10 Best Places to Retire in Missouri

When talking about the 10 best places to retire in Missouri, we’ll stay away from the big cities such as Kansas or St. Louis, and we’ll discuss small communities. However small and quaint, they all have something to offer besides the usual towering skyscrapers, shopping malls, and urban lifestyle.

Originally a part of France, Missouri was annexed by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. It was known as the “gateway to the west” as it was usually the starting point of almost all expeditions to the western United States such as the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Oregon and the Santa Fe trails, as well as the Pony Express, had their starting points in Missouri.

Teo Dominguez/Shutterstock.com

When living in Missouri, be informed that the state usually experiences temperatures in the extremes. This is attributed to the lack of mountains in the area, which regulate temperature and the climate. This may both be a blessing and a curse to some people, as the state’s highest and lowest temperatures recorded were 118 F and -40 F.

Although a landlocked state, Missouri is at the intersection of the three greatest and most influential rivers in America – the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Ohio Rivers. These three waterways offer a lot of activities for all ages. Because Missouri has a varied geography from rolling hills to waterways, valleys and gorges, the state has allocated much of its land to parks and wildlife refuges. Good news for nature lovers, as this makes a lot of counties the best places to retire in Missouri. As a testament to Missouri’s commitment to environmental tourism, 16 million tourists visited its state parks, reserve, refuges and recreational areas. This gave the state $7 million in revenue.

While you’re at it, check out the 10 best places to retire in Mississippi! These places also have a lot of water activities in store for retirees!

To determine the 10 best places to retire in Missouri, we determined the most important factors for retirees – the cost of living, physicians per capita, crime, and house values. Information from Sperling’s Best Places, Areavibes and Livability were utilized, with every county given a corresponding score on how high or low they ranked on each of the 4 factors. Scores were then added and averaged, with the top 10 counties earning a place on our list.

Let’s have a look at the 10 best places to retire in Missouri, shall we?