^I would agree! Close to Austin but out of the worst traffic.
Winter Park, FL near Rollins is gorgeous. My retirement dream town. Another good option is Davidson, NC. Beautiful. Or Greenville, SC near Furman.
We are considering
Winston Salem
Columbus
I do think Ann Arbor has it all…but it’s expensive. I feel the same way about all the CA suggestions…just too costly.
^^^ Interesting that you are considering Columbus! I was going to suggest a suburb like Westerville, Bexley or the other oodles of great Columbus neighborhoods but my Ann Arbor won out my vote. 
Columbus winters are much more mild the last few years than northern Ohio/Southern Michigan.
I’m specifically looking at the Clintonville section of Columbus proper. Close to the university, neat old smaller houses. Lots of accessible things.
And I have friends who live there.
^^Ha! My sister lives in Clintonville. I’ve always enjoyed walking in her neighborhood; we’ll have to look at the area with new eyes next time we go. I didn’t notice too much nature in the area other than ravines, but I’ll ask her more about it. She and her husband and cats love it there.
I’m thinking of moving to Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s less than an hour from Shenandoah National Park, there are historic sites, wineries and I think senior residents can take courses at UVa for free.
Georgetown, TX,…Yes! I’ve been stalking homes and property there for a few months. Also Round Rock. Both close to Austin, but quieter…
Thanks for all the suggestions!! I’m already plotting out spots to explore along the way when we drive out to VT fo a college reunion and ME to visit relatives this June: western suburbs of Philadelphia, Northampton, Burlington, and Camden ME. Maybe we can check out Ann Arbor on the way back. But then we will be gone too long and the garden will suffer. . . Maybe we’ll do a southern trip next year. That’s an area that we haven’t explored at all.
We went through the place to retire to decision several years ago. Ended up in Tampa, Florida. Close to the USF campus for auditing classes, great Ollie senior classes (H even teaches some), in evacuate TO zone, liberal enough (especially those in Ollie!). From reading the newspaper, seeing TV news et al I much prefer Hillsborough County (great library system) to Pinellas- St Pete. Can live with Eckard College being further than our amenities.
Look for publications in your library/online. But- be aware that they may not address some of the issues important to you. Religion and politics typically do not get mention in any “best places” et al information but are very important.
Weather is an important consideration. Winters/summers. We like Seattle but I could not cope with the consistent cloudiness of winters there. Summer great time to get our PNW fix.
Cost of Living. Taxes important- income, real estate especially. Sales tax- lack of high others makes up for it, especially since we are not big spenders. Have gotten used to higher grocery prices. Also that different regions favor different products- with the large numbers of Tampa transplants can usually find one brand of favored ones.
Casual versus formal lifestyle. Informal here. But- the younger generation we visit in Seattle reminds me that Grunge started there based on their even more dressed down attire for restaurants.
Religion- so important for us to not live in the Bible Belt. Likewise for politics, being liberal/conservative- Tampa is diverse in those. I could not tolerate The Villages, btw- being Republican is their norm and being gay acceptable (if you’re Republican- this from a newspaper article), but no to Democrats when being like your neighbors.
Ethnicity also matters. We happened upon the part of the region with tons of Asian Indians. For some their mainstream ethnicity/religion works in many places.
Being an outsider/insider matters. Tampa-especially in our part- has many people from up north (East and Midwest) who share knowledge of those things (eg weather). Post above # 24- having friends there comment is significant.
Being from Wisconsin I would choose Madison over Ann Arbor, if I wanted winter. Grew up in that area.
Florida is basically flat, has alligators and poisonous snakes, hot/humid summers (the daily rains are brief and scattered), not ideal foliage for me. Compromises. Hurricanes but no earthquakes or blizzards or… No place is perfect.
Good luck to you. Feel free to PM anyone- I’m sure we all can offer many more insights privately. Heck, you could come visit us…
I am in Rockport MA where there are a lot of retirees. About an hour from Boston, 1/2 hour from Salem (where there s an Explorer’s Institute with classes for retirees). Ocean, art, music, great library.
I raised my kids here and it’s funny, once I sold my house I really wanted something new, a fresh start (I am divorced, kids are late 20’s early 30’s). I am staying around for my very elderly mother but when she is gone I am going to move, so I am renting for now.
Affordability is a big issue in retirement.
For the last few years I have done summer rentals in Cambridge and winter in Rockport because I get a deal, and the apartments are really nice
I am in Rockport MA where there are a lot of retirees. About an hour from Boston, 1/2 hour from Salem (where there s an Explorer’s Institute with classes for retirees). Ocean, art, music, great library.
I raised my kids here and it’s funny, once I sold my house I really wanted something new, a fresh start (I am divorced, kids are late 20’s early 30’s). I am staying around for my very elderly mother but when she is gone I am going to move, so I am renting for now.
Affordability is a big issue in retirement.
For the last few years I have done summer rentals in Cambridge and winter in Rockport because I get a deal, and the apartments are really nice
I’ll second both Burlington, VT and San Luis Obispo, CA (my son is a student at Cal Poly and we love to visit) and add Ashland, OR, home to Southern Oregon University and it’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Also home to a multi-time Tony Award winning regional theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF).
https://inside.sou.edu/olli/index.html
https://www.osfashland.org/
Well, I always thought Santa Fe, NM would be an interesting place to retire or at least spend some extended time. St. John’s College (LAC) is there as well as some other schools.
I love Santa Fe…but it’s not exactly a bargain. Winters are cold!
We visited Santa Fe but crossed it off the list- we do not like deserts, southwestern region or cuisine. Not into artsy towns. There are many good places to visit but are also wouldn’t want to live there ones.
I enjoy being in the suburban fell part of a large metropolitan area. Plenty of possible things to do and enough people to do them with. It is so different choosing a place to live without considering the school system (or Florida would not do). You need to think of the stage in life you are at, not as working or parenting stages.
One nice thing about here is that there are so many of us old folks they have more amenities geared to us than in many other places. Strength in numbers. But- we are also in the real world of all ages, not a retirement community.
We are keeping our options open. We might do what some friends have done. Rather than relocate entirely, they take two to three months a year, and go to a different place. Sure, they have been to some places more than once. But this gives them the flexibility to really move around and see different places.
I think I might like that idea. I mean…I could rent in a college town, I guess.
Brunswick, ME has exactly the sort of things you want. I have retired friends who live there and adore it. Music in particular very strong there and in Portland. Maine is rife with organic gardeners, hikers, bikers, serious amateur music ensembles, artists…
I also second the suggestion of Hanover, NH and Camden, Maine.
Know people who summer up north, in their former location. Used to stay in a parent’s house but now that she died they need to do a rental. One of these years I want to go somewhere for a few months. Keep Florida residency for tax benefits but get to enjoy a north summer.
Other NE locales to possibly check out on your road trip, not college towns but appealing in many ways would be:
Portland, ME and surrounding towns like Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth.
Portsmouth, NH/Kittery, ME area
In addition to hurricanes, poisonous snakes and alligators, Florida has flying cockroaches. Um, no.