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I am researching retiring from NYC to a small town anywhere in the U.S. The only problem: I can't drive, never have and because of an eye condition, never will. Are there any small towns where you don't need a car?
For a small town, Brattleboro Vermont has a very good public transportation system. It will get you all around the area cheap & fast.
Mackinac Island In northern Michigan doesn’t even allow cars but it’s a summer resort and may not be what you’re looking for, if you could even find permanent real estate.
Pretty much anywhere in SE Alaska. I'd suggest Haines, Sitka or Juneau.
Juneau has excellent public transportation and the downtown area is walkable. It also has jet service and a regional hospital. Sitka offers essentially the same, though I'm not sure about public transportation details.
Haines is quite small but very beautiful. You could walk just about anywhere in its downtown area. Otherwise, call a cab. I don't think they have a bus service.
The relative lack of motor vehicle activity in the region is refreshing. Haines doesn't even have a traffic light.
There is the weather to consider. Yes, SE AK is comparatively mild in winter compared to the rest of the state but still lots of ice to contend with while doing that walking around. For anything other than run-of-the-mill healthcare, you'd be flying to Seattle or Anchorage to get it.
We have a reasonable senior program here in the boonies of DE. They make weekly trips to the grocery store and pharmacy. They will, for a fee, take you to dr appts and possibly the hospital. However, it takes months to get an appt by which time your dr can go concierge or the practice can be bought by a corporation or your dr. will simply get the hell out of DE and go back where they came from. This is a constant here, medical care in dire need and a dozen reasons why it's not getting better.
Wooster, Ohio has a subsidized public transit system, which is unusual in a city of 27,000. The hospital even has a service to transport you to and from the hospital for appointments. We have a large Amish population that does not drive.
Gosh, OP, if you are worried about pesticides used on large corporation owned farms, don't buy a house next door to one of their farm fields.
The people who apply those things are specially trained and licensed and they aren't going to drive around spraying every house in the village, so stay back a little distance from the hay (or potato, or corn) fields and don't worry about it.
I am researching retiring from NYC to a small town anywhere in the U.S. The only problem: I can't drive, never have and because of an eye condition, never will. Are there any small towns where you don't need a car?
You should definitely look into Chapel Hill-Carrboro NC. The adjoining twin towns (61K/21K population respectively) are 15 minutes south of Durham (home of Duke University/Duke U Med Center, 325K population) and feature a fairly compact cross-section of every amenity possible anchored by the University of North Carolina and its top-tier medical center campus as well. UNC operates a fantastic selection of programs or classes for seniors which are often free or very low cost. The towns operate a very reliable bus service that touches every commercial area and the vast majority of neighborhoods. It's a fare-free service which is a great perk for seniors/retirees on a fixed budget. It's also very pedestrian-friendly and not formidable to walk around in even in the busier areas. There are a few great grocery stores and if inclined two year-round farmers markets and a food coop that are among the best in the country.
College towns ,you can walk to stores and campus,they have cafeteria,bookstore,gyms,library,concert and clinics.
rent is cheaper too,if you dont mind living among students.
medium size towns could be better-public transportation ,uber,local stores,national stores,New Orleans has street cars and buses,French Qtr is open 24/7.
The local bars sell milk !!!!!
OP, are you eligible for Medicaid? If so, you could qualify for both medical and non-medical transportation, depending upon the state you reside in.
I live just outside a small town in rural Colorado. When my truck's engine seized up, I flipped out. I live on a small, fixed income and save what money I can, but my small savings was not enough to buy another car. There's not much at all by the way of public transportation here and I thought I would be stranded forever. Then someone told me about Medicaid's transportation program, so I filled out the application papers and crossed my fingers and my toes as I waited for my approval letter. After 4 weeks (which is lightening fast when dealing with the Feds), I got my notification letter stating that I had been qualified. YAY!
I also discovered that a taxi cab service had sprung up in my town - mainly due to the transportation program, but the taxi company offered its services (for a price) to anyone who needed a ride. This helped EVERYONE in my small town - win/win.
I can now get transportation for medical treatment as far away as Denver which is 400 miles from here, but has one of the best hospitals around and which attracts specialists at the top of their fields. I couldn't access such quality medical care before but - finally - now I can.
In addition to transportation for medical services, Medicaid recipients are allowed transportation to go do non medical type things anywhere in my county and up to three times a week. This means that folks can get to the grocery store to do their shopping or visit a friend or spend an afternoon browsing and reading books at the public library or attend a city council meeting to make their concerns heard. Once I was even allowed to use this service to get my cat to the vet after Kitty had an unfortunate encounter with a bobcat.
The only things they won't let you do is get a ride to the liquor store or the recreational marijuana shop. Fine by me. I don't smoke pot anyhow, and if I want the occasional glass of wine, I just buy some wine from the grocery store.
If OP or anyone else who may be reading this thread is interested in this service, I'd be glad to post a few links about this literally life saving Medicaid program.
I am researching retiring from NYC to a small town anywhere in the U.S. The only problem: I can't drive, never have and because of an eye condition, never will. Are there any small towns where you don't need a car?
None that I've lived in. That's part of small town living that you need your own transportation. You need to be self sufficient to some degree. You also will not have the anywhere near the same level of medical care.
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