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Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayDaughtry
In reading over references to John Villani's books on art towns in America, an article in USA Today from 2005 on "10 great places for big-city art, small-town feel" (John Villani also contributed to this piece), a "Best Art Towns" list from America's 100 Best Places to Retire, and my own travel experiences, here is my list of best art towns for retirement (in alphabetical order):
Beaufort and Hilton Head, SC
Charleston, SC
Charlottesville, VA
Hot Springs, AR
Lewisburg, WV
Santa Fe, NM
Scottsdale, AZ
Wilmington, NC
Honorable mentions go to Abingdon, VA; New Orleans, LA; Ojai, CA; and Sedona, AZ.
I love the low country art of Betty Anglin Smith in Charleston. I remember being at a wonderful art show in Scottsdale a number of years ago. But for my number one choice, I am convinced that if I had to buy a piece of art of a certain size or price range within the next three days (let's say an inheritance in the fashion of Brewster's Millions depended on it), I would immediately get on a plane and head toward Santa Fe for its wide-ranging selection for a variety of tastes. A recent visit [2005] to Santa Fe's Canyon Road and other areas of the city left me greatly impressed with the art scene there. Generally speaking, I found the sales professionals in the various galleries to be knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and unpretentious.
Please feel free to add your comments on these or other towns that have great art communities.
Chico, CA: ranked #10 Best Small Art Town in America by John Villani, #1 Forbes Magazine's "Best Places in America", and #13 in Money.com's "Best Places to Live" Survey. Chico has also been identified as one of Kiplinger's "Great Places to Retire", and as the #1 Cycling Community in America by Bicycling Magazine.
Chico, CA: ranked #10 Best Small Art Town in America by John Villani, #1 Forbes Magazine's "Best Places in America", and #13 in Money.com's "Best Places to Live" Survey. Chico has also been identified as one of Kiplinger's "Great Places to Retire", and as the #1 Cycling Community in America by Bicycling Magazine.
Marquette, Mi. Has shared the same awards, best place to live, retire, restoration of inter city, best for biking due to our many exclusive paved trails , . Seems every year we get at lest one award !
I am surprised Highlands, NC is not on any list, it's about as good as it gets! Maybe it's because of size as Highlands is very small in winter.
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
8,852 posts, read 10,456,964 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by darstar
Marquette, Mi. Has shared the same awards, best place to live, retire, restoration of inter city, best for biking due to our many exclusive paved trails , . Seems every year we get at lest one award !
I am surprised Highlands, NC is not on any list, it's about as good as it gets! Maybe it's because of size as Highlands is very small in winter.
Well, if we must "compare", I doubt the weather is "the same".
Number of sunny days: United States, 205.... Marquette, 189... Chico, 276
Inches of snow: United States, 25 .... Marquette, 148 ... Chico, 0
farmers almanac: the-10-worst-weather-cities
3 & 4. MARQUETTE and SAULT ST. MARIE, MICHIGAN—We had a tie between these cities. If you enjoy lots of rain, snow and cold weather, these are two places you must visit!
Well, if we must "compare", I doubt the weather is "the same".
Number of sunny days: United States, 205.... Marquette, 189... Chico, 276
Inches of snow: United States, 25 .... Marquette, 148 ... Chico, 0
farmers almanac: the-10-worst-weather-cities
3 & 4. MARQUETTE and SAULT ST. MARIE, MICHIGAN—We had a tie between these cities. If you enjoy lots of rain, snow and cold weather, these are two places you must visit!
Bicycling Magazine said the same thing about Marquette, look it up.Marquette is always considered to be one of the top three snowiest cities in America, by many sources.( I don't mean some small place on a mt. pass at 9,000feet ether ). We have a very small town ( if you can call it that anymore ) west of us here in da UP called Herman , its claim to fame is the most snow in a 24 hour period, anywhere.
Worst weather?, You did not check the stats on rainfall, summer temps,and if you are very near the lake, Marquette is a lovely place to live with winter temps seldom below 0. try Fairbanks if you want cold. Mild climates ( like Chico ) will always fair best in any survey. Seldom are ALL factors considered in this perfect world places contest. For accurate measures weather wise you need to take in everything, including earthquakes, humidity,dew point, quality of air , flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, any natural event that registers higher on a personal scale. These " best Cities", while they do pump your place proud, seldom take into consideration individual preferences / choices.
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
8,852 posts, read 10,456,964 times
Reputation: 6670
No question, every place is ''relative'', especially compared to whatever different folks are looking for. And likely everywhere has at least a few areas and days when the place is a ''best'', in one way or another. But living in Seattle thoroughly cured me of that kinda ''blindered'' thinking, where the ''numbers'' really don't look so bad compared to other cities, and when there are some days where the scenery and the weather there are just so dazzling. While overlooking the practical reality that those days are very few and far between, with lotsa 'microclimates' and conditions so volatile that the common saying is, ''if you don't like the weather, wait an hour!'' Or as a friend of mine used to put it, ''living in Seattle is like being married to a gorgeous woman... who always has a headache!''
So these days, having relocated to the sunniest city (out of 141 cities!), I'll gladly 'settle' for the monotony of ''ho-hum, just another clear and sunny day!''
No question, every place is ''relative'', especially compared to whatever different folks are looking for. And likely everywhere has at least a few areas and days when the place is a ''best'', in one way or another. But living in Seattle thoroughly cured me of that kinda ''blindered'' thinking, where the ''numbers'' really don't look so bad compared to other cities, and when there are some days where the scenery and the weather there are just so dazzling. While overlooking the practical reality that those days are very few and far between, with lotsa 'microclimates' and conditions so volatile that the common saying is, ''if you don't like the weather, wait an hour!'' Or as a friend of mine used to put it, ''living in Seattle is like being married to a gorgeous woman... who always has a headache!''
So these days, having relocated to the sunniest city (out of 141 cities!), I'll gladly 'settle' for the monotony of ''ho-hum, just another clear and sunny day!''
Cause and reaction, are you saying it only rains at night.? Otherwise I would consider the possibility of an arid climate. Sort of like your description of Seattle. It's on the dry side of the range ( compared to the west rain forest side)yet, with all the water surround it's not so dry and still gets the cloud cover along with the rain, but not everyday. This said, I liked the rain forest, where it never stopped raining altogether. Not a lot different than a place in a very mild climate where thee sun, never stopped shining........
I made a great discovery ... a town that is also starting to redefine itself and becoming a charming "artsy" community right on Florida's Gold Coast (the legendary necklace of glamorous cities from Miami to Palm Beach including the desirable resort beach towns of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach and Boca Raton) ... and that town is Lake Worth, just south of Palm Beach.
The little downtown area was once sleepy and faded, but all kinds of great little restaurants are opening up there. It has one of the better beaches on the Atlantic coast of Florida with a newly renovated "Casino" - not the gambling kind, more of a large club house open to the public. And ... finding parking on the beach was not a hassle, but you do have to put money in the meter.
The house prices in Lake Worth, compared to it's next door neighbors like Palm Beach and Boca Raton are cheap! Mary, a good friend of mine in college way back in the 1970's settled in Lake Worth and loves it there.
This is the town where real estate savvy gay and lesbian couples are moving to; in fact the Palm Beach County Gay & Lesbian Community Center is not in the much larger and more populous West Palm Beach several miles north, but in downtown Lake Worth. Florida Atlantic University is nearby, and although not as well known as the University of Florida in Gainesville or Florida State in Tallahassee, FAU has arguably the best theater program in the Florida state university system - so they put on first rate productions.
So, folks, you got some current "insider" info from me.
When visiting I was charmed by the "Old Florida" Mediterranean architecture of the 1920's and '30's in the downtown area. Check it out.
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