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Columbia appreciates its seniors, and the local
Chamber of Commerce is working to attract more to the
city. For those already here, the Columbia Senior
Center (573.874.2050) provides many community services and
activities, including dances, card games, movies, health
screenings and reasonably-priced meals. The Boone
County Council on Aging is a referral agency and helps
retirees find local services and programs. Opportunities
to volunteer are in abundance and include working with kids
through the Parks and Recreation Department, assisting with
various Neighborhood Watch programs, working with the
Columbia Hospitality Corps and giving time at the Daniel
Boone Regional Library. There are also 90 houses of
worship, offering further ways to volunteer. |
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Columbia has an extensive bus system and a "curb to
curb" service for disabled residents. Bus fares are
$.50 for adults and $.25 for seniors. It's hard to beat
those prices! For those who want to leave town, but not by
bus, Columbia Regional Airport has daily flights to Kansas City
and St. Louis.
With an eclectic mix of restaurants (more than 600), shops, art
galleries, boutiques, jazz clubs and other music venues, sporting
events, movie houses and coffee shops, retirees can stay busy and
fully partake in the vitality of the city. The
University of Missouri, with its 28,000 students, gives Columbia a
definite energy and has a lovely 1,350 acre campus. With
more than 5,000 trees and 650 varieties of plant life, it is a
great choice for an afternoon picnic or stroll.
University athletic teams give sports fans plenty of events and
competitions to attend. And this year, the Missouri
State Senior Games, for those 50+, will be held in Columbia.
Residents also enjoy three private golf courses and three public
courses, as well as 47 parks and greenbelts; outdoor-minded
retirees particularly take to the MKT Nature Trail, a 5 mile urban
walking trail through dense woods. Finger Lakes State
Park, Rock Bridge State Park and Grindstone Nature Area are all
close at hand and provide quiet spots for hiking, camping and
fishing. There are number of shopping malls, including
Columbia Mall which has a Dillards, a Pennys, a Sears, a Barnes
and Noble and 140 other stores.
This may be a small city, but it has a taste for culture.
The Missouri Art Gallery is home to limited-edition prints and
sculpture from internationally known artists. The University
of Missouri Museum of Art and Archeology houses 13,000 works of
art and artifacts. The Walters-Boone County Historical
Museum features fine art and a genealogical research
library. Art in the Park is an annual (June) art fair that
draws more than 90 painters, sculptors and potters. The
yearly Columbia Festival of the Arts (each September) is a
celebration of literary, visual and performing arts. There
are also music festivals, twilight festivals, fairs and holiday
celebrations throughout the year, and this community spirit
enhances the quality of life here. It is a friendly place
and an easy place to live.
Columbia has four seasons and receives 3 to 4 inches of
precipitation per month, including some snow in the
winter. Summer temperatures reach the mid 80s, and
winter temperatures dip into the 20s. Humidity averages
75%. The skies are cloudy or partly cloudy 70% of the time.
Drawbacks to Columbia may include the large student population,
although many seniors may consider this a plus. The city is
somewhat isolated; it is a two hour drive in either direction to
reach a large metropolitan center, and air service is rather
limited. Missouri is a conservative state, but the politics
in Columbia tend to lean left (which may be a good thing or a bad
thing). The humidity is high. Apartments availability
is limited. Overall, though, this retirement destination has
a lot to offer and at a reasonable price.
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