Customer Reviews

Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Because it only reviewed those places that were more costly then those I could afford. I have done research on several places myself and there are several less costly but still desireable places to live. It would have been helpful to me to see a more varied survey.

I like the way the author rates places - the criteria are good, the descriptions are good. My main complaint is that it is too East coast centric. I don't have the book in front of me, but there are more places listed for Florida than California.

Ok, I live in California, so I'm biased, but my parents live in Florida & I've been there in the summer. Yuck.

I just wish he had aimed his well written descriptions at a more balanced look at the country. Personal choice I guess

When I think of retirement cities, I think of towns and cities, both large and small, that have great spirit and lots of choices of things to do -- something for everyone. That is what attracts a wide cross-section of people, which adds to the charm of a place. Dr. Bland has done a wonderful job of capturing that image of his selected cities.

Of course, I loved it that my city, Portland, Oregon, was ranked very high -- but I was equally attracted to many of his write-ups of other cities we have visited and loved.

Although Dr. Bland gives equal weight to each criteria, you could easily add "weightings" to his numbers for criteria that are most important to you. This would obviously "shuffle" his rankings, depending upon your weightings.

This book is a great, well thought out guide to selecting a new place to live for anyone considering a move -- whether for retirement or not.

This book is very comprehensive about the information it includes such as the quality of factors such as mass transit, health care, the arts. I enjoyed reading about many of the places it included but wish it had photos of the places. Also, it seemed like almost every place in it was a college town like Madison, Fayetteville (AR), Austin, State College, etc. It also would have been nice if it included all areas of the country. They seemed to be grouped like 3 in Arkansas, several in central Texas, none in most of the plains states. Also, when it gave costs for 3 bedroom homes, it didn't include the square footage. A 3-bedroom home could be a 900 square foot home or 2500 square foot home. Without square footage, it was hard to know how expensive homes really are.

Limited number of places, reduced even more by the number of Canadian sites included. I like the format -- all the data grouped together. Would like to see this expanded into several regional books, with more cities added.

1. The American cities reviewed are unaffordable for a middle-income person unless one is ready to accept less safe locations.
2. We ended up retiring in style in South America where our pension makes us live in comfort, without snow or extreme summer temps and relative safety.
There are many locations outside the USA where one could retire in style, modernity and safety with from- modest-to-average pensions. (Including medica facilities)

Very limited in scope, the title says it all. A good conversation piece for those who desire that lifestyle.

These retirement books all make the same assumptions about the readers. When you assume you make an.....

Dr. Brand does a very thorough job of researching high quality places to retire. He includes many clear charts and provides lots of information in a variety of formats to assist readers in making their decisions. I especially appreciate his "folksy" approach, which includes not only compiling many pieces of statistical data in an easy-to-understand manner, but also represents discussions he had with residents of each city. A minor complaint is that a few of our favorite places didn't make "the cut," but I realize he had to draw the line somewhere. Good job overall -- and a good value for the money.

Now in a new expanded edition, Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada rates the top towns and cities in America and Canada, based on the twelve most important criteria to retirees: landscape, climate, quality of life, cost of living, transportation, retail services, health care, community services, cultural and educational activities, recreational activities, work and volunteer activities, and crime rates and public safety. Written by award-winning geographer Warren R. Bland, Retire in Style discusses the pros and cons of each of its top cities in layman's terms, with a temperature chart indicating climate, a table of the various ratings, a simple map of the city and surrounding roads, a very brief summary of the city's history and distinguishing features, and a paragraph or two explaining the reasoning behind the rating in each category. An excellent, plain-terms, easy-to-use resource for surveying optimum places to relocate upon retirement.