This Suburb Is the Safest (and Wealthiest) Retirement Town in the U.S.

While some retirees opt to live out their golden years traveling abroad and immersing themselves in faraway lands and cultures, others prefer to retire in a peaceful corner of our country and enjoy the life they have saved up for decades. And very often, safety and crime levels are a top priority in determining where to settle down post-retirement. 

While Florida continues to be the most popular retirement destination, when it comes to the safest and wealthiest community for those 65 and over, the winner is actually in the southwest. 

Arizona’s Oro Valley, a suburban community just north of Tucson, ranked the most affluent retirement community for safety, according to a new report by GoBankingRates.com. The top 30 winners were determined using data from the American Community Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, and Zillow for cities with at least 25 percent senior population.

Oro Valley has 48,000 residents and is located at the western foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. While the community is pretty active — home to defense, aerospace, and bioscience high-tech companies, earning it the title of the “Upscale Tech Mecca of Southern Arizona” — it has also emerged as a sought-after retirement spot. According to GoBankingRates, both violent and property crime rates here are below the average for the country. The average income of residents 65 and over is $52,098, almost twice as much as the national average of $27,617. Real estate is pricier, too — the median home value is $525,380. And the cost of living is 19 percent higher than the national average.

Residents of Oro Valley enjoy a high quality of life, with plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities and a vibrant arts and social scene. Nearby Catalina State Park boasts 5,500 acres of stunning scenery and amenities, including camping sites and equestrian, biking, and hiking trails. Even more impressive is the Coronado National Forest, which gives residents access to 1.7 million acres of diverse environments spanning lush mountains, deserts, and even a ski area, the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley.

In addition, Oro Valley holds a two-day art festival twice a year where over 125 artists display handcrafted artworks in a variety of media, along with food and music performances. 

Pinehurst in North Carolina and Bella Vista in Arkansas make up the top three safest and wealthiest communities in the country for retirees. And while Arizona has six more towns on the list (Prescott, Lake Havasu City, Scottsdale, Prescott Valley, Apache Junction, and Bullhead City), California is the undisputed winner with a dozen retirement communities, including Rancho Palos Verde (No. 4) and Lincoln (No. 8). 

You can read the full report and its findings on gobankingrates.com.