South Carolina Has One Of The Best Retirement Communities In The Country

One of America's best communities for retirees may be much closer than you'd think. A new study ranks a retirement community in South Carolina as one of the best in the entire country.

A poll from StudyFinds recently analyzed data from various expert recommendations on the best retirement communities in the country, factoring in variables like day-to-day activities and budget. According to the data, the South Carolina community of Sun City Hilton Head is one of the best retirement communities in the country, coming in 2nd to The Villages in Florida.

Located in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, Sun City Hilton Head is home to over 16,000 retired residents looking to spend their twilight years in luxurious bliss. The community boasts a reliably close proximity to Hilton Head's beaches and various attractions.

In addition to partaking in the many fun activities Hilton Head Island has to offer, retirees at Sun City Hilton Head can also enjoy the six swimming pools, three fully-stocked fitness centers, three golf courses, sports park, and performing arts center within the community.

Sun City Hilton Head is also host to many fun and engaging group activities, catering to a plethora of hobbies and interests for the residents. These activities include cards and games, gardening, performing arts, aerobics, and even competitive sports. For a full list of chartered clubs and groups among the Sun City neighborhood, click here.

Luckily, room requests for 2025 opened earlier this month, and some spots are still open. If you've recently retired and are looking for a fun and lively community to spend your newly-discovered downtime, click here to look into reserving your very own room at Sun City.

You can also contact Sun City staff using these phone numbers provided on their website.

U.S. News & World Report has released their new Best Places to Live rankings for 2024-2025, and the Tar Heel state got some major love! In a list of 150 major cities, two North Carolina cities were ranked among the top 10 best places to live in the US.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the ranking was compiled using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor, and some of the publication's own internal resources. The data was then sorted into four different categories by which each major city would be scored.

The categories were assigned different weights depending on how strongly Americans felt each factor mattered when choosing a place to live. The four categories in order of weight are as follows:

According to the official rankings, Charlotte and Raleigh are the two best places to live in North Carolina. The two cities made it to #5 and #6 respectively.

Charlotte scored extremely well overall, with the Queen City's quality of life and economic value placing it among the top places in the country to live. Charlotte was also commended for its sprawling metro area and bustling downtown scene, while still maintaining its southern charm.

Raleigh ranked almost neck-and-neck with Charlotte, with North Carolina's capital scoring highly in the Quality of Life category. The publication highlights Raleigh's bustling art and music scenes, as well as its beautiful green spaces and activity space. The city of Raleigh also received high marks for its strong sense of community among the residents.

The full rankings (seen here) reveals some interesting information about other major cities in the US, including other cities in North Carolina. Here are some of the key takeaways.

Ranked #1 overall, Naples, Florida was determined to be the best city to live in the US. The city scored highly for its overall quality of life, especially among retirees who desire a pristine beachfront view in their twilight years.

It's certainly a surprising #2, but Boise, Idaho has much to offer for outdoorsy types. Boise offers a plethora of different terrains for adventurers, including mountain ranges, canyons, deserts and lakes.

Colorado Springs, Colorado was ranked as the #3 best place to live for its blend of natural beauty and rustic modernism. Despite its endless array of events and activities, Colorado Springs maintains a small town charm that residents find intoxicating.

North Carolina's sister state did just a hair better in the ranking, with the South Carolina city of Greenville landing at #4 in the overall ranking. Greenville's downtown area is a central hub for local businesses, bars, restaurants and boutiques. The city is also quite lively during the summer season.

- Asheville (#17)

-Greensboro (#23) 

-Hickory (#26)

-Winston-Salem (#60)

-Fayetteville (#113)