The Top 10 Best Towns
To Retire to for Less

Hot Springs, Ark., has enjoyed popularity as a spa resort, but its low cost of living also makes it of particular interest for retirees, according to geographer Warren Bland. The Arkansas town is No. 1 on Bland's list of the top 10 value towns for retirees in 2007.

"Hot Springs is an even better bargain in terms of housing costs," he said. Single-family houses from 1,600 to 2,100 square feet average $135,000 to $225,000, according to Hot Springs-based Coldwell Banker Alliance Realty statistics.

The Central Arkansas location also is especially attractive to those with family in the Midwest, Bland said.

To rank the towns, Bland uses 12 criteria: landscape, climate, quality of life, cost of living, transportation, retail services, health care, community services, cultural activities, recreational activities, work/volunteer activities and crime. Bland has also authored books on the topic, including "Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada."

Although people tend to think of places such as Florida and Arizona as obvious areas where people migrate to spend retirement, Bland said increased access to information about other parts of the country -- and world -- via the Internet has helped retirees expand their options when selecting where they'd like to live out their golden years.

"People are more sophisticated, more aware that you don't have to live in a hot, humid or hot, dry place ... in order to enjoy your retirement," he said.

Case in point: Making the No. 7 spot on Bland's list of top ten value cities is Pittsburgh, a city with "a lingering reputation as a dirty, steel-mill town, a blue-collar town where middle- and upper-middle class people wouldn't want to be."

Yet the reality, Bland said, is that the quality of life that can be found in Pittsburgh has improved tremendously over the years as it has switched to more of a service-based economy. Air quality is better, he said, and replacing some of the steel mills have been entertainment complexes, restaurants and stores. The town also gets high marks for its health care, culture and recreation.

Below is Bland's list of top value towns, from the least to most expensive:

1. Hot Springs, Ark.
2. Winston-Salem, N. C.
3. Fayetteville, Ark.
4. Bowling Green, Ky.
5. Lawrence, Kan.
6. Columbia, Mo.
7. Pittsburgh, Pa.
8. Gainesville, Fla.
9. San Antonio, Texas
10. Colorado Springs, Colo.

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