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These are the best mountain towns to retire in the U.S., chosen for climate, cost of living and access to health care
Retirement no longer means moving to a flat, sunny subdivision near a golf course. A growing number of retirees are choosing elevation instead, settling into towns tucked into the Blue Ridge, the Rockies, the Cascades and the high desert plateaus of the Southwest, where a walk to the grocery store comes with a view of a ridgeline and the seasons still change on schedule. Choosing among the best mountain towns to retire in the U.S. means weighing a different set of trade-offs than a beach town or a Sun Belt suburb: winter driving, thinner air at high elevation, and distance from a major hospital all matter more here than they would at sea level.
What draws people to these places is specific and repeatable. Lower humidity than the Southeast's coastal cities, four real seasons without the harshest stretches of a northern Midwest winter, direct access to public land for hiking and fishing, and, in several cases, state tax policies that leave more of a fixed retirement income in a retiree's pocket. Mountain towns also tend to hold their property values well, since the same geography that makes a good building site scarce keeps long-term demand steady.
