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As the main hub for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, Hartsfield-Jackson is an access point to the world. It’s a handy amenity for older adults whose retirement dreams include international

travel, or who just want to be confident of plentiful options for flights to and from where the grandkids are. 5. VARIED TERRAIN Mark and Tracy Esquenazi in downtown Blue Ridge. Native

Floridians, they sought a mountain setting for their retirement and decided on northern Georgia. Audra Melton From the Coastal Plain to the Piedmont to the Appalachian Plateau, Georgia has

physical and cultural landscapes to suit any taste.  Urban-minded transplants will gravitate to cosmopolitan Atlanta, with the activities, amenities and heritage befitting one of the South’s

biggest cities (and, it must be said, traffic to match). Nearby suburbs Fayetteville, North Decatur and Stone Mountain balance access to Atlanta’s action with a quieter home life. Prefer a

college town? Try Athens, home of the University of Georgia (and the national football champion Bulldogs), a trendy Victorian downtown and a legendary music scene that spawned R.E.M., the

B-52’s and Widespread Panic, among others. Retiree golfers might opt for Augusta, home of the Masters and an AARP-designated age-friendly community. Thomasville, near the Florida border, is

widely reckoned the epitome of small-town Southern charm.  Something by the sea? Say hello to quirky, charming Savannah, or the coastal hot spots of St. Simons and Tybee Island. Looking for

an outdoor lifestyle? Check out mountain towns such as Blue Ridge, Clayton, Jasper and Toccoa, many featuring retirement communities that “offer a variety of amenities and services,

including on-site health care, social activities and transportation,” Overbeck says. Mark and Tracy Esquenazi, empty nesters who were ready to trade in the congestion of their native South

Florida for life at a higher elevation, recently made the move to Blue Ridge, which topped _Southern Living_’s 2022 list of the best Southern mountain towns for retirement.  “We’ve been

talking about mountain living for years,” says Mark, 64, a former branch manager with a major brokerage firm. “We also explored Montana and North Carolina before deciding on Georgia.” Why

Georgia? “Mountain and lush vista views in every direction,” he says. “The people are absolutely the nicest, most polite people we have ever met.”  AND ONE REASON TO THINK TWICE Wherever you

live in retirement, health care is a paramount concern, and in this area, Georgia lags, according to several recent national studies.  The Commonwealth Fund, a research and policy institute

focused on health care access and equity, ranked Georgia 45th overall in its 2023 scorecard of state health systems. In terms of access and affordability, Commonwealth rated Georgia 48th in

the nation and last among 12 states in the Southeast. Other recent examinations yielded similar diagnoses. _U.S. News & World Report_’s 2023 Best States report ranks Georgia 41st in

health care access, quality and outcomes. America’s Health Rankings, a project of the United Health Foundation, rated the state 39th in its 2023 Senior Report, which assesses the health and

well-being of older adults, and Georgia is the 19th most expensive state for health care, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.  Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t get

excellent care in Georgia. _U.S. News & World Report_ lists Emory University Hospital in Atlanta among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in several treatment areas important to older adults,

including cancer, diabetes, neurology and geriatrics, and the Commonwealth report notes improvement statewide in providing timely care to help people 65 and older avoid emergency room

visits and hospital admissions. But the overall health care picture may be something to consider in weighing a move.