5 Reasons to Retire in Georgia

2. Relatively affordable housing

The average home value in Georgia at the end of June 2023 was about $319,000, according to the Zillow Home Values Index. That’s $30,000 below the national average and about $72,000 less than home values in Florida (if your pickleball pals who moved to the Sunshine State are still trying to convince you to join them). 

Affordability is one of the factors that led the National Association of Realtors to name the Atlanta metro area its number 1 market to watch for 2023 and beyond (others include growing housing supply and strong demand fueled by population growth). And there are 125 active adult communities in the region, according to real estate site 55places.com.

That’s bustling Atlanta. If your retirement plans don’t include a major metropolitan area, Georgia is rife with midsize cities, beach communities and mountain towns with widely varied housing costs. The average home value in tony St. Simons Island, for example, is north of $600,000, according to Zillow, but other popular destinations are considerably more affordable, such as Savannah ($289,000), Stone Mountain ($282,000) and Augusta ($177,000). 

Reach out to real estate agents and agencies for advice on communities and, if you can, try before you buy — spend a few weeks or months in your prospective locale to see how everyday life plays out there.

Sunset at Saint Simons Island, Georgia

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3. Mild climate

Georgia particularly appeals to older adults looking for a warm-weather home that still offers some seasonal variety. 

Though a majority of newly minted Georgians come from other Southern states, according to U.S. census data, “many retirees are also moving from the Northeast and Midwest regions of the country, attracted by Georgia’s warmer climate and lower cost of living,” says Janice Overbeck, an Atlanta-area real estate agent with Keller Williams.

Georgia does have four seasons, more or less, but few extremes. Summer temperatures range from lows around 80 degrees to an average high of 95. Winters are brief and mild, generally bottoming out at about 50 degrees.

There are downsides. Georgia can be on the receiving end of severe storms traveling up the East Coast during hurricane season. And as in neighboring states, the hot summers come with a heavy dose of humidity.

4. Easy travel

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world, according to Airports Council International, a trade association. For some, envisioning travel snarls and holiday backups, that may sound like a threat. For those who call Georgia home, it can be a blessing. 

Mark and Tracy Esquenazi in downtown Blue Ridge. Native Floridians, they sought a mountain setting for their retirement and decided on northern Georgia.

Audra Melton

As the main hub for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, Hartsfield-Jackson is an access point to the world. It’s a handy amenity for older adults whose retirement dreams include international travel, or who just want to be confident of plentiful options for flights to and from where the grandkids are.

5. Varied terrain

Mark and Tracy Esquenazi in downtown Blue Ridge. Native Floridians, they sought a mountain setting for their retirement and decided on northern Georgia.

Audra Melton

From the Coastal Plain to the Piedmont to the Appalachian Plateau, Georgia has physical and cultural landscapes to suit any taste. 

Urban-minded transplants will gravitate to cosmopolitan Atlanta, with the activities, amenities and heritage befitting one of the South’s biggest cities (and, it must be said, traffic to match). Nearby suburbs Fayetteville, North Decatur and Stone Mountain balance access to Atlanta’s action with a quieter home life.

Prefer a college town? Try Athens, home of the University of Georgia (and the national football champion Bulldogs), a trendy Victorian downtown and a legendary music scene that spawned R.E.M., the B-52’s and Widespread Panic, among others. Retiree golfers might opt for Augusta, home of the Masters and an AARP-designated age-friendly community. Thomasville, near the Florida border, is widely reckoned the epitome of small-town Southern charm. 

Something by the sea? Say hello to quirky, charming Savannah, or the coastal hot spots of St. Simons and Tybee Island. Looking for an outdoor lifestyle? Check out mountain towns such as Blue Ridge, Clayton, Jasper and Toccoa, many featuring retirement communities that “offer a variety of amenities and services, including on-site health care, social activities and transportation,” Overbeck says.

Mark and Tracy Esquenazi, empty nesters who were ready to trade in the congestion of their native South Florida for life at a higher elevation, recently made the move to Blue Ridge, which topped Southern Living’s 2022 list of the best Southern mountain towns for retirement. 

“We’ve been talking about mountain living for years,” says Mark, 64, a former branch manager with a major brokerage firm. “We also explored Montana and North Carolina before deciding on Georgia.”

Why Georgia?

“Mountain and lush vista views in every direction,” he says. “The people are absolutely the nicest, most polite people we have ever met.” 

And one reason to think twice

Wherever you live in retirement, health care is a paramount concern, and in this area, Georgia lags, according to several recent national studies. 

The Commonwealth Fund, a research and policy institute focused on health care access and equity, ranked Georgia 45th overall in its 2023 scorecard of state health systems. In terms of access and affordability, Commonwealth rated Georgia 48th in the nation and last among 12 states in the Southeast.

Other recent examinations yielded similar diagnoses. U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best States report ranks Georgia 41st in health care access, quality and outcomes. America’s Health Rankings, a project of the United Health Foundation, rated the state 39th in its 2023 Senior Report, which assesses the health and well-being of older adults, and Georgia is the 19th most expensive state for health care, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t get excellent care in Georgia. U.S. News & World Report lists Emory University Hospital in Atlanta among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in several treatment areas important to older adults, including cancer, diabetes, neurology and geriatrics, and the Commonwealth report notes improvement statewide in providing timely care to help people 65 and older avoid emergency room visits and hospital admissions. But the overall health care picture may be something to consider in weighing a move.