Golden Years

San Antonio glitters among most affordable cities for retirees to spend their golden years

San Antonio's climate and public transit systems are just two of the reasons it's a great spot to retire.

Getty Images

Americans are living longer than ever, making where they retire an important decision. A new study from active adult communities review site 55places.com places San Antonio among the most affordable cities to spend the golden years.

Determining the top 20 cities involved analyzing a series of factors, including:

overall cost of living,
median home prices,
state tax laws,
local health care options,
availability of 55-plus communities,
and public transit.

"Seventy-seven percent of active adults need their next home to be affordable," said Danny Goodman, COO and co-founder of 55places.com, in a release. "But a home within a certain price point is only half of the equation. The surrounding area — whether or not an active adult community is of interest — plays an integral role in quality of life, and nearby attractions and available establishments can greatly enhance that."

In terms of affordable retirement, San Antonio took the No. 13 spot, thanks in part to its low cost of living and income-to-home-price ratio. Other key factors, says 55places.com, are South Texas' climate, the city's solid public transit system, and San Antonians overall well-being.

Another appealing factor, 55places.com says, is Texas' lack of state income tax, which applies to both Social Security and retirement income. (Though they are quick to point out the state's high property and sales tax can mitigate this.)

Along with San Antonio, Waco was the only other Texas city to make the list. The home to Baylor University and Fixer Upper ranked No. 10 on the list.

Many of the same factors that placed San Antonio on the list (climate, affordability), also showed up on Waco's hit list. The website also pointed to the city's college town vibe and convenient location halfway between Dallas and Austin as benefits to retirees.

Overall — and perhaps unsurprisingly — Florida took four of the top five spots for the best cities to affordably retire. Coming into at No. 1 was Sioux City, South Dakota, followed by Ocala, Florida at No. 2. Lakeland, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; and Daytona Beach, Florida took the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively.

lists reports

Meteor News

How to see the Draconid meteor shower in San Antonio this week

Facebook

Meteor shower

A meteor shower will be visible from most of North America, including San Antonio, during the week of October 6-10.

The Draconid meteor shower – also called the Giacobinids – was predicted to produce the most meteor activity on the night of October 7 and through the early hours of October 8, but there is still time to catch the tail end.

There will still be sightings on subsequent nights, stargazing experts say.

According to EarthSky, a cool website devoted to all things starry, the Draconids will be visible right after it gets dark, rather than the more common early morning hours most meteor showers are visible.

The best time will be just after sunset, until around midnight. Viewers won't have to stay up until the crack of dawn.

Helping to make the meteor even more visible is a waxing moon, barely a crack, which will cast less light and keep the sky darker overall.

EarthSky says that the meteors are radiating from two stars known as the Dragon’s Eyes, called Eltanin and Rastaban, found in the constellation Draco. Which is located in between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.

However, the meteor shower will be visible across the sky.

The shower is dubbed a "sleeper" in that it produces only a handful of meteors — 10 per hour. But they move slower, so the duration of each streak of light sometimes lasts longer — one to two seconds, rather than a rapid flash.

Meteor showers consist of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, which throw off bits of rock and ice as they orbit the sun. The Draconids are the result of Earth passing through this trail from the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The comet completes an orbit of the sun about every seven years, and according to CNN, the last time it got this close to Earth was in September, 2018.

The best way to see it is to find a place that's far from artificial light, then lie on your back and look up at the sky with a wide view. No special equipment is needed.

nature