2021 Best Places to Retire in Colorado

Holly Hills

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4 out of 5  7 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in this neighborhood for 30 years and I love the proximity of it to all areas of Metro Denver. Where I live is close to the light rail, Highline Canal, and several shopping areas, it's like a mini city in and of itself. The only major dislike I have for the area and the state, in general, is that housing has become so expensive, it is difficult to live in the vicinity of Denver without having to work two jobs or have a six-figure income. Many people are getting priced out of their homes and apartments due to the influx of people moving in and a housing shortage. Also, traffic has become a nightmare!...Read 7 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 2,835 Population

Lincoln Park

• Town in Colorado

• grade B

• grade B minus

• grade A

• 3,283 Population

Estes Park

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 3.56 out of 5  18 reviews

Current Resident: We are a young family who have been living in Estes Park for almost a decade. There are so many wonderful things about this tiny town and some not so great things. We love the tiny community feel; Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is active in some way, so family get togethers often revolve around outdoor activities and we LOVE that! The views and location can't be matched. Unfortunately the town isn't made for families. It's built for tourism. The housing is wildly expensive and there's not nearly enough. The job opportunities are mediocre, entry level jobs during the summer, but finding a year round position that can support a family is not easy...Read 18 Reviews

• grade B+

• grade B minus

• grade A

• 6,377 Population

Redlands

Niche User: I plan on leaving this area when I go to college, but I know I will be back here to raise my kids, because this is an area that I want my kids to grow up in. It's the perfect mix between small community and big city. We have all the resources of a big city but have the living of a small town. Everyone seems to know one another, and has family here. The schools are improving for the most part, and the town continues to grow...Read 10 Reviews

• grade B

• grade B minus

• grade A

• 8,765 Population

Genesee

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 4.8 out of 5  5 reviews

Current Resident: My husband and I moved to Genesee a few months ago. I feel like the most blessed individual on the planet. It is a dream living here. The views are to die for, and it is extremely peaceful and quiet here. The wildlife is precious! Elk, foxes, deer are so fun to watch. They don't even seem to be afraid of us. We are so so blessed to live here. I feel like I literally live in a snow globe...how did we get so lucky?!...Read 5 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• grade A

• 3,910 Population

Cherry Creek

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.07 out of 5  14 reviews

Current Resident: Amazing neighborhood! Super safe, friendly neighbors, great for kids! It's a wonderful place to live with lots of outdoor options and walking areas.Read 14 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A

• 12,496 Population

Palmer Lake

• Suburb of Colorado Springs, CO
• Rating 4.2 out of 5  5 reviews

Current Resident: I've lived in Palmer Lake my entire life and I love it. The view is amazing and so are the houses. There aren't many big, fancy, modern houses, though there are some, but instead there are average sized modern houses. The view is of the Rocky Mountains and there are great schools in the area...Read 5 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• grade A

• 2,887 Population

Castle Pines Village

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 3.86 out of 5  7 reviews

Current Resident: Castle Pines Village is easily accessible to I-25, has multiple pools, and social events. The country club and golf club are within the community. It is a gated community that is manned and emergency services are at the residents' disposal. The setting is beautiful, and local shops (restaurants, spa) are nearby. The area surrounding the neighborhood is very natural, and deer often roam around. The neighborhood is close to Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, and Lonetree. There are many public schools around, as well as excellent private schools. Castle Pines Village is about thirty minutes away from the Denver International Airport. The area is within driving distance of the mountains, to go tubing and skiing in the winter, and mountain biking and hiking in the summer. Boulder is roughly an hour away...Read 7 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• grade A

• 4,553 Population

Evergreen

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 3.9 out of 5  51 reviews

Current Resident: Evergreen has a unique mountain town personality. The access to the hiking and biking trails is hard to find elsewhere. The neighborhoods are mostly quiet, and the school systems are very good. As for my critiques, in the summer the traffic can get very bad from all the Denver traffic, and there are not many career opportunities in the area, so many people commute the hour to Denver...Read 51 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• grade A

• 8,885 Population

Inverness

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.33 out of 5  6 reviews

Niche User: There is a neighborhood security guard and everyone seems to pay attention to those around them.Read 6 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A

• 1,567 Population

Manitou Springs

• Suburb of Colorado Springs, CO
• Rating 4.17 out of 5  12 reviews

Nearby Resident: Manitou Springs is a small but popular town. The town gives access to free clean drinking water, there are seven mineral springs that bring up water for people to drink. I have seen people even bring empty jugs of water to fill up in these springs. The town also has a river along side of it where people can walk right next to the river. Many festivals happen in manitou like the annual coffin race. manitou is also very family friendly, the town has a “penny arcade” with tons of old school arcade games that are mostly just a quarter each to play. There are a lot of ice cream shops and a really good pizza shop called, Hell’s Kitchen, ironically across the street from a shop called, Heaven’s Juice Bar. When the sun goes down, the town is still alive, there are quite a few bars in this town that are oddly enough not really noticeable during the day. At the edge of the town is a hiking path called, The Incline, that has 2,744 steps to climb with 2,000 foot increase in elevation...Read 12 Reviews

• grade B+

• grade B

• grade A minus

• 5,283 Population

Salida

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 3.6 out of 5  15 reviews

Former Resident: Salida is a great small town to take a small getaway vacation. In the winter you have Christmas mountain and Monarch Mountain if you are into skiing and Snowboarding. In the summer you have hiking, four-wheeling, downtown shopping and anything you want involving the great outdoors and the beauty of being in the Heart of the Rocky Mountains...Read 15 Reviews

• grade B+

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• 5,791 Population

Cherry Hills Village

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.1 out of 5  10 reviews

Current Resident: Growing up in Cherry Hills Village was an excellent place to be raised. It is one of the most active communities as everyone is out walking their pets, playing sports, doing yard work, etc. The location of the suburb is perfect because it is only 15 minutes from the city but has its own isolated feel to it...Read 10 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• 6,647 Population

Greenwood Village

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.28 out of 5  57 reviews

Current Resident: Really wonderful place to live. Great schools, beautiful parks, very well maintained with lots of services provided by the City. It's a very safe area to live and it's great to live in, with lots to do regardless of age. Highly recommend...Read 57 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• 15,738 Population

Columbine Valley

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.25 out of 5  4 reviews

Current Resident: It is a quiet little neighborhood. Quick access to anything you need (shopping, entertainment) yet has it's own privacy away from the city life. The people are great!Read 4 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• grade A minus

• 1,241 Population

Centennial

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.09 out of 5  315 reviews

Current Resident: Centennial is a wonderful city, there are many local stores and favorites like Target, Walmart, Crumble Cookie, Walgreens, etc. If you're on Arapahoe Rd, you're a few minutes from Arapahoe Crossings, The Streets at Southglenn, and Park Meadows Mall. There are many parks to take your children to, and recently I discovered a recreation center, South Suburban Parks and Recreation. A great addition to have in the neighborhood, with lots of activities for many ages! There are also surrounding schools from the cherry creek school district, also present in the area is Kaiser Permanente. What's also great about Centennial is that there is an amphitheater, so if you're looking for a night out, it's an experience to live. The neighborhoods in the area are quiet and full of wonderful folks. Overall, in Centennial, you can find something for the family, have a good time and call this are home...Read 315 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• 110,218 Population

Applewood

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4.2 out of 5  15 reviews

Current Resident: We have lived in Applewood for over 27 years. Like many residents, we don't want to move. We're 20 minutes to downtown Denver, and 10 minutes to the mountains. We have large lots, great views, and custom-built brick homes. There are many amazing trails within walking distance. We are close to I-70. It is true that many of the kids who grew up here return as adults to raise their families in this easy-going neighborhood. Our neighbors are intelligent and friendly, for the most part. This place is like "Leave it to Beaver" moved to the 21st Century. Once again,, we're not moving!!!...Read 15 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• 8,081 Population

Buena Vista

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 4.29 out of 5  14 reviews

Current Resident: Overall a cute mountain town with a booming tourist season. Small and charming but much smaller in the winter. Many people have summer homes here but few stay for the winter. Good public schools that maybe focus too much on sports, but it creates a strong drive in the people who live here. Ok nightlife, but most places close before 10pm. Can be hard to find jobs especially with little experience, however our largest employer the D.O.C., is always hiring. Very health oriented residents and many gyms available. Overall a good and safe family oriented town. One of few downsides is that most malls and various other important buildings, are located about a 3 hour drive away...Read 14 Reviews

• grade B

• grade C+

• grade A minus

• 2,782 Population

Montrose

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 3.5 out of 5  42 reviews

Current Resident: Montrose is an excellent town on the western slope located just a short drive from some of the most amazing natural wonders the Southwest has to offer. Montrose is also a great place to raise a family, with our recreation district offering a multitude of sports for any age, including year round soccer in our brand-new indoor soccer complex! Montrose also offers the largest and newest recreation center on the western slope, including an 11 lane lap pool, basketball courts, a lazy river and racquetball courts. Montrose public schools offer amazing sports programs and have recently become deeply invested in STEM activities. Overall, Montrose is an amazing town with so much to offer and it will make an excellent home for anyone wanting to move here...Read 42 Reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• grade A minus

• 19,238 Population

Walsenburg

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 2.63 out of 5  16 reviews

Current Resident: It is a small town with very helpful people levIng in it. It is very quite but the community is good and you will feel safe.Read 16 Reviews

• grade C+

• grade C minus

• grade A minus

• 2,962 Population

Highlands Ranch

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4 out of 5  409 reviews

Current Resident: I grew up and lived in Highlands Ranch my entire life. I've gone to school in the community all my life and the people there are amazing. There are tons of activities to do all year round. There are a ton of great schools there and a bunch of sweet and funny people all around the community. Living in Highlands Ranch my entire life, I have never witnessed an actual crime and the overall safety is amazing. I work at one of the rec centers and not once have I had to deal with any violence or troubles. Overall Highlands Ranch is a very good place to live in. The people there and the overall feeling it gives you really makes you feel welcomed. It is a very great place to live because they offer pretty much everything a person can ask for and much more!...Read 409 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• grade A minus

• 105,631 Population

Orchard Mesa

Current Resident: Orchard mesa is a nice town on the outskirts of grand junction. The fair grounds are located up here and we have plenty of great restaurants as well. The schools around here are also very good and they just rebuilt orchard mesa middle school...Read 4 Reviews

• grade C+

• grade C+

• grade A minus

• 6,719 Population

Orchard City

• Town in Colorado

• grade C+

• grade B

• grade A minus

• 3,123 Population

Broomfield

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 4.13 out of 5  272 reviews

Current Resident: Broomfield is a very safe city to raise families. It's on the edge of suburbia in that it's definitely very neighborhood-dense and there's not a specific urban locale to point to when 'Broomfield' comes to mind, but it's got things to do. There are movie theaters, a wide variety of restaurants and bars, malls, and lots of parks and arcades. ...Overall, what Broomfield could probably use more of are libraries and other more diverse public spaces that are free. More community gathering activities and places would greatly improve the connectivity of Broomfield's population. Also, as always, Adams 12 needs more high and elementary schools. They are grossly over capacity...Read 272 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• 67,886 Population

Vail

• Town in Colorado
• Rating 4.31 out of 5  13 reviews

Current Resident: Vail is a magical place! It stole my gyspy heart and convinced me that this is home. I am so excited to be here. The valley views are phenomenal. It is an outdoors lifestyle community. Two world class ski resorts only a quick bus ride away.Acres of skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, fly fishing, backpacking, and many other mountain adventures.A great nightlife with a free in town bus to make sure you get home safely.Overall great progressive community.Read 13 Reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• grade A minus

• 5,479 Population