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Continuing a side topic that sprouted in another thread....
Let's face it, some towns are considered "cooler" than others. Austin, Madison, Boulder, Portland, Eureka Springs are a few that came up on the side topic. When it comes to choosing a new town for retirement, does the "coolness" of a town become a factor in your choice? And, if so, is it a pro or a con?
To get the ball rolling, here are some possible pros:
Your friends and family are more likely to visit.
It's fun to live in a town with quirky coffee shops and interesting things to do.
Towns like this tend to attract vibrant people and have lots of young people
Towns like this tend to have more social groups and cultural activities
Some possible cons:
Since cool towns attract more people rents are higher and often taxes are too.
When the town stops being cool the people left behind have to pay for a lot of amenities
What do you guys think, and for those of you who have lived in cool towns, what has been your experience?
Interesting subject. Especially since we all have our different parameters of a "cool" town. Reading these forums, I have seen people loving and hating the sample places you listed. My personal feeling is that some of these type places have too much of an "attitude" to them, in other words they seem to exude the aura of "knowing they are cool" - I know I am not expressing this right, but this is the gist of what I have read from some who have lived in those areas.
We currently live in Sarasota, where we will probably remain throughout retirement (although who knows what can happen). We love it here, I don't know if it is considered "cool", it has probably too high a retirement population for that, but it has elements I desire in a city - small size, cosmopolitan vibe, beautiful scenery (beaches and foliage), lots of art and cultural activities, a good foodie scene and lots of festivals, etc. Plus several nationally renowned small colleges. Very nice quality of life here. The downside of this area is that it is a prime vacation spot and can get overloaded at times with people. Lots and lots of wealthy snow-birds here for part of the year. I don't mind this too much, though.
A few years ago we were living in a tiny central Florida town, and got the idea we might retire to Asheville, NC. Asheville is often compared to Portland or Boulder in a "mini" version. At first we thought it was great - mountains are beautiful, small but very vibrant, urban-esque downtown, lots of artists, etc. We bought a second home there and took small vacations, but by the third year the novelty wore off. Asheville is lovely, but to me has an over-the-top "crunchy" liberal vibe; juxtaposed with uber-conservative natives who HATE outsiders, especially those from the NE and Florida. It is also "homeless" friendly, and when I say "homeless" I don't mean the truly down-and-out but young "hippie" type who congregate under bridges and in business doorways and hassle you for money at every turn. I found this very unappealing, and it had grown to out-of-control proportions (IMO) by the time we sold that house in 2008. I will add that if we had it to do over, I would have chosen Black Mountain; a much smaller town a bit east of Asheville which I liked very much.
Anyway, once that house sold, we moved here to Sarasota which we love so much more - it's a bit more laid-back, and just IS what it is, with everyone getting along and not trying so hard to be non-comformist. It's not too liberal, not too conservative; just kind of middle-of-the-road, just like me. It's NOT perfect, by any means, but for now me and the hubs are quite content here.
In terms of "coolness", yes, I am looking for that definitely. But its the temperature I am looking for, not the ambiance.
Scottsdale is definitely one of the cool towns here to live in, but it would never suit me. I don't own designer clothes or a BMW, so I would not fit in. Tried it once but left quickly.
I don't mind the winter, so I am hoping to move up to Burlington, VT if and when i am able to move. It's a great little city on Lake Champlain, with excellent health care, a walkable downtown, and lots of interesting shops. It is also a college town, and an easy drive to Montreal.
I have to admit that I am somewhat guilty of this. Since I now live in what is considered a "cool' place to live (SoCal), I know I would get strange reactions if I said I was moving to say Indianapolis as opposed to Boston, Santa Fe, Denver or someplace that has some "fantasy" attached to it. I think it definitely has influenced my retirement places list to some degree.
A lot of times the thing that makes a town cool is having a college campus. Those can be great for retirees--campuses are pretty places to walk, and sometimes they let seniors audit classes. They also tend to have concerts and plays with fairly inexpensive tickets. On the other hand, college students are notorious for voting for town amenities that they never need to pay for (since they tend to graduate and move on). Traffic in college towns can get hairy. And sometimes college kids can get a bit rambunctious/drunk and give seniors a hard time.
Interesting subject. Especially since we all have our different parameters of a "cool" town.
LOL very true, very true. Some are easy to tell--others not so much. Rehoboth Beach, for example. It's got an artsy element but I don't tend to think of it as a cool town. Williamsburg? It's got a college, a couple of beaches, and the area is dedicated to "green" causes. Still.... not what I think of as a cool town, IMO. Wilmington, NC? From what I can tell from my short trip it's a cool town, although I can't really say why. Guess it has a "cool" vibe.
A lot of times the thing that makes a town cool is having a college campus. Those can be great for retirees--campuses are pretty places to walk, and sometimes they let seniors audit classes. They also tend to have concerts and plays with fairly inexpensive tickets. On the other hand, college students are notorious for voting for town amenities that they never need to pay for (since they tend to graduate and move on). Traffic in college towns can get hairy. And sometimes college kids can get a bit rambunctious/drunk and give seniors a hard time.
---" voting for town amenities "--
Ah,yes
In the fall of 2008, the ST Cloud Mn School District had a levy referendum on the ballot that would raise property taxes. There was doubt it would pass, especially due to the economy. Supporters of the levy went to ST CLoud State University campus to conduct a voter registration drive since they knew students would be eager to vote in the presidential race,also
The levy passed by a very small margin
The ST CLoud Times reported that the levy failed in every precinct but passed in the college precinct by such a huge margin it over rode the other 11 precincts
So, those college students, many living in college dorms that pay no property taxes, voted to raise theroperty taxes of those who do pay.
The irony was the spring of 2009 when Stearns County started sending jury notices out ( they get the names off voter registration lists )
Many of those students refused to comply and stated they were---- not----ST CLoud residents ( despite registering as such a few months earlier.
Sure doesn't say much for the intelligence of those college students
I wonder how they ever got out of high school. ,
I have to admit that I am somewhat guilty of this. Since I now live in what is considered a "cool' place to live (SoCal), I know I would get strange reactions if I said I was moving to say Indianapolis as opposed to Boston, Santa Fe, Denver or someplace that has some "fantasy" attached to it. I think it definitely has influenced my retirement places list to some degree.
Well, cool towns have some practical advantages in addition to being fun places to live and giving your retirement a certain cachet. And sometimes the disadvantages, such as higher rents, can be turned into advantages (you can buy a house, become a landlord, and benefit from the higher rents).
A wasteful exercise, IMO. What's "cool" to one will be the opposite to the next in line. And just when you think a town/city is "cool" for you something about it will change. I probably would never make a relocation decision based on something superficial.
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