‘Dream’ Retirement Areas

The top 25 “dream” retirement communities--based on quality of life, climate, scenic beauty and cultural and recreational opportunities--have been selected by Century 21 Real Estate Corp. from 300 locations nominated in a national survey of its offices.

Housing prices were not a consideration in the survey, and most of the communities were located in Florida and California. Some of the surprises included Cape May, N.J., North Conway, N.H., Tryon, N.C., and Hot Springs, Ark.

To cross-reference its findings, Century 21 consulted retirement community expert David Savageau who analyzed the American Medical Assn. membership rolls of active and inactive non-government physicians to determine the top locations for retired MDs.

“Since a vast majority of retired doctors have the financial means to retire to any location in the country, they provide a solid reference point when identifying exclusive retirement communities,” Savageau said.

The populations of the 25 areas range from Tryon at 4,500 to San Francisco at 714,000. The climates of most of the selections were described as “perfect or mild,” with the exception of North Conway and Santa Fe, which have four distinct seasons with abundant recreational opportunities during each season.

TOP 25 RETIREMENT AREAS

Aspen, Colo. Bar Harbor, Me. Boca Raton, Fla. Cape Cod, Mass. Cape May, N.J. Hilton Head, S.C. Hot Springs, Ark. Jackson Hole, Wyo. Lincoln City, Ore. Maui, Hawaii Monterey, Calif. Naples, Fla. North Conway, N.H. Palm Beach, Fla. Palm Springs San Diego San Francisco San Juan Islands, Wash. San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Fe, N.M. Sarasota, Fla. Scottsdale, Ariz. Southern Pines/Pinehurst, N.C. Tryon, N.C. Listed alphabetically by city, not ranked in order

Source: Century 21 Real Estate Corp.