Phoenix suburb selected as top US destination for retirees

PHOENIX — Move over, Florida: A Phoenix suburb was recently selected as one of the top destinations for retirees.

Tempe will be featured in the latest issue of Where To Retire, a nationwide magazine that aims to help people decide where they want to relocate after they retire.

“Retirees often look for locales that provide easy access to dining, shopping and entertainment, and downtown districts often afford these and more within a confined area,” Editor Annette Fuller said in a release.

“Downtown Tempe has high-brow amenities like the Arizona Artisans Collective Grotto Gallery and the Marquee Theatre. Arizona State University enlivens the town, and Phoenix, 10 miles west, is easily accessible by light rail. One retiree told our writer, ‘We want to see the world when we walk out the door. That energy revitalizes us.’”

Tempe was one of the eight cities profiled for downtown living in the July/August 2018 issue. It is available nationwide on June 12.

The other cities included Charlotte, North Carolina; El Paso, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Madison, Wisconsin; Richmond, Virginia; St. Petersburg, Florida and Sarasota, Florida.

Another feature detailed in the profile for the Phoenix suburb was Mirabella at Arizona State University, an “on-site, 20-story housing facility for older adults.”

Mary and David Patino, a couple from Los Gatos, California, said they chose Tempe because it offers a lot to do and allows residents to have easy access to the light rail.

“Everything is all in one place. We’re on campus. We’re part of the college community,” Mary said.

“That’s the exciting part of it.”

According to Where To Retire, 700,000 Americans relocate to new towns to retire each year. These moves bring “significant economic benefits” to their new states and hometowns. Two dozen states and hundreds of towns also seek to attract retirees as a source of economic development.

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