AARP The Magazine Names Rehoboth Beach as one of Five “Dream Towns” in the Nation – Local Sussex Community Cited as Affordable & Livable for Retirees According to the latest edition of AARP The Magazine, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware has been named one of five retirement “Dream Towns” in the nation by boasting that retirees can find “summer living, all year long.”

Although like many Atlantic resort communities, Rehoboth Beach proper is admittedly expensive as far as housing costs go, nearby communities like Long Neck and Milton offer affordable homes within close proximity to the beach.

In addition to super-low property taxes, Delawareans pay no sales tax on goods, food or entertainment. Social Security and railroad-retirement benefits are exempt from income tax, and taxpayers 60 and older can exclude up to $12,500 of investment and qualified pension income.Even out-of-state government pensions qualify for the pension and retirement exemptions. "

You only need to spend about an hour in Rehoboth to see why many choose to retire here,” according to State Director Lucretia Young. “Besides all of the economic incentives, the town has so much to offer.

It’s a friendly, year-round livable beach town that offers an attractive lifestyle for anyone, no matter what the age.” With a median age of 57 and 38 percent of the population over 65, Rehoboth and the surrounding communities are a retiree’s haven. And, that trend shows no sign of slowing. Delaware expects its 65-plus population to increase 75 percent in the next 25 years.

The small-town atmosphere and the ability to walk the beach as well as to the area’s more than 70 restaurants are just a few of the reasons Rehoboth is particularly enticing to retirees. Even the Rehoboth Film Festival in November, screening about 100 of the year’s best independent films, offers a special $6 rate for seniors.

AARP The Magazine compiled its list of retirement destinations according to a range of criteria – from affordability to access to health care and transportation – and came up with five great places to retire. The others that are featured in the July/August 2006 issue include Las Cruces, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; Memphis, Tennessee and St. George, Utah.