When it comes to places to put your feet up after decades of working, raising a family and surviving the various ups and downs of life, Florida remains a popular destination for retirement living.
Here in SW Florida, Cape Coral has been recognized by personal finance company WalletHub as a “best place to retire”, coming in at No. 20 in the annual rankings.
To create its rankings, WalletHub evaluated 182 cities, including the 150 most populated cities in the United States, along with two of the most populated in each state.
The company ranked four characteristics – affordability, activities, quality of life and available healthcare.
WalletHub ranked the best and worst cities for retirement by tracking “45 key metrics,” according to the September study, including the cost of living, health infrastructure and retired “taxpayer friendliness.”
Cape Coral is considered one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. with its population approaching 240,000.
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Cape Coral scored a 54.32 overall. It had an affordability rank of 24, an activities rank of 72, a quality of life rank of 22 and a healthcare rank of 111.
Three of the five cities WalletHub considers the top spots for retirees were in Florida – Orlando at No. 1, Miami at No. 4 and Tampa at No. 5, with Scottsdale, Arizona, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, taking second and third place, respectively. Fort Lauderdale also ranked relatively highly at No. 7.
What they are saying: Best cities for retirement
“It’s important to choose wisely when picking where to retire, as many retirees are on a fixed income,” said Chip Lupo, an analyst with WalletHub. “As a result, the best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so.”
Source: WalletHub
See all Florida cities making list of best places to retire
No. 1: Orlando
No. 4: Miami
No. 5: Tampa
No. 7: Fort Lauderdale
No. 12: St. Petersburg
No. 20: Cape Coral
No. 30: Pembroke Pines
No. 40: Hialeah
No. 45: Jacksonville
No. 55: Tallahassee
No. 107: Port St. Lucie
Are any Florida cities among worst places to retire?
According to WalletHub, no Florida city was among the bottom cities to retire, which was dominated by cities in California. The worst cities among those ranked were:
No. 182: San Bernardino, California
No. 181: Stockton, California
No. 180: Rancho Cucamonga, California
No. 179: Bakersfield, California
No. 178: Newark, New Jersey
No. 177: Fresno, California
No. 176: Fontana, California
No. 175: Pearl City, Hawaii
WalletHub’s Top 10 cities to retire toTrying to decide where to retire? ‘Choose wisely’
“It’s important to choose wisely when picking where to retire, as many retirees are on a fixed income,” Lupo said.
“As a result, the best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so.
“In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees.”
Sarah Perkel, a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team, and Cheryl McCloud, a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team, contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: where-are-the-best-cities-to-retire-to-in-florida?