Wondering anyone had recommendations for very walkable cities/towns (bonus if in a bit warmer climate)?
For ‘second stage’/downsizing would love a place with opportunities for daily human interaction - rather than being isolated. Would also love a mix of ages (vs the more homogenous 55+ communities).
Visited Sarasota recently and while the homes were gorgeous and weather delightful- the neighborhoods I saw were absolutely devoid of people out and about. No runners or dog walkers, even!
Planning a trip with a friend to Culdesac in Tempe AZ this year - a designed, walkable community that looks so fun.
We’ve found that living near a university is a great way to ensure walkability, mix of ages, and a very active community.
If you are looking for smaller but walkable, I thought Davidson NC was a wonderful little town. Lovely hiking/walking trails, lake Norman, the college, cute shops and restaurants, and close enough to Charlotte for good healthcare and the airport.
Franklin TN, just south of Nashville. Everyone is moving here ((Nashville burns - there’s several hot ones). Why not you?
Your property taxes and homeowners insurance will be less than Florida and it’s quaint and walkable - whether you want new and modern or older and charming.
Two places we considered - Santa Fe NM, and Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of NC. In either of those areas I think you could find walkable.
At one point I considered 55+, but I’ve pretty much decided that concept isn’t for us.
I loved the town of Celebration when we visited WDW in Florida. Even though it’s very touristy there are always people of all ages out and about. Very cute center of town with lots of little shops and restaurants. The neighborhood blocks were also nice to walk with beautiful houses and flower gardens.
When we were looking to move a walkable neighborhood was at the top of our list. Not sure if you would want to move where we are because we have cold winters ( in fact we are known for that), we prefer our weather but know others don’t. I can walk to several stores, restaurants and coffee shops, library, park, a movie theater, my yoga studio and a lake. People are always outside even in cold and snow.
One thing we noticed- the city neighborhoods were much more walkable and had more people outside than the suburbs. The inner ring suburbs were better than those further out. Sidewalks are a big factor.
ETA: the city is Minneapolis. Weather from May-October is fabulous. It’s nice to be able to “escape” for a bit in February/March.
Love all these ideas! Creating a document and will research them all! When I googled ‘walkable cities’ I just didn’t find the level of nuance provided here. Thank you!
The Clintonville section of Columbus Ohio is very nice and walkable. A nice park, lots of shops and restaurants, a library, etc all within walking distance. Several very nice neighborhood streets in that section.
And it’s in Columbus so all of what tOSU has to offer also is there.
I have two good friends who live there and have most of their adult lives. They have no intention of moving. But both do go on a warm weather vacation in Jan or Feb.
Love the idea of walkable places. It does seem that they often have higher cost of living (Local example - Boulder). But… if it enables you to go down to one car (or maybe none), that will help the budget.
We have lots of different walkable areas here in San Diego. We live near UCSD and have many shops, restaurants and parks within walking distance. The beach is just over a 2 mile walk and we can also walk to the trolley. The downside is that housing in our area is very expensive.
We are moving to the RDU area sometime this year. There are many walkable areas there, not quite sure where exactly we will live (open to suggestions!) Don’t think we will do a 55+ community, but maybe. We have dogs, so won’t live somewhere there isn’t an adequate backyard, like in a really dense urban area. Being able to walk to a town area will be high on our list too.
What really drove our city selection process was DH’s need for a good golf club that was taking members (he has a low handicap.) We weren’t looking for a ‘fancy’ country club, but ended up considering that…because let’s just say golf has exploded in popularity since Covid and many clubs have 5-10 year waits for membership. So some cities/areas we were interested in came completely off the list, like Nashville. After that we wanted a sizable enough city with good music (including major artists), sports, and dining scene. So, some places mentioned, like Davidson NC, Greenville SC, or Naples FL didn’t make the list because they are just too small for us.
Lewisburg PA - tons of shops, restaurants and all the amenities of having a college in the town
West Chester PA - county seat plus WCU. Lots of restaurants, festivals, shopping
Phoenixville PA - charming downtown with historic theatre, the Schuylkill River Trail goes thru town for walking and biking (all the way to downtown Philly if you want!) Plenty of festivals and activities, all ages out and about at the farmers market, etc
Glenside PA - Cute downtown, easily accessible to Philly, less than 2 hours to the shore, 2 hours to NYC, 3 hours to DC
