Best places nationwide to retire: Florida cities again dominate the U.S. News’ list for 2020-21

Florida cities once again swept the U.S. News list of best places to retire in the nation for 2020-21, with Sarasota coming out on top in the newest rankings.

The Gulf Coast city about two hours from Orlando was lauded for its “awardwinning beaches and a thriving arts and cultural scene.”

Sarasota is known in particular for the extensive Ringling complex, which includes an art museum, theater, gardens and more; and for its proximity to the popular Siesta Beach.

Seven of the top 10 cities on the list are in Florida.

Ocala is the highest-ranked Central Florida city in this year’s list, at No. 6.

The “horse capital of the world” also has the most affordable housing of the list’s top 33 metro areas nationwide.

Orlando is ranked at No. 16 this year, up several notches from last year’s No. 22 spot.

“Every facet of Orlando combines to create one of

Florida’s most appealing areas for business, living and recreation,” U.S. News wrote — the exact same summary it gave last year of the City Beautiful.

The top 10 are:

• Sarasota

• Fort Myers

• Port St. Lucie

• Naples

• Lancaster, nia

• Ocala

• Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Asheville, North Carolina

• Miami

• Melbourne

The media company ana

Pennsylva

lyzed happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and health care quality to come up with its list of the 150 best places to retire in the United States.

To see the complete list, go to realestate.usnews.com.

CREATIVE COUPLE MEDIA/SHUTTERSTOCK Population: 412,144 - Median home value: $234,800 (74% own) - Median rent: $1,201 (26% rent) - Median household income: $58,644. Located on the west coast of Florida, Sarasota County offers everything the modern retiree is seeking.