The top 10 places to retire

Plus two bonus towns for you to consider

By Robert Powell, MarketWatch

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Where do you want to live in retirement? Most
folks age in place. But there are those who spend their golden years
in dreamy locales. Where are those places?

Well, the 100 most popular retirement towns for 2010 are -- no
surprise -- mostly located in the Sun Belt states, according to
TopRetirements.com. In fact, 68 of the 100 top positions were
occupied by warm-climate towns. Florida dominated the list, taking 23
of the spots, followed by North Carolina (11) and South Carolina (8).
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But there are 25 new towns on the list, according to John Brady,
editor of the second edition of 100 Best Retirement Towns. Some of
the 25 new cities on the list include Boulder, Colo., Eugene Ore.,
Santa Fe N.M., Chattanooga Tenn., Cheyenne Wyo., Portland, Maine,
Smyrna Del., and Cape Coral, Fla.

According to Brady, the 100 most popular retirement towns list is
compiled by calculating the 100 towns with the most online visits of
the 450 cities reviewed at Topretirements.com. The list is
essentially a popularity contest; it reflects the towns that site
visitors are the most interested in for retirement.

"One thing is clear," Brady said of the trends he's noticed in this
year's list. "The Sun Belt is so dominant because people are
interested in retiring to where it's warm." In addition, he said this
year's list is dominated by college towns. People are looking for
place to retire where they have access to intellectually challenging
activities.

That said, the towns with the most online visits include:

Asheville, N.C. Asheville is a long-time favorite, said Brady. Part
of its ongoing appeal is its climate (it's mild year round); its
location (it's in the Blue Ridge Mountains; there's water everywhere
for fishing and boating, and its downtown is walkable and dynamic);
its housing stock (there's a wide range of upscale housing
opportunities for seniors). What's not so special is that Asheville
gets crowded in the summer and overdevelopment is coming.

Sarasota, Fla. According to Brady, Sarasota is the cultural capital
of Florida. Part of its appeal is that is has one of Florida's best
downtowns, a downtown that includes an impressive array of cultural
facilities such as the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. On the
downside, there are a lot of tourists and traffic in winter, and
summers are hot. Of note, the Ringling Brothers located the winter
quarters of their circus in Sarasota.

Prescott, Ariz. An old mining town, Brady says retirees choose this
location for its warm climate and interesting setting. The town,
which borders the Prescott National Forest, features 525 buildings on
the National Register of Historic Places and Whiskey Row. On the
downside, there are a lot of tourists. At an elevation of 5,400 feet,
the winters are colder here than the rest of Arizona. Plus, there are
watering restrictions, according to TopRetirements.com.

Paris, Tenn. According to Brady, retirees come to Paris, which is
roughly equidistant from Nashville and Memphis, because they like
living near one of the largest manmade lakes in the world. "People go
there to fish and relax," said Brady of Paris. (By way of background,
the city also claims to have the world's largest fish fry.) Plus,
Paris has a low cost of living compared with other retirement hot
spots. The median sales price of a home here in 2009 was well below
$100,000. On the downside, big city amenities are two hours away.

Austin, Texas. Austin is becoming a popular retirement community for
a variety of reasons, according to TopRetirements.com. The University
of Texas and its array of cultural and other activities is perhaps
the biggest draw for Austin, its cosmopolitan and high-tech, quirky
soul is another reason. Plus, it has a relatively low cost of living,
said Brady. On the downside, the summers are hot and humid and the
city might be too big and fast-paced for those seeking peace and
quiet.

Green Valley, Ariz. According to Brady, Green Valley, which is 20
miles south of Tuscon, has one of the largest active adult
communities in the world. The average age, by the way, is 72.
Consider: It has nine golf courses; two recreation centers with over
126,000 square feet of facilities; countless swimming pools and spas;
numerous tennis courts, fitness centers, and classes; and every type
of crafts and clubs. "There are so many things going on there," he
said. "There's something for everyone." On the downside, it's a bit
remote. In fact, it's just 40 miles north of the border of Mexico.
"... so close that there have been a few scenes with federales and
desperados running through Green Valley," reports TopRetirements.com.

Winston-Salem, N.C. Why Winston-Salem is the seventh most visited
place on the TopRetirements.com's Web site is a bit of a mystery to
Brady. To be sure, there's culture (Reynolda Gardens and the Reynolda
House Museum of American Art) and a downtown that features the
Wachovia Center. And the cost of living is low ($120,000 is the
average home price). But on the downside, Brady's Web site reports
that development is proceeding very quickly, with attendant traffic.
And some young professionals say there is not enough to do in the
Twin Cities. Plus, crime is a concern in Winston-Salem.

Beaufort, S.C. Beaufort is a terrific place to love, not far from
Hilton Head and Savannah, said Brady. What's special about this city?
It's a charming old town in the Sea Island. It's won tons of awards,
including "Best Small Southern Town," "Small Town Arts" and "Best
Fishing Town." It has plenty of golf courses. The city has 304 acres
designated as a National Historic Landmark. And the winters are mild.
What's not so special, according to TopRetirements.com: It can be
over run by tourists in season Not for people in the fast lane.

San Diego. To Brady, San Diego has the "most perfect weather in the
country." Its scenery, climate (there's only 10 inches of rain on
average per year), and lifestyle (the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Gas
Lamp District and Torrey Pines Golf Course) are second to none and
appeal to active adults 55+, reports TopRetirements.com. On the
downside, it's expensive and the traffic -- well, it is California.
Ft. Myers, Fla. Now that the housing market has crashed, Ft. Myers
has become a less expensive place in which to retire. The median
selling price at the end of 2009 was $98,000, reports Brady. What
else is so special about Ft. Myers? Well, there's the beach, a
charming old downtown area, the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter
estates, world-class shopping. golf and fishing; and something for
everybody. Plus, it's the spring training home for Boston Red Sox and
Minnesota Twins. On the downside: Oppressively hot, humid summers;
traffic; way too much development, now in a bust cycle; too many
strip malls.

According to Brady, there are two other cities/towns that retirees
might want to consider from the top 100 list. Those include Portland,
Maine, which if you don't mind winters is an up and coming retirement
spot, and Smyrna Del., which is a small, former farming town of about
8,000 in north central Delaware midway between Wilmington and the
oceanside community of Lewes. The latter town has plenty of active
adult communities, beaches and land, and an attractive tax structure.

Learn more about TopRetirement.com's list at this Web site.

Robert Powell is the editor of Retirement Weekly. Learn more about
Retirement Weekly at this Web site .

Robert Powell has been a journalist covering personal finance issues
for more than 20 years, writing and editing for publications such as
The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and Mutual Fund Market
News.