Arizona used to be the only place people considered retiring when it was time to leave the workforce. Phoenix and surrounding areas like Mesa, Tempe and Scottsdale were the really big players in the retirement game. Florida was pretty big too, but if you wanted a warm climate without all the humidity Florida has, you can choose from Arizona’s retirement communities.

For many people, this is still the best place to retire, and for good reason.

Even though your grandparents and maybe even your parents might have retired there, so it might have that kind of older crowd atmosphere, the simple fact is that Arizona has grown tremendously in recent years as a retirement oasis.

The things that used to attract people to move to Phoenix and start living the good life, for the most part, were conspicuously absent when their grandparents were looking for a place to spend their golden years in the 1950s. The capital was still a small western town with very few amenities and no culture to speak of.

And that is one of the great changes that has taken place since they moved there. Now, the capital of Arizona is a thriving, world-class city with tons of things to do and great communities to live in.

Previously, the outlying towns of the city were far away on a two-lane highway lined with traffic lights and old cars. Now a super modern highway connects all retirement cities to the city center and traveling downtown for an afternoon shopping or a night out at a good restaurant is just a matter of setting up speed control on your car and wait for the valet to park. for you.

Phoenix is ​​now home to major professional sports teams and Sky Harbor Airport is busy enough to offer a wide variety of inbound and outbound flights, yet still small enough for that hometown feel.

The smaller cities surrounding Phoenix are home to some of the best golf courses in the world, and if you’re a golfer, you can enjoy that great game 365 days a year when you live in Arizona.

Arizona’s retirement communities have come of age. It’s not just the little hole in the wall places your grandparents moved to. They have grown to be premier venues for the large number of baby boomers seeking that ideal place to retire and continue to live the life they want.