South Jersey town makes Travel and Leisure’s top 10 places to retire; find out why

New Jersey is known for being uniquely diverse, with its picturesque landscapes to its ease of access to big cities, so it’s no wonder a city in the Garden State tops Travel + Leisure’s list for best retirement destinations in the U.S.

Vineland, located in southwest Jersey just 40 minutes from Philadelphia, landed in the top 10 on the travel magazine’s best places to retire in the Northeast. The list is part of Travel + Leisure’s “Destination: Retirement” series that was released last month, with the magazine teaming up with Investopedia to determine the nation’s top 50 list.

While it may give pause to those considering retirement this year due to recent economic developments, 2025 is a perfectly fine time to retire, as long as you ensure you’ve saved enough and have a plan, according to a recent report by Kiplinger, a personal finance website.

Travel + Leisure carefully crafted their list using several factors retirees may consider, including cost of living for two adults, housing, transportation, health care, and taxes, as well as access to travel, arts, culture and entertainment. The list divided the country into five regions, with a top 10 list in the Northeast — with cities and towns in no particular order. The states included were New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire.

What makes Vineland, New Jersey a good place to retire?

Vineland, Cumberland County’s most populous municipality with about 60,800 residents, according to 2024 U.S. Census data, was noted for its vast agricultural landscape, affordability and its access to health care and entertainment.

The city, roughly 69-square-miles in total size, is located about 40 miles from Philadelphia, was touted for its wide range of housing styles, including over-55 communities, assisted living communities and nursing homes. Vineland earned a top 10 spot for most affordable small city in the country by the National Association of Home Builders, according to Travel + Leisure, with the county’s median home value at $205,600. The city also has three hospitals and 248 health care organizations.

There are also plenty of areas to explore the outdoors, including nearby Parvin State Park, which offers boating, fishing, wooded trails, camping and picnicking. A portion of Rowan College’s Cumberland Branch Campus is located in Vineland, and the city is home to the Delsea Drive-in movie theater and the Landis MarketPlace, which is expected to reopen this fall as the Vineland Convention Center.

Travel + Leisure cited the Vineland website in its description, which calls the city a “culturally diverse community filled with wonderful, giving people, a friendly business environment, and a cost of living well below the state average.”