A broad sugar sand beach awaits your footprints in Park Shore area of Naples, Florida.
By Marisa Spyker March 20, 2018 costalliving.com
We may be a little biased, but we’ve long believed that the happiest places in America are by the sea.
And according to the results from a new Gallup-Sharecare poll, we’re absolutely right.
Researchers recently polled more than 337,000 adults in cities across the U.S. to gauge their states of well-being (including measures of financial, emotional, social, and physical wellness). And for the third year straight, those who reported the highest levels of satisfaction in their lives happen to reside along the sunny Gulf coastline of Naples, Florida.
For those who’ve visited, this probably won’t come as a surprise. From its gorgeous white-sand beaches to its adorable boutique-lined downtown and Old Florida vibes, Naples is an absolute dream of a city. It also consistently receives high marks in terms of desirability: In addition to earning a spot on our original list of Happiest Seaside Towns, it was also recently named as the best place to retire in Florida by SmartAsset and as WalletHub’s Best U.S. Beach Town To Live In.
While the Sunshine State certainly claims its fair share of happy people, it’s not the only coastal spot represented in the Well-Being list’s top 5 communities. Cape Cod’s always-charming Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, came in just behind Naples at number two, and over on the West Coast, the hip surf town of Santa Cruz ranked number four.
Want to see all the top-ranked beach towns? See the top 10 list of happiest and healthiest towns on the coast here.
It just goes to show that no matter which coast you choose, happiness is never too far away. See the top 10 communities with the highest well-being here:
- Naples–Immokalee–Marco Island, FL 67.6
- Barnstable Town, MA 66.4
- Boulder, CO 65.3Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA 65.1
- Charlottesville, VA 65.0
- Lynchburg, VA 64.9
- North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL 64.6
- Santa Rosa, CA 64.6
- Prescott, AZ 64.6
- San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles–Arroyo Grande, CA 64.6
Laura Layden, Naples Daily News Oct. 9, 2019
Heads up millennials and other future retirees.
Naples has been named as the “best place to retire” — again.
After recently ranking No. 1 on a list of ‘best cities for early retirement’ in the United States, Naples has once again clinched the title of the best place to retire in Florida — and the country.
The newest ranking comes from SmartAsset, a New York financial technology firm. The study is based on three factors: tax-friendliness, medical care and social life.
Naples earned the top ranking for 2018 when SmartAsset did the same type of study.
“We have ranked the best places to retire in Florida for five years,” said Alyssa Annunziato, a spokeswoman for SmartAsset, in an email.”Naples has been ranked in the top 10 every year, as well as being ranked No. 1 nationally for the past three years.”
To determine the rankings, SmartAsset looks at state and local tax rates and calculates the number of doctors’ offices, recreation centers and retirement centers for every 1,000 residents, as well as determines the amount of seniors already living in each area included in its study.
Naples ranked high in all areas of the study, earning a score of 100 on SmartAsset’s retirement index.
New Port Richey took second place for the best place to retire in Florida, with a score of 64.13.
These are the other cities rankings in the top five for the state, along with their scores:
- Orange Park — 62.7
- Brooksville — 59.81
- Inverness — 58.97
As for the national rankings, the other four cities making the top five are: Cumming, Georgia (93.67), Beverly Hills, California (78.51), Gig Harbor, Washington (70.64) and Wasilla, Alaska (70.17).
Fort Myers ranked 37 out of 208 cities statewide and stood at No. 141 nationally.
Also, Fort Myers Beach ranked 26th in the state and 90th nationally.
Meanwhile, another personal finance site, Magnify Money, recently listed Naples among the top 20 for a FIRE retirement — an acronym for “financially independent, retire early.”
Read more on Naples Daily News
Naples has been named the best place to retire in the nation.
The city is one of 10 that Livability.com has named as “Best Places to Retire in 2018.”
Data scientists with Livability.com examined nearly 2,300 cities across the country and factored in more than 20 data points, including safety, affordability, property tax, natural disaster risk, and nursing home accessibility and quality.
“Naples has the beautiful beaches that many retirees dream about, but it’s so much more than a beach town,” said Winona Dimeo-Ediger, managing editor at Livability.com.
Naples scored high in community engagement, outdoor recreation and percentage of residents over 65, according to the report.
“It’s a place that makes it easy to get involved and feel a strong sense of community, whether you’re a newcomer or you’ve lived there for years,” she said.
Naples has been recognized for the past three years as having the highest overall well-being in the U.S. and has ranked in the top 20 for best-performing cities in the nation.
A real estate research firm also named a Naples neighborhood as the “best neighborhood” in the United States earlier this year.
Originally published in the Naples Daily News.
Naples on list of Great Places to Retire by Kiplinger Magazine
By Laura Layden
Naples has made another A-list for retirees.
The city is one of a dozen Kiplinger named as “Great Places to Retire for Your Good Health.”
The list is based on data provided by Trulia, the online real estate marketplace, which Kiplinger, a business magazine, used to identify neighborhoods with quiet streets, trails, parks, golf courses and other amenities — as well as easy access to hospitals and pharmacies.
Naples appears first on the list, which is grouped by size.
Contributing to the city’s high marks are these other top rankings:
■ The Naples-Marco Island metropolitan area ranked No. 1 in the 2014-15 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on residents’ views about health, financial security, community and sense of purpose.
■ Naples earned a top grade from the American Lung Association for air quality. Naples was a small fishing village when Bill Barnett, who is serving his fourth term as mayor, moved to the city in 1973. Back then Naples had a grocery store, two restaurants and a pharmacy, and “locals rejoiced when an Italian restaurant opened,” the writer states.
Now the city has two streets, Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, lined with a dizzying number of galleries, boutiques, cafes and specialty stores. “The growth has been fueled by a torrent of retirees attracted by miles of beaches, gracious homes and giant banyan trees. But you don’t have to be retired to like living here,” the writer states.
The article points to NCH Healthcare System’s launch of a Blue Zones project, designed to encourage healthy behaviors communitywide. Blue zones refers to places where people live longer than usual.
Kiplinger shares that in Old Naples, residents can easily walk or bike to grocery stores, restaurants, a golf course and even the hospital.
“Sport fishing and kayaking are also popular, and there are nearly 90 golf courses in the greater Naples area,” the article states.
Kiplinger highlights the area’s growing cultural scene, diverse real estate market and community involvement.
A retired newspaper executive and a former chairman of the Community Foundation of Collier County, tells Kiplinger that the local community supports more than 700 nonprofit organizations.
Kiplinger mentions the Naples Winter Wine Festival, which is sponsored by the Naples Children & Education Foundation and annually raises millions for children’s charities in Collier County. The festival has raised more than $146 million since it was founded in 2001.
Additionally, Kiplinger points to the many specialized health care services offered by NCH at its downtown Naples and North Naples hospitals and by Physicians Regional Healthcare, with two hospitals in Collier County.
The writer concludes that “residents pay a premium to live the good life, particularly in Old Naples.” Most of the cities on the list have lower crime and tax rates. Florida is considered one of the most tax-friendly states for retirees.
