Where's the best place to live out your golden years?
Somewhere between calling it quits and catching the early bird special, Baby Boomers are being faced with a choice. "Should I stay here and take care of this big empty house? Or do I go somewhere with less traffic, less noise, and fewer stairs?" Some will stay, and others will go. But with real estate in Colorado as expensive as it is, we're wondering if Colorado is a good place to retire. The experts still seem to think so.
May use for signal butte in future
According to the Milken Institute's report on the best cities for successful aging, there are certain characteristics of a place that make it favorable for retirement -- characteristics like crime rates, health and wellness culture, access to health care, affordability, weather, and volunteer opportunities. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood ranks No. 12 on the list of top 20 large metros while Boulder ranks No. 11 on the list of top 20 small metros. Both entries in the report note the snow, the high cost of living, the small retired population, and high levels of reverse mortgages. So, why the high spots on the lists?
[gallery ids="22462,22463"]You probably guessed it -- staying active. Denver (and the metro) rank number one when it comes to physical activity, and that means low rates of diabetes, obesity, and Alzheimer's, among others. Denver also boasts strong levels of volunteerism among older people, the shortest big-city ER wait times, and (if you are looking for a little extra care) some of the highest rated care facilities. Boulder hits the mark in very much the same way, standing number No. 1 out of 281 small metros for wellness, but also hosts a high number of tech-savvy internet-using adults, as well as many cultural/educational opportunities via the University of Colorado.
So if you're looking to settle down and retire, it looks like you're better off settling down somewhere active!
