Topretirements Announces 25 Best Places to Retire List for 2008

Category: Best Retirement Towns and States

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When baby boomers prepare for the next phase of their lives - retirement - many of them start by looking for the best places to retire at Topretirements.com. Every year we keep track of the most popular retirement towns on this site, and the 2008 list has just been compiled.

Asheville, North Carolina remains the giant in dream retirement towns with 50% more web visits than the next most visited town on this site, Sarasota Florida.

Looking at the top 10 places to retire on this list there are some new additions in 2008.They include San Diego, California at #8, Austin, Texas at #9; and Phoenix, Arizona at #10.

The states with the most towns in the top 25 list were fairly predictable, with Sunbelt states dominating. Connecticut (Old Saybrook), Canada ( Halifax), and Ohio (oxford) were the only towns made the list from north of the Mason-Dixon line. Arizona dominated with 6 “best” towns, followed by Florida (4), North Carolina (3), California (2), Texas (2), and Tennessee(2). Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio, and Canada each had 1 town on the list. Here is the list of Best 25 Places to Retire at Topretirements.com:

1. Asheville, NC
2. Sarasota, FL
3. Prescott, AZ
4. Paris, TN
5. Winston-Salem, NC
6. Athens, GA
7. Green Valley, AZ
8. San Diego, CA
9. Austin, TX
10. Phoenix, AZ
11. Halifax, Nova Scotia (CAN)
12. Charlottesville, VA
13. Fort Myers, FL
14. Venice, FL
15. Oxford, OH
16. Sedona, AZ
17. Gainesville, FL
18. Flagstaff, AZ
19. San Luis Obispo, CA
20. Old Saybrook, CT
21. San Antonio, TX
22. Mount Airy, NC
23. Beaufort, SC
24. Tucson, AZ
25. Crossville, TN

Methodology: This best places to retire list was compiled by counting the 25 towns with the most online visits at Topretirements.com. It is a reflection of what baby boomers think are the best retirement towns, as well the referrals generated by the people viewing those pages. You could also call it the 25 most popular retirement towns

Posted by Admin on October 20th, 2008

Here is what the WEBSITE says about Mount Airy:

What Mount Airy is like for active adults

If your idea of retirement living means a small friendly town with a downtown you can easily walk around and greet your neighbors, Mount Airy North Carolina might be the retirement community for you. The town has under 9,000 people, but almost 40,000 people live in the immediate area that the Census Bureau refers to as a micropolitan area. This new designation refers to an area that has a less than 50,000 in its core population and relatively few commuters.

Mount Airy, located in northwest North Carolina, has a lot to attract active adults 55+. It has a vital downtown with abundant wireless access. Andy Griffith, who hails from here ( Mount Airy was the inspiration for Mayberry), has a theatre named after him, the Andy Griffith Playhouse, which features regular community productions. The Downtown Cinema Theatre broadcasts a weekly bluegrass radio concert. Mount Airy has much to like as a retirement community. Tourist attractions like the mountains and the Andy Griffith connection, combined with North Carolina’s moderate climate have contributed to a strong economy. There is plenty to do and see. The tourism industry provides a source of jobs for retirees who are interested.

Real estate might strike many as a bargain in Mount Airy. In 2005 the median sales price of a home was under $100,000. In 2006 and 2007 that value went into the low $100's.

Mount Airy is located in Surry County. The cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro are nearby, Here is a guide to North Carolina retirement.