Dream Towns

By Sarah Mahoney, July & August 2006

We searched the country for five cities that offer culture, cachet, or, in some cases, just peace and quiet. Oh, yeah - and it doesn't cost a fortune to live there.

1. LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO
2. CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
3. REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE
4. MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
5. ST. GEORGE, UTAH
   [/list:o]
   
   Big-city style, small-town charm
   MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
   Ella B. Martin Mathis
   
   When Ella B. Martin Mathis, 66, and her husband started sketching out their retirement dreams, it was the view of the Mississippi River that sold them. "Our two children had graduated from high school, gone to college, gotten jobs, and we didn't need all that grass to cut and all those stairs to climb," Ella says. "So we started looking for a condo and found this one on the Internet. It overlooks the river, and we said, 'Wouldn't this be a nice retirement home - we can just sit and watch the water, and rock.'"
   
   In any other place, that "rocking chair w/river vu" destination might have meant pulling up stakes and moving to the country. But Ella and her husband found just what they were looking for in downtown Memphis. This revitalized cultural mecca has everything a retiree could want and more: great parks, including the extensive Memphis Botanic Garden; an incredible musical history (think Johnny Cash and B.B. King); and, of course, the attractions for which it is most famous - Elvis Presley's Graceland and the daily duck march at the Peabody Hotel.
   
   For six years Ella and her husband enjoyed their new life, spending plenty of time with their grandchildren who live in the area and taking long walks in the city park across from their home. Her husband's death two years ago has changed many things. "You never get over it," Ella says, but she's made adjustments. Instead of walking in the park, she prefers to walk indoors at a nearby gym. And facing retirement on her own hasn't dampened her enthusiasm for the ongoing revitalization of Memphis.
   
   "Everything I like to do is so accessible," says Ella, a retired educator who owns a car but seldom uses it. "I can take the trolley everywhere - downtown to the museums and restaurants, to The Orpheum Theater, or to the FedEx Forum if I want to watch the Grizzlies play a basketball game."
   
   Why the locals love it
   
   Memphis is a bargain
   There is no state income tax on salaries, wages, Social Security, IRAs, or pension income in Tennessee; a 6 percent tax is levied on stock dividends and interest from bonds. People over 65 with a total income of less than $16,200 (single filer) or $27,000 (married, filing jointly) are exempt from that tax also. One drawback is an average 8.4 percent tax on groceries, the highest in the country, which many Memphians beat by driving into nearby Mississippi or Arkansas. Despite the downtown building boom, real-estate experts have cited Memphis as one of the best values in the country. The average downtown condo sold for $164,940 in 2005.
   
   Lifestyle perks
   "What makes Memphis so special is that even though it's a big city, it's so friendly it still feels manageable," says Ella. "At heart, this is really a small town."
   
   Great escapes
   Memphis offers easy access to the Mississippi Delta region. Many residents occasionally hop on a Mississippi riverboat, taking cruises that last from a few hours to a full week.
   
   Residents love
   Living in a cultural hot spot. Whether it's blues (B.B. King), country (Johnny Cash), rock (Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis), or literature (Tennessee Williams), Memphis has put its stamp on almost every aspect of American entertainment. And its cultural cachet shows no sign of wearing out: Walk the Line and Hustle & Flow, two of last year's hottest movies, were filmed in the River City.
   
   Average temperature in summer: 81 F
   
   Average temperature in winter: 41 F
   
   Number of sunny days per year: 118
   
   Casual supper for two at The Arcade, Memphis's oldest restaurant: $16
   
   Hot tickets: For $5 you can get lawn seating for the Memphis Redbirds - the local minor-league baseball team.

I miss home.

fsquid Wrote:I miss home.

Me too Squidy.

Derby Wrote:

fsquid Wrote:I miss home.

Me too Squidy.

Make it a threesome. I can't believe they didn't mention best BBQ in the world...

kpigout Wrote:

Derby Wrote:

fsquid Wrote:I miss home.

Me too Squidy.

Make it a threesome. I can't believe they didn't mention best BBQ in the world...

That stuff will kill the old guys!

Thanks for the link. Great perspective.

Does that mean I can retire now?