Alabama

Orange Beach (population 6,000) is a rather isolated Gulf Coast beach vacation destination and is located east of Gulf Shores, Alabama and very close to the west Florida border.   It is a booming, high-end seasonal town, busy with tourists in the summer but very quiet in the winter when many businesses close.   The beaches are sugar white, though, and the water, with gently lapping waves, is emerald green.   This combination has the uncanny ability to seduce nearly everyone into imagining a retirement filled with lazy days and fun evenings sharing Margaritas with friends.    And that is probably not too far off the mark (except when a hurricane comes or few restaurants are open to dispense drinks).    The cost of living is roughly 20% above the national average, and the median home price is $356,000 (down 9% in the last year).   The crime rate is below the national average, and of residents, nearly 50% are age 45 or better.
	Tall condominium buildings gleam in the sun and line most of the beaches.   In a metropolis this size, it is surprising to find estate price are all over the map, from very humble dwellings selling for less than $100,000 to penthouse condos selling in the millions (and some boat slips are more expensive than some houses).  Baldwin County, where Orange Beach resides, is one of the hardest hit counties in Alabama when it comes to foreclosures (although foreclosures in Alabama are down 21% from last year), and within the county, Orange Beach is the fourth hardest hit town (Gulf Shores is first).  Yet, prices remain high (the median foreclosure price is $289,000).  New money has moved into Orange Beach, and most jobs are service-oriented.  Class lines are evident.
Not a lot goes on in Orange Beach.  Fishing charters and golf are what bring most people here (nine golf courses within a few miles of town).   The tallest Ferris wheel (112 feet) in the Southeast towers above the Wharf, a large entertainment and shopping venue.  The city also has seven houses of worship, a lovely waterfront park, a dog park, a canoe trail and unspoiled, sub-tropical backcountry trails.
The Orange Beach Arts Center sponsors the annual Festival of the Arts, a fun celebration of visual, culinary and performing arts, and it hosts acoustic concerts in its main gallery.   The Mobile Symphony and concert headliners come to town occasionally.   The Orange Beach Public Library has public computers and wireless internet access for laptop users, as well as downloadable books, computer classes and book discussion groups.  Next to the library, the Orange Beach Active Adult Center, opened in 2003, is a beautiful facility with a wide range of services. There is no public transportation within the town limits, but the Baldwin Area Transportation System (BRATS) has a bus that travels between Orange Beach and neighboring towns.  There is also dial-a-ride service.
T Orange Beach does not have a hospital.  The nearest one is South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, 11 miles away.  It has 110 beds and is accredited by the Joint Commission but falls short in some areas.  It accepts Medicare patients but it not clear if it accepts Medicaid patients.  Pensacola, Florida, 23 miles east, has two Level II adult trauma centers, one of which, Sacred Heart, is award-winning for emergency and clinical excellence. This is the Gulf Coast, so summers are hot and humid, and winters are mild.  Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures are in the 40s, 50s and 60s.  It rains 5 to 8 inches per month year round.  The sun shines 225 days of the year.  On the comfort index, a combination of temperature and humidity, Orange Beach is below the national average.   Hurricane Katrina much did not affect the city much, but Hurricane Ivan a year earlier in 2004 caused significant damage.

Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Probably not.... Have a town in mind for retirement?  Write to us and we will review it in a weekly issue!

The beaches are beautiful, but no public transportation, a so-so hospital, class lines, the hurricane threat, rapid growth and summer tourist crowds (and traffic) make Orange Beach a possible place to spend a holiday but probably not a retirement.

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