7 North Carolina Spots Named Among The 'Best Places To Retire' In The U.S.

Retirement. When days filled with long hours at the office are exchanged for endless hours at the golf course, and long commutes stuck in traffic are traded for leisurely strolls around the neighborhood . Gone are the days of bitter coffee, stale snacks and idle chitchat. Instead, it's your time to relax and enjoy life.

U.S. News & World Report compiled a list of the best places around the U.S. to settle down and retire, from quiet towns in middle America to sunny and sandy shores along the coast, and seven cities in North Carolina were recognized on the list.

Coming in at No. 17 overall, Winston-Salem was the highest-ranking North Carolina city to make the list. Others include Raleigh-Durham, which ranked No. 25, Hickory at No. 36, Asheville at No. 40, Greensboro at No. 69, Charlotte at No. 75, and Fayetteville, which rounded out the Tar Heel State's best places to retire at No. 104.

Here's how the site determined its rankings of the best places to retire in America:

"Metro areas in the rankings are evaluated using data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. News' own internal resources. This data was categorized into the four indexes [Quality of Life, Value, Desirability, and Job Market] and evaluated using a methodology determined by Americans' preferences. The percent weighting for each index follows the answers from a March 2023 public survey in which people from across the country voted for what they believed was the most important factor to consider when choosing where to live."

Check out the full listing at U.S. News & World Report to see what other cities are an ideal place for retirement.