Columbus lands high on list of best places in America for retirees to live and play
A new list of places that people in their retirement years should highly consider calling home includes none other than Columbus, the west-central Georgia community located on the Chattahoochee River.
The website Livability.com released its Top 10 rankings Wednesday of the “10 Best Places to Retire” in 2018, with Columbus coming in at No. 9, just ahead of the historic city of Charleston, S.C. And it’s the only Georgia city on the list.
Leading the pack at No. 1 is Naples, Fla., followed by Little Rock, Ark.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Plano, Texas; Roseville, Calif.; Spokane, Wash.; and Carmel, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis. Columbus and Charleston round it out.
“For some people, retirement looks like a beach, a great book, and a tropical drink with a tiny umbrella in it. For others, it’s all about events, activism and a great food scene in a charming college town. For others, it’s starting each day with a long bike ride and hitting the slopes on the weekend,” writes Winona Dimeo-Ediger, managing editor of Livability.com, summing it up that “no one size fits all.”
The website said it looked at more than 2,000 cities across the United States with populations between 20,000 and 300,000. It used a variety of data in the areas of community engagement, safety, quality of health care, affordability, climate, natural disaster risk, property tax rate, activities and recreation.
It also factored in the number of people living in communities over age 65, which was used because the more people there are in the retiree age group of a city, the better chance there is someone will find others to socialize with and remain emotionally healthy, the site said.
Columbus, specifically, has 25,075 residents ages 65 and older out of its total population of 194,058, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey. For some, of course, retirement can start earlier, with the survey showing there are an additional 10,910 people between the ages of 60 to 64.
For Columbus, Livability.com said the city made the list for its diversity and affordability, with the median home value of $140,000. It mentioned the Chattahoochee River Walk and a plethora of golf courses and parks as recreation amenities as perks for retirees seeking to stay active.
The site also noted the social side of the community, specifically places where people gather for Uptown’s Friday Night Concert Series and Market Days each Saturday, as well as top-notch venues that include the National Infantry Museum, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and the National Civil War Naval Museum.
Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, who will be leaving office in the coming weeks, hailed the recognition from Livability.com, saying the quality of life for citizens of all ages is important.
Brian Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, also applauded the list, saying it “confirms” the Columbus 2025 regional strategic plan now in progress is improving the area.
“We have a low cost of living, a vibrant arts culture, a 40-percent reduction in crime over the last 10 years, access to affordable high-quality health care, and a walkable/bikeable community,” he said in a statement. “Being in the top 10 validates the great work occurring in our region and will enable us to continue to be a wonderful place to live, work and retire.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2018 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Columbus lands high on list of best places in America for retirees to live and play."