According to AARP Best Places to Retire 2012 – 10 Great Sunny Places to Retire, “If bright skies and warm temperatures are on your must-have list, these cities fit the bill.”
Bend, Oregon
Bend is the sunny plateau where waterlogged Oregonians go to dry out. Storms that soak the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges are wrung out before they get here, so more days are clear than cloudy. This high-desert area of 151,000 people sits on the fringe of Deschutes National Forest, 120 miles southeast of Portland and within easy reach of skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, whitewater and rock climbing.
But if you don’t need to work, Bend has attributes galore. Most residents aged 62 or older pay no state taxes on their pension income, perhaps one explanation for the 47-percent population growth in Bend from 2000 to 2009.
More About Bend, Oregon
Entertainment, The Arts, Night Life, Restaurants