This town in northern Georgia is old gold mining center; in fact it had a mint that produced U.S. coins. It has the Dosta Playhouse and the largest cultural arts center in the region.. Valdosta State University is also a center of local culture. See our article: Road Trip: The Mountain Towns of North Georgia, for more ideas....

Mount Airy, located in northwest North Carolina, has a lot to attract active adults 55+. It has a vital downtown  that attracts tourists and retirees. The town has 10,100 people, but almost 40,000 people live in the immediate area. Andy Griffith, who hails from here (Mount Airy was the inspiration for Mayberry), has a theatre named after him, the Andy…...

Florence is located in the coastal plain of South Carolina, with a population of approximately 40,000 (2020 census).  It's a historical town known for its role as a railroad center for the Confederacy. After the war, Florence became a railway hub, and the the transportation industry is still important to it today, along with the healthcare industry, business and finance.…...

Bartow is an up and coming community of 17,000 about 40 miles east of Tampa in central Florida. The town is formerly rural but now attracting all kinds of people, including retirees and active adults.  Its live oak trees and many preserved historical buildings give it a southern charm that is very refreshing. The town is laid out in a…...