Don’t you just love all of the “Best Places” listings. It’s like a reality show about geography. The “Best Here” and the “Best There” always seem to be someplace else other than where you are at. (Since our own little burg was recently listed within the Top Ten by one national magazine, I’ve really started to wonder. It can be nice, but . . . Top Ten?)
There doesn’t seem to be any listing that incorporates and prioritizes all the criteria that you would like to see. However, what they do show can be interesting. Take a sampling of the many listings, and you will invariably learn something new. For example, look at -
- Money Magazine Best to Retire
- Money Magazine Best to Live
- US News & World Report
- AARP Best Destination Choices
- Forbes Magazine
- Wikipedia Best in World
- Sperling’s Best Places
- Business Week Best for Kids
- Kiplinger Best for Taxes
- Weather Statistics
The criteria used by any of these listings seem to be those that appeal to their editors. For example, weather and climate patterns, population size and growth, recreation opportunities, arts and culture organizations, cost of living comparisons, housing costs, job opportunities, colleges and universities, health care facilities, crime statistics, and libraries. But every senior considering a change of location must evaluate these criteria in the light of “How will you spend your time?” From that perspective, the various criteria can be organized into an order that best fits each person’s needs and aspirations. Your “best place” make not make anyone’s else Top Ten List except your own, but that is the only one that matters.
To find your own Best Place -
- Really decide how you want to spend your time.
- Reorder the various ranking criteria into a priority list that makes sense to you.
- Using that list, reevaluate locations based upon your personal aims.
- If your can, visit your top one or two location choices to get a reality check on how your criteria selection actually feels to you.
- Once you have decided upon an area, rent there for a year to validate your choice and learn more about the nuances of the location.
The conclusion of all this research may well be that your Best Nest is located right were you are sitting. But “just looking”, never hurts, and you might be surprised at what you find.
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