Retirement/relocation destination?

[YMCA B-Baller]

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.

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.

That's exactly what I'm doing ... even if I'm not close to being retired. It has its charms, the novelty also wears off after a while. The key is not taking things that are cool - wider variety of restaurants, cultural opportunities - for granted. Saw an art house movie weekend before last. That ship was definitely not happening in my previous locale.

 

[playthrough]

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.

I'm biased but I think Bloomington, Indiana, has retained most of its charm. For as much as I talk about packing up our Indianapolis life and retiring to another time zone and/or someplace that doesn't require a shovel in the winter, I might just retire one hour south to B-town. Plenty of cultural opportunities, great scenery just a few minutes out of town and I can also be one of those old farts in a red sweater in ashembly Hall ranting about kids not being able to shoot anymore. After another season of octogenarian Curt Cignetti running roughshod through the Big Ten.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

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

So ... Fort Collins?

May I interest you in a house within walking distance to great smallmouth fishing and only 15 minutes from the Walton Arts Center, the university and downtown Fayetteville? For 295k?

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/...ssage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

 

[I Should Coco]

I'm biased but I think Bloomington, Indiana, has retained most of its charm. For as much as I talk about packing up our Indianapolis life and retiring to another time zone and/or someplace that doesn't require a shovel in the winter, I might just retire one hour south to B-town. Plenty of cultural opportunities, great scenery just a few minutes out of town and I can also be one of those old farts in a red sweater in ashembly Hall ranting about kids not being able to shoot anymore. After another season of octogenarian Curt Cignetti running roughshod through the Big Ten.

"Make your darn free throws!"

Also, if you get season tickets but can't make all the games, you can make good $$$ selling to now-Big Ten fans on the West Coast who want to see football games on all the B1G campuses.

 

[dixiehack]

Shoot, I went back to Kennesaw State last Friday for the first time since Graduation Day 2006. I knew enrollment had shot up, but I attributed most of that to them merging with Southern Poly a few exits down in Marietta.

Nuh uh.

I got turned around on a road system that wasn't there before. I kept pashing buildings that weren't there before. When I got parked, it turned out I was on the exact opposite side of campus from where I thought I was.

I stumbled around for several minutes unable to get my bearings before thankfully finding a campus map sign, which is how I learned I was on the north end of campus. There was a small cluster of buildings in the center of the map which I finally recognized as "my" campus. Beyond that were new buildings flanking it in three directions. No longer can one stand on the campus green and see the Waffle House sign at Exit 271.

The bookstore inside the student center was bigger than before and insane realized why. In the mid 2000s you could get a few generic looking KSU sweatshirts and tees, with a few license plates and maybe a couple of hat styles thrown in. Now fully half the store or more was devoted to black and gold swag of every variety, and just stuff that looked like it came from Cafepress either. It legitimately had the inventory level I would expect from a NFL stadium team shop.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

May I interest you in a house within walking distance to great smallmouth fishing and only 15 minutes from the Walton Arts Center, the university and downtown Fayetteville? For 295k?

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/...ssage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

Where will I keep horses?

 

[Cosmo]

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.

Absolutely loved my time in Blacksburg in my late teens and early 20s. Absolutely no way I could live there now in my late 40s, for reasons you've listed. I'm not trying to be the old dude at TOTS reliving my college days.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Where will I keep horses?

My place in the Ozarks? It's like 25 minutes from there.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

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 Mashachusetts, as well?

Here on Cape Cod, property taxes are not so onerous, because so many houses are owned by part-time summer residents. The year-round population is smaller, thus requiring fewer services. It's a pol's dream, 60 percent of the taxpayers can't vote and only use services for 2-3 months.

 

[Monday Morning Sportswriter]

Moved to southern Lancaster County for work five years ago and decided this is home now, even though retirement is 20 years away. Only move we plan is to the retirement home across town, or maybe the cemetery across the street from it.

Though we spent some time in the Shenandoah Valley last month and that would be a nice consolation prize. Strasburg, Staunton, Harrisonburg, Lexington (maybe too many kids).

 

[MileHigh]

So ... Fort Collins?

Yup it's awesome. I don't get up there much anymore since the crash. I did go up about a month ago and it's still awesome. And growing like crazy.

 

[MisterCreosote]

I've been told that Michigan and Minnesota are great for documented lake and winter lovers like myself.

But I know next to nothing about either of those states, outside of the fact that my brother's wife grew up in Grand Rapids and loved it.