[.ca] Where to Retire, 5th: America's Best and Most Affordable ... (ISBN 0762722029)

From Amazon.com:
When the joints start to ache, the salary dwindles, and freedom is yours at last, it's time to reflect upon where you'd like to spend your retirement years. Your obligations are few and the world is your oyster. If you're approaching those golden years, John Howell's guide to retirement living is a boon. It's not about retirement communities, it's about the towns and cities of the United States--what they offer the senior citizen in terms of recreation, culture, health care, and lifestyle; what to expect from their weather; and how much it costs to live in them. Howells investigates the relative tax burdens of each state, looking at property taxes, sales taxes, and whether each taxes pensions and Social Security. He also ranks the cost of living for housing, groceries, and utilities; provides the daily high and low temperatures; and lists the amounts of rain and snowfall across the seasons. From Georgia's Valdosta (population 40,000 and nicknamed "Azalea City") to Washington's Bellingham (18 miles from Canada, views of the San Juan Islands to the west and Mount Baker to the east), Howells paints portraits of more than 150 communities and their surroundings. Doubling as a guide for exploratory vacations and a pointer for anyone looking for a better place to live, Howells's research answers all the relevant questions. --Stephanie Gold

Empty jar of pickles:
This is a book written on a shoestring. A book which provides less factological information than 20 years old yellow pages.... I particulary enjoyed reading about selected places, where the author even did not mention cost of real estate, but mentioned that general Sherman was there and burned it. If someone really retires by this book, then the consequences must be tragic. To find places which have more 70% of the total population retired from elsewhere, and minimum house cost $200,000 one perhaps does not need a book for ($)....

Disagree with the negative reviews on this book:
take a look at the follwing review... Finding Ideal, Affordable Locations for the Golden Years A book review by Robert J. Bruss (a San Francisco Bay Area real estate writer and attorney) --Published in the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle, August 21, 2000; The Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2000. If you, a parent or relative plan to retire soon and are considering moving, first read John Howells' fourth edition of "Where to Retire; America's Best and Most Affordable Places." For many years, Howells and his wife have traveled the nation investigating the best, most affordable retirement locations. This great new book is the result of those travels. The book focuses on 150 ideal places to retire but isn't primarily about specific retirement communities, although many are mentioned. For example, the famous Sun City, Sun City West and new Sun City Grand near Phoenix are t briefly discussed. More important, primary retirement regions are profiled, including specific towns preferred by retirees. Howells begins each chapter profiling a retirement region, then he zeros in on the pros and cons of towns that appeal to retirees. This new edition seems more direct and frank than the last one. To illustrate, when discussing Orlando, Howells says: "At one time I considered Orlando one of Florida's better retirement ideas. That was before it became so busy. In a short time, the city made a remarkable transition from a sleepy crossroad of citrus orchards and cattle ranches into a dynamic city, the fastestÿ2Dgrowing in the state." Then he explains why he no longer considers Orlando a great retirement town. It's no surprise that most of the featured retirement areas are in the Southeast, South and Southwest, with a few in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Howells explains that recommending that people move to Montana, Illinois or Maine for year-round retirement would be irresponsible because of the inclement winter weather. Each retirement area profile is quite detailed, with stateÿ2Dbyÿ2Dstate and townÿ2Dbyÿ2Dtown information. The weather details, income taxes and property taxes are highlighted. Also emphasized are medical facilities and recreation availability, especially golf courses. Transportation and cultural activities, however, could have received more emphasis. Howells doesn't hold back on expressing his personal feelings about an area, such as: "I don't believe that all Southerners have suddenly changed into color-blind liberals, totally free of racism and full of brotherly love. My point and opinion is that the overall Southern attitude toward race relations has taken a dramatic turn for the better. From my perspective, the South today harbors no more racism than the rest of the country." Especially valuable are the profiles of retirement areas that might easily be overlooked. For example, the author profiles inexpensive but delightful retirement towns in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. While emphasizing positives, however, he doesn't neglect their negatives, such as hot, humid summers. Even if you're not planning immediate retirement and a move to a more desirable area, this new book is an enjoyable read. Having visited many of the retirement areas discussed, I find the author's explanations to be remarkably accurate. Where does the author choose to live? He says only that he and his wife live in California a block from the beach, and spends part of each year at their second home in Costa Rica. --ROBERT J. BRUSS

Very pleased with information presented:
I have read several retirement books dealing with various subjects about what to consider when retiring. Although I am about 1/2 way through this book, I am a little surprised and quite happy with the information so far. I liked the author's "at a glance" tax breakdown tables, and in several cases he asked questions and stated perspectives that I had not thought about before (and as I said, I have read other retirement books). Howells style of writing and is very readable and interesting (unlike some other rather "dry" or limited portrayals of retirement information) and he sets forth reasonable criteria in my opinion. I have not yet picked up on the "male oriented hunting and fishing" slant mentioned by another reviewer (and I am a female). I really like this book.

Good for those starting out:
If basing a review on the 3rd or 4th editions is a disqualifier, perhaps I should recuse myself. Let me just say that I read Mr. Howells' 3rd edition when I just began looking for places, and I found it immensely helpful: worth five stars. The short, easy readings are enjoyable and make this volume a nice addition to the bedside table. The 4th edition contained a few updates. However, for the reader who has already narrowed the options, Where to Retire does not offer the detailed, substantive material one might wish for in order to refine those options.

A solid primer - sorting out the best places:
I took 'Where to Retire' with me (along with several good State guides - like Fodor's) when I went on a sixteen day journey through three Southwestern States (Nevada, Arizona & New Mexico) where I was looking for "the place" to relocate and semi-retire. Howells' guide gave me a 'leg up' on the destinations that were 'definite maybes'. The guide was extremely valuable in leading me to destinations I would not have considered without the guide. (Las Cruces and Ruidoso in New Mexico and Bisbee and Ajo in Arizona). I found Howell's writing to be friendly and informative. He succinctly describes the best side of each of his selection, but, and I consider this a detraction, seldom does he point out negative aspects or flaws a community, town or city might have. Sadly, there is no web-page references, appendixes or references that could give you additional information on his locations. He omits information as basic as Chamber of Commerce contact information, or the names of the main newspapers. Finding a new place to live is a lot like dating - most places leave you wishing for more, a few are provocative enough to warrant placing them on your "maybe list" , and one, or at best two, will tantalize you enough to want to come back for more. So, if you are at the beginning of your search for a new place to live, then this guide is a great first step. "Where to Retire" will speed up your search and give you a general feel for various places. This guide needs to work in tandem with other guides such as a State, Region or Country guide. Recommended 3.5 stars.