<p>This time, instead of asking for advice for my kids, I’m looking for college recommendations for my wife and me. Colleges have been my life and my passion. When we retire in several years, we’d be interested in relocating to a college town where we could go to arts and athletic events, host international students, volunteer in a tutorial center, etc. My preference would be for a smaller institution where we could build relationships and not be so lost in the crowd, but I wouldn’t rule out a larger place with a lot to offer. We might just move to a college town on our own, but I’m aware that some schools have created their own adjacent retirement communities for people with our interests. Can you recommend particular locations that you think would be good choices?</p>
<p>My husband and I have thought of Oberlin OH. Would that be too cold for you? Very small town, but the college and Conservatory are bursting with cultural activities. For a bigger warmer place, I’ve heard Providence RI is a good place to retire.</p>
<p>You may want to check this one out. The school is fairly new and small. You could have an impact there. The development around campus include residential community and shops.</p>
<p>FAU - Jupiter -
FAU at Jupiter is one of the nation’s best buys in higher education. It offers first rate facilities and academic offerings and low state tuition. …
<a href=“http://www.fau.edu/jupiter/[/url]”>www.fau.edu/jupiter/</a> - 19k - Cached - Similar pages</p>
<p>I’ve come to love Northampton, Mass. You have the whole Five College consortium, including Smith & Amherst to choose from. Cold winters, though.
And, of course, you can’t throw a rock in Boston without hitting a college student. But NoHo probably has a much lower cost of living.</p>
<p>Nice ideas - A campus with a conservatory or conservatory-level School of Music would be a great attaction!</p>
<p>Try Lasell College in Newton, MA, a lovely small city about 5 miles outside of Boston. Lasell has built a Continuing Care Retirement Community within the school, and residents are required to continue studying.</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.lasell.edu/path/village.asp[/url]”>http://www.lasell.edu/path/village.asp</a>. The Village’s website is at <a href=“http://www.lasellvillage.com%5B/url%5D”>www.lasellvillage.com</a>.</p>
<p>Being so close to Boston also gives you access to BC, BU, Harvard, MIT, and a host of smaller schools. Living in Newton will give you all the benefits of a “college town” and the benefits of a thriving suburb.</p>
<p>Oberlin has a retirement community – I think it’s called Kendall at Oberlin – which has cultural links to the college.</p>
<p>For lower costs and better weather the Southeast is hard to beat. I toured Oxford, MS, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Athens, GA, Columbia, SC and a few others. We settled on a town just south of C’Ville called Lynchburg, VA which has several colleges of its own and half the cost of Cville.
“Where to Retire” magazine has good reports on towns all over the US. They have a website where you can order past issues.</p>
<p>I loved Missoula, Montana, and have tried to convince my parents they should retire there (or at least be snowbirds and live there in the summer!). It’s drop-dead gorgeous, the cost of living is low, and there are a lot of good performances/movies/farmer’s markets/football games etc. But again, harsh winters and somewhat isolated. </p>
<p>Maybe Atlanta, near Emory or Agnes Scott? And I’ve heard amazing things about Asheville.</p>
<p>Notre Dame- Construction is just beginning - the sign has been up for a year- across the street from campus- don’t have any web site or links, sorry.</p>
<p>Read about a condo association in State College-filled with adoring Penn State fans / alums.
Interesting thread- my fantasy, too ;)</p>
<p>The problem with the Southeast, at least the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, is that everybody and his brother have moved here. The highways and schools can’t handle the influx, the real estate costs are out of sight, and all farmland and pastures have disappeared-- transformed into shopping centers and subdivisions. For “lower costs,” I definitely would not consider the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.</p>
<p>One of the top rated places to retire is Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>Where do you want to live?</p>
<p>Raligh and Durham are still pretty cheap by national stds. CH has gone high. AA’s weather, housing costs, and taxes are all negatives.</p>
<p>ummm</p>
<p>Maybe</p>
<p>Bloomington, salem area around Wake Forest, Notre Dame, santa barbara, ann arbor, </p>
<p>those are just some cool towns with colleges</p>
<p>SB–average home cost around $1,000,000. Taxes on that over $10,000. Better be very rich. South Bend has just the worst weather–like Buffalo without the charm. Wake area is very nice and cheap.</p>
<p>barrons: Well, I guess it depends on where you choose to live in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. At this point, real estate in Raleigh is as expensive (if not more so) than in Chapel Hill. If you’re moving from Manhattan or someplace similar, then–yes–by those standards, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is affordable, I guess. I also don’t know where you’ve been near Wake Forest, that you think is cheap. Winston Salem is not that inexpensive. I think if you go outside some of these areas, where it’s very rural, it’s much less expensive, but then you wouldn’t be that close to a university setting.</p>
<p>I have a relative moving near Raleigh. New construction for a 4 BR is running close to 450,000. They are coming from the NE and their 3 BR is selling for more, and they are not of retirement age. I am sure their property taxes will be less too.</p>
<p>SotuJerseyChessMom: What kind of constrution is going up near Notre Dame?</p>
<p>I met a woman on the beach in Massachusetts last summer whose son had just graduated from Notre dame. She lived on the east coast her whole life, but was moving out to the Notre Dame area because she loves it so much. (Even though her son took a job in NYC!)</p>
<p>northeastmom: And they’re probably moving in a bland (brand new)subdivision way up in North Raleigh, where every tree has been mowed down. I guess if you like that sort of thing, it’s okay . . . I’m also sure that it is cheaper than <em>parts</em> of the NE, but they probably don’t realize how much property taxes are rising here, just to pay for this ridiculous growth–lots of bond referendums.</p>