the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings hold their preseason training camp in Traverse City. Other hockey teams of various levels also play in the city. If you’re more interested in skating than in watching other people skate, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to lace up your skates in Traverse City. It’s almost as easy to find a great place to ski as to skate. Yes, winters are cold—with daytime high temperatures averaging right around the freezing mark during the coldest months—but there’s enough going on in this vibrant little city that you probably won’t have any trouble staying warm.
Traverse City has a thriving arts community, an annual film festival, an opera house, a museum, and a lot more—and it’s definitely an affordable place you ought to consider when you look at your retirement options.