You Won’t Believe the Top Places to Retire in the United States
If I gave you 100 guesses as to what the best place to retire is you wouldn’t even be close. You wouldn’t even get the right state. There is a better than good chance you’d completely miss the top five places according to U.S. News and World Report. The top spot has to be somewhere in Florida. If it’s not Florida, maybe the Carolinas or somewhere warm out west.
Incorrect. Florida doesn’t even crack the top five. It gets one city in the top 10, Daytona Beach at number eight. Florida does at least hold 6 spots in the top 25, but this is a major shock for what most thought was the go-to state for retiring. North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Wisconsin all get cities in the top 25.
Let’s be perfectly clear… This ranking is based of a specific metric breakdown and not where people are flocking to once they retire. This is direct from U.S. News and World Report’s article on how the rankings were done.
“To identify the best places to retire, U.S. News analyzed data for the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to assess how well they meet Americans’ retirement needs and expectations. Top criteria include the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and health care quality.”
Let’s not let the facts about where people are actually retiring to get in the way of what we’re talking about here! The best place for people to retire in the United States is right here in Pennsylvania. Actually, the top 5 places are ALL in PA!
5. Allentown, PA
4. Scranton, PA
3. Lancaster, PA
2. Reading, PA
1. Harrisburg, PA
I did say you won’t believe the top places to retire… New York City was #6, followed by another Pennsylvania city, York at #7. The first Florida city is on the list at #8. Rounding out the top 10 is Youngstown Ohio at #9 and yet another PA city at #10 Pittsburgh. Nice work by Billy Penn back in the 1600’s. For the full list and methodology on the scoring check out U.S. News and World Report.
Pennsylvania Has One of the Most Affordable Christmas Vacations
Christmas is a time to visit family and friends and get away from the daily grind. The holidays can be a wonderful time, but they can also be very expensive. From buying lots of Christmas gifts for family and friends to having to pay for plane tickets and travel, holiday expenses can really add up. But, the good news is that there are some affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S. that are available for a good deal. Even better, Pennsylvania has one of the most affordable Christmas vacations in America.
One good thing about traveling during the winter months is that it’s often the off-season for popular vacation destinations. Of course, the holidays are a busy travel time. That makes late December a difficult time to find a deal for travel. But, if you don’t mind the cold and snow, some northern areas of the U.S. offer very good deals. That’s true even during the Christmas season.
Some tips for finding a good deal for holiday vacationing include searching a lot of booking websites, comparing different hotel dates to find the most reasonable ones and finding bundle deals. Also, keep your eyes open for special deals on resorts and hotels that are just opening. That’s because sometimes, during those opening months, new vacation spots try to attract a loyal clientele by offering special deals. One more tip is to search for airfare rates individually even if you are traveling as a couple or a group. If you put in a search for a group of tickets, the algorithms will often leave out information on one or two cheaper tickets being available. They’ll just send you a group of tickets, sitting together, all at the same price. So, you might get a deal if you search for one ticket, instead.
So, what are the best affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S.? Here are some popular spots that won’t break the bank.
Best Affordable Christmas Vacations in the U.S.
Steve Vassalotti is co-host of “The Matt Cord Show with Steve Vassalotti” weekday mornings 6a-10a on 102.9 WMGK. He has been with the station since 2015. For WMGK he writes about inane nonsense that surrounds our daily lives, sports, food and other various topics. Steve writes about Philadelphia lifestyle content, the Philadelphia Eagles culture and trending topics.