ackie and Carmine Frasca Jr., wanted to retire early, but the high cost of living in California, where they’d spent more than two decades, made that a challenge. So they sold their home in Palmdale, a distant northeast suburb of Los Angeles, for more than $500,000, and this year bought a newly constructed house for about a quarter less than that amount in an age-restricted, gated community on the edge of.
While not everyone is keen to move 1,300 miles for retirement or board a plane to see their offspring, the Frascases do represent a significant trend. Those who move between age 60 and 69 are more likely than other age groups to move outside their county or state.
Besides costs and taxes, our selection process takes into account such metrics as air quality, crime and the availability of primary care doctors, as well as whether a place encourages an active lifestyle by making biking or walking convenient. There’sthat such quality-of-life factors affect health and longevity in retirement.