Take Maine out of the equation. Extremely high tax burden, low walkability, awful weather. High utility costs.
My mom lives in a senior coop in a college town and loves it. She goes to events at the colleges, volunteers everywhere, is active politically etc etc and is 80. Her building has a variety of apartments from 1 bedroom to 2 beds plus den. There is a bus stop for those that do not want to drive. Cab rides are $5 to anywhere in town. She lives in a very cold climate but her heating and a/c costs are low due to shared walls and south side windows.
I would check out towns that have a university or a couple of liberal arts colleges. Then look for multifamily housing or town houses. When winter breaks you, go on a two week cruise in the Caribbean or go rent an apartment in Mexico for a month.
^^ @“Snowball City” Do you mind sharing the location where your mother lives?
@thumper1 - yes, agree absolutely … have only spent at most long weekends any where in the Berkshires … and, Northampton-Amherst area is definitely more accessible
@fendrock - snow removal & other house-owner responsibilities are items I’m happy to turn over to my building’s super.
As a condo in Cambridge would be ideal, if it were affordable, I’m curious if you’ve looked into a retirement community in Newton that’s affiliated with a local college. I heard about it on NPR. And, right now, I can’t think of the exact name. All I can recall is it developed because of the local community & “Village” is either in the name or reflects the spirit of its approach. If you’re familiar with it, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts. I also wondered about the cost.
Looking at the interactive map on best cities for successful aging, Durham/Chapel Hill comes in high for all ages. I guess I’ll stay put 
You may want to see if you can prove or disprove the hypothesis by looking up some cities. For example:
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/alabama/birmingham
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/texas/el_paso
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/texas/san_antonio
@ManhattanBoro I wonder if this is it? https://lasellvillage.com/
From the photos, it looks like your standard senior living community.
No pricing on the website…
I would guess that living in a place like this, with dining hall, etc., is more expensive that living on one’s own.
There are “village” concepts growing in New England, after this idea took off in, I think, Bunker Hill or some other part of Boston. Seniors or near-seniors helping other seniors in various ways, free or for charge. It’s still new.
How many of you are truly looking to live pretty exclusively among other seniors? Are you aware what that would be like, day in and out, (ever seen this close up) or really thinking about the easy, free will years we call “retirement?” How active do you plan to be, versus dependent?
Lots of us already have high taxes and utilities. Downsizing to a cute condo in coastal Maine doesn’t scare me, if there’s enough going on and some mix of generations. What does worry me is being stuck with just other seniors.
Oldfort, my mother did pick up and move to Tucson, a less expensive independent living place, where she knew no one. She loved it. We were aghast, since it was too far for us to help. She loved the new docs and etc. But she was already in her late 80s.
My friend lives here in an over-55 condo community of 2 family, one story homes. But she’s happy to play golf several times/week, do swim aerobics and walk the mall, in winter. She’s 68, goes to theater, volunteers, takes trips. That’s not what I would want.
Where we live in AZ checks all the boxes in the high quality of life/low cost of living sweet spot. All the amenities we need are within the gates of our non-age-restricted community (restaurants, fitness center, full-service spa, pools, golf course, pro shop, major concert venue) with a shopping center bordering one corner of our development and a major hospital’s emergency entrance directly across the street to our west entrance.
The state isn’t blue but all of our friends are, and they weren’t hard to find. Biggest downside is the summer heat but that’s when we’ll be visiting all of you on the east coast. 
ETA:
Lots of Canadians live in our community. So much so, that there is a Canadian flag flying next to the American flag at our main entrance and a big USA vs. Canada golf tournament each year. We have a lot in common with our neighbors. 
My Washington state preference, established decades ago is Ellensburgh. It has a college, is on the sunny side of the Cascades, with views of the mountains. Googling, it is affordable as well. Sequim, on the Olympic Peninsula is another place I have vaguely considered.
I just returned from my yearly trip to Arizona, and the cost of living there is so much lower, though I live in one of those walk-able ideal neighborhoods here in Wisconsin, so my transport expenses are lower than they might be in Arizona, where car reliance is far higher.
Talking with someone on the plane who was considering a move to Arizona, she said “finding your tribe” is what makes or breaks transitions of that sort and the ability to do that is hard to predict.
A friend who just spent a month renting a place in Mexico, as a single, was so happy with the friendliness of everyone around her, and the easily found companionship, that she was happier and less lonely than home.
Regarding the red state/blue state controversy, sometimes you can find closer like minded friends if you hold a minority opinion and are willing to work for your causes.
There is early and late retirement. Being willing to move to a location close to kids in your 80s or when health fails, is a kindness to them as well as yourself.
OP, no, we don’t live in Walla Walla. I wish. The cost of living here in my neck of the woods is not bad except the housing. Lowest priced homes are $600k. My point was that walk score does not paint the entire picture. Trails, buses, bike lanes, Uber, Lyft - all needs to be considered. Speaking of Walla Walla and other places in WA, I would move to Eastern WA happily and get a small winery going, but unfortunately my Pacific Islander soul would feel trapped if landlocked. Maybe Belligham. Another great college town with a decent airport and close to Canada.
“Someone mentioned Delaware.
I found a very cute condo in Wilmington, 4 beds (clearly small!), 3 baths 1,525 sqft – $230,000, with property taxes of $3,890 (so somewhat high-ish).
Walk score of 88.
I don’t know anything about Wilmington, but it looks like it might be worth checking out.
(As mentioned above, for me at this time this is sort of the retirement equivalent of armchair travel. I have no immediate plans to take action, it is just to see what possible futures could be out there, for some peace of mind … )”
That was me. We have friends in Wilmington and visit them every few years. Their property tax on a house similar in price to mine (approx 300k) but much larger is $900 a year. I pay close to $10k on mine in NYS. There is also no state sales tax, iirc. In my county in NY our sales tax is 8%.
Wilmington is lovely and not far from Philly (maybe 30 mins.)
I’m with you, lookingforward.
This is one reason why I would like to be in a place where I could find some kind of part-time work.
It sort of keeps one mixed in with a larger cross-section of the population.
Choatie, perhaps I should come check out your community. I stayed at Baseline and Priest for a few nights meeting my son, and that area of the Valley is transformed as to be unrecognizable. You sound to be really enjoying where you live.
My impression is that aside from family, most of spend our time in a fairly age segregated way regardless. My employment does broaden my horizons, but anywhere you live, there are opportunities to volunteer in schools or hospitals and encounter a cross section of the community.
@fendrock
Lassell sounds right. Thinking of communities affiliated with a college, I believe Oberlin has a similar program. And, yes, the cost is probably higher as it looked like one could age in place and “graduate” to assisted living
Also, similar to lookingfoward, I think a mix of generations is preferable. That’s what’s appealing about communities affiliated with a college or university.
And, those NYT lnks about retirement that I posted above are part of a Supplement on Retirement that will appear tomorrow in the Sunday edition. (I have the paper delivered. And, various Sunday sections are included with the Sat. paper)
My current dream is to move to Ann Arbor for our first retirement. I would love to be able to access all that the school of music has to offer as far as recitals, concerts and shows. AA also has lots of great cultural offerings outside of UM and lots of great restaurants and is very blue/progressive. The downsides are the high cost of living and the cold winters. It’s probably outside our price range to live in the city so we would have to give up the walkability aspect but if we can get within about 20 minutes of downtown I would be happy. And the cold is a trade off for me because I hate hot humid southern summers. After that we’ll look to see where our kids have settled. I would love to retire in Colorado too but it may be too far away from any family.
My parents lived in Tennessee and many of their friends retired to the Chapel Hill area and loved it.
My parents retired to Carson City, Nevada from the Bronx. They researched places for 3 years (they literally started the day my first child was born!) and chose Carson City. They were there for 15 years and loved it. They would rent a car once a month or so and go to Reno (about 45 minutes away) to do bulk shopping and a casino overnight. It had snow but my dad explained it as being “dry” mountain snow vs. the horrible stuff we get in NY. I know what he means because I have visited Switzerland. There were cheap taxis for seniors, the supermarkets, pharmacies, etc. delivered and the hospital was nearby. When my Dad had a massive heart attack 2 years in, they air flighted him to Reno. My dad was a NYC employee and one thing he chose Nevada for was that his pension would not be taxed. It’s a cute city but I don’t think I would want to retire anywhere that has snow, dry or not.
Texas is a low-tax. low-service state. Compared to coastal places, Texas is less expensive, but I sure don’t think Austin is a “cheap” place to live and the public transportation stinks. All the Californians who are moving here looking for cheaper housing and shorter commutes have ruined it for those of us who liked the less-expensive housing and 15-minute commute to work we used to have.
Texas is a red state, but Austin is not the only blue city. All the major metro areas (except FW, but that might change this primary) went blue in the 2016 presidential election so there are options besides Austin (think Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso). I have family in Houston who love it there, but there are those pesky hurricanes. I have an Austin friend who is retiring to San Antonio. Got a much-nicer house than her current townhome for less.
I read the article linked by someone above and what the experts consulted said was one of the biggest mistakes of retirement. A common theme was visiting a few times and figuring that was going to be great to move without a long (several months of year stay to see how it is to LIVE in the community before actually uprooting and moving.
I’d urge anyone seriously thinking of really moving to live several months or a year to be sure that location X is the place they can plant roots and be happy before uprooting.
AA is where we plan to spend many of our summers. I don’t know a better college town. It’s “home” to me and DH.