Va. cities share No. 2 spot for best places for retirees

WASHINGTON — Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia share the No. 2 spot for best places for retirees, according to new research from Bankrate.com.

Taking into account weather, cost of living, taxes, senior well-being, crime and health care, Bankrate.com ranked 172 cities.

While Arlington and Alexandria came in at No. 2, the Phoenix metro area, which includes Mesa and Scottsdale, took the top spot.

The worst place to retire according to Bankrate.com? New York. The Big Apple ranked low because of the high cost of living and tax burden — difficult for those on fixed incomes.

Top 10 best places to retire:

1. Phoenix metro area (including Mesa and Scottsdale)
2.  Arlington/Alexandria, Virginia
3. Prescott, Arizona
4.  Tucson, Arizona
5.  Des Moines, Iowa
6.  Denver (including Aurora)
7. Austin, Texas (including Round Rock)
8. Cape Coral, Florida  (including Ft. Myers)
9.  Colorado Springs, Colorado
10.  Franklin, Tennessee

Bottom 10 places to retire:

1. New York
2. Little Rock, Arkansas (including North Little Rock and Conway)
3. New Haven, Connecticut (including Milford, Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford)
4. Buffalo, New York (including Rochester, Niagara Falls and Cheektowaga)
5. Newark, New Jersey
6. Albany, New York (including Troy and Schenectady)
7. Hartford, Connecticut (including East and West Hartford)
8.  Oakland, California
9.  Indianapolis
10. Cleveland