The capital of Florida has been named the favorite U.S. city for baby boomers to retire by a Washington based economics research group. Tallahassee, Florida won out over 20 other cities considered for the prestigious award as the ideal place to retire.
The southern city was selected after researchers considered a combination of factors, including climate, cost of living, available health care and other priorities. The Washington Economics Group (WEG) announcement follows ten years of retirement relocation selections.
The selection was made after a survey was taken by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, which found a third of baby boomers would consider moving to another state for the most valuable living conditions to them. Chief among those conditions identified by boomers are a mid-sized town offering a pleasant warm climate with a mild hint of winter, low cost of living and favorable tax rates.
There are an estimated 78 million U.S. baby boomers and millions are searching for the ideal place to retire. Southern college towns like Tallahassee offer retirees many of the options, despite Florida State University’s reputation as a party college in Tallahassee.
“Through the Mason-Dixon Poll, we’re learning exactly what baby boomers are looking for as they near retirement and where they can find it,” said economist Tony Villamil, founder of the Washington Economics Group.
The survey provided a snapshot of what matters most to boomers. The answer for a majority of respondents was southern college towns. Tallahassee’s winning assets also include “quality affordable housing,” the nation’s top-rated Medicare program in its Capital Health Plan, an ideal array of outdoor activities and the highest percentage of other key attributes that boomers identified as priorities.
Three of the next five cities are also homes to southern universities: Athens, Georgia (3); Tuscaloosa, Alabama (4); and Oxford, Mississippi (6).
However, the analysis of potential retirement destinations does not point exclusively to the south. Tied at Number 9 on its list of favorable retirement destinations is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, due to a lower-than-average cost of living and a highly regarded health care system.