I’m don’t know if CC is the right forum for this question. Is there a “Retirement Town Confidential” somewhere?
Over the next several years, my husband and I plan to take vacations in places where we might retire. We definitely want a place where continuing education and lectures are available. We’d also love a place with a Latin reading group (we know we are total nerds), nature for hiking and biking, and a community in support of serious gardening/botany/small-time organic farming. We both loved our LAC years in rural places but we’re wondering if places like that become “too small” after 4 years?
There are lots of lists out there of great retirement towns, but they are not written by people who actually live there. Also, we don’t care about sports or golf or country clubs. Just plants, languages, art, nature, music, and a nice community.
If there’s another forum I should be on for this question, let me know.
It might not fit you, but we’ve been intrigued by Aspec at Eckerd College. My youngest son is a senior at Eckerd and has told us about them, plus we’ve met a couple of members. Eckerd itself is a very Green college.
We’re not city folks in general, but being in a similar boat as you are, we’ve put southern St Pete on our list of places to consider with Eckerd there. We really enjoy Ft Desoto County Park and its natural beaches. There are many bike paths in the area. Eckerd runs their own garden and is supposedly transitioning to more natural methods (says my son who is coming back to our place in PA to start Permaculture Farming).
Otherwise, I’m just tagging along on your thread getting ideas. For us, we want south and are definitely considering outside the US on various islands or anywhere near Big Water (since hubby wants to sail and we both love scuba and snorkeling - the latter two not being particularly good (or at all good) in St Pete, so we’re still considering options).
Ann Arbor which is #1 on my list was the first place to came to my mind. It’s a great vibrant community!
Evanston, IL is also an amazing town but cost of living is high. Northwestern provides a lot of cultural opportunities for residents and Chicago is a stone throw away.
Chico, Davis, and San Luis Obispo California could meet many of your needs.
Davis is probably the highest match of the three. It’s a bike friendly city with a world-class agricultural university located in one of the most diverse areas in the country. Chico and San Luis Obispo would meet most of your wish list and they would outrank Davis is nature hikes.
Chico would be the least expensive, followed by Davis then San Luis Obispo. All three are in California, so none of them are actually a bargain.
Chico and Davis are HOT in the summer, but every house has A/C. SLO gets hot off and on, but almost no one has A/C. Just in case that matters.
Asheville, NC
Hanover, NH
Charlottesville, VA
Brunswick, ME
Camden, ME - not a college town but a haven for CIA retirees and you’ll find a lot of the attributes you are looking for.They are a cerebral bunch.
I’ll second Blacksburg, VA as a terrific option to explore. They aren’t near Big Water and aren’t warm, so “fail” our personal needs, but we still go there relatively often and they definitely have everything else we’d be looking for with activities and nature options.
I love the California suggestions, but do realize areas like San Luis Obispo have long-term water issues, which is a real drag if you’re a gardener. I’m in CA and planning to move north for retirement because I’m tired to trying to garden with no water. I say this because you mentioned plants.
A cousin of mine and his wife did this kind of a systematic search about 6 years ago. They had lived in largish cities (or their suburbs) most of their lives: mainly Washington DC, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City. They had also been affiliated with universities for many years, and wanted that kind of community. Affordability mattered. So did access to their kids, who at the time lived in Brooklyn and Vermont.
They wound up picking Northampton MA, and after living there for a year or so they bought a house in adjacent Florence. They are really, really happy with the community, and talk it up all the time. They can (and do) bike to events at Smith, Amherst, and UMass all the time.
I have a number of other cousins, somewhat younger (30s-50s), who are living or have lived in Burlington VT, and they rave about that, too. Many (not all) went to college there; some work for the university.
I really ought to add, too, that if you like languages (especially Latin), art, nature hikes, and serious gardening, you would fit right in where I live, in Philadelphia or its western suburbs. There are tons of colleges and universities; most have continuing ed programs, as well as tons of free lectures and other stuff. Bryn Mawr has a very active Latin/classics community. Half the older people I know are in Spanish or French conversation groups. There are great art museums, large and small, and many working artists. There are many beautiful green areas, and real countryside is still very accessible. And gardening is a big, big deal. (Plus, I can’t believe that anywhere has a greater oversupply of landscape architects.)
In general, the whole area is much less pricey than most other large cities, but still more expensive than Northampton or Asheville.
Chapel HIll, NC attracts a lot of retirees. Many live just outside the town’s border in order to pay lower taxes but you are 10 minutes from the action. Four seasons, lots of great restaurants, strong cultural scene. Half way between beach and mountains for easy weekend trips. Easy access to rest of East coast with a great and growing airport (including nonstops to London and Paris!)
Check the property taxes. We own 2 properties in college towns and one is in a tiny town in Maine, everything is tax exempt for the college and the property owners bear most of the tax burden. The colleges are growing in enrollment and acquired so much property to expand so taxes will even be higher. Unless the college is in a large city with a very diversified tax base, I would look in a nearby town.
