2009 median home price: $143,970 Population: 72,472

Blue-sky days per year: 230

Retirement guides routinely rate Naples and Miami as top spots for ‘snowbirds’, but data from Moody's Analytics shows that median home prices in those markets could still drop another 26% and 38%, respectively. A more stable alternative? Palm Coast, south of Jacksonville, which has seen the median housing price fall 48% from its peak in 2005 -- and has only another 7% to fall before hitting bottom.

Not that the city has gone undiscovered by retirees: nearly 38% of Palm Coast's residents are over 50, making it the most "elderly" city on our list. But the community is ideal for active seniors. It boasts 10 golf courses and biking and hiking trails in Washington Oaks Garden State Park. Like other Florida residents, Palm Coasters enjoy low vehicle-registration fees and zero state income taxes. "We wanted to get away from the cold Midwestern weather for our second home," says Mike Gill, a 58-year-old Kansas City attorney who recently purchased in Palm Coast with his wife. "Palm Coast fell right in our price range, with the charm and amenities we were looking for."

Fortune Magazine May 2010

ITT Development Corporation started development of Palm Coast in 1969 with a total build-out of an estimated 250,000 residents. Palm Coast’s close proximity to Flagler Beach, St Augustine and Daytona Beach allows for a quiet pace of life which has appealed to so many retirees that want the quiet but also want exciting activities. If you are thinking of retiring in the next few years, go to www.watsonpalmcoast.com and view all we have to offer.

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