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We settled in a town that has a University town nearby.
I attend a few groups that are on-campus, so I see how many things are offered there.
One of our friends is a retiree who lives within walking distance of the campus. He maintains a gym membership on-campus. That gives him a campus ID [access to a lot of stuff]. He uses the gym in off-peak hours, mostly for swimming. The entire campus has really good wifi. He spends a lot of his time in the cafeteria online.
In addition, you get access to some great libraries, many with less limited budgets for periodicals like the Wall Street Journal and the like.
In addition, you get access to some great libraries, many with less limited budgets for periodicals like the Wall Street Journal and the like.
My private college library a mile from me has every literary journal, academic journal, and book I could ever want. I have a community member library card and can take out anything I want except for art books and folios. The loan is for the semester unless a student calls it in.
I have found that -- as someone else mentioned -- housing costs are about 25% higher here than in other cities/towns in the region. That would be my only negative comment about living here.
College towns generally hold and build their real estate value and that is a great plus for those buying in.
I agree about the lectures, concerts, etc. The private college here has had the St Petersburg Quartet, the Peabody String Q, and other music notables, many authors and lecturers. Last week Pulitzer Prize winning presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin presented in the college auditorium open to the public.
Each December the private women's colleges here do a beautiful candlelight Vespers service open to the public. Not to mention the incredible parklike grounds with paths maintained year-round, and a public pass to the gymnasium and pool in specific hours. I would be crazy to leave this town, there is so much going on. I guess we'll make a little senior apt in the house and if it comes down to it we'll live in it and rent out the rest.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fairlaker
The fact that college (and even high school) football and basketball games are so popular as to be seen as some kind of cultural plus says a lot about what sort of culture we actually live in.
One that likes fun? Orchestras, galleries, plays, museums, are all great too, but nothing at all wrong (and a whole lot is right) about 80k people cheering on your school team. It is fun, plus a huge boost to the economy.
Agreed. However, it is a PITA to have to drive 30+ miles each way on icy roads in January and February to a basketball game. Don't get me wrong, I have done it fifty times but I wished I lived about three miles away.
I doubt I would have purchased basketball tickets if I had a 66 mile trek while living in MN.
Now that I live in Arkansas, it is somewhat easier .
I just purchased the basketball tickets for the first time.
The possible down sides, just to present a balanced view:
--college students are sometimes noisy. Not sure I would want to live too close to the campus.
--rents can be higher in college towns.
--petty crime is sometimes higher (the operative word being sometimes--it can happen but it's also not a problem in many college towns, including my particular town).
--sometimes traffic can be heavier near a college, especially on game nights.
I lived in Davis, CA for 8 years, though I was working at the University while I was there. I live in the PNW now and while I do see myself relocating somewhere when I finally do retire, I don't think it will be a small college town for those reasons. Maybe near one, but not right IN one. The traffic wasn't really an issue, but the students are just so oblivious and even rude to anyone older than they are, and I literally got bumped into repeatedly in the grocery store, or had them barge out store doors while I was in the doorway first trying to get in, that kind of thing. I'm sure I was the same way when I was a college student, so I'm not trying to make them out to be untamed, wild ogres, but they're just so self-absorbed at that age, and it can get wearing when you have to deal with them so frequently.
On the upside, the school systems in college towns are usually good (which retirees might not care about), mostly because academically-oriented parents tend to be involved in their kids' educations, so kids are encouraged (sometimes pushed too hard, really), to excel, and there are often a lot of cultural opportunities associated with a college campus. If the town was large enough, the student issues might be diluted enough that they wouldn't be noticeable, but a town that exists solely to support a college, I think I've had my fill.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ukiyo-e
I lived in Davis, CA for 8 years, though I was working at the University while I was there. I live in the PNW now and while I do see myself relocating somewhere when I finally do retire, I don't think it will be a small college town for those reasons. Maybe near one, but not right IN one. The traffic wasn't really an issue, but the students are just so oblivious and even rude to anyone older than they are, ...
University towns come in all types and sizes, so best to tailor to your desires / cultural interests.
My TX home is in a 25k town with a small private U, a prep school, and a community college. Just about right for my cultural tastes, but not quite enough EDU options.
Davis or Chico is not on my radar for a nice 'retiree' college town. Very few state schools are, but there are some really nice towns with state schools (Bellingham, WA as one example, not a huge campus, but plenty big enough)
Madison, WI without the UW Campus would be a cow town....with a state capitol.
And you're right - schools in Madison are excellent. But it's become unaffordable to live there.
Property taxes on the tiny 1200 sq. foot Cape Cod home I grew up in - that my oldest sister still lives in - are well over $5K.
I always say if I HAD to move back there - I'd live just outside the county lines - or within striking distance.
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