Arizona occupied three spots on Bankrate's recent ranking of the best U.S. cities in which to retire. That's not that many, but given that they occupied three of the top four spots on the list, we're feeling pretty good about it.

According to Bankrate's analysis, the Phoenix-Mesa area is the best spot in the country for retirees. Prescott and Tucson were third and fourth, respectively, right behind the Arlington-Alexandria, Virginia, area. Des Moines, Iowa, was fifth.

The site used cost of living, crime rate, level of well-being, walkability, taxes, health care and weather to rank the 172 areas. Though they varied in some categories, all three Arizona entries were deemed to have an average cost of living, low taxes and "great" or "good" weather.

Of course, this news should come as no surprise to those who've been enjoying these areas' hiking, dining and driving attractions already. But if you're on the fence, maybe this will convince you to set up shop in Arizona in retirement.

By the way: New York City is the worst place to retire, according to Bankrate. Not much of a surprise there, either.

Photo: Gill Couto | Phoenix (South Mountain)