11 Best Places to Retire in California

8. Lake

Score: 13

Median home price: $142,900

Cost of living index: 101

Crime index: 57

Doctors per 100k: 121

Average commute time: 23.38

In California’s north central area, you’ll find Lake County, which is home to over 64,000 people. The name it bears is borrowed from Clear Lake, which is the main geographic feature in the entire county. It is also the largest natural lake that’s completely on California’s territory and it is believed to the oldest in the entirety of North America.

Lake County has a median home price of nearly $143,000 and a cost of living index of 101, which is quite in line with the natural average. The average commute time is a little over 23 minutes so you should keep this in mind if you want to move here. There are also plenty of activities to partake in, including boating, hiking, fishing, biking and bird watching, and perhaps the most pleasurable, wine tasting.

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