The Sunshine State swept eight of the top 10 destinations, and one is ICI Homes’ hometown of Daytona Beach. It’s ranked No. 3.
Florida’s dominance in the 2021-22 Best Places to Retire in the U.S., isn’t shocking given our re-emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people searching for a new custom Florida home — including retirees — are prioritizing a temperate year-round climate with outdoor living and recreational options. Gorgeous beaches are a big plus!
Daytona Beach fits those criteria. We at ICI Homes can attest to its beaches, amazing history, housing value and convenient location on Florida’s Atlantic coast. But we’re also eager to share some highlights behind its ranking.
Here’s more on why Daytona Beach is among the top three places to retire in the U.S.
The methodology
U.S. News & World Report data researchers annually compile rankings of cities and regions across the U.S., focusing on many important industries such as real estate and higher education, for example. So it’s significant for a city to make a U.S. News & World Report top-10 ranking.
To suss out the current top-10 retirement locales, researchers examined the country’s 150 largest metro areas, culling data on healthcare quality, residents’ happiness, tax rates and housing affordability, among other topics, then assigning scores to each metro area.
Daytona Beach’s overall score was 7.3, trailing only top-ranked Sarasota and No. 2 Naples. Daytona Beach also ranked extremely high on housing affordability (7.0) and health care (6.2). That’s unsurprising, as Daytona Beach was also recently ranked among Realtor.com’s Top 10 Most Affordable Beach Towns.
Go, DAB!
Why it’s one of the top places to retire
We know Daytona Beach is a great place to live, work and retire, but below are a few more reasons.
It’s home to “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” whose hard-packed white sands birthed world land-speed records in the early 20th century and later, stock-car racing. Daytona Beach also is home to NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway — the “World Center of Speed.”
Natural beauty abounds everywhere. So do parks, preserves and conservation areas. Three award-winning institutions of higher learning are based here — Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona State College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
And, Daytona Beach’s economy booms thanks to a strong tourism base, and housing and employment markets.
Find your retirement dream home
ICI Homes offers myriad options in the Daytona Beach area.
Mosaic is our master-planned community for all ages.
In nearby Port Orange, find estate homes in Brown’s Landing and versatile single-family homes and townhomes in Woodhaven.
A few miles north, Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club is one of our signature communities, as is Verona, which offers oceanside living and luxury ocean-view townhomes.
We’re also building spacious custom homes at The Conservatory in Palm Coast.
Many people searching for a new custom Florida home — including retirees — are prioritizing a temperate year-round climate with outdoor living and recreational options. Gorgeous beaches are a big plus!
