Top Retirement Communities in the U.S.
Bizjournals, a media division of American City Business Journals, after performing a comparative study on 938 markets in eight statistical categories, has put together a list of the 100 hottest retirement communities in the U.S. Of consideration in this study, were places where the number of senior citizens within the communitiy was significant and growing rapidly.
The statistics used in the study were taken from 2005 U.S. Census Bureau data. All 938 metropolitan and micropolitan areas in the U.S. were included in the study. These areas, defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, include areas with a variety of population sizes, ranging from large cities such as New York City all the way to small towns such as Pecos, Texas.
Upon completion of this study, Bizjournal put together a list of the Top 100 Retirement Communities in the United States. Topping the list of 100 is Gardnerville Ranchos, a small town in Nevado, located near the California border and just a short distance southeast of Lake Tahoe.
This relatively small town of 47,017 has a 19.3% population of people that are aged 65-plus, which is a higher concentration than 96% of other markets within the nation. Gardnerville Ranchos’s growth rate for its 65-plus population was a whopping 44.8%, nine times the national growth rate for that same age group.
Cities making the top 10 on this list of 100 Top Retirement Communities, include:
- Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada
- Punta Gorda, Florida
- Pahrump, Nevada
- Crossville, Tennessee
- Homosassa Springs, Florida
- Sebring, Florida
- Del Rio, Texas
- Brevard, North Carolina
- Georgetown, South Carolina
- Ocean Pines, Maryland
Of interest regarding the seven states included in this top 10 list, is that these seven states contain 42% of those retirement communities making the top 100 list nationwide. Add Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Arkansas to the mix, and the percent of top 100 retirement communities found in these eleven states then increases to 59. That’s nearly six out of ten of the top 100 retirement communities within the U.S. are found in just 11 of the 50 U.S. states.
From the Top 100 Retirement Communities list, further breakdowns are possible. Some of the additional categories that can be garnered from this list include:
Highest rate of growth for 65-plus population:
- #17 - Silverthorne, Colorado ( 48.7%)
- #1 - Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada (44.8%)
- #14 - St. Marys, Georgia (43.9%)
- #3 - Pahrump, Nevada (41.2%)
- #24 - Rio Grande City - Roma, Texas (40.1%)
Percent of total population that are 65-plus:
- #2 - Punta Gorda, Florida (33.7%)
- #6 - Sebring, Florida (31.0%)
- #5 - Homosassa Springs, Florida (30.6%)
- #22 - Sebastian- Vero Beach, Florida (27.0)
- #11 - Mountain Home, Arkansas (26.4%)
Of the top five retirement communities in the category of growth among the 65-plus group, Nevada appears in that group two times. Each of these communities have a relatively low population, with a low of 24,892 in Silverthorne, Colorado, to a high of 47,515 in Fernley, Nevada.
On the other hand, those communities showing the highest percent of 65-plus residents in relation to the total population most often were in more highly populated areas. These communities often showed significantly lower percent of growth in the 65-plus population.
For easier reference and because people have distinct requisites in their search for the perfect retirement community, Bizjournal went on to further break down the top 100 list into several categories. These categories include a top 10 lists for the each of the areas of: Urban Areas, Small Town, Florida, Non-Florida, Atlantic Coast, Great Lakes, Pacific Coast, Mountains, Deep South, Southwest, and the Great Plains.
Here is a brief recap for each of these categories:
Urban areas: Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla., with over one-quarter of its residents in the 65-plus age group, topped the list. The next three positions in this category were also held by the Florida towns of Palm Bay-Melbourne, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, and Lakeland. The number five urban position went to Honolulu, also known for its warm climate and sandy beaches. Urban areas include those metropolitan areas with a half-million or more people.
Small town: Gardnerville Rancho, Nev., number one in the top 100, again took the number one spot in this category. Nevada also claimed number two with Pahrump, Nev. Del Rio, Tx., Brevard, N.C., and Ocean Palms, Md., respectively, followed the two Nevada towns. To be included in the small town category, the population needed to be 50,000 people or less.
Florida: It appears that Florida, known for its retirement communities, gets a category of its own. Punta Gorda, whose population outnumber children 2-1, topped this list. Other communities in the Sunshine State receiving top honor are: Homosassa Springs, Sebring, Palm Coast, and Sebastian-Vero Beach.
Southern Non-Florida: Del Rio, Tx., took the top spot for this category, a warm, beachless alternative to Florida. Georgetown, SC., St. Marys, Ga., Rio Grande, Tx., and Hilton Head Island-Beaufort, SC, followed Del Rio in this category.
Atlantic Coast: This category, which includes states from Maine to North Carolina, found Ocean Pines, Md., in the top spot. Barnstable, Mass., otherwise known as Cape Cod, came in second. Ocean City, N.J., Morehead City, N.C., and Wilmington, N.C., took the remaining three of the top 5 positions.
Great Lakes: Seven of the top ten spots belong to towns in Michigan, apparently receiving lots of popularity among the 65-plus age group. As a matter of fact, since 1980, Michigan has been one of the growth leaders for senior citizens in the U.S. Alpena, Escanaba, and Traverse City, all Michigan towns, take the top three spots. Sandusky, Oh., and Marinette, Wi., complete the top five highest-ranked communities attractive to retirees in the Great Lakes region.
Pacific Coast: Certainly worth mention is that California, the largest of any of the Pacific coastal states, never makes an appearance in this category’s top 10. Brookings, Or., whose senior populous outnumbers children by 35%, takes the number one spot. Among those remaining in the top five are Port Angeles, Wa., Oak Harbor, Wa., Coos Bay, Or., and Astoria, Or. In this category, Hawaii and Alaska each have two entries to complete the top ten.
Mountains: Again, Gardnerville Ranchos takes the top spot. Crossville, Tn., Brevard, NC., Brookings, Or.,and Silver City, N.M., conclude the top five in this category. With the exception of Crossvile, Tn., and Brevard, N.C., the West dominated this category of mountaineous retirement communities.
Southwest: This area consists of Arizona, New Mexico and parts of four adjoining states. Known for its uninterrupted sunshine, retirees flock to the Southwestern deserts and tablelands by the thousands. Pahrump, Nev., which also took the number three position in the top 100 list, came in number one in this category. Silver City, N.M., Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Prescott, Ariz., and Taos, N.M., took positions two through five.
Great Plains: Lacking precise boundaries, this category includes areas classified as plains or tablelands and includes portions of some 10 mid-American states. Minnesota takes five of the top ten spots in this grouping. Taking the first position is Albert Lea, Minn. Spirit Lake, Iowa, Huron, S.D., Alexandria, Minn., and Fairmont, Minn., follow to make up the top five.
