Washington DC Is The No. 10 Best Place To Retire

WASHINGTON, DC — Those of you looking to get the most out of your retirement, take note: Washington, D.C., is the 10th best place to live as a retiree, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Sarasota, Florida, ranked No. 1 on the list with a few wild cards also in the top 10, including Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and McAllen, Texas.

These places were chosen based on criteria including housing affordability, the happiness index, quality of healthcare, retiree taxes, job market and desirability. (SIGN UP: Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts. Or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Wondering what other cities made the list of top retirement spots? See all 100 of them here. U.S. News & World Report’s 2017-18 Best Places to Retire list was unveiled Monday. Rounding out the top five spots on the list were Grand Rapids, Michigan and El Paso, Texas.

U.S. News said this about Washington, DC:

To the rest of the country, Washington, D.C., is the nation's capital – and that's it. It's where lawmakers sit high and mighty, and it's the scapegoat for every unpopular political decision. But those who live in the District are quick to point out that there's more to their area than government.

Your experience as a resident of the Washington, D.C., metro area will vary depending on the neighborhood you choose to live in, but there are some consistencies. In general, Washington, D.C., and its surrounding communities are clean, and there are plenty of public parks.

The Washington, D.C., metro area has the perks of a large urban area. It's serviced by an extensive public transit system, is home to plenty of restaurants and entertainment venues and a variety of museums and other cultural sites. Meanwhile, each neighborhood in the District and its surrounding towns has its own atmosphere. Residents gather for block parties, mingle at dog parks and converse at coffee shops, creating an ambiance similar to that of a much smaller community.

Wondering what other cities made the list of top retirement spots? See all 100 of them here.

Photo: nasa.gov.