U.S. retirees look beyond Florida
 |  A water aerobics class for seniors in Florida. Many younger retirees want a more active lifestyle than is offered by typical retirement communities. |
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(CNN) -- Retirement for many Americans used to mean heading south for the sleepy resorts and endless summers of Florida and other parts of the Sunbelt.
But growing numbers of people at the end of their working lives are now deciding that the traditional seniors communities of the Sunbelt -- the strip of states along the southern fringe of the U.S. -- are not for them.
Many baby boomers are leaving the workplace in their 50s and in good health and want to live in a more active environment than has traditionally attracted older retirees, according to Professor Warren Bland of California State University.
"Now there's a greater interest in recreational opportunities beyond playing golf and things like that," Bland, the author of "Retire in Style: 50 Affordable Places Across America," told CNN.
"For one thing, people are living longer and they're probably going to be in their retirement spot for 20 or 30 years."
When Robbie Risner retired from the U.S. Air Force he and wife Dot had never thought of San Antonio, Texas, as the kind of place they'd retire. But the more they thought about it, the better it sounded.
"I can't think immediately of anything we don't like about San Antonio," said Robbie.
"There are a lot of good places to eat here, we go to dinner a lot, and the Riverwalk is such a big attraction when people come to visit us," added Dot. "The children like Six Flags, Fiesta Texas and Sea World, so they have things to offer all ages.
The Risners' first concern for their retirement was access to good medical care.
"It is hard to beat BAMC, the Brooks Army Medical Center. They provide such good care for us," said Dot.
San Antonio is one of many American cities including Portland, Oregon, and Boulder, Colorado, that offer retirees a high quality of life with a low cost of living and top quality health care, unlike some better-established destinations.
Some of the Sunbelt communities built specifically for older retirees over the past few decades have grown to the scale of small towns. By contrast, newer developments tend to be smaller and better integrated into existing suburban communities.
"Let's say you pick a retirement area in southern Florida, you might find it's become expensive, crowded and perhaps less desirable after only a few years of living there," said Bland.
The Risners say that retirement in San Antonio has so far exceeded all their expectations.
"We were a little apprehensive about living in a big community of people all the time," said Dot. "We thought it would be bustling, but the people are what makes it so desirable."
"They have a 24-hour heated swimming pool, a woodwork shop, party rooms, dance floors, there are hardly any needs that haven't been met," said Robbie.
"There are so many things to help you live your retirement years and enjoy them. We couldn't have designed it better."
-- CNN's Gerri Willis contributed to this report.
