Top 100 U.S. Cities For Retirees: AARP's Findings Explained

Finding out where you want to live as an older person, retired, ready to enjoy life after working and raising a family for the better part of your life, and just ready to relax might be different for everyone. A lot of people would opt for a warmer climate. Others want to live somewhere that you can have a lot of access to the great outdoors and everything that has to offer. The "best place to live" is definitely different from person to person.

AARP did a study on what cities and towns throughout the United States are best for older Americans to live. They came up with 100 different places, a few of them are here in Minnesota. Let's see if you concur.

WHAT WAS THE CRITERIA TO FIND THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE

To figure out where is the best place to live, AARP used some factors within cities and towns to find the best.

...good transportation options and proximity to parks, libraries, grocery stores and jobs. Residents also have plenty of opportunities for social interaction and civic engagement.having local farmers markets within walking distance, for examplte, encourages exercise and healthy eating. Add in the fact that big cities offer easy access to quality medical care.

When you see that is what they are looking for when finding destinations for older people, that does kind of lead you to some warmer climates - at least one would think so. And honestly, there are a lot of those types of places on this list, but there are also a few right here in Minnesota.

WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN FOR SPECIFIC CITIES AND THEIR AMENITIES

The list says that overall, San Francisco is the best place for older Americans. AARP says that they have basically everything that anyone would need. Then there is a breakdown of cities by population. And that's where some of the cities in Minnesota come in.

Minnesota has a few cities on the list. St. Paul came in at number 5, Minneapolis came in at number 7 and Rochester came in at number 14.

SMALLER MINNESOTA COMMUNITIES ON THE LIST

As far as communities where its great to get to know your neighbors, Minnesota had a few smaller communities show up on that list. We are talking towns with a population between 24.000 and 5.000.

New Ulm came in at number 14, La Crescent at number 17, St. Anthony at number 19, Marshall at number 20 and Kasson, Minnesota at number 25.

Whatever your own criteria is for retirement is up to you, but it's fun to check out some of these lists. You can check out the full list here.