Bend (again) named one of top U.S. spots to retire
Bend is back in a familiar spot, being touted as a great place for seniors to retire — one of the top 100, according to the latest edition of a popular book, “100 Best Places to Retire.”
“Bend made the top 100 for its numerous golf courses, 25-plus craft breweries, a slew of fine-dining restaurants, multiple performing arts venues, a year-round events calendar and one of Oregon’s best medical centers,” Annette Fuller, managing editor of Where to Retire and the book’s co-editor, told NewsChannel 21.
“Bend satisfies the outdoor craving in all of us, with fishing, boating, paddling, hiking, biking, skiing, hunting and camping,” Fuller said. “Plus, one retiree told us that the biggest traffic jam in Bend had them waiting all of two minutes. Our profile of Bend says that the city has made a metamorphosis from ‘mill-town ragged to cosmo cool.’ Congratulations to the good people of Bend for creating such a winning city.”
Bend is one of five Oregon cities that made “America’s 100 Best Places to Retire” — the others are Eugene, Lincoln City, the greater Portland area and Salem. Bend has made the last four editions of the book, dating back to 2000, Fuller said.
And it’s not the only spot where Bend makes the top-retirement spot list. The Website TopRetirements.com also has Bend in its list, at No. 34 for this year. among the nation’s top retirement spots.
Here’s the publishers’ news release on the new edition of the “100 Best” book:
From the retirement relocation experts at Where to Retire magazine comes the definitive guide to the country’s top cities for retirement. The road to retirement may take many turns before you find the right place to call home, but with this fifth edition of “America’s 100 Best Places to Retire,” you have an indispensible guide to diverse choices across the country, from small, undiscovered havens to large urban centers.
“We believe that retirement locale scouting is fun,” said Annette Fuller, managing editor of Where to Retire and co-editor of the book. “This volume helps the process with its well-researched profiles of 100 cities that retirees love. Where to Retire magazine has been dedicated solely to discovering these destinations since 1992, so the knowledge in the pages is deep and wide. It takes you on a coast-to-coast trip like no other book can do.”
The book includes locales that have all been featured destinations in Where to Retire magazine. Each city profile, written by an experienced author who is familiar with the area, combines local knowledge, extensive research and in-depth interviews with retirees who have already made the move. A quick facts data box within each profile sums up information on taxes, climate, walkability, housing and health care.
The 100 cities are all distinct, said Fuller, yet they have many qualities in common that active baby boomers and retirees enjoy: vibrant downtowns, ongoing education classes, volunteer or part-time work opportunities, walkable neighborhoods, excellent health care, non-extreme weather and advantageous tax situations.
The book is organized alphabetically by city name, but you can also find locales listed by state, displayed on a U.S. map and categorized into 10, Top 10 lists – best art towns, best beach towns, best college towns, best four-season towns, best lake towns, best low-cost Edens, best main street towns, best mountain towns, best small towns and best undiscovered havens.
Bend also made the list for best four-season towns and best mountain towns.
“America’s 100 Best Places to Retire” is available at Amazon.com or WhereToRetire.com. Where to Retire magazine is sold on various newsstands and at Barnes & Noble bookstores. To purchase a magazine subscription or a back issue, visit WhereToRetire.com.
