2. Florissant
According to Movoto, the lovely town of Florissant ranks as the best retirement community in the United States. There are plenty of activities for those who are getting on in years, including golf, dancing and community center projects.
The town’s small size doesn’t hinder it from providing its residents with ample entertainment and leisure activities. In fact, Florissant also holds the record for being one of the top 100 towns in the country with the most retiree amenities per capita. Other distinctions include being named the 73rd best small town to live in by Money Magazine and the second safest city in Missouri according to the Florissant Police Department.
As the 12th largest city in the state, Florissant is home to nearly 53,000 residents. It is believed to have been settled at around the same time as St. Louis. Historical archives show that Florissant was originally developed by the Spanish and subsequently inhabited by French settlers.
A leisurely stroll through the city will reveal a more prominent French culture and heritage than a Spanish one; in fact, most of the residents spoke French as their mother tongue up until the early 1890s.
Florissant was a fairly small village until the end of World War 2. At this time, the town drew attention from a number of developers who began building subdivisions, houses and commercial enterprises to build up the population. As word of the city’s natural beauty and great atmosphere spread, Florissant began to grow until at one point its population reached as many as 76,000 inhabitants.
Wikipedia cites that city mayor James J. Eagan governed the city for close to forty years, holding one of the longest terms of any mayor in the U.S. A large number of students attend Saint Louis Christian College and Lindenwood University, two prestigious theological institutions located in the city.
