College Towns For Great Retirement Living Keep You Young

During the 2000s and early 2010s, a number of organizations like CNNMoney Magazine, Forbes.com and others have recommended retirement to college towns across America,. They did this because of lower costs and comparatively higher standards of living offered to retirees that relocated to these spots. Another reason is the the opportunity to enroll in college classes free-of-charge, as in The Ohio State University's Program 60.

In 2012, those who study retirement and aging have found that placing older Senior Citizens back into a setting like that of the college of their youth can result in the body responding in "younger" ways. People even feel younger. This was confirmed by two studies so far, one from George Mason University and one done less formally by the BBC in the UK.

Many "college town" cities support one or more 2- or 4-year colleges or universities that have arrangements with retirement centers to provide lifelong learning activities to residents. This works best where the retirement community is located close to the institution of higher learning and both entities cooperate in joint events. Many of these places support museums, theaters, sorts activates, and other likeable things to do. One example is the museum park pictured above in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Top 10 College Towns that help keep retirees young are listed below, as found by George Mason and BBC researchers.

My top choice is the Research Triangle in North Carolina. This choice is based on the quality and number of Universities, attractions, retirement job possibilities, and reasonably-priced housing among the research institutes in the Triangle.

This is a 13-county region connected by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Many communities fill in the 13 counties, with plenty of places to live close to education and employment opportunities.

For many of the Top 10 College Towns for Retirement, links are included below for city reviews. Highlights of Claremont, California are offered further below.

1. Boise, Idaho -- Boise State University - Discounted fees for Senior Citizens; University of Idaho - University of Idaho Retirees Association.
2. Claremont, California -- Claremont Avenues for Lifelong Learning www.ci.claremont.ca.us This is a free program allowing seniors to audit college classes andparticipate in field trips.(Please see information below.)
   
3. Fort Collins Colorado -- Colorado State University
4. The Research Triangle -- Duke, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. North Carolina is one of the 25 Best Cities for Staying Young.
5. Clemson, South Carolina -- Osher Life-Long Learning Institute http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/olli/
6. Albuquerque, New Mexico -- University of New Mexico
7. Ithaca, New York -- Cornell University and Ithaca College intergenerational learning
8. Princeton, New Jersey -- Princeton University. Shots of Princeton were used to represent Princeton Plainsboro Hospital in the TV series House MD. Westminster College of Arts of Rider University.
9. Williamstown, Massachusetts -- Williams College
10. Asheville, North Carolina -- University of North Carolina at Asheville. North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement.

• State College, PA -- The Village at Penn State University, for Senior Citizens. This is a retirement community for active seniors and is owned by the university. Its residents are welcomed and encouraged to attend dozens of functions, celebrations, trips, and educational workshops that keep them interested in life and the large community. These seniors remain productive and happy with the help of the university. They stay young!
• Charlottesville, Virginia
• Ann Arbor, Michigan -- The Arts Fair in the streets at Michigan State University is enough to persuade many seniors to retire to Ann Arbor. Many other annual events keep the city interesting.
• Gainesville, Florida

The City of Claremont supports a well developed Seniors department that offers several interesting services. One of these is a program with local Claremont Colleges for Senior Citizens ages 60 and older to audit classes at no charge. many Senior still work, so the city offers an After Work entertainment and social program.

Enrichment classes, support groups, clubs, and nutrition instruction are other parts of the Seniors services. Trips for Senior Citizens involve much more than a short hop to the local mall. Seniors can visit the Reagan Presidential Library, Museums, upscale performances, and many more.

• Foothill Transit - Buses

  All the buses in this system are planned to be powered by electricity by the year 2030. Foothill Transit joins transportation authorities of 22 cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. These buses provide public transportation to the Greater Los Angeles Area.

• Welcome to Metrolink

  Metrolink is Southern California's regional passenger rail system with 55 train stations across the region. Get train schedules, fare information, discounts, and news at www.metrolinktrains.com.

• Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden at 1500 N. College Ave; Claremont CA 91711 -- Senior discount for ages 65 and older. At least 86 acres of native-plant gardens in three subdivisions.
  
• Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater at 455 West Foothill Boulevard; Claremont CA 91711 -- Popular first run theatrical productions.
  
• Dueling Piano Lounge at 555 West Foothill Boulevard; Claremont CA 91711 -- Food and beverage specials, with a piano bar.
  
• ALF Museum of Paleontology at 1175 West Baseline Road; Claremont CA.
• Fiske Musical Instrument Museum at 450 North College Way; Claremont CA 91711
• Dead Sea Scrolls Project - Claremont Graduate School at 1325 N. College Ave.; Claremont CA 91711. The school owns quite an extensive array of materials related to the scrolls, the Bible, and scriptural studies. Images of the Dead Sea Scrolls are just the beginning.
• Devil's Punchbowl - Hiking trails 23 miles north of Claremont.
• Rubidoux Drive-In - Drive-In Theater 18 miles east of Claremont. Movies and Swap Meets.

Over 49,000 jobs weer listed throughout Summer 2012, increasing by over 20% to to 60,000+ job listings by Summer 2015 and Summer 2016.

Highest demand jobs consistently are:

1. Sales Representatives
2. Salespeople, including Commission Salespeople
3. Academic Tutors, including Music Teachers
4. Truck Drivers - Number One growing job nationwide.
5. LPN, LVN, and RN Nurses
6. Speech Therapists
7. Occupational and Physical Therapists
8. Manufacturing Engineers
9. Project Engineers
10. Software Engineers and Network Engineers

Casual dining jobs are increasing as well at Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, including Managers and Area Supervisors.

1. PetSmart
2. So Cal Pizza
3. McDonalds Restaurants, Domino's Pizza and Starbucks
4. The Home Depot: DIY, home and garden
5. CVS Health & Pharmacy: Managers, clerks, pharmacy technicians and more
6. Pep Boys: Automotive parts and service
7. Wells Fargo: Banking
8. Perkins & Marie Callender's: Perkins Pancake Houses and frozen foods
9. Target Stores
10. R.E. Garrison: Truck drivers, demand increasing rapidly since 2014.