2010 Best Places for Military Retirement

USAA combined forces with Military.com to develop this first-of-its-kind ranking that recognizes the best places in the nation for military men and women to reside after retiring from their first career with the armed forces and beginning their second career as a civilian. "We hope this list and its data provide a great start for soon-to-be military retirees to figure out how to maximize military benefits and get the most bang for their buck as they plan for a second career and second retirement from civilian life," said June Walbert, USAA Certified Financial Planner and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

USAA and Military.com worked with Sperling's BestPlaces to determine the variables for hundreds of major U.S. metropolitan areas, which are defined as one or more central cities including the surrounding county or counties. The areas were evaluated against Sperling's BestPlaces general quality of life issues along with variables that correspond directly to military retirees.

A whopping 379 metro areas were categorized into military, large, medium, and small metros. Here are the top 10 places overall:

1. Waco, TX
2. Oklahoma City, OK
3. Austin/Round Rock, TX
4. College Station/Bryan, TX
5. Harrisburg/Carlisle, PA
6. San Angelo, TX
7. Madison, WI
8. Pittsburgh, PA
9. New Orleans/Metairie/Kenner, LA
10. Syracuse, NY

You can read more about each area here. And discover which places in the overall top ten rate the best on military base amenities, proximity to VA hospitals, unemployment, housing costs, economic stability, and several other variables.

Read More on the 2010 Best Places for Military Retirement

USAA provides insurance, banking, investment and retirement products and services to 7.7 million members of the U.S. military and their families. For more information about USAA, or to learn more about membership, visit USAA.com. Follow @usaa_news.