25 Best Places to Retire

Thinking about your post-work home? You'll get huge bang for your buck -- plus lots of other perks -- in these towns.

10 of 25
BACKNEXT
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Population: 1,449,600
% over 50: 31%
Typical 3-bedroom home: $375,000
State income tax: 3.07%*

The City of Brotherly Love has the same four seasons and northeastern sensibilities as New York, but it is smaller, a bit slower-paced and a whole lot more affordable. Philadelphia's small city blocks make it ideal for pedestrians, and Center City retirees have an array of shopping and dining options within walking distance. Culture abounds at the city's many museums and theaters.

There are an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, too. The 28-mile, partially paved Schuylkill River Trail invites bikers to travel along the river from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to Valley Forge National Historic Park. Fairmount Park offers hiking, horseback riding and golfing within the city limits. Philadelphia's location also makes for easy weekend getaways. The city is less than three hours from New York City, Washington, D.C., the New Jersey shore and the Pocono Mountains.

But there's no need to travel for good healthcare. Philadelphia's got several major teaching hospitals that offer stellar services. Among them: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Temple University Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Hospital and Hahnemann University Hospital.

Pennsylvania doesn't tax retirement income such as pensions. Like many major cities, though, Philadelphia has higher crime rates than many on this list. --B.B.

See complete data, including tax rates, for Philadelphia

NEXT: Virginia Beach, Va.

Last updated September 24 2009: 1:21 PM ET
Email | Print | Share  |  RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
* For top bracket, not including local taxes. The average local tax rate for all Pennsylvania counties and cities, weighted by total personal income within each jurisdiction, is 1.25%.
Best places for a healthy retirement Want to retire where residents live a long life, there are lots of doctors and hospitals nearby and you can pursue an active lifestyle? Check out these 20 towns. More
I'm living 'in a Corona commercial'Readers share where they're enjoying a dream retirement. More
Tee up your retirement Pinehurst, N.C. offers world-class golf courses, excellent health care and a small town feel. Morevideo
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.