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Study ranks Salt Lake City best for retirement, Seattle one of worst

(Pictured: Salt Lake City, Utah is number 1 in a study of which U.S. cities are the best places to retire.)

By Maggie Davis

Where they live can drastically impact what life is like for retirees.

The newest DepositAccounts study, released in January, looked at lifestyle, cost of living, medical quality and cost, and assisted-care quality and availability to determine the best places to retire. Across the 50 largest U.S. cities and metropolitan areas, Salt Lake City, Utah ranks as the best. On the other end of the scale, Seattle is the 22nd-worst, and Riverside, Calif., ranks last.

Salt Lake City is on top because ithas the lowest rate of preventable hospital stays (1,591 per 100,000 Medicare enrollees) and the highest percentage of older adults who volunteer (44 percent), plus a high percentage of physically active people . It also rates high in lifestyle (behind only Minneapolis, Minn. and Denver, Colo.).

Milwaukee, Wis. and Pittsburgh, Pa. rank second and third overall respectively, thanks to high marks for high percentages of physically activity, low median monthly housing costs ($996 in Pittsburgh), and low average healthcare costs for Medicare users.

California dominates the bottom of the list, with five of the 10 worst places to retire, mainly due to high costs of living. Besides Riverside at the very bottom, the low-ranking metros include San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

For the study, researchers with DepositAccounts, a Lending Tree-affiliated online source of banking and other financial analysis, grouped data into four categories with various metrics:

  • Lifestyle (access to healthy food, arts, cultural and recreational venues, and amount of older adults involved physical activity and volunteerism).
  • Cost of living (median monthly housing costs, regional prices for consumer items and services).
  • Healthcare quality and cost (ratesof preventable hospital stays per 100,000 Medicare enrollees, if such stays might have been prevented by receiving outpatient treatment instead, and costs per Medicare beneficiary).
  • Assisted-care availability and quality (jncluding number of home health service providers, continuing-care retirement communities, assisted-living facilities, and nursing-home beds per 100,000 residents, average quality of patient care star rating for home health agencies

While Seattle fared poorly overall, all wasn’t bad: It has the third-lowest rate of preventable hospital stays, at 1,850 per 100,000 Medicare enrollees.

Good care is crucial, noted Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst and author of “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life.”

“If you don’t have your health, everything gets exponentially more challenging, no matter how old you are,” Schulz said. “The more you’re able to preserve your health and steer clear of the need for hospital stays, the better. And that’s not just about your physical health. It’s about your finances, too. There’s little that’s more expensive than bad health.”

The study was limited to the 50 largest 50 metro areas. Sources of information for the total analysis include the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and individual county health rankings around the country.

The full report is available at depositaccounts.com.

Source: LendingTree, an online loan marketplace and financial researcher.

The Senior Scene by — March 19, 2025 in Lifestyle, Home, Adventures
Point Defiance Park’s story from 1888 to now

(Pictured: Never Never Land, with its iconic figurine of Humpty Dumpty at the entrance, was once a children’s attraction at Point Defiance Park. Everything was removed after slipping into disrepair.)

TIME & AGAIN

From its origins in 1888 as a “loaner” from the U.S. military, Point Defiance Park is a place where Tacoma residents and visitors mingle with history, nature, and outdoor recreation.

The park’s mammoth size (756 acres) today encompasses a zoo, a boardwalk, a boathouse, a historic fort replica, a winding, scenic drive, and 400 acres of old-growth forest on a point of land jutting into Puget Sound. Now operated by Parks Tacoma (formerly Metro Parks), it was part of the homelands of the Puyallup Tribe, whose members still consider the space an important part of their tribal heritage.  

The land began a new chapter 137 years ago when then-president Grover Cleveland signed legislation giving Tacoma the right to use it as a city park. Until then, it was an undeveloped military reservation. With no amenities, the public use of the park was limited to mostly seasonal camping on or near the shoreline now known as Owen Beach, which is named for Floyd Owen, a former park superintendent who was with the park district for 47 years..

In 1890, a streetcar line began carrying people to the park. By 1914, the Pagoda, an Asian-influenced building that still stands today, was serving as a streetcar station inside the park. The building had a heated waiting room for passengers, a first-aid-station, and marble-walled restrooms with attendants who handed out towels.

Here are some other early park milestones, and the years they occurred:

1903

Waterfront development of the park started, eventually producing a ferry dock, a restaurant, boat rentals, and refreshment stands.

1905
The federal government formally grants the title of Point Defiance Park to the city of Tacoma on March 3. The prime mover of the legislation was Congressman Francis W. Cushman, who was honored in 1925 for his efforts with a statue near the park.

1906
The Nereides Baths opened on Memorial Day. Tacoma’s first indoor swimming pool, or natatorium as it was then called, had Puget Sound saltwater heated to 80 degrees and rental bathing suits, all for 10 cents. The baths closed and the building was torn down in the early 1930s.

1921
Development of the park waterfront expanded with a major addition adjacent to the octagonal Pavilion. This arched concrete structure, also referred to as the Pavilion, eventually boasted three stories and included a restaurant, aquarium, and housing for park employees. Fire destroyed the boathouse and pavilion in 1984, but they were rebuilt and reopened four years later.

1933
Funland opened on Memorial Day. Privately operated, the amusement park provided an escape during the years of the Great Depression and World War II. Point Defiance Riding Academy also opened, giving horseback riders the opportunity to enjoy the park’s bridle paths. Both attractions closed in the 1960s. 

1940s
Miltary influence at the point continued into this decade. The park, its forests, gardens, and attractions served the World War II homefront as a convenient and affordable local getaway during a time of gas rationing. Army Air Force crash boat rescue crews were stationed at the Pavilion during the war years in the event of a downed aircraft in Puget Sound.

1959
Point Defiance Zoo added the Children’s Farm Zoo, with cows, chickens, rabbits, ducks, and goats to delight city kids. Care of the farm animals was a cooperative venture between zoo staff and chapters of the Future Farmers of America. On a much larger scale, the zoo expanded after voters approved a bond issue in 1977.

The Senior Scene by — March 19, 2025 in Spotlight
City takes over Federal Way Farmers Market

The Federal Way Farmers Market now truly belongs to the city.

After being operated for 21 years by a community organization, the market went under city ownership effective Feb. 1. It will continue to be hosted Saturdays from May to October in the Commons Mall parking lot near Pacific Highway and South 320th Street.

Rose Ehl was the market’s original founder. Her daughter, Karla Kolibab, will manage vendor relations as a part-time seasonal employee of the city. Parks Department workers will handle the setup of the market each week.

The Senior Scene by — March 19, 2025 in News

Pierce County is planning monthly workshops to help military veterans with their U.S. Veterans Affairs claims. The first workshop will be held on April 8 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the county’s Human Services Department, located in Tacoma at 3602 Pacific Ave., suite 200. Registration, which is required, and other information is available at piercecountywa.gov/vso. The events will continue on the second Tuesday of every month.    Whether veterans are new to filing a claim or seeking to strengthen an existing one, the workshops are intended to ensure that they are being handled efffectively. invaluable insights into what the VA looks for and how to present a claim effectively, said County Executive Ryan Mello.   
“Pierce County has and always will be a huge supporter of veterans. Our goal is to empower veterans by giving them the knowledge and resources they need to navigate the VA claims process with confidence,” Mello said. “The process can be overwhelming, especially with so many unknowns at the federal level, and we’re here to provide support every step of the way.”  
Vets can meet one-on-one with an accredited veterans support officer and schedule followup appointments for continued support.
The Senior Scene by — March 19, 2025 in News