Sitting on his porch before heading to a softball game, Ronald Renz, a 66-year-old Largo transplant from Georgia, remembers what he told his wife when she recently suggested a vacation:

"I said, Why? This is paradise!"

Located in the bustling Tampa Bay area, Largo has remained quaint, affluent and clean, while St. Petersburg and Clearwater have sprawled. After a boom in the 1960s and 1970s, Largo's population has hovered around 70,000. Its parks and golf clubs have room to breathe, and its citizens don't take that for granted. "If you could bottle our weather and sell it, you'd be a millionaire overnight," says Jim Miles, 82.

Largo, just a short drive from St. Petersburg and Tampa, is just what most people think of when they hear the phrase "retirement community." The weather is dependably warm (with humid, tolerable summers), rain is infrequent and snow is unthinkable. Beachfront condos are surrounded by palm trees, and dozens of beaches are easy to reach.

Because nearly one-third of the population is over 65, there's a strong retiree culture. Renz captains a softball league with around 200 members and spends much of his time playing in tournaments and relaxing with fellow athletes. "You meet people there, you meet people in church," he says. "It's easy to meet new people."

The 256-bed Largo Medical Center lies within the city limits, and other, larger hospitals are less than 30 minutes away. The city is safe, with a low crime rate. The town's relative racial diversity supports a wide variety of restaurants, and early-bird specials are everywhere.

Florida has a sales tax (6 percent) but no income tax, and the state's budget problems have little effect here. Slow growth has kept housing costs low, and the cost of living is slightly below the national average. So retirees who want to have fun with their nest eggs can enjoy the five golf clubs within the city limits and maintain boats in the Gulf of Mexico.

The city's cultural life is improving. A bigger library is set to open in 2005. The Largo Cultural Center hosts popular musical revivals, but for big names you'll need to drive or take the public bus to St. Petersburg or Tampa.

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