25 Best Places to Retire

Your post-work years are a time to improve your golf game, take up a new hobby, or just enjoy a well-deserved break. In these great college towns, you can expand your intellectual horizons too.

2 of 25
BACKNEXT
2. Hanover, NH
Hanover, NH
Population: 8,516
% over 50: 25%
Median home price: $401,000
State income tax: 5%*
Where to take classes: Dartmouth College

New England is chock full of charming villages. But few are as welcoming to retirees as Hanover, home of Dartmouth College and its 20-year-old senior education program.

Outdoor enthusiasts can kayak on the Connecticut River or hike in the White Mountains. Winter, of course, brings 94 inches of snow on average, so residents make the most of the cold (five ski hills are within an hour's drive) or head south.

Home prices can be high, but you can find less expensive houses within 20 minutes of town in Lyme, Lebanon, or Norwich, Vt. There's no sales tax, and the state doesn't tax retirement plan withdrawals (only interest and dividends). Adding to its retiree friendliness is the standout health care at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock medical center.  

See complete data and interactive map for Hanover

NEXT: Lexington, KY

Last updated October 06 2010: 4:55 PM ET
Source: Data sources: OnBoard Informatics, MDA DataQuick, National Association of Realtors, Tax Foundation CCH, a Wolters Klower business.
* top bracket. New Hampshire income tax rate for interest and dividends only.


Retired in paradise From the South of France to Southern Colorado, here's where readers are spending their golden years. More
Durham, N.C.: Where retirees playDuke University offers a large number of continued learning courses for retirees, keeping them active in the college town of Durham. More
Best Places to Live These terrific small cities -- even now -- boast plenty of jobs, great schools, safe streets, low crime, lots to do, charm, and other features that make a town great for raising a family. More
Special Offer

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.