Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
AARP has chosen Anderson as one of the best places to live in the United States in the organization’s “Best Places to Live and Retire” report, which describes Anderson as a great place for those looking for Southern Charm while staying on a budget.
“We are glad we to see Anderson being recognized for something we already knew: that this is a great place to work and live,” said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns.
According to the report:
“With has a median house price of under $250,000, esidents don’t have to sacrifice big-city services, such as health care and recreation opportunities. Officials credit the AnMed Health system, which includes clinics and private practices on one campus.
At Anderson County’s Jo Brown Senior Center, Program Director Kelly Jo Barnwell says she helps older people “put down rich roots by doing what they love to do.” Brown coordinates 20 program leaders who guide peers through line dancing, bridge, quilting and more.
To those who value creativity, the city boasts a surprisingly vibrant arts community. A converted railway building called the Warehouse serves as the Anderson Arts Center headquarters. It draws myriad residents to its gallery, as well as classes in pottery, ceramics, painting and mixed media. “We also started a wine dinner last year, and try to have one in the fall and spring,” says executive director April Cameron. Beyond the arts center, colorful murals and sculptures dress up an architecturally diverse downtown, where locals have also loyally supported the Electric City Playhouse for nearly 40 years. And then there’s recreation, most notably at Lake Hartwell. With 962 miles of shoreline, it stretches from Anderson into Georgia. “I was living in New Jersey,” says retiree Herb Nymark, “and we looked at maps to find places in the South with boating opportunities. The lake is a wonderful, quiet place.”
Over the years, AARP Magazine has regularly reported on great places to live on a modest income. But in theirst assessment since the pandemic began, we knew we had to amend the criteria. AARP’s Livable Communities team — which provides support to local leaders to help make cities and towns best-suited for people of all ages — and the AARP Public Policy Institute — which publishes the popular Livability Index used by real estate agents and home shoppers nationwide — worked with our editors to come up with 14 objective points of data by which to assess American communities in this new reality. From them, a set of communities emerged. It was full of surprises: a few big cities you might not expect to be retirement-friendly, and smaller towns that are hardly known outside their region.
Of course, numbers don’t reveal the intangibles that make communities special. So we gathered input from AARP’s state offices as well as from regional journalists. Ultimately, this process yielded a handful of communities that represent much of what we all look for in a place to call home: a comparatively low cost of living, great access to nature and recreation, relative ease of getting around, quality health care systems, and a strong sense of community. These are draws even if you aren’t nearing retirement; all of the featured communities have strong job markets or are good candidates for remote work.
“We know that older adults and younger generations want similar things in the places they live,” says Mike Watson, director of AARP Livable Communities.
Consider these a sample of what the good life could be in America, now and far beyond the pandemic.
AARP report, including other cities chosen, here.