One Perspective on the Best Places to Retire When people dream of places where they'd like to retire, chances are that North Dakota is not at the top of the list. Or South Dakota, for that matter. Not that there's anything wrong with those states. It's just that prospective retirees tend to think more about warmer climates. North Dakota, by one measure, is the coldest state in the continental United States. Bismarck, the state's capital, just had a blizzard in April. Yet, the state makes a list of the 10 "unexpectedly best" states for retirement, according to Bankrate.com. The top 10 states, in descending order, are Tennessee, Louisiana, South Dakota, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Nebraska and North Dakota. The financial Web site crunched a variety of data on the cost of living, taxes, health care, crime and climate to come up with the ranking. Access to health care, for instance, was measured by the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people, using data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. By that measure, North Dakota scores well - it has five beds available for every 1,000 people, which ties it for second place nationally. So "if you can handle the cold," Bankrate says, it may be a good place to consider. Other states on the list are notably warmer, like Alabama and Mississippi. Chris Kahn, a statistics analyst with Bankrate, said any sort of relative ranking was bound to draw criticism because people had different ideas about what they wanted in retirement. But the point of the list, he said, is to have people on fixed incomes - as many retirees are - consider what areas might actually make financial sense. "Florida is beautiful, and so is Arizona," he said, naming two states known for their warm climates and retirees. But if you're on a fixed income, looking at other factors is a smart thing to do. There will always be tradeoffs. Tennessee, for instance, has the second lowest cost of living, an attractive climate and scores well on access to health care, too. The drawback is a relatively high crime rate, Bankrate said. Some people might prefer California, despite its higher cost of living. The state ranks fourth on Bankrate's list of "bad" states for retirement. So if you choose to go there, "have your financial house in order before you go," he said. You can check Bankrate's full list to see where your preferred state ranks. What do you think is the most important factor in choosing a location for your retirement?