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GreatPlacesToRetire |
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Compare city quality of life facts and figures for the top ranked Cool & Dry retirement cities.
Compare home prices, cost of living, air quality, medical care, water quality, demographics and more. Use the drop down box to make another city climate comparison.
| Climate Comparison - Cool & Dry | ||||||
| blank | Colorado Springs | Boulder | Boise | Ft Collins | Santa Fe | 99-City Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Type | ||||||
| City Type | Mountains, College Town | Mountains, College Town | Mountains, Lakes & Rivers, College Town, State Capital | Mountains, Lakes & Rivers, College Town | Mountains, State Capital | na |
| Population (2016 est.) | ||||||
| Population (Current) | 465,101 | 108,090 | 223,154 | 164,207 | 83,875 | 78,040 |
| Population (1990) | 281,140 | 83,312 | 125,738 | 87,758 | 55,859 | 49,272 |
| Land Area (sq mi) | 195 | 25 | 79 | 54 | 46 | 36 |
| Persons Per Square Mile | 2,385 | 4,324 | 2,825 | 3,041 | 1,823 | 2,151 |
| Home Prices | ||||||
| 2018 | $309,702 | $826,067 | $269,930 | $414,388 | $325,122 | $419,000 |
| Total Appreciation ('01 to '18) | 58.9% | 145.2% | 76.0% | 89.9% | 32.1% | 76.0% |
| Annual Appreciation ('17 to '18) | 8.5% | 8.6% | 0.2% | 5.4% | -6.0% | 6.0% |
| Avg Annual Appreciation ('01 to '18) | 3.0% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 4.1% | 1.8% | 3.8% |
| Big City Prices ('18) | $450,000 | $450,000 | $322,000 | $450,000 | $209,000 | $340,000 |
| Bargain Index | 56% | 149% | 68% | 75% | 126% | 101% |
| Big City | Denver | Denver | Salt Lake City | Denver | Albuquerque | na |
| Monthly Rent | $1,484 | $2,056 | $1,251 | $1,609 | $1,334 | $1,495 |
| Price/Rent Index | 14.0 | 27.0 | 14.5 | 17.3 | 16.4 | 19.0 |
| Cost of Living (2018) | ||||||
| Cost of Living | 97% | 162% | 85% | 111% | 94% | 109% |
| Air Quality - Annual Avg (2001-2017) | ||||||
| Good Days | 77% | 77% | 66% | 67% | 93% | 72% |
| Moderate Days | 22% | 21% | 31% | 30% | 7% | 25% |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days | 1% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 0% | 3% |
| Unhealthy Days | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Very Unhealthy Days | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Water Quality (2002-2014) | ||||||
| Good | 67% | 65% | 5% | 44% | 31% | 36% |
| Threatened | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
| Impaired | 33% | 35% | 95% | 56% | 69% | 62% |
| Walkability | ||||||
| Walk Score® | 36 | 58 | 40 | 36 | 40 | 45 |
| Nearest Large City | ||||||
| Distance to Nearest City | 0 miles | 29 miles | 0 miles | 64 miles | 64 miles | 72 miles |
| City | Colorado Springs | Denver | Boise | Denver | Albuquerque | na |
| Recreation | ||||||
| National Parks | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 |
| National Campgrounds | 59 | 70 | 52 | 39 | 16 | 26 |
| State Parks | 6 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| Medical Care (2016) | ||||||
| Accredited Hospitals | 8 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Building Permits (single family homes) | ||||||
| 2016 | 3,526 | 85 | 682 | 488 | 117 | 346 |
| 2015 | 2,939 | 127 | 675 | 512 | 110 | 324 |
| Gain ('15 to '16) | 20% | -33% | 1% | -5% | 6% | 6% |
| blank | Colorado Springs | Boulder | Boise | Ft Collins | Santa Fe | 99-City Avg |
| blank | Colorado Springs | Boulder | Boise | Ft Collins | Santa Fe | 99-City Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population Distribution (2010) | ||||||
| Median Age (yrs) | 35 | 29 | 35 | 30 | 44 | 37 |
| White | 78.8% | 88.0% | 89.0% | 89.0% | 78.9% | 80.7% |
| Black or African American | 6.3% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 7.2% |
| Native American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 3.0% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 1.4% | 3.6% |
| Native Hawaiian | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other Race | 5.5% | 3.2% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 12.8% | 4.4% |
| Multiple Races | 5.1% | 2.6% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.1% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 10.1% | 48.7% | 11.6% |
| Income and Housing (2010) | ||||||
| Family Income | $66,938 | $92,930 | $64,202 | $73,687 | $62,347 | $69,596 |
| Occupied Housing | 93% | 95% | 93% | 96% | 86% | 83% |
| Vacant Housing | 7% | 5% | 7% | 4% | 14% | 17% |
| Home Ownership | 60% | 48% | 61% | 55% | 61% | 55% |
| Persons Per Family | 3.00 | 2.80 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 2.90 | 2.90 |
| Taxes (2018) | ||||||
| Local and State | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.0% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| Local, State and Federal | 106 days | 106 days | 97 days | 106 days | 100 days | 113 days |
| Climate - Average Temperatures (1971-2000) | ||||||
| Climate Type | Cool & Dry | Cool & Dry | Cool & Dry | Cool & Dry | Cool & Dry | na |
| January Low Temp | 14 F | 19 F | 22 F | 15 F | 16 F | 27 F |
| July High Temp | 81 F | 87 F | 88 F | 86 F | 86 F | 86 F |
| Annual Precipitation | 22 in | 20 in | 19 in | 16 in | 14 in | 35 in |
| Elevation | 7,078 ft | 5,484 ft | 3,885 ft | 5,004 ft | 6,718 ft | 1,652 ft |
| Natural Hazard Risk | ||||||
| Total Hazard Risk | Moderate | Lower | Moderate | Lower | Higher | Moderate |
| Earthquake | .5% | .4% | 8% | .4% | 9% | 10.9% |
| Tsunami | No Risk | No Risk | No Risk | No Risk | No Risk | No Risk |
| Hurricane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Flood | Very High | Low | Low | Very High | Moderate | Very High |
| Tornado | Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Low |
| Volcano | No Risk | No Risk | Low Ash Fall | No Risk | Low Volcanic | No Risk |
| Wildfire | High | High | High | High | High | Low |
| Man-Made Hazard Risk (Nuclear) | ||||||
| Nearby Reactors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Crimes per 10,000 Population - Annual Avg (2001-2017) | ||||||
| Violent Crimes | 49 | 23 | 31 | 30 | 48 | 40 |
| Property Crimes | 430 | 318 | 304 | 319 | 545 | 397 |
| Home Energy Use - Annual Avg (1971-2000) | ||||||
| Heating Degree Days | 7,464 | 5,687 | 6,325 | 6,238 | 6,073 | 4,662 |
| Cooling Degree Days | 182 | 552 | 648 | 497 | 414 | 1,253 |
| blank | Colorado Springs | Boulder | Boise | Ft Collins | Santa Fe | 99-City Avg |
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