Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Palm Coast, Florida
A Pleasant Place on the Northeastern Florida Coast Features Canal Side Homes and White Sand Oceanfront Beaches Just Down the Road
Palm Coast sits to the west of the Intracoastal Waterway on Florida's northeastern coast. It is a quiet, pleasant town and started out as a planned retirement community in the 1960s.
This is still primarily a residential place, but it has a town center with parks, paths, retailers and medical offices. Neighborhoods are neatly laid out, and many homes, which are mainly concrete block style or Mediterranean style, back to a canal. Park Place is a gated 55+ community. The barrier island east of the Intracoastal Waterway is home to the high-end Hammock Beach Resort, which has single family homes and condominiums for sale. Much of the beach is privately owned by the resort, but Flagler Beach's beautiful white sands are just 10 miles away. The River to Sea Preserve has a beachside boardwalk perfect for watching cavorting whales, and nearby Washington Oaks Gardens State Park brims with sea turtles, bobcats, bald eagles, foxes and other wild creatures.
Locals enjoy a farmers' market and a good selection of eateries. Shopping venues are limited, though. The Flagler Playhouse, a community theater, is 10 miles away in Bunnell.
Population: 99,000 (city proper)
Age 45 or Better: 57%
Cost of Living: 6% below the national average
Median Home Price: $375,000
Climate: This area has hot, humid summers with temperatures in 80s and 90s and mild winters with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. On average, the area receives 56 inches of rain per year.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? Yes
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? Yes
Public Transit: No, but the county provides an on-demand, pre-scheduled van service.
Crime Rate: Meets the national average
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Nearly split down the middle
College Educated: 24%
Is Florida Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Yes
Cons: Hurricanes are always a possibility.
Notes: The city has a lot of Northeastern "snowbirds" and "Yankees," and the population has grown 26% during the last decade. Home prices have increased 2% since a year ago.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Florida:
Named Pascua Florida by Juan Ponce De Leon, the Sunshine State did not enter the Union until March 3, 1845. Balmy mild winters began attracting snowbirds to the state in the late 19th century. Retirees continue to flock to the state. It's not hard to see why tourism has become the leading industry.
International trade and citrus are also major contributors to the state's economy. Eighty percent of the nation's oranges and grapefruits are grown here, and 40 percent of all U.S. exports to Latin America flow through Florida.
Florida's landscape includes uplands and coastal plains. It contains more than 11,000 miles of waterways and about 4,500 islands spread across 10 acres.
The state has 1,250 golf courses, more than any other state in the Union. The 47 mile Pinellas Trail is the longest urban trail on the east coast. Orlando theme parks attract more visitors than any other theme parks in the U.S. The only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist is in National Everglades Park.
Florida, particularly the Keys and the Gulf Coast, were struck by Category 4 Hurricane Irma in early September, 2017. Towns will rebuild, perhaps this time with climate change in mind, making them safer and better equipped to handle major hurricanes going forward.
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