BETWEEN US
Margaret Guroff INTERIM EDITOR IN CHIEF
In Search of the Perfect Location
The art and science of finding great places to live
BREAKING AWAY: In this issue, we feature terrific American hometowns for older adults … and tips on planning multigenerational family vacations.
WHEN YOU’RE just starting out in life, any old town can turn into home: the place you went to school; the place you launched your career; the place you found love or had kids or just ended up staying. Later on, though, things often get more intentional. As kids leave the nest and retirement starts to seem like a real possibility, questions arise. Where will you feel comfortable as you age? Where will you have access to good medical care, convenient transportation, work if you want it, a friendly and safe community? And where will you be able to afford to live?
Every two years, this magazine seeks to help answer those questions by featuring a few American communities that are particularly good for older people—and by sharing how you can find others. This year’s feature, Great and Affordable Places to Live, puts an emphasis on affordability.
While nowhere is truly cheap these days, we found many great places with a lower-than-average cost of living, combined with a higher-than-average quality of life for those over 50. We’re spotlighting eight in our print edition, with expanded coverage and links to lots of helpful resources on our website, aarp.org.
As he has in the past, Executive Editor Jim Lenahan led this year’s effort, which began in January. Working with members of AARP’s Livable Communities policy group and AARP state offices across the country, his team developed a list of finalists. All of the towns they considered scored high on AARP’s Livability Index, which rates U.S. communities on a variety of factors, including housing availability and cost, public transportation system and access to health care. (See how your current home scores at aarp.org/livabilityindex.) Then they put snoops on the ground, hiring local freelance journalists to report on what life is really like for older residents.
“Many of our choices ended up being suburbs or exurbs of large cities, and it’s easy to see why,” Jim told me. “A well-designed community with a true small-town feel that is part of a big metro area provides the proverbial ‘best of both worlds,’ ” melding an intimate, neighborly experience with access to major medical centers, airports, sports venues and other conveniences. Whether you’re already seriously considering a move or only now starting to dream of one, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in this feature.
As the magazine’s travel editor, Jim was also responsible for putting together “Three Generations, One Harmonious Vacation,” featuring tips from experienced trip planners on how to orchestrate a big family getaway that all ages will enjoy. Having coordinated vacations for up to four generations myself—with all the preference-checking and schedule-aligning and expense-splitting that entails—I found the story enlightening and full of things I wish I’d known before I started. If you’re in the throes of planning such a trip, Godspeed! I hope the article helps you design a wonderful adventure.
