This Is the No. 1 Best Michigan County to Retire In

When people hit their golden years, often times their idea of the perfect place to live changes. Some retirees might prefer warmer temperatures, while others want a peaceful place to live away from all the chaos. There are a lot of factors that go into picking that ideal spot to live after retirement. So, what is the best place to retire in Michigan?

Niche.com has put together a list of the best counties to retire in Michigan, using a "comprehensive assessment of key factors that are meaningful for recent or near retirees at the county level." They add, "This grade takes into account key factors, such as weather, crime rates, residents 65 and older, housing costs, and access to amenities such as restaurants, golf courses, exercise facilities, and doctors, in an attempt to measure the appeal of an area for retirement." Looking closer at their data, other factors included the percentage of retirees below the poverty line, winter average low temperature, winter average snowfall, access to golf and access to grocery stores, to name a few. Who would have thought golf would be such as important deciding factor?

So, what's No. 1 in Michigan? According to the study, Leelanau County is the best county to retire in Michigan. It's population is 21,652, and it has an overall Niche grade of an A. The county also scored an A for being "good for retirees." It's hard to beat those scores.

Following Leelanau, No. 2 on Niche's list was Roscommon County, followed by Emmet County, Charlevoix County and
Gladwin to round out the top five. I've been to a few of those counties, and I do agree that they're in beautiful areas of Michigan. Find the full list here. Where do you think the idea place is to retire in Michigan? Reach out to me on social media and let me know!

I happen to think that Michigan has plenty of amazing places to live. From the beauty of the UP to the hustle and bustle of the major cities, Michigan really has something for everyone. If you've ever wondered what would be the best place in Michigan to live, we have the answer.

Niche has released the outlet's annual Best Places to Live rankings, which ranks the best cities and communities to live in judging by a variety of criteria. According to Niche, the results were based on several key factors, such as the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics and access to amenities. Using all of that data, they put together a list of the best cities to live in Michigan for 2022.

Going outside of Michigan, the handful of cities at the top of the list includes Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania; City Center, California; Penn Wynee, Pennsylvania; and Houserville, Pennsylvania. Gosh, that's a lot of love for Pennsylvania. I've been to that state many times, and it's beautiful, but I had no idea it had so many cities that would be considered the best in the U.S. In Michigan, the highest-rated city was Okemos, coming in at No. 12 for the entire country. I am very familiar with Okemos and totally agree it's a great place to be, so that result doesn't really surprise me.

Read on for the full list of the 35 best places to live in Michigan via Niche. Is your favorite Michigan city here? I was surprised to see Ann Arbor at No. 12, since they are usually No. 1 on these lists. That said, No. 12 is pretty great. I was also hoping to see Detroit on here. Needless to say, all the cities on here are deserving, but remember to venture outside of this list, since Michigan is packed with great spots to live.

This list is courtesy of Niche.

https://www.michigan.org/city/okemos

https://www.michigan.org/city/troy

https://www.michigan.org/city/bloomfield-township

https://www.michigan.org/city/huntington-woods

https://www.villagebeverlyhills.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/grosse-pointe-park

https://www.michigan.org/city/novi

https://www.michigan.org/city/east-grand-rapids

https://www.ci.northville.mi.us/

https://www.michigan.org/city/haslett

https://www.michigan.org/city/ann-arbor

https://www.michigan.org/city/birmingham

https://loditownshipmi.org/history/

https://www.grossepointefarms.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/farmington

https://www.romi.gov/

https://www.berkleymich.org/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/eastgate-grand-rapids-mi/

https://www.twp.northville.mi.us/

https://www.michigan.org/city/grosse-pointe

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/eastown-grand-rapids-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/fulton-heights-grand-rapids-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/forest-hills-kent-mi/

https://www.michigan.org/property/franklin-cider-mill

https://www.pittsfield-mi.gov/

http://www.larkintownship.org/

https://www.rochesterhills.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/pleasant-ridge

https://www.gpwmi.us/

https://www.michigan.org/city/farmington-hills

https://www.downtownrochestermi.com/

http://www.oaklandtownship.org/community_info/about_oakland_township/index.php

https://www.michigan.org/city/st-joseph

https://www.plymouthmi.gov/

https://www.michigan.org/city/ottawa-lake