College towns great places to retire

If a university in your retirement town has a medical school, count that as another benefit. When a hospital is connected to a medical school, or has to compete with one that is, there's a good chance that quality health care and cutting-edge research will be top priorities.

Johns Hopkins Hospital at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore stands at the top of the U.S. News rankings of the best U.S. hospitals for 2010-11, and it has held that spot for the last 20 years. The magazine lists 14 hospitals on its honor roll, designating institutions that scored high in at least six of 16 medical specialties. (Johns Hopkins got high marks in 15 of them.)

Seven of the top 10 on the roll are university hospitals, making them great places to retire. But several are located in major metropolises such as Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia, where the term "college town" doesn't readily spring to mind. However, one quintessential college town is represented: Durham, N.C., with its Duke University Medical Center -- which stands at No. 10.