Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Athens, Ohio
Set in a Valley in Pretty Southeastern Ohio, Athens is Surrounded by Rolling Hills and is Home to Lively Ohio University
Attractive Athens is nestled in the Hocking River Valley in pretty southeastern Ohio and is surrounded by rolling hills. While coal companies were once the major employers here, now Ohio University (20,000 students on campus) is the city's lifeblood.
Athens' downtown has an interesting mix of architecture, and Court Street brims with restaurants, pubs and funky shops. The arts are in full bloom in such venues as the Kennedy Museum of Art, the Dairy Barn Arts Center, Stuart's Opera House, and ARTS West. The Ohio Valley Summer Theater honors the region's Appalachian roots. The Athen's Community Music Festival, Ohio Brew Week, a literary festival and the Hockhocking Folk Festival are just a few of the many annual events. The city's farmers' market is held year round, and intercollegiate athletics are abundant. Nearby Lake Snowden offers swimming, boating and picnicking. The local Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is a scenic 16-mile network that branches out from the city through surrounding woods to Strouds Run State Park.
Neighnorhoods are tidy with ranch ramblers, Colonials, bungalows, saltboxes and Federal styles. Most homes sit on a lush lot.
Population: 25,000 (city proper including students - Athens without students has about 5,000 people)
Age 45 or Better: 18%
Cost of Living: 28% below the national average
Median Home Price: $250,000
Climate: Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s. Winter temperatures are in the teens, 20s and 30s. On average, the area receives 38 inches of rain and 13 inches of snow a year. Skies are often overcast.
Public Transit: Yes
Crime Rate: Below the national average
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? Yes
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? Yes
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Very liberal
College Educated: 64%
Is Ohio Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Somewhat
Cons: Athens has a poverty rate above the national average, but much of this is attributed to the large student population.
Notes: Ohio University has a beautiful 1,800-acre campus and everything revolves around the school. OU is also usually ranked as one of the country's top party schools. Some people say that Athens is haunted (an insane asylum was once here). The city's population has remained steady within the last decade. Home prices have increased 1% since a year ago.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes, if looking for an affordable, vibrant college town.
Ohio:
Ohio, also known as th Buckeye State, gets its name from the Ohio River and is the 34th largest state by area. It sits between Indiana and Pennsylvania in the Upper Midwest. Columbus its the capital and largest city. President Thomas Jefferson established the state's boundaries in 1803, but due to an oversight, Ohio was not formally admitted to the Union as the 18th state until 1953.
The state was mostly known for its fur trading business during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods and even today is recognized for its business friendly atmosphere. The largest industries are manufacturing, particularly plastics, rubber, fabricated metals, electrical equipment and appliances, and financial services.
Ohio has 24 universities and colleges, the fifth largest state university system in the country with an enrollment of 400,000 students. College athletics are big business in Ohio. In fact, the Ohio State Buckeye's football team is one of the winningest teams in the nation.
Seven U.S. presidents have been born in Ohio: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.
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