RURAL
SMALLTOWN
RETIREMENT
RURAL RETIREMENT
RURAL RETIREMENT AS A DESTINATION
BENEFITS OF RURAL COMMUNITY
RURAL RETIREMENT LINKS
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SECTION 1
RURAL
RETIREMENT
Rural retirement is a booming business. Many
elderly have always lived in rural environments
and others seek to retire in a rural area. Small
towns are specifically marketing themselves as
appropriate for a quality retirement life at an
affordable price. New high-amenity rural retirement
communities, particularly along coastal areas and
lakes, are being constructed.
Rural retirement
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/retire.html
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SECTION 2
RURAL
AMERICA
AS
A
RETIREMENT
DESTINATION
Most Americans do not move to a new community
when they retire, but of those who do, many
settle in a rural area or small town. During
the 1990s, a half million more persons who were
age 60 or older in 2000 moved into nonmetropolitan
(nonmetro) counties than out of them. However, not
all nonmetro counties are as attractive to retirees
as others.
Today’s retirement areas are widely scattered across
rural America. Warm winter areas have their appeal,
but so, too, do many counties in the cold winter
climate of the Upper Great Lakes, or the uplands of
the Ozarks and the southern Blue Ridge Mountains,
especially around dam reservoirs.
Although retirement counties are defined only by the
growth of their older population, they also tend to
have high overall population growth. From 2000 to
2003, their total population grew by 4.8 percent,
three times as fast as total U.S. nonmetro population
growth and faster than any other type of nonmetro
county.
Rural America as a Retirement Destination
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June05/findings/RetirementDestination.htm
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SECTION 3
4
BENEFITS
OF
RETIREMENT
IN
A
RURAL
COMMUNITY
When we retire, we intend to spend most of
our time living in a rural area. We will
live on a small piece of property and have
neighbors, but the nearest small town will
be a 20-minute drive. We live in this rural
neighborhood part-time now. Here are some
of the positive aspects of retirement in a
small town or rural community.
Low cost of living.
Food is slightly more expensive in the local
grocery stores. If we were to drive another
30 minutes, we can find larger chain groceries
with lower prices. But almost everything else
that we purchase in our rural community is less
expensive, including utilities, insurance, and
maintenance services. I attribute much of that
to the cost of real estate. Rural land is cheaper,
homes cost less to build, and property taxes are
lower compared to urban living. This tends to
affect other cost of living categories.
Peace and quiet.
Without fail, I sleep much better in the country
than I do at our home in the suburbs. There is
less noise and light pollution. At night, the
biggest glow is from the moon and stars. Many
city dwellers don’t appreciate how sound and
light distractions affect us physiologically.
Being in the country calms us.
Slowing the pace of life.
Life truly slows down in rural areas, and
generally in a good way. The slower pace
relates to geography and practical living.
For country folks, it takes longer to get
from one place to the other. This causes
you to not go there as often. You stay
around home more, resisting the temptation
to go shopping or somewhere else. In a
rural area most places are a lot farther
away. Although it can be inconvenient to
drive 25 minutes to a hardware or grocery
store, the overall slowness of rural living
is also something to savor.
Friendly people.
Folks in the country are just plain nice.
The neighbors are genuinely friendly and
helpful. In the city, some neighbors are
friendly, some are competitive, and some
we don't even know. I appreciate the
transparency and kindness of small town
and country people. Having friendly
neighbors makes it easy to overlook the
negatives of rural retirement living.
There are obvious downsides to living
in a rural area. But for a retiree,
the benefits can outweigh them. A quiet
and relaxed retirement is a lifestyle
that is worth considering.
4 Benefits of Retirement in a Rural Community
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On-Retirement/2011/03/17/4-benefits-of-retirement-in-a-rural-community
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SECTION 4
RURAL
SMALLTOWN
RETIREMENT
LINKS
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA)
http://www2.aahsa.org
Association of Retired Americans (ARA)
http://www.ara-usa.org
The Best Rural Places to Retire
http://www.ehow.com/list_7442268_rural-places-?retire.htm
Building Sustainable Communities
http://www.lisc.org/rural_lisc/building_sustainable_communities/the_pennsylvania_initiative/index.php
Growing Green Communities
http://www.growinggreencommunities.com
Integrated sustainable rural development
http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/communities_?families_359.html
Older Women's League (OWL)
http://www.owl-national.org/
Partnership for Sustainable Communities
http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/?toolsKeyResources.html
Retirement Communities in Rural America
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/?retire.html
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Retiring in a Small Town or Rural Area
http://gotoretirement.com/2009/04/retirement-rural-area-small-town/
The Rural Information Center (RIC)
http://ric.nal.usda.gov/
Rural Retirement
http://www.55places.com/blog/rural-retirement-?small-town-living
Rural Retirement/Relocation
http://www.ruralretirement.us
Small Town Retirement com
http://smalltownretirement.com/
Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities
http://www.lovesmalltownamerica.com/blog/tag/supporting-sustainable-rural-communities/
Supportive Older Women's Network (SOWN)
http://www.sown.org/
Understanding Rural America
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/?understd.htm
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