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My wife and I are currently retired and temporarily living in Stamford, Ct, paying $3000/mo for a very nice 2br/2ba 1300 sqft, courtyard apt. What we like about the area are the excellent libraries, theatres, art facilities and related cultural events as well as the walkability. What we have to address somehow is the extraordinary cost of living.
I've done some amount of research on moving to other cities that have a similar cosmopolitan feel like Philly, Providence, New Haven, Wilmington, Silver Springs, but crime send to be a persistent issue. I was wondering if anyone is retired in an area (neighborhood) in the NorthEast that had the lifestyle that we are looking for with a reasonable cost of living. Initially we will be renting but then we will be buying some one level, low maintenance home. Thanks for any recommendations it suggestions!
My wife and I are currently retired and temporarily living in Stamford, Ct, paying $3000/mo for a very nice 2br/2ba 1300 sqft, courtyard apt. What we like about the area are the excellent libraries, theatres, art facilities and related cultural events as well as the walkability. What we have to address somehow is the extraordinary cost of living.
I've done some amount of research on moving to other cities that have a similar cosmopolitan feel like Philly, Providence, New Haven, Wilmington, Silver Springs, but crime send to be a persistent issue. I was wondering if anyone is retired in an area (neighborhood) in the NorthEast that had the lifestyle that we are looking for with a reasonable cost of living. Initially we will be renting but then we will be buying some one level, low maintenance home. Thanks for any recommendations it suggestions!
I really enjoyed living in Bennington, VT. Historic, scenic, walkable. If I could afford to live there, bet you could too!
My wife and I are currently retired and temporarily living in Stamford, Ct, paying $3000/mo for a very nice 2br/2ba 1300 sqft, courtyard apt. What we like about the area are the excellent libraries, theatres, art facilities and related cultural events as well as the walkability. What we have to address somehow is the extraordinary cost of living.
I've done some amount of research on moving to other cities that have a similar cosmopolitan feel like Philly, Providence, New Haven, Wilmington, Silver Springs, but crime send to be a persistent issue. I was wondering if anyone is retired in an area (neighborhood) in the NorthEast that had the lifestyle that we are looking for with a reasonable cost of living. Initially we will be renting but then we will be buying some one level, low maintenance home. Thanks for any recommendations it suggestions!
Oh brother........I'm sure you can find "crime" anywhere- if you're looking for it-just like you could find some perfectly acceptable areas in any of those cities you mentioned. I seriously doubt the nicer areas in any of those areas are "crime" infested- You could say the same about any city anywhere- just stay out of the "hoods and projects" and you most likely would be ok. I recently had to defend my city about being the heroin capital of the northwest or some such crap- like I would know a drug dealer if he bit me on my azz.
Oh brother........I'm sure you can find "crime" anywhere- if you're looking for it-just like you could find some perfectly acceptable areas in any of those cities you mentioned. I seriously doubt the nicer areas in any of those areas are "crime" infested- You could say the same about any city anywhere- just stay out of the "hoods and projects" and you most likely would be ok. I recently had to defend my city about being the heroin capital of the northwest or some such crap- like I would know a drug dealer if he bit me on my azz.
There is crime everywhere BUT one of the list is a depressed city outside of the university- that would be New Haven. Philadelphia is big enough that you can find very safe and very dangerous areas. Silver Springs is a suburb, right? I guess it has culture but it's in DC. The others I have no idea about. You could make a comprehensive list of medium-sized cities and try to narrow it down from there.
By the way, I read an article recently about businesses leaving CT, so maybe the cost of living will go down eventually.
Check out the town of West Hartford, CT. It has everything you want and is safe.
Go over to the Connecticut forum and do a search on the town or ask your questions to that forum.
West Hartford is a suburb of 62,000, not a small city even though it has a city government. My girlfriend lives in West Hartford center which is about 10 commercial blocks that feel urban. One block beyond that center and it's all single family homes. If you have to be in Hartford and you want to be near upscale mixed use space, it's the best you're going to do. It's very thin on "city" things. If you want to replicate that walkable apartment housing, it's the same money in West Hartford because there is so little of it in the nice sections of town. Also, if you're buying, beware of local real estate taxes. The proposed budget for next year pushes the mill rate up over $40 per thousand valuation (on CT's 70% of true market value). Housing for that single family home costs far less than Fairfield county but you're still facing a stiff property tax bill.
If I were looking for urban small single family home, I'd take a hard look at Providence, RI. The section around Brown University is really nice. You also have cheap commuter rail and a bit less cheap Amtrak to Boston which approximates your access to NYC. I'm not sure how far you'd have to go from Brown to hit your price point on a single family home. There's been heavy gentrification and prices have gone up considerably. You also have some nice RI coastal suburbs where Providence access is pretty easy on bus routes and driving outside of rush hour. Barrington might work for you. 9 miles out of Providence and a bus every 20 minutes.
You can't get any closer to Boston than that because housing costs shoot up just like Fairfield County.
The usual approach to get the intellectual stimulation plus the safety at lower cost is to pick a college town rather than urban.
My wife and I are currently retired and temporarily living in Stamford, Ct, paying $3000/mo for a very nice 2br/2ba 1300 sqft, courtyard apt. What we like about the area are the excellent libraries, theatres, art facilities and related cultural events as well as the walkability. What we have to address somehow is the extraordinary cost of living.
I've done some amount of research on moving to other cities that have a similar cosmopolitan feel like Philly, Providence, New Haven, Wilmington, Silver Springs, but crime send to be a persistent issue. I was wondering if anyone is retired in an area (neighborhood) in the NorthEast that had the lifestyle that we are looking for with a reasonable cost of living. Initially we will be renting but then we will be buying some one level, low maintenance home. Thanks for any recommendations it suggestions!
Western Massachusetts west of the 495 belt if you wish some space around your house. The closer you are to that belt the more expensive north or south of Worcester. The surrounding towns of Worcester are good choices as well. We currently live in the north Worcester hills along RTE 2 and RTE 190. Further west of Worcester you will see lower prices and more open spaces. Inside the 495 belt you will pay a premium for what you seek but the conditions are very favorable as well. The hub of Boston reaches out as far as we live 1 hour away. Culture are all around. You might have to drive a piece to see events and museums but within each city and town along the way you can walk the downtown areas. Visit the local shops, stores and restaurants on foot or bus as some communities have bus service as well. The cost of living is less in MA than it is in CT (IMO only). Retirement income in MA is mostly untaxed with a few exceptions. PM me for specifics if you are interested.
Maybe New Brunswick, New Jersey? Not sure, lived there years ago while attending a graduate program at Rutgers University where Rutgers main campus is located.
And Highland Park, NJ nearby New Brunswick.
Last edited by matisse12; 06-05-2017 at 02:33 PM..
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