September & October 2008
Source: AARP The Magazine

These cities have made robust living - and active retirement - a priority. After reading why, you might want to move there too.

We all want to live long and be healthy. As it turns out, where you choose to live in the second half of your life can make all the difference. So exactly what makes a city healthy? In doing our research, combing through the government records of hundreds of cities for more than 20 measures of vitality, we looked not only at the physical aspects of the community (clean air and water, for instance) but also at the health and habits of the people who live there. The two are closely linked: If you live near a hiking-and-biking trail and all your neighbors use it, you'll probably use it, too. If a farmers' market is just down the street, you're likely to eat more fruits and vegetables. If your city has multiple hospitals, there's a good chance you'll get superior medical care.

The winners? It's not surprising that our list includes several college towns. Large universities often have teaching hospitals, which employ top doctors using the latest technology. In addition, college towns are full of young people, and younger residents often create a demand for lifestyle perks such as bike paths and accessible fitness programs, which benefit all members of a community.

Few southern towns made our list, despite the warm weather and relaxed pace of life that have long attracted retirees. Research has consistently shown that cities in the South tend to have some of the highest rates of obesity and chronic disease in the nation. Of course, there are always some anomalies - and thank goodness for that, since the thought of retiring to a colder climate may have little appeal for some. Balmy Naples, Florida came out high on our list, as did Santa Fe, New Mexico and Honolulu, Hawaii.

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7. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA

Charlottesville regularly makes it onto best-places lists for its scenery, culture and history. Thomas Jefferson's father was one of its founders; James Madison and James Monroe lived here, too. But what really sets the place apart is its strong focus on medicine. It ranks fourth among U.S. metropolitan areas in teh number of physicians per capita, and it also makes the top ten for family-practice doctors, oncologists, and cardiologists. The most obvious reason is the University of Virginia's medical school and 572-bed teaching hospital.

Of couse, good medicine is critical when you're sick. But Charlottesville also has a strong tradition of helping its residents stay healthy. When Susan Seidler, now 59, learned that her bonses were losing density, she went to a midlife counselor, two nutrionists, and an exercise physiologist who helped her design a diet and exercise program to ward off osteoporosis.

Luckily for Seidler, it's easy to get lots of exercise in Charlottesville. The city is in a natural bowl between the Blue Ridge and Southwest mountains. The Rivanna River runs around the city, and a network of trails parallels the river and climbs the hills.

Population: 40,315
Median housing price: $382,800
Average number of sunny days: 219 per year
Healthy bragging rights: Residents are not just the healthiest eaters on our list, they are also among the happiest, and most likely to say they are satisfied with their lives.