Where do you want to spend your golden years? SeniorAdvice, a free resource for senior citizens, has just released its 2018 list of LGBT-friendly cities for retirees, and some of the picks might surprise you.
Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Columbus, Ohio, all made the cut. Four cities from California were on the list, too—Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Palm Springs, which recently swore in an all-LGBT city council. It’s described as “a great alternative to San Francisco for those LGBT seniors who seek a more financially reasonable California city to call home.”
While Florida doesn’t have the best track record on gay rights, Fort Lauderdale topped SeniorAdvice’s list: In addition to warm weather, gorgeous beaches, and plentiful nightlife (including a drag restaurant), it’s got a thriving LGBT community in place. (Fort Lauderdale has the highest concentration of gay couples of any major American city, with about 3% of all households.)
“Greater Fort Lauderdale is a destination that welcomes with open arms all travelers, irrespective of the color of their skin, their religion, who they love or how they choose to identify,” Richard Gray, LGBT marketng director for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, told NewNowNext. “We are proud that so many of our visitors choose to buy second homes and also retire to our destination that proudly embraces diversity and inclusion.”
SeniorAdvice used a data-driven algorithm to rank cities on factors relevant to older residents, including safety, access to healthcare, availability of recreational activities, and general affordability. Researchers also analyzed the overall LGBT populations per capita for each city, the presence of gay-friendly social environments, support for gay-owned businesses, and the overall level of tolerance and legal protection for the LGBT community.
Below are the top 20 cities for gay retirees in 2018.
1. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2. Austin, Texas
3. Atlanta, Georgia
4. Portland, Oregon
5. Palm Springs, California
6. Santa Fe, New Mexico
7. Providence, Rhode Island
8. Seattle, Washington
9. Columbus, Ohio
10. Los Angeles, California
11. New Orleans, Louisiana
12. Tampa, Florida
13. Boston, Massachusetts
14. Salt Lake City, Utah
15. San Diego, California
16. Cleveland, Ohio
17. San Francisco, California
18. Albuquerque, New Mexico
19. Baltimore, Maryland
20. Pittsburgh, Pennysylvania

