Have been living abroad for many years and now retiring but find a lot has changed in the states. Searching for a small to middle-size town in the northern climes as I have an aversion to extreme heat. Seek a quaint area that is not pretentious. A downtown that has a hardware store, good library, friendly folks, that sort of thing. Don't send me to the boondocks without good medical facilities and culture. You chaps won't let me down, will you? Many thanks.

Sounds like you need Oregon. Portland is a great city or also smaller cities in the western part of the state. Pacific Ocean and snow skiing not too far away, lots of outdoor activities, beautiuful country. Some rain but friendly people. But what else are you looking for in a new hometown?

I will suggest Madison, WI. It is definitely northern. The winters are cold, but the summers are wonderful. Lots of lakes, good food, attractive and active downtown, beautiful architecture, lots of festivals, a community atmosphere, good traffic flow, great libraries, the University of Wisconsin (so lots of culture, books, sports, etc.). The cost of living is fairly low too, except for the property taxes. Lots of seniors seem to like the area.

I suggest putting Ithaca NY on your list of places to consider. You'll find my comments on Ithaca as a reply to a post entitled "Need help finding a small town to retire to". Use the "search" function of this forum and enter the word retire. The first 5 entries of the 37 that appear will have lots of helpful information. Feel free to e-mail me direct if you need more specific info on Ithaca.

Following up on the Oregon theme, you may want to look carefully at Eugene. It's a modest-size college town (which means cultural options and a college library) of character, charm and beauty. The Willamette River rolls right through town. The local economy is good. Folks are friendly yet respectful. And, there's a hardware store downtown! The public library is excellent as is the 600-bed medical center. For demographic and other information, check the Eugene Community Profile at this URL:
http://www.econ.state.or.us/PEUGENE.HTM#DEMO

Good luck to you where ever you settle . . . and, welcome home!

You may want to check out Nashua, NH. We've lived all over New England and the East Coast and just love it here. Just over the southern border, we're only 40 minutes from Boston, which is full of cultural venues. We're just over an hour from the ocean and the fabulous Coast of Maine, an hour and a half from spectacular Lake Winnepesaukee, a couple of hours from the gorgeous White Mountains and several hours from the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont. Montreal (one of our favorite "almost like Europe" destinations is only a four and a half hour drive. In New Hampshire, there are no personal income taxes and no sales tax! Housing is plentiful and reasonably priced. The economy is doing very well. The Main Street has undergone renovation and beautification in recent years. There's a lovely park just off downtown with terrific band concerts all summer. And, Nashua was selected by Money Magazine as "The Best Small Town in America" in 1988 and again in 1998. The Chamber of Commerce has a wonderful relocation package.

If a northern clime is you preference than my choice would be Spokane, WA hands down. Too cold for me but I have spent many summers there as recently as 1996. Spokane has all of the amenities and some of the nicest people in the world.

These are interesting suggestions and I thank you all. But I am not really looking for extremes in weather. These bones are getting old. Snow is okay in moderation. Any other ideas? I'd be indebted, truly.

Weather extremes aren't my cuppa, either, so I'm back on this thread pushing Eurgene, Oregon -- somewhat wet in winter but mostly with rain, not snow. Otherwise pretty darn glorious. Take a look at these climate stats:

Temperature:
Lowest Monthly Average: 46°F
Highest Monthly Average: 82°F
Hottest Month: July
Coldest Month: January
Driest Month: July
Wettest Month: December

Precipitation:
Average Annual Precipitation: 42.500"
(mostly rain, little snow)

Humidity (Hour 10, local time) Medford data:
Average July Afternoon Humidity: 57 %
Average January Afternoon Humidity: 88 %

try the state of Neveda. I hear the taxes are low. the city of Reno is nice.
Plus Reno is close to Sacamento, California and the coast.

My inlaws were expatriots in Asia for 8 years. When they returned to the States, they settled in Stockton, NJ. Stockton is on the upper Delaware river. It is an area that is about 1 1/2 hour drive from New York City. It is about and hour from Philadelphia. The closest towns to Stockton are Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA. Since the river divides New Jersey from Pennsylvaina, it is only a quarter mile drive to either state. New Hope and Lambertiville are full of Art Galleries and Antique Stores. There are numerous restaurants and bars in both towns. New Hope, where my wife and I live has 22 bars and restaurants. That is impressive since the town only has 2400 full time residents. At the turn of the century, New Hope was the home of the Ameican/Pennsylvania Impressionists. In the 1920's and 1930's many writers settled in the area, buying second homes since the distance was short from New York. Dorothy Parker, Moss Hart, Oscar Hammerstein and others settled in the area. Today, the area is full of artists and writers. The river allows some of the best natural scenes on the east coast. Thus the reason for the Impressionists settlement at the turn of the century. Monet had Giverny, the New Hope School had the river and its surrounds. It is also a big area for horses. This is the reason why my inlaws retired in the area. My father in law is a big huntsman. I suggest the next time you are in the States, why not spen a long weekend in New Hope or Lambertville. There are many places to stay but book in advance. You will not be dissappointed. My wife and I just built a new home in New Hope. Our neighborhood has a diverse group of people. The age group is in the mid 30's to retirees. The folks who have retired have expressed that they picked the area for the natural beauty and the activities. They also did not want to be part of a retirement community. The weather is four seasons. Spring and Autumn being beautiful. I can't say which is more beautiful. Much color in the fall against a clean river. Much blooming in the spring against a clean river. Summers are bearable due to the proximity of the river. Some snow in winter but not over bearing. The climate is very similar the the climate of Philadelphia. Maybe a degree or two cooler. Good Luck in your search.

Worth Magazine did an interesting article about a year ago on the Ten Best Places In America to Retire. I don't remember which issue, but shouldn't be too hard to track down with the help of your local librarian or maybe Worth has a web site - does anyone know? This article considered and compared all the same concerns you have - medical, arts, property pricing, climate, educational, etc. Most were places I'd never heard of, but were close to larger cities - a nice mix. Good Luck.