Best Cities for Your Second Act

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published 19 July 2012

For those who\'ve hit retirement age, but aren\'t quite ready to call it quits, living in a city with quality jobs is important. In addition to employment, activities such as golf, dining out and the theater are also vital for this age group, who still feel young at heart.

To identify the Best Cities for Your Second Act, Kiplinger teamed up with Kevin Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. All of the cities on our list have reasonable living costs, strong employment growth and a population that scores high on measures of education and tech-savviness. For second acts, we also factored in the number of golf courses as well as the number of artists and musicians.

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Lists

5. Barnstable Town, Mass.

Population (metro area): 215,888

Craving a quaint New England lifestyle close to a big city? Barnstable Town, 70 miles southeast of Boston on Cape Cod, is both bucolic and bustling. In Hyannis, one of seven villages that comprise Barnstable, you can visit antique shops, stay in historic inns and B&Bs along bayside beaches, and eat at restaurants serving some of New England\'s finest seafood. Nightclubs feature live music and dancing.

Check out the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises from May through October. The six-mile Sandy Neck Beach, a favorite location among locals, offers fishing, swimming, camping, biking and hiking, especially along salt marshes, where you can observe endangered species. Or catch a ferry from Barnstable Harbor to Nantucket and enjoy a day at one of the many beaches on the island, or explore Nantucket\'s famed Brandt Point Lighthouse or Whaling Museum.

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4. Springfield, Ill.

Population (metro area): 210,170

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3. Austin, Tex.

Population (metro area): 1,716,289

If you must keep working, you\'ll find opportunity in Austin for established professionals. Not only is the city looking to fill mid- to senior-level tech jobs but \"we also have lots of start-ups that need \'adult supervision,\'\" says Melissa Alvarado of the Mayor’s Office for Economic Development. The Austin area added 19,200 jobs over a recent 12-month period; professional and business services saw the most growth.

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2. Santa Fe, N.M.

Population (metro area): 144,170

Santa Fe is an oasis in the Southwest desert—and not just for its climate. As the capital of New Mexico and the closest city to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Santa Fe has long enjoyed low unemployment and an abundance of high-paying, highly skilled jobs. Research and technology employ thousands here, as do the hospitality industry, the regional medical center and the region\'s thriving arts community.

In fact, with a renowned opera and some 240 galleries, Santa Fe ranks among the largest art markets in the country. The city boasts four art districts, ranging from the high-end jewelry shops around its 400-year-old adobe plaza to the two-mile stretch of Spanish farmhouses, restaurants and galleries on Canyon Road. These amenities don\'t come cheap, and the median home price is about $210,000 above the national average. Still, the area\'s strong economy, vibrant art scene and picture-perfect scenery continue to draw tourists and transplants alike.

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1. Portland, Maine

Population (metro area): 514,098

Portland\'s lively arts scene, highly skilled workforce and inventive cuisine, along with a low crime rate and high-quality medical facilities, are drawing professionals who are making their home base here and telecommuting or flying to their jobs. The cost of living is slightly higher than the national average, but compared with big-city prices, housing is affordable. Newly built two-bedroom condos on the eastern side of downtown sell for $360,000.

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