1. Minneapolis-St. Paul

The Twin Cities region is the best place for older Americans to live, according to a study ranking 50 metro areas on nine characteristics, including the availability of health-care services and the strength of the local economy. The Minneapolis-St. Paul region boasts 22 lakes in the metro area, giving it high marks in the study’s “environment” category. The area also scored high on life expectancy and, with a large senior population, the prospect of an active social life. But what about those frigid winters? “Eight of our top 10 cities have cold winters,” said Scott Perry, president of Bankers Life and Casualty Company, which commissioned the study.