Are you planning your retirement? If so, you are likely trying to determine the best place to live out your golden years. Not only do you want a location that’s affordable, but you’re also looking for a place where you can live life to the fullest! Many people think of large, bustling cities for an active retirement, but here’s an option you may not have considered: a small town! Small towns actually have a number of benefits and a great deal to offer retirees. Let’s talk about the best reasons for retiring in a small town!
Moving to a small town doesn’t mean you’ll lose out on modern conveniences!
In the past, many people felt that small towns were not the ideal places to retire for one primary reason: lack of modern conveniences. Today, that’s not exactly true! Most small towns won’t force you to swap convenience for a simpler life. You’ll likely still have easy internet access, email, and internet phone services. Shopping opportunities and a variety of restaurants are still plentiful too. You’ll enjoy all the same perks of big city living just located in closer proximity to one another.
Enjoy a sense of community.
When you live in a small town, you can enjoy a better quality of life because of the sense of community. Enjoy a slower pace with the added benefit of friends and neighbors who are always within arm’s reach!
Less traffic for less frustration!
When living in a smaller community, you can avoid the frustration of dealing with large volumes of traffic – something you don’t need to deal with in your retirement! In fact, you may opt to walk to local stores or restaurants, as they’ll all be close to one another anyhow.
Hobbies!
Living in a small town even makes it easier for you to enjoy some of your favorite hobbies. Depending on the town you move to, you can enjoy hunting or fishing on a regular basis. Or, you can play softball in your backyard or in the neighborhood park. You can even start your own vegetable or perennial garden or participate in a community garden!
Small towns can offer more safety and a sense of security.
Retiring to a small community also makes it possible to live a more carefree and safer life. After all, small communities do not have the same crime rates as larger cities. Therefore, you can walk down the street feeling safe and secure in the fact that you likely will not get mugged or hurt.
Related: Consider These Senior Housing Options If Safety Is Your Top Priority
Your health will thank you.
Less traffic, less factories, and fewer other pollution-causing businesses mean less pollution! You won’t have to deal with the smog that is common in big cities. And, your lungs will thank you! With better air quality comes more opportunities to get your exercise outdoors too.
Also great for your health is the lack of stress in a small town. After all, when you get away from it all, you are more likely to feel rested and relaxed. As a result, you will be able to keep your blood pressure down and keep your heart healthy. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city is a welcome reprieve for any retiree.
Choosing a Small Town Over a Retirement Community
Although retirement communities can certainly be a great place for living out your retirement years, moving to a small town has advantages over this type of retirement living. Living in a small town allows you to still live within a mixed-age community. And, for many retirees, the thought of living with only older individuals within a retirement community is undesirable. In fact, many prefer to live in a more diverse community where they can feed off of the energy of younger groups of people!
When moving to a small town rather than a retirement community, you can also enjoy having a good parcel of land that is all your own. Since homes in small towns are not as costly as those in the city, you can stretch your dollars further and purchase a nice home in a small town to retire to that has a good amount of land.
So, should I move to a small town for retirement?
Is small-town retirement for you? Small communities offer a certain amount of charm that cannot be found in retirement communities or in large cities. In addition, you can get closer to nature when living in small towns since these little gems are not filled with city skyscrapers, freeways, and other sites common to big cities.
Although retiring to a small town may not be the right choice for everyone, many retirees find small-town living to be the perfect way to live out their retirement years. Perhaps you are one of them!
Want to read more senior-living articles? There’s a blog for that!
Need help with retirement planning? Then, check out Bob Carlson’s Retirement Watch!
