Retirement/relocation destination?

That's going to be the case at virtually any decent college. Particularly at public colleges, the population growth alone is going to mandate more dorms, more academic buildings etc. And then there's footbawwwwl.
As far as college towns go, I'm going to guess there are a lot of alums who think, "I could retire here" when they're 45. But by the time they hit retirement age, the old town has grown and traffic has doubled and nothing looks like it once did and the old college town isn't so appealing anymore.

 

UGA now up to 41K total students (31K undergrad). Up about 10K from 20 years ago. The campus and town are bulging at the sides.

 

I've thought of Arkansas.

I don't know much about it, except that it's the base of my employer. Of course, that's a draw for me, actually, and from the few looks at it I've had via cross-country drives and a few HGTV shows, it looks like a place I might like.

 

It’s not for everybody, but it’s pretty awesome.

 

What kills people in New York is the property taxes. There are many people there who literally can't retire, just because the property taxes require at least a part-time salary to pay them each year. People often work into their 70s and 80s (if they can do so, health-wise) just to cover that one expense. I'm sure if Prop. 13 hadn't happened, things would be similar in California.

Is it that way in Massachusetts, as well?

 

At least 30 miles inland.

 

When I say move to a college town, I'm not talking about living in a place between two monster fraternity houses and dealing with 18-year-olds puking on my yard every night.

But a place with a little land outside of town that's a 10-minute drive to all the cool aspects of a college town, some nice golf courses, places to go hike and maybe fish a little bit? That's a dream to me.

 

If you get a mile or two off campus in Tuscaloosa, there are all these little hidden stubs of dead end streets with plentiful tree canopies and older homes that are architectural gems. You can be downtown in minutes or walk to the stadium in less than a half-hour, and 99 percent of the student population will never know you are there.

The other cool thing about college towns is they often have college professors living there. They usually have their own hangouts away from fraternity row where it is pretty easy for a middle aged or older sort to blend in.

 

I have voted to give West Tennessee to Arkansas to improve both states!



I kid. One of my dearest friends lives in Memphis.
Actually, one of the finest human beings I know to walk this planet lives in McNairy County - a far better man than me - so I'd hate to give him up. Tennessee has three Grand Divisions, and he accounts for one of them. I weigh 170. He is at least three of me. Bobby's a big old boy.

 

You just described Microville. Got $700-800,000 to spend?

 

So ... Fort Collins?

 

Pretty much every Power 4 state college. What made them quirky then is all of them looking the same.