Places to Retire in the West
- Seniors can benefit from Arizona's hot, dry climate. US News and World Report lists Green Valley, Arizona, as one of the best places to retire. Take a short drive through the desert south of Tuscon to Green Valley. No worries about what to do in Green Valley. Retirees have a calendar from which to choose an array of activities. According to US News and World Report, Green Valley boasts an 18-hole golf course, and church and secular activities. Take a class or two at the community college or go to concerts and dance classes at the performing arts space.
Staying healthy is as important for seniors as it is for other demographics. Green Valley Recreation offers a dozen recreation centers. Sign up for woodworking or stay fit with tennis and racquetball. Enjoy Green Valley Recreation fitness centers or any of its twelve heated lap pools.
While the nearest hospitals are in Tucson, Green Valley provides primary and acute care, specialists, and EMT services. Independent and assisted living, and memory care are available at a facility in Green Valley. - Las Vegas, Nevada has enjoyed a boom for many years. This desert showcase draws retirees. According to MSN Money, "more people age 65 and over moved to Nevada than to any other state between 1995-2000." A major draw to Nevada is no income tax. You can stretch your retirement dollar in Nevada.
- Active Boomers seek Colorado's high altitudes. Rather than withdrawing into air-conditioned comfort out of blazing desert heat, retirees praise Colorado's year-round activities as retirement's holy grail. According to Denver's Business Journal, most retiring Colorado residents stay there. Colorado also draws active boomers from around the country. Larry Armstrong is president of 50 Plus Community Marketing Inc. and chairman of the Senior Housing Council of the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Metropolitan Denver. He remarks that "we see it as a chance to reinvent ourselves and to stay vibrant and actively engaged in life. We're looking for new ways of involvement in our next stage in life." Colorado is a hiking, cycling, skiing paradise. It is no coincidence that Colorado has the highest percentage of Baby Boomers to general population in the country.
