Gig Harbor, Washington Ranks High On The List of Best Places To Retire

When it comes time to retire, seniors have many factors to consider.

Most of them deal directly with finances – figuring out if they have saved enough money over the years to retire comfortably, or how to change their daily financial routines to live on a more rigidly fixed income.

But there are other things that matter to seniors too once they stop having to endure the grind of a 40-hour or more work week.

Health care is also going to be at or near the top of the list, and quality of life issues like access to nature in nearby parks, walking paths and trails, recreation, such as golf, or tennis and, yes, even entertainment.

All of these things culminate in one key decision for retirees – where is the best place to live in those golden years?

Gig Harbor, Wash. is one of the best places to retire in the U.S., ranking No. 4 in a recent study.

SmartAsset.com, a financial technology company that offers consumers tools to assist with homebuying, retirement planning and taxes, recently published a list of the 10 best places to retire in the United States.

Their retirement experts began by compiling data about factors that matter most to retirees, like an area’s tax burden, the ease of access to medical facilities and recreational activities, and more.

They also measured the percentage of the population that is made up of senior citizens so there’ll be a surplus of others also enjoying their later years.

Naples, Fla. Ranked No. 1 in the study.

Ask most folks at or near retirement age, and they’ll likely tell you that they want to stay right where they are. That’s no surprise as it’s difficult to uproot your life in your sixties and move away.

But, ask younger people if they want to live where they currently do once they reach retirement age and you’ll start to find more people who would like to live out their retirement somewhere else.

Younger generations are more willing to move about the country than their predecessors. Advancements in communication technology make it easier to maintain relationships with friends and family even from a long distance, which has given people more relocation options to consider than ever before.

Which of the following cities would you consider for retirement?

• Naples, FL
• Cumming, GA
• Beverly Hills, CA
• Gig Harbor, WA
• Media, PA
• Farmington, MI
• New Port Richey, FL
• Westlake Village, CA
• Grosse Pointe, MI
• Orange Park, FL

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So, when younger working people start to consider where they might want to end up when they reach retirement age, being “somewhere else” is going to become a trendy option.

That “somewhere else” could well be in Washington, especially a place like Gig Harbor that has a lot to offer the pending retiree.

Gig Harbor is a lively, waterfront community that also garnered praise recently in Sunset, a magazine geared toward seniors. That’s because it is next to impossible to be bored in this maritime community with many parks and activities related to or involving marine life.

Gig Harbor has more than 2.5 retirement communities per 1,000 residents, which is important since seniors make up more than 25 percent of the city’s population.

The rest of the Top Ten list includes, Cumming, Ga. (No. 2) Beverly Hills, Calif. (No. 3), Media, Pa. (No. 5), Farmington, Mich. (No. 6), New Port Richey, Fla. (No. 7), Westlake Village, Calif. (No. 8), Grosse Pointe, Mich. (No. 9) and Orange Park, Fla. (No. 10).