Top 5 Cities to Retire in Canada

What makes a city appealing for retirement? First is proximity to activities and attractions. You don’t necessarily need to dine out more than once or twice a week or shop every day, but it’s definitely good to have the option. Low taxes, cost of living, low crime rate and easy accessibility to doctors and hospitals are all drawing factors and when analysts study what makes a city desirable for retirement. The cities listed below have all of these. They also include cities with shopping, golfing, recreational areas, parks and fine dining.

Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa is one of the top ten cities in Canada to live with their low rate of car commuters resulting in good air quality. They also enjoy a low crime rate and a high senior population, putting them at the top for retirement destinations. Ottawa has a convenient network of walking and bike paths plus a user-friendly transit system. Year round outdoor activities and specifically the Rideau Canal make Ottawa an attractive city in which to retire.

Victoria, British Columbia

The attraction to Victoria is their mild weather and the arts. Daily temperatures rarely rise above the mid 80′s in summer and don’t fall much below freezing in winter.  Victoria is the ‘City of Gardens’ with the magnificent Butchart Gardens and the many golf courses including the second busiest course in Canada.

Kingston, Ontario

The number of health care professionals in Kingston makes it attractive as a retirement city. Kingston is also ‘green’ with its high collective motivation to conserve the planet! Kingston, on the beautiful Lake Ontario, is a convenient distance to Ottawa at  120 miles, Toronto at 165 miles and New York at just over 125 miles.

Burlington, Ontario

With a low crime rate, low taxes and convenient location, Burlington has been one of the top five desirable cities for retirement for several years running. Burlington is on Lake Ontario and Toronto is an hour away. The beautiful Niagara Falls and the Canada-US border are also just an hour’s drive from Burlington.  The waterfront and the botanical gardens along with the moderate climate with the average 71 degrees in July and 23 degrees in January make it pleasant for year round outdoor enthusiasts.

St. Albert, Alberta

The only city in Alberta to be in the top five desirable places to retire is St. Albert. Residents enjoy low taxes, low unemployment, and high access to health care professionals. St Alberta is considered a suburb of Edmonton and therefore convenient to the variety ofentertainment the city offers. St Alberta has its own recreational centres, museums and historic sites plus bragging rights to being home of one of the largest outdoor farmers markets in Western Canada.

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