A new study shows major cities here are good places to retire — mostly because of simple geography. Arizona Public Radio’s Howard Fischer explains.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, came up with a couple of dozen factors in looking at the 150 largest cities in the nation to determine the best places for seniors. Nine Arizona communities wound up on the list, at least in part because of the good weather. In fact, WalletHub’s Richie Bernardo said his firm found weather to be so important to retirees it weighted that factor higher than any other.
“Based on different surveys that have been done in the past, that seems to be a big priority for them. If you look at the results of the study, a lot of the cities in the bottom of the list are in colder climates. And so a lot of these people, after working decades in their professional lives, want to move down South where the climate is much more conductive to their health,”
The report also looked at other issues of interest to seniors, like things to do as measured by everything from rec centers and places to fish to public golf courses. Among Arizona cities, Tucson fared best. Chandler? Not so much. And while Scottsdale topped the state — and nearly the nation — in overall quality of life issues, Tucson scored much higher on the affordability index, with most Valley cities, led by Scottsdale, far more expensive.
