Tyler, Texas is already well-known as the “Rose Capital of America.” And now, the Rose City will also be known as the “Best City in America to Retire.” The ranking comes from USA Today, which looked at 329 cities from across the country. The life expectancy in Tyler stands at 77.4 years.** The median income is $60,811 and the unemployment is 3.3%.**
Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce President Henry Bell tells us none of this just happened by chance, but rather from a culmination of 25 years of steady work to improve Tyler as a positive, viable option for retirees. And
Tyler’s top ranking are based, at least partly, on factors which include:
*Affordable housing - $257,181 - typical home value**
*No state income tax
*Low cost-of-living
*Low crime rate, per 1,000 residents - 28.7**
*Senior-relevant care providers per 1,000 - 9.9**
*Light traffic - 7th least congested city**
Bell looks at the top retiree city ranking through the lens of a Tyler chamber member for the past 35 years. “It’s actually a form of economic development because they (retirees) bring new wealth to the community. I mean, they bring pension payments, social security payments, that kind of thing. New dollars that’s generated from outside the county (Smith County)…And when they get here, they’re going to spend their money.”
USA Today also noted the leisure activities available in Tyler, Texas as key factors in being named the best city in America in which to retire. Those factors include:
*Lake Tyler
*Caldwell Zoo
*Tyler Museum of Art
*Historic Aviation Memorial Museum
*Tyler Rose Garden
*Texas Rose Festival
Bell also credits Tyler’s designation as Texas’ first Certified Retirement City, which he says “put them on the map” for retirees. The city’s location 95 miles east of Dallas, doesn’t hurt. Neither does its reputation as the advanced manufacturing, health-care and retail center of East Texas.
Finally, Bell describes a positive unintended consequence of the growing number of retirees. “Most of them have a lot of expendable time. And so, a lot of them become excellent volunteers to help with our great selection of non-profits to help volunteer with, and provide needed manpower where senior living senior citizens in Tyler, Texas otherwise it’s hard to find.”According to the USA Today rankings, half of the top 10 cities to retire in America can be found in Texas:
*Sugar Land (#6)
*Wichita Falls (#8)
*Abilene (#9)
*McAllen (#10)
In a separate study, released earlier this year, USA Today had ranked Tyler as the Best City in Texas.
**Sources: U.S. Census America Community Survey, Zillow, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and Texas Workforce Commission**U.S. Census Bureau
