A Stimulating Collegiate
Atmosphere, Affordable Housing, Strong Senior Programs, Good Medical
Facilities and Stately Architecture Bring Active Retirees to Leafy Athens, Georgia
Cost of Living: Below the National Average
Leafy Athens
(population 115,000) is located in the foothills
of northern Georgia's Appalachian Mountains and
is home to the sprawling University of Georgia
(35,000 students), one of the oldest
state-chartered schools in the country.
While it is definitely a college town and a
youthful place, Athens is attracting more and
more baby
boomers and retirees. In fact, roughly
25% of the population is age 45 or better, and
during the last decade, the population of the
over-50 set has grown by 33%, with many new
residents coming from hurricane-prone Florida.
Nicknamed the "Classic City" because
many of its buildings were inspired by classic Greek
architecture, this vibrant, ethnically diverse
metropolis has a creative, trendy vibe, a
liberal outlook and a mellow, Southern charm all
rolled into one (and its crime rate meets the
national average).
The average cost of living is
roughly 4% below the national average, and the median home price is $165,000.
Real estate prices
range from less than $100,000 for small cottages and bungalows to a
million dollars or more for Greek Revival mansions. The city has
numerous, wonderfully distinct neighborhoods, fourteen of which are
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of
these areas have homes from the pre-Civil war, Victorian and early 20th-century
architectural periods.
One of the most popular
neighborhoods, with a mix of older residents, students and
professionals, is the quiet, low-density Five Points section, located
at the southwest edge of the University. Homes here are
primarily single-family, mostly brick and frame, and built just before
and after WWII. This welcoming, walkable
neighborhood has grocery stores, art studios and restaurants.
Home prices start in the high-$100,000s.
And while much of Athens has an established feeling, newer homes and
gated communities have popped up in recent years. The Village at
Jennings Mill is a gated, golf course community with houses from the
mid-$100,000s. For independent apartment living (age 62+), Talmage
Terrace and Lanier Gardens are located three blocks from downtown.
This is an
interactive map. Click on the arrows in the upper left hand
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Athens has more than its share of rental
properties, including houses, town homes and apartments, including
some in Five Points, but many cater to the college crowd (the more likely complexes
will have tenants that are not students). On average, 3 bedroom,
2 bath apartments and homes rent for $900 to $1,100 per month, although a
downtown luxury loft with 1 bedroom and 1 bath can lease for $1,200 or
more per month.
Georgia is a tax-friendly state for
retirement. Social Security is tax-exempt, as is $35,000
in other retirement income (and starting in 2012, this tax will
be phased out). Real estate is assessed at 40% of fair
market value, and homeowners age 62 or better who earn $10,000
or less per year may have $10,000 of
their property's assessed value exempt from school taxes.
Homeowners age 62 or older whose family income does not exceed $30,000
annually may qualify for a partial exemption from state and county property
taxes. For
those age 65 and better who earn $10,000 or less, $4,000 of their
property's value is exempt from state and county taxes as well.
The annual taxes on a $165,000 home are approximately $1,385.
The University (UGA) campus dominates
Athens' cityscape and has 388 buildings spread across 615 wooded
acres. Its presence, though, ensures that there is always
something engaging to do. The UGA Performing and Visual
Arts Complex contains the Performing Arts Center, which has hosted the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin
Philharmonic Wind Quintet, among other performers.
The Hugh Hodgson School of Music presents 300 performances a year,
nearly one a day, and all are open to the public. The Georgia
Museum of Art and the Lamar Dodd School of Art both
boast permanent and rotating exhibits. When it comes to
lifelong learning, anyone age 62 or better may enroll in UGA classes
at a reduced cost. For golfers, the University of Georgia
Golf Course is a public course open to all comers and is the site of
the PGA's annual Athens Classic at UGA. And, of
course, the University's athletic teams provide sports fans plenty to
cheer about all year long.
But Athens is not entirely about the University.
It is also known for its active music scene, with local bands performing
on club stages every night of the week. In
fact, several well known rock bands have gotten their start in Athens.
Residents also have 500 restaurants from which to choose, several of
which are award-winning. Athens' thriving downtown is a
fun area with shops, pubs, art galleries and clubs.
Strolling through the State Botanical Garden is a wonderful way to
spend an afternoon. Memorial Park has hiking trails and greens
spaces. The Athens-Clarke County Library, which is
being renovated, has an interlibrary loan program, computer
classes, traveling exhibits, book clubs and evenings of
storytelling and music.
There are many volunteer opportunities, from
tutoring students to helping out at the Lyndon House Arts Center.
Shopping is plentiful. Downtown is fun for antiquing and finding
gifts, but there are shopping malls as well (and two Wal-Marts).
Booming
Atlanta, and all of its amenities, is just 75 miles to the west.
The Appalachians are only a short drive away, and many residents enjoy
weekends in Charleston or Savannah.
Click Arrow to Play Video About Athens, Georgia
For a city that caters to college students, Athens has
very good senior programs. The Athens Community Council on Aging
offers a number of services for people age 55 and better, including
transportation services, home health care, a foster grandparent
program, a volunteer program and a senior companion program.
It also manages the Athens-Clarke County Senior Center, which provides
noonday meals, education classes, recreation opportunities, outreach,
visitation and telephone reassurance to homebound older adults.
The 400-member Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), which
partners with the Council on Aging and the University, is an excellent
senior resource and offers a wide selection of classes and workshops
about everything from art and UFOs (not necessarily in the same class)
to how to navigate Facebook.
Trips are also offered. Membership is just $40 per year (plus $5
per session), and the best part is that there are no tests or term papers.
Joining OLLI is a great way for newcomers to meet new friends.
Health care is top notch as Athens is a regional
health care center and has two established hospitals. The
Athens Regional Medical Center has 315 beds, is accredited by the
Joint Commission and meets or exceeds
national averages in all medical areas. It has been named the
2011 Georgia Large Hospital of the Year and has won numerous
national awards. Eighty percent of patients, well above
the national average, would recommend it to a friend, and
Medicaid and Medicare patients are accepted. St. Mary's Hospital has 155 beds
and meets or exceeds national averages in most medical areas.
For military veterans, the Athens Clinic is a VA outpatient clinic
(the nearest VA hospital is in Decatur, 52 miles away).
The city has 200 churches and
synagogues, and the extensive Athens Transit System provides bus
service to many of them, as well as to the library, the Medical
Center, Five Points, UGA, Super Wal-Mart and several other shopping
venues. The fare is $1.50 for adults and $.75 for people age 65
or better. An on-demand, curb to curb service, The Lift,
is also available for people who are disabled or unable to walk to a
bus stop.
This area sees average low and high
temperatures ranging from 35 degrees to 60 degrees in January, and
from 75 degrees to 95 degrees in July. Rainfall averages 4
to 5 inches per month, but snowfall is rare. It is true
that summers are hot and humid, but the city also enjoys crisp fall
days, cool winter days and springs filled with dogwoods and azaleas. Both the air quality and the water quality meet the
national average, and the sun shines 215 days of the year.
While retirees enjoy Athens, the city does have
some drawbacks. The number of students may be too much for some
people, and when football season revs up each fall, the number seems
to double. The UGA football stadium holds more than 80,000
people, and many people come from as far away as Atlanta to watch the
Bulldogs play, so autumn weekend traffic and crowds can be a
headache. The city also has a high poverty rate, in large
part due to its student population, and manifestations of this can be
seen around town. Most
employment opportunities are through the University or one of the two
hospitals, but wages are low. The risk of a tornado is 70%
greater than the national average.
Those who have retired here, though, see the
University and the youth it brings as an asset, and they enjoy the
affordable, lively atmosphere this college town provides. And as more baby boomers discover
Athens, the mix of
ages will continue to even out until one day there may be as many
retirees as college students living in this great retirement spot.
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