Colonia del Sacramento is the oldest city in Uruguay. It is located on the River de la Plata just across from Buenos Aires (there is boat service across this very, very wide and muddy river. Once a fort, then a peaceful fishing village, today it is a lovely place of old architecture, pretty beaches, and a Southern European feel. Visitors…...

Occoquan is a small village adjacent to Woodbridge in suburban Virginia. The affluent population of this artist community is about 900 people. The town has charming streets laid out in a grid on the Occoquan River (see photo above of marina). People like it for its walkable streets, charming shops, and restaurants. It is convenient to I-95 and the Potomac…...

Hoover is an affluent suburb south of Birmingham, AL.  The population is about 71,000 and the median household income is $81,000. The town has grown and prospered thanks to good planning and the Riverchase Galleria shopping complex.  Hoover also has a minor league baseball team. It is close enough to Birmingham for city type pleasures but far enough away to…...

Portland, Maine (population 68,000) has had a dramatic resurgence over the last 20 years. Always an important port and manufacturing center, Maine’s largest city is an ideal retirement community – in fact it is often mentioned as one of America’s most livable small cities. It combines New England history (founded in 1632), a vital downtown centered on the Old Port…...