Rating Places For Retirement Has Limitations

Just what makes the best places to retire so special?

Again and again, Las Vegas, Nev.; Bellingham, Wash.; and Medford-Ashland, Ore., top the list of picks. Along with two or three cities each in Arizona, Florida and California.

But the magnets that draw footloose older Americans hither and yon are almost as numerous as the retirees.

Even David Savageau, a foremost compiler of statistical data on America’s most popular retirement havens, readily confesses that ranking places simply “cannot be done fairly.” Who is to say which is more important - bass fishing or a Shakespearean festival?

Indeed, Savageau’s depiction of the South Atlantic Coast region’s appeal, in his latest edition of “Retirement Places Rated,” vividly illustrates the shortcomings of any ranking system:

“Palmetto palms, scrub oak, dune grass, and Spanish moss swaying in the sea breezes impart a languid, relaxed mood. Fishing shanties lie scattered near the piers where shrimpers, crabbers, and trawlers moor. Stately planter-style cottages set back from the narrow street are almost hidden behind tall hedges and are surrounded by massive live oaks. Streets paved with old oyster and clam shells; small gift shops, boutiques, and shops offering seafood, gumbo, and chicory coffee; taverns and inns of all ages and sizes - these are what you’ll find in every metro area, town, and village of the coastal islands.”

Charming.

But in the next paragraph, he gets real with us: “On the minus side, crime rates are high.”

Whoops.

“Health care facilities can be inadequate.”

Oh, oh.

“And finally, these low-lying oceanside locations are subject to damage from severe tropical storms.”

Well, scratch the South Atlantic Coast.

Seventeen such subregions are capsuled in 310 pages crammed with data, charts, graphs and tables that attempt to offer a statistical basis for comparing a whopping 183 communities - obviously an impossibility in this column.

So, getting back to Las Vegas, Bellingham, and Medford-Ashland.

Savageau rated communities according to seven factors:

Money matters - income, taxes, food and health care costs.

Housing expenses, including taxes and utility bills.

Climate, including “psychological factors.”

Crime.

Services - health care, transit, continuing education.

Jobs for older workers.

Leisure - golfing, bowling, dining, symphony orchestras, operas, lakes, parks.

On a scale where 100 equals perfection, the top mark was 84.47 by Las Vegas. Bellingham was third with 83.25. Medford-Ashland was fifth with 81.38.

St. Petersburg, Fla., came in second; Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo., fourth.

Bellingham and Medford-Ashland could easily have ranked one, two in America if not for a paucity of elder employment opportunities. Both Northwest cities beat the socks off No. 1 Las Vegas in most other categories.

Bellingham scored in the 80s and 90s across the board, with one exception. The Seattle bedroom community’s job outlook for elders received a score of just 66. Las Vegas racked up a near-perfect 95.

Medford-Ashland scored highest on money matters - 92. Followed by services, 87; housing, 86; safety, 86; leisure, 84; and climate, 79. But a failing grade of 63 in the area of elder employment was costly to Medford.

Fully two-thirds of the communities ranked lie within a swath of 14 states that constitute America’s Sun Belt. Florida alone has 25; California, 15, and Arizona, 10, while New York, Alaska, and most of the Midwest combined account for a grand total of zero.

Washington boasts seven places, all ringing the Puget Sound except for Wenatchee in the center of the state and a remote speck in the northeast corner that is Chewelah.

Western Oregon rates half a dozen listings. Eastern Montana has three - Kalispell, Polson and Hamilton.

(Next in a series: North Idaho.)

, DataTimes MEMO: Associate Editor Frank Bartel writes on retirement issues each Sunday. He can be reached with ideas for future columns at 459-5467 or fax 459-5482.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review