With colder weather on the horizon for the northern United States and Canada, the StorageCafe data team has identified 100 “best bang for your buck” cities for snowbirds in search of warm winters. Of the top 10, eight are in Florida, with one Texas and one Arizona city completing the list.
“The traditional wintertime 'migration' toward friendlier shores keeps gaining new clientele,” says Maria Gatea, real estate and lifestyle editor for Yardi. “The millions of baby boomers from the northern U.S. and Canada are joined in their quest for sunshine by young professionals who can now increasingly work from anywhere—zoombirds.”
To determine which locations would be best for snowbirds and zoombirds alike, StorageCafe analyzed and ranked 215 U.S. cities across 11 snowbird-friendly states. The following places check all the lifestyle boxes, including beach, park, golf, and restaurant access, while also taking into account the affordability aspect.
- Venice, Florida
- Vero Beach, Florida
- Fort Pierce, Florida
- Naples, Florida
- Lake Wales, Florida
- Mission, Texas
- Apache Junction, Arizona
- Tarpon Springs, Florida
- Fort Myers, Florida
- Clermont, Florida
“When it comes to overall friendliness for those seeking mild winters, Florida is hard to rival,” adds Gatea. “It has been popular for so long that it has honed its infrastructure and optimized services to efficiently meet the needs of snowbirds, but also zoombirds.”
Of the top 100, Florida boasts an impressive 42 cities. Texas secured 27 cities on the list, followed by California with 18 cities. The rest are sprinkled throughout Alabama, Louisiana, Arizona, and Nevada.
While Florida represents about half of the overall list, Texas stands out as the most affordable, with nine out of 10 cities with the lowest home prices. On the other end of the spectrum, California consumes all 10 cities with the highest home prices.
“The silver lining for budget-conscious snowbirds lies in less-publicized places where lifestyle amenities might be less abundant, but the weather is still pleasant enough to thoroughly enjoy the outdoors,” says Gatea. “Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, and Georgia emerge as top contenders in this respect, with much friendlier housing markets.”
For more snowbird data, analysis, and information on each city, visit StorageCafe.
