Retirement/relocation destination?

Evanston is one of the richest suburbs of Chicago. I don't think it would be cheap or that much of a college town because of that. Hyde Park on the South Side is nice. Probably not cheap any more though and you take a bus to get downtown.

What about around Amherst, MA? Close to a lot of schools, great breweries, and a AAA team in Worcester.

 

I hear Iuka is beautiful this time a year.

 

I think I'd be safe in placing a bet that most people wanting to retire to college towns haven't reached the "get off my lawn" stage of their lives.
I openly admit to being somewhat of - no, totally - a recluse, but I'm not a curmudgeon.

 

Growing up in the Midwest — or anywhere in “flyover country” — it’s easy to dump on New York City and SoCal for being elitist, overcrowded, overpriced, polluted hellholes.

Then my wife’s sister and her family moved to Torrance, and we visited them about 15 years ago (and a couple more times since). I don’t think I could live there, but it’s a great part of the L.A. area to visit. Beautiful weather, not too far from beaches, and traffic wasn’t bad as long as I stayed in the South Bay area. It was an eye opener and changed many of my preconceived notions about Southern California.

Now I need to visit NYC to change my attitude about Nu Yawk!

 

What I have observed in 40 years of living in a college town is that many people who retire to a "college town" like almost everything about it except the college, and the students.

"They party. They're loud. There's lots of traffic on football weekends. The flyovers before football games upset my dog. There's too much traffic near campus." Yada yada yada.

 

When I’m an old person (getting closer every day!) the last folks I want to be around are other old people. Gen X is bitchy enough now. In our 60s and 70s we will be insufferable.

 

I'm 100% Gen X wheelhouse (1971). I don't think I'm bitchy. I want to be left the heck alone. If some fool bothers me, I don't cause a stink. I just sort of grumble to myself and move a few yards away. I'd have to care about the people bothering me to be bitchy.
The beauty of Gen X is we've been left alone our whole lives. I want to keep it that way.
Oh, add in the fact I'm an only child Gen Xer who grew up in a rural area with no other kids around, you dang better believe I've had 53 years of entertaining myself.

Oh well, whatever, never mind.

 

Auburn, N.Y. always interested me, especially when it had an NY-P League franchise. Under 30k and I bet there is ample, affordable housing stick there, and reasonably close to Syracuse if you need a small big-city fix.

 

I am already retried and have been for a while, so I have not read all of this thread closely. However, I do wonder if folks here know a few financial angles on these decisions such as:

1. Pennsylvania is very generous in terms of state taxation of retirement income - - pensions and soc Sec.

2. Virginia has zero estate tax - - as in Nada/Zip/Zilch

Things to think about...

 

No one's late life plans should be based on taxes, politics, or proximity to not dying.
We're all going to die.
The only thing that matters is waking up each day, being happy, and enjoying whatever life you've chosen to live.
I'm sure I could go and exist to 100 in Nebraska, but that wouldn't be living to me.

 

Amherst is a lovely town, and the Pioneer Valley (Connecticut River valley) is a fine area. Winter can be tough. But there are many colleges, not just UMass, for cheap culture and nearby cheap beer.

 

I went back last year for the Georgia Tech game for the first time since 2007 and didn't recognize campus.