This small North Carolina town ranks among best places to retire in US. Here’s why
A North Carolina destination boasts a “peaceful” setting — and is one of the best places to retire, a new report finds.
The small mountain town of Tryon ranks among the nation’s top places for recreational activities, affordable prices and other amenities that may appeal to older adults, according to results published Tuesday, March 11.
To create the list of top 50 places for retirees to live, Travel + Leisure magazine partnered with financial website Investopedia. Using data from the U.S. government and other sources, it studied counties across the country. Each place was evaluated in four categories: cost of living, access to travel, access to health care and access to entertainment.
“Editors considered a range of population densities and states to ensure readers have a variety of options,” the magazine wrote in its report.
What makes the NC town a retirement destination?
Tryon was the only place in North Carolina to earn a spot on the list, called “Destination: Retirement 2025.” The town of about 1,500 people is a roughly 45-mile drive southeast from Asheville.
Despite Tryon’s small-town status, “it has more than a handful of reasons to call it home, especially for retirees. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the ‘Friendliest Town in the South’ has a relatively low cost of living (the county median household income is $61,005), a unique equestrian history, and charming local boutiques and restaurants,” the magazine wrote.
Travel + Leisure also gave Tryon praise for its outdoor areas and “moderate” winters. Meanwhile, Investopedia gave the town nods for for its relative proximity to hospitals and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The town on its website said it has been home to past famous residents — such as singer Nina Simone and author F. Scott Fitzgerald — and now has a resurging wine scene.
“Tryon is a solid pick for anyone seeking a peaceful way of living and all the comforts of a tight-knit community, which skews slightly older,” the magazine wrote. “The median age for Polk County comes in at 54.4, the highest of the destinations on this list.”
Nationwide, cities and towns in several states were named top retirement destinations. The winners weren’t listed in ranked order, a Travel + Leisure spokesperson told McClatchy News via email.
