Places to Retire

Carlsbad was in the top 10 cities :)

10 Great Places to Retire in the U.S.

Carlsbad, Calif.

Price: $639,900
Area median price: $672,500

Features
• 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
• 2,352 square feet
• Granite countertops
• Attached garage
• Lagoon water views

For $639,900, you could get this three-bedroom, 2.5 baths 2,352-square-foot townhome, with granite counters, a security system, Bose speakers and attached garage. On a lagoon, the home affords a water view from most rooms, and it's in a community with walking trails near a beach.

Homes at the median price in Carlsbad are typically larger and more expensive than retirees are looking for, says broker Tony Cannon of Keller Williams Realty. For substantially less -- $374,000 -- you could get a home more suitable for empty nesters: a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,100-square-foot home with a patio, garage and a low-maintenance yard in a community with a pool and spa, on about one-eighth of an acre, Cannon says.

[Cities Where It's Better to Rent Than Buy]

The weather and the beach are the main draws for retirees in Carlsbad, which ranks among the "top 10 beach towns."

"East Coast people come out here because the weather is nicer," Cannon says. "It's mild all year long. We get people from Canada, other parts of California, even Arizona and New Mexico. If you live within 5 miles of the beach, you don't need air conditioning."

The rest of the list here.