The Iron City Sees An Influx Of Rust

It’s official: America has gone batshit insane.

There is a new survey out which claims the nation’s top retirement spot is not Miami, Phoenix, or Los Angeles; it’s… Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

Bankrate.com’s new ranking of the nation’s 50 largest metro areas as retirement havens gives less weight to iconic hallmarks and more to practical attributes that can add up to a better overall quality of life.

The results are decidedly counterintuitive. The Pittsburgh area – yes, Steel City – was rated the nation’s best place to retire, followed by the Boston and Los Angeles regions. Meanwhile, traditional senior playgrounds like Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas were rated 30th and 42nd, respectively.

Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh scored poorly for its weather and just average for its tax burden. Its average annual temperature is 52 degrees and it snows an average 40 days a year, while the combined state and local income tax rate averages 4.6%, in line with the national average. But it ranked high in most other categories, with a low crime rate, affordable cost of living. good, low-cost health care and a top-ranked “friend factor,” with 18% of the population age 65 or over.

Yes, retirees have literally lost their cotton-pickin’ minds. As a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, I can assure you the only good things about Pittsburgh are the Penguins, the University of Pittsburgh (my niece goes there), and Julie Benz.