Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
While a lovely idea to provide walk-friendly environment close to downtown in a neighborhood of older housing stock, it might be worth a moment to stop and applies the brakes a bit on something that perhaps isn't ideal for a pair of seniors already not getting around as well as they used to. Consider neighborhood terrain, winter conditions and logistics of getting to/from when the weather is bad or you're not around. There are more affordable options where maybe it's not the romanticized notion you have, but rather something more practical where similar conveniences exist. Here in Florida a town like Fernandina Beach (just north of Jacksonville) or Dunedin (just north of St Pete-Clearwater) provide walkable areas close to shopping and restaurants that are flat versus hilly, a warm and sunny climate not icy/snowy for months on end and lower cost housing with low taxes, as well as nearby access to quality medical care.
While a lovely idea to provide walk-friendly environment close to downtown in a neighborhood of older housing stock, it might be worth a moment to stop and applies the brakes a bit on something that perhaps isn't ideal for a pair of seniors already not getting around as well as they used to. Consider neighborhood terrain, winter conditions and logistics of getting to/from when the weather is bad or you're not around. There are more affordable options where maybe it's not the romanticized notion you have, but rather something more practical where similar conveniences exist. Here in Florida a town like Fernandina Beach (just north of Jacksonville) or Dunedin (just north of St Pete-Clearwater) provide walkable areas close to shopping and restaurants that are flat versus hilly, a warm and sunny climate not icy/snowy for months on end and lower cost housing with low taxes, as well as nearby access to quality medical care.
Thanks everyone for the detailed info. There's plenty to look into and some promising locations.
@kyle19125 - Thanks for your concern. No brakes need to be applied. This is early research and weather was not a concern in my original post intentionally. Weather seems to influence peoples recommendations in what seems to me to be a disproportional way. My mother is quite spry and enjoys walking and appreciates the exercise. My father will have pretty limited exposure to weather and walking in general and they both prefer cold to heat and humidity. That said we're open to southern locations but prefer to make decisions based on criteria that matters more to us. I assure you that there is no romanticized notion involved.
Check out Cookeville, Tennessee. My 86 year old mother moved last year to downtown Cookeville and loves it. She walks to do most of her errands: a downtown grocery store, two farmers markets, the main library, the performing arts center (indoor and outdoor; last week she saw the symphony perform outdoors, and this weekend is free Shakespeare performances outdoors), 30+ restaurants, her bank, both her doctors, lots of shopping, and multiple museums and galleries. The regional hospital is adjacent to downtown. Taxes are low, the cost of living is inexpensive, the countryside is gorgeous, and it's only an hour east of Nashville. Cookeville is a college town that has become quite popular with retirees.
To give you an example of what downtown housing is like in Cookeville, here are some homes downtown that have sold recently for less than $225k:
Great looking homes (of course I am flabbergasted at the prices, you would have to add a 1 in front of every one of those to get something similar in my historic neighborhood) and a well put together web site for the area. It looks like a great town that even piques my interest as a place to consider if we decide to retire in another area. After living in an area that is exceedingly walkable and has a great village vibe we couldn’t see ourselves in any other type of environment.
Many upstate NY cities and towns can work for you. Plenty of ex-NYCers who are living out their later years living up here too. Johnstown, NY could work for you. Very safe, quiet, and walkable. Only thing that sucks is you won't really be able to walk to the larger grocery stores. Well, you could, but I wouldn't want my mom walking there simply because the traffic is heavier in those areas. There are sidewalks everywhere though which is great and lots of people get around on foot or bicycle. If she doesn't need a lot of specific items, she could walk to the neighborhood Stewart's which is a smaller local convenience store chain that has certain grocery items. Property taxes in Johnstown are way cheaper than anywhere else in the Albany metro. Well anywhere you'd actually want to live, that is.
If you don't mind paying $6K-$8K a year for property taxes, many neighborhoods within the city of Albany are walkable, safe, and quiet. New Scotland, Whitehall, and Helderberg neighborhoods all have a good mix of residents, including many aging seniors. Very active community and very safe. With your budget you *might* be able to find what you're looking for.
Great looking homes (of course I am flabbergasted at the prices, you would have to add a 1 in front of every one of those to get something similar in my historic neighborhood) and a well put together web site for the area. It looks like a great town that even piques my interest as a place to consider if we decide to retire in another area. After living in an area that is exceedingly walkable and has a great village vibe we couldn’t see ourselves in any other type of environment.
Cookeville is a great little town. Tennessee's very favorable tax structure is a definite perk, but Cookeville is certainly one of the nicer places in Tennessee. There are some suburbs of Nashville, namely Franklin and Brentwood, that are flashier and more scrubbed, but they come at a steep price. I think, pound for pound, Cookeville offers the best of what many active retirees are looking for: low cost of living, low taxes, a thriving foodie scene, a surprising amount of cultural activities (much of it because of the presence of a mid-major state university), NCAA sports, absolutely gorgeous countryside, a bunch of golf courses, a large regional hospital, a mild climate with four very distinct seasons, and all just an hour from the Nashville airport. It's also a very family friendly town with lots to do for when the grandkids come to visit: children's museum, children's theater, children's library, bike trails, nice parks. And because of the university's presence, many retirees find that they enjoy taking classes just for fun, things like foreign languages, pottery, music, creative writing, or attending lectures and presentations open to the public.
I actually don't live in Cookeville and am not yet retired, but when I do retire I plan on moving there in a heartbeat.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
