20 Best Neighborhoods to Retire

No. 20: Jensen Beach, Florida

Neighborhood: Sewall's Point / Ocean Breeze Park
Scout's Retirement Score 80 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $196,100

Educated, safe, and affordable, this point of land in the Indian River is walkable, hip, and quiet. It's statistically safer than 93 percent of the neighborhoods in America. Median house values are under $200,000.

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Next: No. 19 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 19: Kerrville, Texas

Neighborhood: Bandera Highway / Lower Turtle Creek Road
Scout's Retirement Score 80 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $261,700

Located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, which is alive with wildflowers every spring, Kerrville is a town wth shopping, antiques, and quiet living. This neighborhood on the edge of town is safe, rural, and populated by highly cultured neighbors.

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Next: No. 18 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 18: Pena Blanca, New Mexico

Neighborhood: Cochiti Lake
Scout's Retirement Score 81 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $198,600

A settlement at Cochiti Lake, established at a pueblo settlement along the banks of a large manmade lake, provides classic Southwestern scenery. Ospreys nest in the town, and the settlement will permit just 50 more homes to be built. Just 30 minutes from the cultural center of Santa Fe, Pena Blanca has a wonderful golf course; nearly half of its population are seniors, many of them college-educated. Quiet, sunny, and nearly a mile above sea level, the neighborhood has a wonderful climate at a wonderful price.

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Next: No. 17 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 17: White Stone, Virginia

Neighborhood: White Stone
Scout's Retirement Score 82 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $306,900

White Stone is located where the Rappahannock River meets the Chesapeake Bay. Surrounded by water on three sides, with a bridge across the river, the town is a designated bird sanctuary, and a place for fishing, golfing, sailing, and a relaxed, easy retirement where many educated seniors have settled.

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Next: No. 16 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 16: Onancock, Virginia

Neighborhood: Onancock
Scout's Retirement Score 82 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $190,200

The 1947 children's book Misty of Chincoteague depicted a family raising a pony born to a wild horse. The saltwater farms, relaxed smalltown living, and comfort in that book (and the subsequent Disney movie) thrive today in Onancock, located on the lower Chesapeake Bay. With a suburban pace, farms, and a coastal setting, it's a serene location seemingly from a bygone era.

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Next: No. 15 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 15: Palm Harbor, Florida

Neighborhood: U.S. Route 19 / Highlands Boulevard
Scout's Retirement Score 83 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $227,800

Just north of Tampa on Lake Tarpon, this special neighborhood is a top retirement pick: it's coastal, nautical, quiet, and still affordable. And it's all within an easy drive of most of the amenities in the Tampa Bay area.

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Next: No. 14 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 14: Lyndhurst, Ohio

Neighborhood: Richmond Road / Cedar Road
Scout's Retirement Score 84 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $192,900

This Richmond Road and Cedar Road area, in this beautiful all-American town east of Cleveland, is a quiet, walkable neighborhood full of sophisticated, educated seniors and two magnificent country clubs, the Mayfield and the Acacia. By national standards, real estate prices are amazing for such a high-quality locale.

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Next: No. 13 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 13: Port Costa, California

Neighborhood: Port Costa/Crockett
Scout's Retirement Score 85 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $413,600

A quiet waterfront community with sophisticated neighbors in California where median house values are just over $400,000? You can believe it. Port Costa and its neighbor Crockett offer a taste of the amazing in California: quality and affordability in retirement living near the water. On the Carquinez Straight between San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay, this neighborhood offers major parklands, easy access to amenities, beautiful scenery. A bargain gem that few may have known about as a top choice for retiring, until our search engine uncovered it.

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Next: No. 12 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 12: Northlake, South Carolina

Neighborhood: Town Center
Scout's Retirement Score 85 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $165,400

Beautiful lakeside living can be found in this quiet community in northern South Carolina. Mountain and hill views, easy lake access, and a few minutes into the city of Anderson make this special place both unique and convenient. Very educated, and very reasonably priced.

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Next: No. 11 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 11: Kingston, New York

Neighborhood: Lincoln Park / East Kingston
Scout's Retirement Score 86 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $208,000

Bounded by the beautiful Hudson River on one side and the Catskill Mountains five miles away, this special neighborhood in Kingston offers easy access to both. The more famous town of Woodstock is minutes away, bringing arts, culture, natural beauty, and a hip lifestyle to a quiet, gentle locale are some of the special attractions to Kingston as a choice for your retirement.

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Next: No. 10 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 10: Paradise, California

Neighborhood: Pentz Road / Dean Road
Scout's Retirement Score 87 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $280,900

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains rising from the broad valley below in gentle northern California, the community of Paradise is aptly named. Tall pines abound, summers are cool at night, and the winter brings a dusting of snow to this quiet, picturesque community along a ridge top. Although California home prices can be high, Paradise offers great northern California retirement living at an enviable price, with many housing options.

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Next: No. 9 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 9: McComb, Mississippi

Neighborhood: Smithdale Rd. / Delaware Ave.
Scout's Retirement Score 89 of 100 (very good)
Median House Value: $113,600

McComb, Mississippi is a place where retirees are treated to no state income taxes, by special arrangement with the state for the purposes of attracting seniors to a great place to live at a very good value price. And McComb delivers. It was selected as "The Hospitality City" of "The Hospitality State" three years in a row. With a long, warm summer, gentle spring and fall, and a faint kiss of winter, McComb gently brushes all four seasons but spends most of its time in southern warmth. Its people are warm, too. The selected neighborhood in McComb is at once the least expensive place to retire on our list (median house values are about $113,000), and one of the most educated. What a combination, and a real hidden gem. Parks and porches abound. Live oaks, walking paths, and a great way of life in this very special place.

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Next: No. 8 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 8: Marble Falls, Texas

Neighborhood: Meadowlakes
Scout's Retirement Score 90 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $248,600

Alive with wildflowers in the spring, Marble Falls is in Texas's beautiful, rolling Hill Country west of Austin. The Meadowlakes area lines the shore of the river from Lake Lyndon B. Johnson. That's a lot of natural beauty, all within an easy drive of Austin, the state's dynamic arts capital. This quiet, gentle neighborhood is safe and sophisticated, warm and friendly -- and while it's not cheap, it's a relative bargain compared with much of the U.S. Marble Falls is a premium place to retire.

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Next: No. 7 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 7: Cambridge, Maryland

Neighborhood: Algonquin
Scout's Retirement Score 91 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $321,700

There's more to Maryland than the congested Beltway or the inner city of Baltimore. The Algonquin area of Cambridge, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, sparkles with gentle four-season living along the coves of one of America's greatest natural estuaries. Fishing, crabbing, and sailing abound in this unhurried neighborhood, surrounded by picturesque farms overlooking the water. It's a gentle place to be savored for its incredible price and value for the region.

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Next: No. 6 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 6: Melbourne Beach, Florida

Neighborhood: Town Center
Scout's Retirement Score 93 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $322,700

Melbourne Beach is a different Florida than most people know. Most "tourists" are actually locals in disguise: scientists, professors, and officers from the nearby Florida Institute of Technology, Kennedy Space Flight Center, and Patrick Air Force Base. Packed with intellectual capital, Melbourne Beach is at once completely unpretentious and highly educated. Crime is low, the beach is beautiful, and the beach, fishing, seafood, and mild climate make this a true gem at a bargain price.

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Next: No. 5 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 5: Hershey, Pennsylvania

Neighborhood: Chocolate Avenue / Cocoa Avenue
Scout's Retirement Score 93 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $263,500

In Hershey, you can retire of a heavenly spot you've dreamed about since childhood: namely, a town immersed in chocolate. How can you help but smile, knowing that this neighborhood of America's most famous chocolate-making town is centered at the intersections of Chocolate and Cocoa Avenues? This neighborhood boasts large, beautiful, historic homes in a quiet, tree-lined, walkable setting framed by country clubs. Safe, sophisticated, and reasonably priced for such high quality, this fun locale is a short distance from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital.

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Next: No. 4 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 4: Sequim, Washington

Neighborhood: Blyn
Scout's Retirement Score 94 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $318,000

Sequim's rugged, quiet beauty on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula will delight you. And this neighborhood in Sequim stands apart as a wonderful choice for retirees, due to its incredible safety (safer than 98% of all neighborhoods in America), populace dominated by educated seniors who have moved here from all over to savor its wonderful lifestyle, and its coastal setting studded by farms growing lavender and strawberries, framed by mountains. Less rainy than almost any spot on the coast of Washington State, Sequim is the envy of most other towns. Coffee shops, boutiques, and full-scale retail are all available. Golf, kayak, bike, hike, shop and savor the quiet sophistication of this sunny valley on the coast.

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Next: No. 3 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 3: Hendersonville, North Carolina

Neighborhood: Laurel Park
Scout's Retirement Score 95 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $346,100

Hendersonville is well-known as a choice retirement location for its mountain beauty and mild climate. Laurel Park is Hendersonville's most expensive neighborhood, but its quality is unsurpassed, making it the obvious best value in town -- and one of the best locations to retire in America.

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Next: No. 2 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 2: Brecksville, Ohio

Neighborhood: Royalton Road / Old Royalton Road
Scout's Retirement Score 97 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $213,600

About 15 miles south of Cleveland, Brecksville is surrounded by hilly, wooded terrain, manicured country clubs, and an urbane, educated community. Visitors are amazed by the beauty of the surrounding countryside. If you hadn't thought of retiring to the Cleveland area, Brecksville's charm and sophistication might surprise you.

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Next: No. 1 Retirement Neighborhood

No. 1: Englewood, Florida

Neighborhood: Town Center
Scout's Retirement Score 98 of 100 (excellent)
Median House Value: $213,800

On Lemon Bay in Southwest Florida, south of Sarasota and north of Port Charlotte, beautiful Englewood is less well known -- and that helps it retain its incredible retirement value. The Town Center neighborhood is one of the safest in Florida, with incredibly low crime rates. It's a quiet, educated neighborhood with lots of seniors (and other age groups). Despite its quality, safety, and subtropical Gulf Coast amenities, Englewood offers an incredible median house value of just over $200,000.

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