There should be college towns for people who are in their forties or fifties.
They wouldn't really have a college, but they would be sort of like what college towns were like, only mostly geared towards people too old for college.
(https://img.bestplaces.net/images/zipcode/OK_Norman_73072.png)
Tallahassee is an example of this, in spite of having multiple colleges (Florida State, FAMU, and others). as a state capital. It has lots of state employees and government-related jobs, and is also becoming a retirement destination.
Charlottesville is very popular among retirement-age people in large part because of the UVA Hospital.
Ann Arbor and most of UofM games are filled with middle age people. I say that as a UofM fan who has attended dozens of sporting events in Ann Arbor. The younger crowds tend to go to East Lansing and MSU given the party school reputation.
Hillsborough, North Carolina. It's got a college town atmosphere where nearly half of the townies walk everywhere. Plus, many of its inhabitants work at Duke or UNC (and sometimes you get someone working at Elon or N.C. State). But no colleges in walking distance.
Now to the age part. Ten years ago, Hillsborough seemed to be a haven for folks in their 50s and 60s. It also was a second home for a good number of high-priced corporate execs working in New York and Atlanta. Now the town is teeming with young parents in their 30s and early-40s, who were looking for a college-like atmosphere. In the grander scheme of things, all three of those trends fit in perfectly with the general concept that the OP is looking for.
Places like Chapel Hill, Blacksburg, Charlottesville and Ann Arbor are college towns that are good places to work/retire. Totally different concept.
Denton, TX is a rather large college town that also has a ton of olds.
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:36 AM
They wouldn't really have a college, but ...
A lot of people don't seem to have read the OP very well...
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on June 01, 2022, 06:54:50 AM
Tallahassee
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 01, 2022, 08:05:26 AM
Charlottesville
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 01, 2022, 09:22:49 AM
Ann Arbor
Quote from: Road Hog on June 01, 2022, 01:41:19 PM
Denton, TX
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:36 AM
There should be college towns for people who are in their forties or fifties.
They wouldn't really have a college, but they would be sort of like what college towns were like, only mostly geared towards people too old for college.
...what would that look like, exactly?
Quote from: abefroman329 on June 01, 2022, 02:11:59 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:36 AM
There should be college towns for people who are in their forties or fifties.
They wouldn't really have a college, but they would be sort of like what college towns were like, only mostly geared towards people too old for college.
...what would that look like, exactly?
All the cool things that college towns have would be intended more for people over 40. It might have a bar district or concert venues that are mostly for people who are at least 40.
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:18 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on June 01, 2022, 02:11:59 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:36 AM
There should be college towns for people who are in their forties or fifties.
They wouldn't really have a college, but they would be sort of like what college towns were like, only mostly geared towards people too old for college.
...what would that look like, exactly?
All the cool things that college towns have would be intended more for people over 40. It might have a bar district or concert venues that are mostly for people who are at least 40.
It's called a cruise ship. :)
A resort town is most likely to fit the bill, I'm guessing.
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:36 AM
There should be college towns for people who are in their forties or fifties.
They wouldn't really have a college, but they would be sort of like what college towns were like, only mostly geared towards people too old for college.
Mt. Sterling, Ky., is much like Morehead without the college (and the proximity to the lake and the national forest, but they're only about 30 miles away).
Quote from: kphoger on June 01, 2022, 02:25:07 PM
A resort town is most likely to fit the bill, I'm guessing.
The reason I replied with a map of 73072 specifically is because that's the part of Norman that functions more like an OKC suburb. All of the "college town" stuff is in 73069 or 73071. So if you want to have a college town experience, you can go there. If you want to live in a $500,000 house and complain about your joints and milk prices, you can do that in 73072.
Quote from: kphoger on June 01, 2022, 01:47:55 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on June 01, 2022, 02:18:36 AM
They wouldn't really have a college, but ...
A lot of people don't seem to have read the OP very well...
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on June 01, 2022, 06:54:50 AM
Tallahassee
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 01, 2022, 08:05:26 AM
Charlottesville
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 01, 2022, 09:22:49 AM
Ann Arbor
Quote from: Road Hog on June 01, 2022, 01:41:19 PM
Denton, TX
In my defense I did, but I couldn't think of an actual example that was kind of close that wasn't an actual college town.
Quote from: kphoger on June 01, 2022, 02:25:07 PM
A resort town is most likely to fit the bill, I'm guessing.
Yes, for example places with a lot of brewpubs. Bend, Oregon comes to mind immediately. It also has an amphitheater right near downtown that draws some pretty big-name acts during the summer.
Amherst, MA
Quote from: Rothman on June 01, 2022, 10:53:10 PM
Amherst, MA
I was just thinking Northampton myself. Right church, wrong pew.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on June 01, 2022, 11:04:09 PM
Quote from: Rothman on June 01, 2022, 10:53:10 PM
Amherst, MA
I was just thinking Northampton myself. Right church, wrong pew.
For old people, Amherst isn't as crowded and then you can visit Noho, rather than live there.
Strangely, Amherst's population has exceeded Northampton's for decades, despite Northampton feeling larger.
the short north in columbus ohio is decent for older folks down to german village.
"Retire to a college town" was a theme in the "where to retire" web world a few years ago.
Quote from: SP Cook on June 02, 2022, 06:53:19 AM
"Retire to a college town" was a theme in the "where to retire" web world a few years ago.
For several years, Murray, Ky., was consistently ranked high on lists of popular or best retirement communities. I don't know if the presence of Murray State University had anything to do with it or not.
Quote from: SP Cook on June 02, 2022, 06:53:19 AM"Retire to a college town" was a theme in the "where to retire" web world a few years ago.
When my in-laws wanted to move closer to Chicago, their first choice was South Bend. They settled on Valparaiso, which, despite the presence of several institutions of higher learning, is probably the type of town that bandit is after.
Madison, WI is the state capital with the associated government jobs as well as a popular place to live and retire in general due to its outdoors lifestyles.
Quote from: abefroman329 on June 02, 2022, 03:04:55 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on June 02, 2022, 06:53:19 AM
"Retire to a college town" was a theme in the "where to retire" web world a few years ago.
When my in-laws wanted to move closer to Chicago, their first choice was South Bend. They settled on Valparaiso, which, despite the presence of several institutions of higher learning, is probably the type of town that bandit is after.
Valparaiso is a pleasant town, from what I remember. I considered going to college at Valpo.