Mount Airy : North carolina

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 Griffith Playhouse, which features regular community productions. The Downtown Cinema Theatre broadcasts a weekly bluegrass radio concert. Mount Airy has much to like as a retirement community. Tourist attractions like the mountains and the Andy Griffith connection, combined with North Carolina’s moderate climate have contributed to a strong economy.  In 2013, Mount Airy was designated by the State of North Carolina as an official North Carolina Retirement Destination. On the downside the town is very touristy and totally dominated by the Andy Griffith memorabilia. Mount Airy is located in Surry County. The cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro are nearby. Here is a guide to North Carolina retirement.

Retirees to Mount Airy can live in town or in some of the developments on the outside of town. The city was approved as a certified retirement community.

Real Estate Values
The prices for real estate will strike some northeasterners as a bargain in Mount Airy.  According to Zillow, the median home value was $151,251 in early 2022.

Friendly small town. The pork sandwich at the Snappy Lunch. Pilot Mountain State Park. Recreational facilities now include two major parks, three minor parks, two 2.2 mile fitness greenways along side waterways (with a third connecting the first two now under development), a first class fitness and recreation center with both indoor and outdoor Olympic sized swimming pools, multiple fitness facilities. The professionally staffed Mt. Airy Parks and Recreation Department offers year around recreation and fitness programs.

Mt. Airy has economic bases in tourism and retirement.

The Municipal Government Campus contains the Municipal Building (City Hall), Public Library, large contemporary amphitheater, Police Station, Recreation and Fitness Center, City Green and leased to the Surry Arts Council the Andy Griffith Playhouse and the new two story Andy Griffith Museum. The Campus anchors the south end of the Historic Downtown, acting as an attractive transition between the Downtown and adjacent residential areas. The Earle Theatre broadcasts a weekly bluegrass radio concert, the Merry-Go-Round, since 1948. The Blue Ridge Music Center has an amphitheater. Mount Airy, NC also has a regional history museum, the Old Time Music Heritage Hall (located in the Earle Theater, formally the Downtown Cinema) and a modern amphitheater, all which offer a wide variety of cultural activities during the year. A wide variety of festivals (music,wine,arts and crafts, Mayberry) also contribute to the culture of Mount Airy. The nearby (10 miles) Surry Community College is recognized nationally for the quality and breadth of its offering.