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Are you looking at your watch wondering when 5PM will finally come around? Sometimes, work can be fun, fulfilling, and exactly what you hoped for when you were a kid, but other times retirement is the best option. And if you're looking to retire in Georgia, we have you covered.
Georgia has a town for everyone. You can live a more active retirement somewhere like Alpharetta. Or you can start taking classes at Emory, get another degree, or even learn a new language. What about going on long hikes with your dogs on the Appalachian Trail outside of Ellijay.If you find yourself envisioning a retirement like that, then going to Georgia is the perfect place for you. Georgia is filled with beautiful beaches, mountains, iced tea, and sunshine. It also has Atlanta for the city-people and miles upon miles of small towns for everyone else. What more is there to love?
To help you feel secure in your decision of where to retire in Georgia, we took a look at the most recent Census and FBI data, among others, to find affordable places with plenty to do that are also safe -- a retirement paradise. It turns out the suburbs outside of Atlanta check most of these boxes. So where are the top retirement cities in Georgia? Grab a peach and read on for the answer.
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Georgia For 2021
Why did Newnan take the top spot? And where are Sandy Springs and Warner Robins?
We analyzed 30 cities in Georgia using our retirement goodness factors, like affordability, to determine the top ten best cities for retirement in the state of Georgia.
The best place to retire in Georgia for 2021? Congratulations Newnan, the best place for retirees in Georgia! For those living near Atlanta, it is hardly surprising that this suburb ranks first on our list. Most of our top ten are located near Atlanta. Not too surprising, considering Atlanta is the largest city in the state and is a massive research and urban center in the U.S. Filled with vibrant nightlife, cultural events, and delicious food, retiring somewhere near the city of peaches would be on the top of anyone's list.
Interested to see how your favorite city stacked up? Read on for more information about our methodology and to see why each city is the best for retirement in the state.
For more Georgia state reading:
- Best Places To Live In Georgia
- Cheapest Places To Live In Georgia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Georgia
- Best Places To Retire In America
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Georgia For 2021
/10
Population: 39,019
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 4)
Median Rent: $1,039
Distance to Closest Airport: 26 miles
More on Newnan: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 23,858
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 9)
Median Rent: $1,250
Distance to Closest Airport: 3 miles
More on Pooler: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 60,544
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 4)
Median Rent: $1,102
Distance to Closest Airport: 22 miles
More on Marietta: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,199
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 11)
Median Rent: $661
Distance to Closest Airport: 81 miles
More on Bainbridge: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 18,539
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Rent: $857
Distance to Closest Airport: 110 miles
More on Thomasville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 107,072
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 8)
Median Rent: $1,327
Distance to Closest Airport: 20 miles
More on Sandy Springs: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,644
Rank Last Year: 20 (Up 13)
Median Rent: $1,089
Distance to Closest Airport: 24 miles
More on Lilburn: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 38,759
Rank Last Year: 26 (Up 18)
Median Rent: $1,359
Distance to Closest Airport: 35 miles
More on Milton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,027
Rank Last Year: -
Median Rent: $1,090
Distance to Closest Airport: 11 miles
More on Rincon: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 31,437
Rank Last Year: 28 (Up 18)
Median Rent: $1,342
Distance to Closest Airport: 32 miles
More on Woodstock: Real Estate | Data | Photos
How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Peach State for 2021
To create our list of the best places in Georgia to retire, we first used Census data to find all places in the Peach State -- 620 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren't townships. This left us with 30 places from across the state.
For these 30, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI's Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criteria from one to 30, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Newnan, with the lowest average rank was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second careers. You can download the data here.
Maybe You're Not Ready To Retire In Georgia Yet...
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Georgia goes to Newnan.
If you're not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:
- Grovetown
- Monroe
- Fairburn
For more Georgia reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places To Retire In Georgia?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newnan | 39,019 |
| 2 | Pooler | 23,858 |
| 3 | Marietta | 60,544 |
| 4 | Bainbridge | 12,199 |
| 5 | Thomasville | 18,539 |
| 6 | Sandy Springs | 107,072 |
| 7 | Lilburn | 12,644 |
| 8 | Milton | 38,759 |
| 9 | Rincon | 10,027 |
| 10 | Woodstock | 31,437 |
