Rating: 
Summary: Disagree with the negative reviews on this book
Review: take a look at the follwing review...Finding Ideal, Affordable Locations for the Golden Years A book review by Robert J. Bruss (a San Francisco Bay Area real estate writer and attorney) --Published in the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle, August 21, 2000; The Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2000. If you, a parent or relative plan to retire soon and are considering moving, first read John Howells' fourth edition of "Where to Retire; America's Best and Most Affordable Places." For many years, Howells and his wife have traveled the nation investigating the best, most affordable retirement locations. This great new book is the result of those travels. The book focuses on 150 ideal places to retire but isn't primarily about specific retirement communities, although many are mentioned. For example, the famous Sun City, Sun City West and new Sun City Grand near Phoenix are t briefly discussed. More important, primary retirement regions are profiled, including specific towns preferred by retirees. Howells begins each chapter profiling a retirement region, then he zeros in on the pros and cons of towns that appeal to retirees. This new edition seems more direct and frank than the last one. To illustrate, when discussing Orlando, Howells says: "At one time I considered Orlando one of Florida's better retirement ideas. That was before it became so busy. In a short time, the city made a remarkable transition from a sleepy crossroad of citrus orchards and cattle ranches into a dynamic city, the fastestÿ2Dgrowing in the state." Then he explains why he no longer considers Orlando a great retirement town. It's no surprise that most of the featured retirement areas are in the Southeast, South and Southwest, with a few in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Howells explains that recommending that people move to Montana, Illinois or Maine for year-round retirement would be irresponsible because of the inclement winter weather. Each retirement area profile is quite detailed, with stateÿ2Dbyÿ2Dstate and townÿ2Dbyÿ2Dtown information. The weather details, income taxes and property taxes are highlighted. Also emphasized are medical facilities and recreation availability, especially golf courses. Transportation and cultural activities, however, could have received more emphasis. Howells doesn't hold back on expressing his personal feelings about an area, such as: "I don't believe that all Southerners have suddenly changed into color-blind liberals, totally free of racism and full of brotherly love. My point and opinion is that the overall Southern attitude toward race relations has taken a dramatic turn for the better. From my perspective, the South today harbors no more racism than the rest of the country." Especially valuable are the profiles of retirement areas that might easily be overlooked. For example, the author profiles inexpensive but delightful retirement towns in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. While emphasizing positives, however, he doesn't neglect their negatives, such as hot, humid summers. Even if you're not planning immediate retirement and a move to a more desirable area, this new book is an enjoyable read. Having visited many of the retirement areas discussed, I find the author's explanations to be remarkably accurate. Where does the author choose to live? He says only that he and his wife live in California a block from the beach, and spends part of each year at their second home in Costa Rica. --ROBERT J. BRUSS
Rating: 
Summary: This guy thinks too much of himself.
Review: The author apparently makes a living out of writing one retirement book after another and constantly revising those already written. This in itself wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact most of the information presented is less than thorough and comprehensive, and in many cases it is downright misleading. Buy it if you must but don't expect too get much useful information from it.
Rating:
Summary: Empty jar of pickles
Review: This is a book written on a shoestring. A book which provides less factological information than 20 years old yellow pages....
I particulary enjoyed reading about selected places, where the author even did not mention cost of real estate, but mentioned that general Sherman was there and burned it. If someone really retires by this book, then the consequences must be tragic. To find places which have more 70% of the total population retired from elsewhere, and minimum house cost $200,000 one perhaps does not need a book for ($)....
| 
