<p>Regarding W-S, Greensboro, and Charleston: I graduated from Wake, worked for 10 years at UNC Greensboro, and lived for seven years in Charleston. The Piedmont of NC is a wonderful area for all the reasons noted, but Charleston is one of the very special places in the country. On any day of the week, you could go out within a half hour each way of Charleston and have a resort destination-quality outing with history, scenery, the beach, the arts, etc. West of the Ashley River, you could find more reasonable prices than on the peninsula or in Mt. Pleasant or the barrier islands.</p>
<p>The area that I live in is close to 6 four year universities (Lehigh, Lafayette, DeSales, Cedar Crest, Moravian and Muhlenberg) so there are activites going on all the time, often free or pretty inexpensive and open to the public. I’m also less then two hours from Philadelphia and just over two hours to NYC. However, housing costs are high in my town (avg. 349,000), but lower in the nearby cities of Allentown or Bethlehem. </p>
<p>I live in one of those nasty developments, which was very handy when the kids were growing up, but can see the appeal of being able to walk to the store instead of drive.</p>
<p>jym626: Well, I shoulda started earlier with my plan; I’m afraid it’s too late now. 
There are definitely some lovely areas in NC, and certainly Chapel Hill and Asheville are two of them. </p>
<p>I do not think that people who are moving to the Research Triangle area, however, realize just how crowded and expensive it’s become. Schools are really overcrowded–creating lots of angry parents whose kids get constantly redistricted; bond referendums to raise property taxes to build more schools; schools forced to go year round, creating more angry parents, etc. I don’t think real estate agents point all this out to those who move to this area. While retirement age folks don’t have to worry about the schools, they will be subjected to the same rapidly rising property taxes to pay for those schools, highways, etc. Meanwhile, the developers just keep on developing, raping the land as they go, and paying very minimal impact fees for the privilege.</p>
<p>Anyone know much about Las Cruces New Mexico?</p>
<p>I have to say when my sil was working at the performing arts center at U. of Michigan I was extremely jealous of the caliber of artists that were passing through. Seemed like it would be great, but of course it’s not small.</p>
<p>This is a hot (and getting hotter) topic in our home too. We want to move some place warmer, and need some place less expensive. With son #2 going off to college and me without a job we will soon have the ability and incentive to move. We might do some traveling this year to check places out. Have heard nice things about Asheville NC.</p>
<p>Thanks for that article! 50 smart places to live, #7) Asheville, NC 387,970</p>
<p>Thanks jym626, that article’s a great resource!</p>
<p>Well, the fact is you won’t get a cool house in a walk to downtown location ANYWHERE for cheap. If you can get a nice house in the newer parts for $250K a nice one in the best part will be double that–be it boulder or winston salem or Bellingham. That’s land econ 101.</p>
<p>Barrons, that post #68 is helpful.</p>
<p>njres and gadad,</p>
<p>Glad it helped. I found it a yr or so ago, and have fantasies someday of retiring to a college town too…</p>
<p>dstark–my sarcasm detector is on tilt but that’s OK. Just being real. I looked at lots of the usual suspect college towns and when you get into the nice older parts near downtown it is very expensive–even in Oxford, MS or Boulder. Now if you have the $$$ to spend for the ideal location, that’s great. Most would rather spend less (much less) and have more flexibility in their retirement. In many of these smaller towns getting to the downtown is a very short drive or bike ride.</p>
<p>Hubby and I have discussed this as well and the right small college town could really work as a retirement area for us, but we’re more than a few years away from doing it. We plan to have quite a bit of fun doing the on site research!</p>
<p>We did have the great pleasure of a couple of years (as real adults with kids and all) in one of the more “perfect” college towns a few years ago. We were lucky enough to be in the middle of it all so could walk to town and could walk to a lot of the college cultural and sporting events. It was a little slice of heaven. The cost, though, for such a perk is considerable, but one I’d sure try to incorporate into my retirement plans if possible. Our small taste of the possibilities left a strong impression on us. </p>
<p>So hubby and I can agree on the small college town part. Unfortunately we seem to have opposite ideas about where in the country this town should be. Yes, we may be doing a lot more “college” visits after the true reasons for such visits are finally out of the house.</p>
<p>When you consider the extra money you might pay now for being within walking distance of things, remember that there will come a time during your retirement when you will need to hang up your car keys for your own safety and that of everyone around you. At that point, being within walking distance can become a necessity in maintaining your independence, rather than a luxury. If you’re planning to stay somewhere for the long haul, it is something to consider.</p>
<p>Barrons, I wasn’t being sarcastic. That post was helpful. I keep looking for $300,000 places and I don’t see too many. </p>
<p>It’s because they are $500,000. </p>
<p>Sometimes a blunt, but true statement works.</p>
<p>Being close to a hospital is probably a good idea too.</p>
<p>Part of this comes down to what’s most important to you: location or luxury. I’ve always chosen location. Others tend to choose luxury.</p>
<p>I’d prefer a small apartment in the heart of a major city to a mansion in the sticks.</p>
<p>But that’s me. Other people feel very differently about that.</p>
<p>“I’d prefer a small apartment in the heart of a major city”</p>
<p>Exactly. I think my parents would find a Manhattan one-bedroom to be the ultimate in retirement luxury. Of course, selling the house I grew up in probably wouldn’t bring enough to buy one. :)</p>
<p>There was an interesting article in the Times a couple weeks ago about retirees returning north to be closer to children, grandchildren and better services and medical care. “For the first time since the Depression, more Americans ages 75 and older have been leaving the South than moving there, according to a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau data.” <a href=“http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60610F73A5A0C758EDDAB0894DF404482[/url]”>http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60610F73A5A0C758EDDAB0894DF404482</a></p>
<p>DH and I have talked about moving south to Asheville, but I have a feeling our roots here are too deep to leave. We are fortunate to live in a college town and within walking distance of things, but we are starting to think about a smaller home.</p>
<p>Yes, our place in Lynchburg is 2 miles from downtown but we can walk under one half mile to a major hospital, golf course, Krogers, the bank, some restaurants, and Starbucks. As we like to garden and have pets and cars an apt is not our best option. After a lifetime in major cities we prefer something slower and smaller.</p>
<p>Barrons, where would you retire if housing costs $500,000? $750,000?</p>
<p>I really like Thousand Oaks Cali. That’s where I’d go if I wanted to spend that much–and it takes that much these days for a regular old tract home with 3/2. Love the weather, access to malibu and LA but quiet small town environment. We may yet sellout and bite the $$$$ bullet.</p>