Summer retirement location w/n 200 miles? (Charlottesville, Blacksburg: ski resort, townhouse, college)

[NC211]

So, my folks have long wanted to replace thier home in NE Oklahoma with something in the mountains of Carolina (Boone, Ashville, etc). This has been a plan for several years. My wife and I have the only grandkids for both sides of our families. Her folks are 4 hours south in NC. My folks are ready to be closer too. They spend their winters in Naples, FL, and Oklahoma during the summer. However, it's become too hot for them in Oklahoma, and as they age, that location is becoming too much to manage.

They've been doing timeshares in the NC mountains now for the past few years. Now that we're out of Chicago and back to where we belong, the mid-Atlantic, they're ready to get this ball rolling again. However, 450+ miles from where we are in Loudoun to the NC mountains, is proving to be a tad too far for a "weekend visit". That's basically one day out of the office to drive, one day to visit, one day to drive back, then back in the office.

They'd like to be closer to us, and W. VA and PA have both come up in recent conversations. The main object here, is to find elevation for cooler weather during the summer months. They're in their early/mid 70's and extremely active. They're hoping to find somewhere of similiar folks, that is quaint and nice, and hopefully within a couple hundred miles from us instead of several hundred. They spent a week down at Massanutten and we went to visit them. They didn't care for it though, didn't have that quaint feeling they're looking for. I'd figure around a $500k budget for a low-maintenance house / townhouse. They love playing golf! Not a big fan of lakes anymore (on one in Oklahoma), but not opposed to one either. The big thing is the heat, and wanting to be around other active and fun retirees, while also being w/n 4 hours or so from their grand kids. I'd like a ski resort area nearby too, so we could go use it during the winter when they're in Florida.

Any suggestions?

[Carlingtonian]

Harpers Ferry, WV?

Or maybe Snowshoe, WV.

[GCPA]

Bedford County PA?

Don't ask me why I say that...I just do.

[GCPA]

Hershey PA
Lancaster Co PA....gorgeous territory

[oneasterisk]

Winchester, VA made AARP's list of affordable retirement destinations: 10 Affordable Cities for Retirement, Best Places to Retire 2011 - AARP The Ma...

[cdmurphy]

My in-laws retired to Sand Springs, a golf community in Drums, PA. It's not just "55 or better" but most of the residents seem to be retired, many from the NYC area. They've been there for two years and they are really happy with their home and the community. (Wednesday Yuengs & Wings at the clubhouse is pretty popular.) It's about 3.5 hours from our home in eastern Loudoun (we go up 15 to Harrisburg, then 83 to 81). It's right by the junction of 81 and 80, about halfway between Hazelton and Wilkes-Barre - convenient for hopping on 80 East and hitting the outlet malls or on to NYC. Also close to Hershey, Sesame Place, Dutch Wonderland, etc. - it's a good central location for all of their kids and grandkids to meet up.

Winters can be rough, but if they're in Florida then that won't matter. Oh, and townhomes start in the mid-160s, single-families start in the 200s.

[GCPA]

One last time...

Within 4 hours and summertime only...PITTSBURGH would be at the top of my list.

[Caladium]

Winchester, Blacksburg, Staunton, and Harpers Ferry all seem like good possibilities, although I've only spent short bits of time in each of these. Visit for a few weeks to make sure they'd like it. Pittsburgh has good medical facilities and museums, but last year I recommended it to some friends looking for a retirement place and after they visited they decided it wouldn't work out for them. The reasons: it's very hilly, and most of the other retirees there have lived in the city all their life and didn't seem interested in being friends with newcomers. They liked the city, though, and it might work for your parents if they don't mind hills.

There are some other good suggestions on this extensive thread about Virginia in the Retirement Forum:


Retiring into, or out of, Virginia

[claremarie]

"The main object here, is to find elevation for cooler weather during the summer months."

Cooler than what? The DC area, or Oklahoma?

IME, it's hard to get significantly cooler than DC by traveling only a few hours. But you might consider State College PA. Or Berkely Springs WV.

[Bigfoot424]

The problem with this area (within 4 hours) is the mountains, for the most part, are not always cooler than the low lying areas. I ride in them all the time on my motorcycle and I worked in them for a few years and they were often just as hot. So, that said, I would concentrate on a good area for retirees and that would be Charlottesville. I read an article on this city recently somewhere and how great of a city it is for retirees. Plenty of activities, shopping and everything retirees could need.