Much like Florida, Arizona's population swells in the winter months -- a 2002 study by the Arizona State University reported a boost of nearly 300,000 retirees who temporarily settled in Arizona for the winter. In Lake Havasu City, for instance, the year-round population of 57,000 nearly doubled to 100,000.

Many other retirees have settled in Arizona year-round. The nation's first active adult retirement community sprouted in Youngtown, Ariz., in 1954, and today 17% of the state's 7.2 million residents are 65 and older.

Is Arizona calling to you, too, as you plot your retirement? Here are nine things you should know before deciding to retire in Arizona.

You'll Find Plenty of Company

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Between 2010 and mid-2018, Arizona's population grew by 12.2%. (By comparison, New York state's population grew only 0.8%.) In 2018, Arizona ranked number five (behind Vermont, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada) among states with the most inbound movers, according to United Van Lines. Retirement was the reason for the relocation cited by 37% of the