Golden opportunity

Fort Worth eases onto new AARP list of 9 best U.S. cities for retirees

Access to nature and recreation was an important factor.

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As Fort Worth's population continues to grow, the city is pulsing with fresh energy — not all of it from young residents moving here after college or relocating mid-career. Fort Worth is also one of the best towns in the U.S. for retirees, according to a new list published by AARP The Magazine.

The magazine relied on 14 pieces of data to come up with its unranked list of the country’s nine best places for retirees. The publication’s rating system favored places with a comparatively low cost of living, great access to nature and recreation, relative ease of getting around, top-quality health care systems, and a strong sense of community — all draws even for those not nearing retirement.

"We know that older adults and younger generations want similar things in the places they live,” says Mike Watson, director of AARP Livable Communities, in the magazine.

With a population of nearly 920,000 Fort Worth is one of the biggest cities on the list (outsized only by Philadelphia). The magazine highlights Fort Worth’s relatively low median housing costs ($1,364 per month), access to exercise (97 percent of residents live near parks and recreational facilities), and “cool” community vibe.

The magazine says Fort Worth offers “a small-town feel in a major metro area.” Among other things, the magazine notes, Fort Worth is known for its:

Slow pace.
Safe and lively downtown.
89 miles of paved bike trails.
Year-round golf and tennis.

The write-up about Fort Worth, by local author Barry Shlachter, notes that in 2017, the city launched an "Age-Friendly Fort Worth Action Plan," which has resulted in improvements to parks; expansion of the TexRail public transportation service and new bus routes; new agreements with developers for affordable housing; websites to connect older residents with social activities, and more.

“We’re continually building Fort Worth into a stronger community where people can thrive in every phase of life,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker tells the magazine.

AARP is a nonprofit membership organization for Americans ages 50 and over.

It's not the first time Fort Worth has made a "best places to retire list" in recent years. Travel + Leisure included Dallas-Fort Worth in its list earlier this year, and U.S. News & World Report cited the area in its 2019 list. One big difference here: AARP leaves off Dallas.

Aside from Fort Worth, communities that made AARP The Magazine's list are:

Anderson, South Carolina
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Jackson, Tennessee
Lansing, Michigan
Philadelphia
Provo, Utah
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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Worldwide wealth

Fort Worth billionaire Alice Walton has world's richest family in 2024

Rob Walton, Alice Walton, Jim Walton, Walton family, Walmart heirs, billionaires, world's richest

Photo by Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images

Siblings and Walmart heirs Rob, Alice, and Jim Walton belong to the world's richest family.

Fort Worth billionaire Alice Walton and her kin are back on top as the world's richest family, according to Bloomberg's 2024 list of the wealthiest families on the planet.

To reclaim their crown, the Waltons toppled actual royalty: the Al Nahyans, Abu Dhabi's ruling family, who came in first last year and fell to second in 2024. Qatar's ruling dynasty, the Al Thanis, came in third.

Alice Walton and her brothers, Jim and Rob, are descendants of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. According to Bloomberg, their family fortune has swelled by 66 percent since last year, to a record $432 billion.

"That wealth figure exceeds the market value of some of America's biggest companies including Home Depot ($412 billion), Procter & Gamble ($402 billion), and Netflix ($396 billion)," notes Business Insider.

Each of the Walton siblings has increased his or her wealth by $43 billion this year, the publication says.

"The Walton family's wealth bump has been fueled by a roughly 80 percent surge in the retailer's stock price this year," Business Insider says. "Sam Walton gave each of his four children a 20 percent stake in the family enterprise early on, and his three surviving kids each own upward of 11 percent of Walmart — now a company valued north of $750 billion — through a family trust. They've also raked in more than $15 billion from stock sales and dividends over the years, Bloomberg says."

Fort Worth's Alice Walton is primarily and arts philanthropist now. Photo by D Dipasupil/Getty Images

In September, Alice Walton took back the title of world's wealthiest woman, according toForbes. Walton beat out L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers of France to become the richest woman on the globe for the first time since 2022.

Walton’s estimated fortune at the time was $89.1 billion and Meyers’ was $88.4 billion, Forbes said.

While she devotes most of her time and energy now to her Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (from which she retired as chairman in 2021) and the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine - both in her native Bentonville, Arkansas - her official residence is still listed as Fort Worth. She has owned homes and ranches in the Fort Worth area and sits on the board of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

The top five richest families in the world and their fortunes, according to Bloomberg, are:

1. The Waltons (Walmart heirs), $432 billion
2. The Al Nahyans, (Abu Dhabi/United Arab Emirates royalty): $324 billion
3. The Al Thanis (Qatar royalty): $173 billion
4. The Hermeses (French fashion and luxury goods): $171 billion
5. The Kochs (American oil industrialists): $149 billion

alice walton billionaires forbes walmart walmart heiress worlds richest Alice Walton