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I'm just wondering if there is a small town out there reminiscent of the 50's/early 60's. The kind of town that has quiet neighborhoods, safe streets, safe to walk at night, neighbors gathering on front porches for a visit, etc.. I realize that times have changed (actually they have made a somewhat drastic change), but I wonder if there is a place like this somewhere. If you think you know of a place like this or even live in one, please post. I'd love to know. Thanks
Just kidding... We've seen a lot of little towns that feel like they are stuck in the past. Quite a few in central TX, and the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. The problem with towns like this is business. Most were once thriving little towns way back when, until larger highways rerouted the population - and business - elsewhere.
Get off the main highways and drive a bit, and you'll find some super sweet little towns. No jobs, boarded up businesses, and usually only old-folks left in them... but you'll see the ghosts of those super sweet little towns, anyway.
Life is what you make of it, the same is true of towns. Decide what areas of the country you like the best, then research the economic feasibility of each area, then go from there.
I'm just wondering if there is a small town out there reminiscent of the 50's/early 60's. The kind of town that has quiet neighborhoods, safe streets, safe to walk at night, neighbors gathering on front porches for a visit, etc.. I realize that times have changed (actually they have made a somewhat drastic change), but I wonder if there is a place like this somewhere. If you think you know of a place like this or even live in one, please post. I'd love to know. Thanks
I'm just wondering if there is a small town out there reminiscent of the 50's/early 60's. The kind of town that has quiet neighborhoods, safe streets, safe to walk at night, neighbors gathering on front porches for a visit, etc..
I retired and now live in Baker City, population about 10,000, in Eastern Oregon (the dry side). It reminds me of living in Northern Illinois in the fifties.
Kids play in the streets. Almost no crime. Males and females can walk all night long with no problems. Except for emergencies, nobody honks their car horns. Maybe not as many people socializing on front porches as in the fifties, but many walk or bicycle over to the park or the river walk.
However, it's two hours from a major city (Boise) so it's too remote for many people. High paying jobs are hard to find.
It's a beautiful area. Baker Valley is between the Elkhorn Mountains:
And the Wallowa Mountains:
It's certainly isn't for everybody, but I love living here.
If this gives you a blank screen, try clicking your browser's reload button:
http://www.visitbaker.com/video/axkalinkaa.wmv (broken link)
I retired and now live in Baker City, population about 10,000, in Eastern Oregon (the dry side). It reminds me of living in Northern Illinois in the fifties.
Kids play in the streets. Almost no crime. Males and females can walk all night long with no problems. Except for emergencies, nobody honks their car horns. Maybe not as many people socializing on front porches as in the fifties, but many walk or bicycle over to the park or the river walk.
However, it's two hours from a major city (Boise) so it's too remote for many people. High paying jobs are hard to find.
It's a beautiful area. Baker Valley is between the Elkhorn Mountains:
And the Wallowa Mountains:
It's certainly isn't for everybody, but I love living here.
If this gives you a blank screen, try clicking your browser's reload button:
http://www.visitbaker.com/video/axkalinkaa.wmv (broken link)
It looks lovely. I'm leaning toward Idaho to retire, but this looks lovely too. Thanks for posting and sharing the Baker City area.
Life is what you make of it, the same is true of towns. Decide what areas of the country you like the best, then research the economic feasibility of each area, then go from there.
If you weren't raised in the 1950s, then you just wouldn't understand. Of course, they're gone so your advice is good.
Baker City looks lovely! And no scene is so perfect that it isn't made perfect by a picture of a horse with mountains.
Do people retire to Baker City? Are there many "outsiders?" Should I start obsessing now or later? (You really didn't have to include the horse, did you?!)
Baker City looks lovely! And no scene is so perfect that it isn't made perfect by a picture of a horse with mountains.
Do people retire to Baker City? Are there many "outsiders?" Should I start obsessing now or later? (You really didn't have to include the horse, did you?!)
I was driving down the road and saw the horses and the haystack so I decided to take the picture. The horses got nervous so I had to wait a bit.
This is ranching country so there are a lot of horses and lotsa alfalfa is grown, which accounts for the hay stack. It would have been better if the picture included some cattle.
Some people retire here, but as I said, it isn't for everybody. I say this because it IS a rural area – Baker City is not the urban outpost that many people, who think they want to move to a rural town, are actually seeking. By this I mean the people who are seeking a liberal rural town.
One thing I like about here is most people don't really care what your politics are.
If you are old enough, you might remember the movie Paint Your Wagon. It was filmed near here and the story of its filming is interesting: Movies filmed in Oregon
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The kind of town that has quiet neighborhoods, safe streets, safe to walk at night, neighbors gathering on front porches for a visit, etc.. I realize that times have changed (actually they have made a somewhat drastic change), but I wonder if there is a place like this somewhere. If you think you know of a place like this or even live in one, please post. I'd love to know. Thanks 
