Best Places to Retire in Alaska

The 10 Best Places to Retire in Alaska

Alaska’s vast wilderness makes it a popular tourist destination, particularly with outdoor enthusiasts. However, many people don’t realize that the Last Frontier is also an excellent retirement destination. Alaska is a vast state with many things to do, especially if you dream of an adventurous retirement.

The state also offers retirees many perks, including no state income tax, low retiree costs, and no tax on withdrawals from retirement accounts. In this article, we’ll show you the best places to retire in Alaska, so you know what to expect. 

We’ll cover what each location offers regarding amenities, attractions, and living opportunities.


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Best Places to Retire in Alaska

Anchorage

Let’s start with Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Anchorage is a top choice with retirees who seek the best of both worlds. You can enjoy big city life here while easily accessing Alaska’s beautiful landscapes. 

First and foremost, this mid-sized city has plenty to offer regarding amenities and living opportunities, which isn’t always the case in more remote regions of Alaska. This includes excellent healthcare facilities, shopping centers, recreation centers, and retirement living options like independent, nursing homes, and cohousing.

Regarding attractions, points of interest include Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary, Flattop Mountain, and Alaska Aviation Museum.

Anchorage
Anchorage Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Palmer

If you’d prefer to live somewhere quieter, Palmer is one of the best places in Alaska to retire. Nestled in the Matanuska Valley, it’s just a 42-mile (68-kilometer) drive from Anchorage and is known for its lush surroundings, wildlife-watching opportunities, and relaxed lifestyle. 

Popular attractions include the Colony House Museum, the Musk Ox Farm, Lazy Mountain, and Arkose Brewery. The mountainous landscape surrounding the city offers many hiking trails, too.

When it comes to retirement, Palmer has much to offer. You can expect friendly retirement communities offering several living options and access to essential amenities, such as medical care, recreation centers, and grocery stores.

Palmer
Palmer Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Utqiagvik

Those of you dreaming of a remote retirement filled with epic hikes, a peaceful atmosphere, and a tight-knit community will fall in love with Utqiagvik, the northernmost city in the United States. This city is home to less than 5,000 people, has a low crime rate, and offers retirees all the amenities they need to thrive.

For starters, Utqiagvik has multiple retirement centers that offer independent, assisted, and community living. The city has an airport, numerous recreation centers, medical centers, cafes, and restaurants.

In Utqiagvik, you’ll spend your golden years learning about Inuit history, celebrating local festivals, and hiking in the great outdoors.

Wasilla

Found 44 minutes drive from Anchorage in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Wasilla is the fourth largest city in the Last Frontier. It has much to offer but is best known as the gateway to the Hatcher Pass, a mountain pass famed for its breathtaking views, hiking trails, and wildlife. 

Therefore, Wasilla is one of the best places to retire in Alaska if you seek alpine adventure and beauty. In Wasilla, retirement communities, retirement apartments, and assisted living options are aimed at helping retirees live independently.

Meanwhile, noteworthy attractions and amenities in the city include community fitness centers, medical centers, museums, Lucile Lake, and Carter Park.

Wasilla
Wasilla Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Juneau

Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle in southeast Alaska, Juneau, the state capital, offers a diverse mix of big-city amenities and outdoor recreation opportunities. 

When you’re not hiking, fishing, or wildlife watching in the 4,000-acre Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, catch up with your friends in a coffee shop, visit the Alaska State Museum, and explore Mendenhall Glacier.

The cost of living in Juneau is high, but there are many perks for retirees. You’ll have access to many recreation centers, shops, and medical centers, and there are several living options, including independent housing, senior living communities, and assisted living.

Juneau
Juneau Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Homer

Homer, the original home of the Eskimos and later lived in by Tanaina Indians, is a picturesque city in southern Alaska, sitting along the beautiful Kachemak Bay. It’s considered one of the best retirement destinations in Alaska because it has something for everyone.

Outdoor enthusiasts can fish year-round, hike, kayak, and watch wildlife in Kenai Fjords National Park and Kachemak Bay State Park. Meanwhile, there are multiple art galleries and museums to visit, including Pratt Museum and Bunnell Street Arts Center, and cultural events throughout the year.

Homer is also home to several retirement communities offering various living options, multiple medical centers, and a harbor to keep your boat if you enjoy sailing.

Homer
Homer Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Wrangell

Wrangell often ranks highly in lists of the best places in Alaska to retire. Firstly, approximately 25% of the city’s population is 65+, so you should easily be able to integrate into a retirement community.

Secondly, Wrangell offers a lower cost of living than the Alaskan average. Finally, the city and the Alaskan wilderness that surrounds it are spectacular. You’ll spend your golden years hiking through forests, exploring vast glaciers by boat, and admiring local wildlife.

The only downside to Wrangell is its isolated location, which means there are fewer retirement living options, medical centers, and places to eat. However, the benefits well outweigh the negatives.

Wrangell
Wrangell Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Kenai

According to 24/7 Wall Street, the cost of living in Kenai is $46,728 a year, making the coastal city one of the more affordable places to retire in Alaska. You can expect lower housing, food, transportation, health care, and tax costs.

Kenai is a beautiful coastal city southwest of Anchorage. Its position at the mouth of the Kenai River makes it a popular salmon fishing spot, and residents are also in a prime location for exploring the great outdoors. 

The city has many attractions, such as the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center, Kenai Golf Course, and Kenai Beach, as well as many retirement living options.

Kenai
Kenai Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Haines

Haines is a charming town at the northern end of Alaska’s panhandle near Glacier Bay National Park. The “Adventure Capital of Alaska” is famed for its breathtaking scenery, wildlife-watching, outdoor activities, and access to Interior Alaska and the Lower 48. 

You’ll spend your golden years hiking, rafting, boating, wildlife watching, and more in Haines. With a population of less than 2,000, you can also integrate into a tight-knit community and take life at a slower pace.

Regarding facilities and amenities, Haines has multiple medical centers, recreational facilities, shops, food establishments, an airport, and several retirement centers offering assisted, independent, and community living.

Haines
Haines Photo Credit: Deposit Photos

Sterling

Another retirement destination that sits along the Kenai River is the quaint town of Sterling. Located approximately 137 miles (220 kilometers) from Anchorage, it’s an excellent base for active retirees who want to enjoy the Kenai Peninsula. 

The town is relatively small, with a population of roughly 6,000. Still, it has much to offer, including essential amenities, such as medical centers, parks, recreation centers, and multiple retirement communities offering various living options. 

Popular things to do in Sterling include fishing, hiking, boating, and golfing. Meanwhile, Alaskan points of interest, including Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, Skilak Lake, and Kenai Fjords National Park, are close.

Final Thoughts About the Best Places to Retire in Alaska

That concludes our list of the best places to retire in Alaska. Alaska is a beautiful state with something for everyone, but it’s best suited to outdoor enthusiasts seeking an active retirement.

Now you know what Alaska offers, what do you think? Is the Last Frontier the perfect place for you to retire? Or is there somewhere else you’d prefer to live? If it is, why don’t you narrow down the options and decide where you want to retire?

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Jack Bolton is a content writer and blogger from the UK. He has a strong passion for travel and has an endless bucket list that he’s making his way through!

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