Unique Scoring System That Uses Resident Feedback Places Silver Spring, Maryland On Top of 29,000 Other Cities In The U.S. As The Best Place To Retire

- Combining ratings data and user reviews, Age Friendly Advisor has ranked Silver Spring, Maryland first in terms of "age friendliness" out of more than 29,000 cities, making it the best place to retire in the U.S.

- Other cities that scored highly include Boston, Mass.; Raleigh, N.C.; New Orleans, La.; and Atlanta, Ga.

News provided by

Age Friendly Ventures, Inc.

Sep 17, 2019, 10:02 ET

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Age Friendly Advisor, where user reviews contribute to an age friendly score, has released its Top 25 Best Places To Retire list. After gathering thousands of reviews, Silver Spring, Md. topped the list.

"We sought to build a platform that would allow users to provide their feedback directly," said Tim Driver, the CEO of the site's parent company, Age Friendly Ventures. "We congratulate Silver Spring for its approach to solving the challenges facing older Americans."

Silver Spring landed the top spot with an overall score of 4.53 stars out of 5, driven by strong rankings in education, transportation, weather, and cost of living.

Reviews Make It Easier for Policy Makers

"Factoring in the opinions of locals has always been a critical part of the designation process," says Dr. Alexandre Kalache, who led the creation of the World Health Organization's Age Friendly Cities program. "What we lacked was the tracking of residents' sentiments and collecting comments on a large scale. This has been a missing ingredient."

Selecting where to live in one's later years requires careful consideration about finances as well as what options are available.

"It's gratifying to see so many towns and cities stepping up to strengthen their resources for aging residents," remarks Mike Fanning, head of MassMutual US. "Being able to view real-time reviews can not only help today's retirees see whether a community can support that vision, but also whether their financial picture aligns with it, as well."

"Our conversations with Baby Boomers have revealed that they're developing an entirely new set of expectations when it comes to living in their later years," says Tom Grape, founder and CEO of Benchmark. "We are excited to provide urban solutions for the 55+ population in a number of locations on the Top 25 Best Places to Retire list!"

For the full release, visit Age Friendly Advisor.

SOURCE Age Friendly Ventures, Inc.