The Lincoln Center is just one of many New York City attractions making it a magnet for those passionate about the arts.

Samuel Scheer and his wife, Rosetta Cohen, are long-time residents of western Massachusetts. But they love the arts and culture scene in New York City so much that they recently bought a more spacious apartment in the Big Apple with the thought that eventually it might become their primary retirement home. “We haven’t made up our minds yet,” says Scheer. “But we wanted a larger space because we plan to spend more time in the city.” Both had long and challenging careers—Scheer, now 72, as a high school English teacher, and Cohen, now 69, as a Smith College professor of education and American studies.

Rather than overpriced Manhattan or trendy but expensive Brooklyn, they chose Riverdale, a pleasant neighborhood in the New York City borough of The Bronx, where housing money goes a lot further. The two walk seven minutes from their pre-war apartment building to the Van Cortlandt Park subway station for the half-hour ride on the No. 1 line to Lincoln Center. Three more quick stops, and they’re at Times Square, the heart of Broadway.

After a five-year absence, New York City is enjoying a revival on Forbes’ list of the 25 Best Places To Enjoy Your Retirement. Our new 2024 edition, the eighth, contains choices in 16 states, as well as Washington, D.C. The idea is to identify prime places to pursue any of the following six passions: arts/culture, fine dining, lifelong learning, outdoor activities on water, outdoor activities on land, and in its own category, golf. The full list can be found here.

Yes, most of the four million or so Americans who retire each year stay put, move a short distance to........

© Forbes