One definitely has a different perspective looking at college towns as a future retiree vs. college student or parent of a college student.
We started in Middlebury VT for a college reunion. My husband did his undergrad here and I attended in the summers for language school, so it’s a place that has connections for both of us. We were both happy to be back and loved the VT mountains and views. We have friends who settled and have been raising their families here. They say there is tons to do and they are never bored–so much going on at the college for the public for free that they can’t possibly attend everything of interest. I was surprised that townspeople cannot check out materials from the college library. What?! Downsides: more traffic than one would expect in a small town. One thing I want to escape is traffic. Also, as I did in the summers here long ago, I felt claustrophobic. I think this is because I’m a midwesterner. Is this something one overcomes? Plus sides: cost of living and housing are reasonable; lots of hiking in nearby forests.
Damariscotta area, ME, fairly close to Bowdoin College. The college has a lot of public events even in the summer. I was not that excited about Brunswick as a place to live, but they do have a decent public library and some good restaurants. If one lived in the Damariscotta area, it’s too far to bike to Brunswick, at least for a retiree, but there are lots of biking and hiking areas along the Maine coast, and then one could drive to Brunswick for events. Cost of housing is a great deal compared to Chicago suburbs, as long as one does not need to live a few feet from the ocean. Not much traffic. I didn’t feel as claustrophobic because one can go to the ocean and look out at a long view.
Missoula, MT (University of Montana)–Wow–we just did not expect to like this as much as we did. Even though there are mountains, the area has an open feeling compared to New England. Tons of hiking nearby. Lovely bike trails through town. Great bookstores and other small shops and cafes. I almost don’t want to mention this place because we really liked it and don’t want the cost of housing to go up because other people might like it too. The housing is already pretty expensive, though, which is the main downside. The college was a nice size–not too large. But I wonder if there is a big sports culture here during the school year? (We don’t like a big sports culture with all the chaos.)
Still on our “short list”: Traverse City MI (only a community college nearby, but maybe that is enough for a retiree?), Northfield MN, Decorah IA, Iowa City IA, Burlington VT (just didn’t have time this trip east), Bellingham WA, Munich or Regensburg Germany.
A few more years left before I retire, but looking for a retirement location that is on the east coast, has water views, walking distance to stores and restaurants, less than an hour from an airport and is not too cold (like Maine) or hot/humid (Florida). We have been passively researching the last year or 2. Suggestions?
@b1ggreenca, if you live in California, as your username suggests, you may not be floored by the price (astronomical) and quality (generally low) of housing in Santa Cruz. The access to university events at UCSC and lifelong learning options at the community college, and the beach, redwoods, and weather are wonderful, but property crime and drug issues are similar to Berkeley.
@ZZdecision2016, Traverse City may only have a community college but Interlochen is very close, lots of events there. Also the Traverse City film festival is getting more and more traction. The area is becoming a foodie destination.
Also medical care is surprisingly good, lots of physicians like the quality of life there.
Northfield is ridiculously cold in the winter. Personally I would not retire there. (And I lived about 30 miles from there for almost 30 years). I don’t need the sunbelt, but a place where outside broomball can be played for months isn’t my idea of a place to spend my 65+ years.
I also think for me that a larger university would offer more types of classes I might want to audit, and I might not feel quite so out of place as a 65 year old in a class there. I feel like it would be a little weird at a LAC. (And I love LACs for undergrads, don’t get me wrong).
One of the finest musical experiences I have ever had was attending a free 3 person faculty string trio performance at Interlochen. It was exquisite.
There are many people who retire to Northfield. If a retired person wants to get away from the cold for a few weeks in January, that is common. The pay off for the chillier winter are the wonderful summers. My mom retired to Northfield from the south about 20 years ago and she loves it.
There are excellent concerts at St Olaf, great speakers at Carleton, opportunities for volunteering and creating relationships in the schools (ex: sitting with the kids who eat breakfast at the school, reading with elementary students, advising first gen high school students), and a busy Senior Center with over 1800 members.
Classes are offered in the Elder Collegium and are very popular. Retired professors or local community members lead discussion classes on a variety of topics. My mother has done maybe 10 of them. It is a community that values education and world cultures. http://cvec.org/at-the-top-current-items/about-us-3/
From an initial annual offering of 19 courses with 193 enrollees, our program has grown steadily to the present (2017-18) 41 courses with 648 enrollees. The founding principles of the Cannon Valley Elder Collegium were, and remain:
We focus on “life-long learning”
Course offerings are selected from the liberal arts (including the sciences)
We offer a curriculum to challenge participants with serious academic course work
Instructors offer their personal favorite courses developed during life-long teaching careers
Most courses have a seminar or interactive lecture format. Learners participate actively
Students register without prerequisites. Previous formal education is not a requirement
Charlottesville has gotten a lot more expensive over the past ten years. Our former neighbors moved to Harrisonburg, VA, home of JMU. They love it, and prices were great. I loved living in Philly; it would be on my short list, but I don’t think DH will ever want to move. Too much work!
Haven’t read the entire thread because it is getting long. Lots of intriguing ideas.
The problem is that there is no perfect option in terms of climate, taxes, property values, healthcare, etc.
My suggestion is to stay put and downsize if you must. Then go wherever interests you. Get an Airbnb in college town X for a month when they have a lot going on that interests you. Go to a NE LAC during fall foliage. Stay in LA for a month in February and check out USC, UCLA, Pepperdine, etc. Go to Bloomington, IN to see what college basketball is supposed to look like. You get the idea.
Check out some international college towns as well. Maybe Oxford for example.
If you have worked for 40 years, you are likely at least 60. You have maybe 10-15 years of vitality so keep the options open while you can.
That may work for some people. I personally really liked moving to a new place in my mid-50s, and won’t mind relocating again at retirement. It was far more interesting than staying in the state & region I’d lived in for 30’years.
@CountingDown and @ZZdecision2016 I teach at JMU, and my dad recently retired to Harrisonburg. There are quite a lot of retirees in the community. The university has a performing arts center with both professional touring and student performances, and the American Shakespear Center is about 20 minutes away. Charlottesville is only about 1 hour, DC, Richmond, and Roanoke about 2 hours.There are 3 colleges in the immediate area… JMU, EMU, and Bridgewater, plus Blue Ridge CC. Mary Baldwin is 20 minutes away.
Lots of great tips, here, everyone. Thank you! We are still 3-5 years away but thought it was time to start considering other locations, preferably those without much traffic. Northfield, Traverse City, and Missoula are looking very promising. We like winter for the most part. I would like more snow than we get in Chicago. Here it’s cold but we don’t get enough snow for cross-country skiing. After seeing Missoula, we might look at a few other western places, though these are far from relatives. Maybe Flagstaff AZ or the Oregon towns mentioned above. I really am not a fan of heat, so moving south probably won’t be the way to go. Unless my arthritis gets worse and is increasingly bothered by the cold.
We will definitely try a place for several months renting before moving. There is a comfort in not moving and I’ve considered redoing the kitchen and just staying here, but I really need more nature and peace and less traffic.
@Snowball City–The lifelong learning in Northfield sounds great! @deb922–thanks for reminding me about Interlochen–yes, great concerts there. @Madison85–we thought about Madison first–we visit frequently and have lots of relatives there. But when we explored with an eye to moving there, it seemed to be too large with too much traffic. We even looked at Middleton, Verona, and Mount Horeb which are more rural to the west, but these didn’t feel right either.
