Palm Coast - The City of Palm Coast has been recognized by two national publications for being one of the "7 best places to retire" and among "America's 50 best cities to live in."

MONEY magazine, a publication of Time Inc., selected Palm Coast as being "Best for Water Lovers" as part of its retirement feature. The story is available online at: http://time.com/money/4976232/the-best-places-to-retire-now/.

24/7 Wall St., an online financial news and opinion company, featured Palm Coast as one of the most livable cities in this story re-published by USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/10/13/most-liveable-americas-50-best-cities-live/761013001/.

Best for Water-Lovers

MONEY magazine highlighted the community's love for the beach, boating, fishing and waterfront living in its annual "Best Places to Live" edition. The story said 45.5 percent of Palm Coast's population is 50 and older. Weather won big points, too, with 221 clear days per year.

The county's 19 miles of beaches, along with the pier and boardwalk in Flagler Beach, were featured. The story also mentioned that many of the community's beaches are pet-friendly, which could be important to retirees. Other factors were housing affordability compared to other parts of Florida and location.

"Located on the Sunshine State's east coast between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, Palm Coast delivers everything water-seeking retirees could want," the story said.

A photo that ran with the story was a winner from this year's City of Palm Coast Find Your Florida Photo Contest. The photo of the Palm Coast Marina, taken by resident Vicki Payne, won first place in the contest.

MONEY based its selections on thousands of data points that consider cities' economic health, cost of living, crime, taxes, weather, ease of living, and amenities. The magazine also looked at data on housing market costs and growth, and reporters did research including interviews. Only cities with populations between 10,000 and 100,000 were considered.

Most Livable

Palm Coast is No. 39 on 24/7 Wall St.'s list of "America's 50 best cities to live in." The story was based primarily on cost-of-living, income, the employment rate and growth. Although the average income here is lower than the average American household income, it also highlights that the poverty rate is lower than both the state and national rates.

"As is the case with many cities on this list, Palm Coast's population is expanding rapidly. The City's population grew by 23.7 percent in the last decade - more than triple U.S. population growth over the same period," the story said. "New residents also appear to be fueling job growth. The area's employment climbed 6 percent between 2014 and 2016, well above the 3.5-percent U.S. employment growth rate."

24/7 Wall St. created an index of over three dozen socioeconomic measures to identify the 50 best American cities to live in.

For more information, contact Communications & Marketing Manager Cindi Lane at clane@palmcoastgov.comand 386-986-3708.