Retirement comes with some big questions. Where will you live? How much will you need? And will you finally have time for a second cup of coffee before heading to the golf course?
If coffee and golf are on your retirement agenda, Huntsville may be worth a look.
The Rocket City ranked ninth among U.S. locations in a retirement study by Betway that compared green spaces, golf courses, cafes and local transportation costs.
Huntsville earned a score of 41.45 out of 100, with the study counting 40 green spaces, five golf courses and 33 cafes. That should offer plenty of places to enjoy that second cup.
Of course, there’s more to choosing a retirement spot than coffee and golf. Bigger decisions about housing costs, health care and being close to family will still require a little homework.
Betway used Tripadvisor listings to count the leisure amenities and Numbeo figures for local transportation costs. The measures were weighted and combined into a final score, with data current as of September 2026.
Orlando took first place with a score of 97.49, supported by 208 cafes and 36 golf courses. Even with the workweek out of the way, trying all those coffee shops could take some commitment.
Tampa finished second, followed by Scottsdale, Arizona; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Boise, Idaho. Chattanooga, Tennessee, placed sixth, giving Huntsville some regional company in the top 10.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Asheville, North Carolina, finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Palm Coast, Florida, rounded out the top 10, giving Florida three spots on the list.
Huntsville is well known as a place to build a career in space, defense and technology. This ranking gives it a little credit for what comes afterward.
Coffee, a walk, and a round of golf sound like a pretty good start. And if you don’t get to everything on Monday, there’s always Tuesday.
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
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