Kissing Tree Named Among The 50 Best Master-Planned Communities In The US By Where To Retire

Staff Reports

Where to Retire released “The Short List: 50 Best Master-Planned Communities in the United States,” which will be featured in the July/August issue and be available on newsstands in June.

The list focuses on communities rather than locales and features first-person testimonials by current residents. Kissing Tree, in San Marcos, is one of four master-planned communities in Texas to be recognized this year.

“People have really come together in such a short time,” one said. The selected 50 best master-planned communities showcase the variety of housing options and amenities that enrich the lives of relocating retirees. “Moving after retirement doesn’t mean just a new home; it means a new life,” Where to Retire Editor, Annette Fuller, said. “Yes, each of our 50 communities builds attractive homes, but they also nurture new friendships. Most developments offer trails, sports courts, fitness equipment, restaurants, pools and more. The settings are gorgeous, near mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes and low-humidity deserts. Climates generally are mild, allowing daily communes with nature.”

According to Where To Retire officials, nearly a year ago, editors began gathering and evaluating information on hundreds of communities but chose only established neighborhoods with enough acreage to build at least a year’s supply of homes. The communities come from 17 states.

Florida has nine of the winning fifty communities, followed by North Carolina with eight, Arizona with seven and South Carolina with five. Home prices begin in the $120,000s and go upward of $3 million; 35 communities on the list have homes that start at less than $300,000. Almost half of the neighborhoods are age-restricted or age-targeted while the rest are all-ages.

The communities are not ranked; rather, they are listed alphabetically by state and then by development name. A two-page chart gives a snapshot of all 50 choices and a guide to their amenities.

As the authority on retirement relocation since 1992, Where to Retire, based in Houston, has covered hundreds of the best retirement regions, towns and master-planned communities. The magazine is published six times a year and has a national circulation of 200,000. To see the full list and all the communities that made the list, visit WhereToRetire.com.