The City of Winston-Salem has recently been named one of the Top 10 cities in the country to retire in. Asheville also topped the same list.
WINSTON-SALEM -- The City of Winston-Salem has recently been named one of the Top 10 cities in the country to retire in. That's according to Topretirements.com, a Web site frequented by people over 50 years old who are looking at cities where they might retire.
“At my age, if I can handle it, I'm going to do it," said Col. Dan Andrews.
Andrews is an 88-year-old retired banker and Army man from Woodstock, Ill. He moved to Brighton Gardens in Winston-Salem seven years ago with his wife Loreena.
“My wife had a stroke after six days. She passed away after 90 days. So I had facilities here for two people but I stayed in the two room situation. I just like the room," said Andrews.
His decision to move here highlights the attractiveness of this area to older folks. A new poll shows Winston-Salem is ranked No. 10 in the country for retirees.
"I think it's the combination of all the arts and cultural activities plus the recreational opportunities and the fact that we're not that far from the beach and we're really close to the mountains. They can kind of have a taste of it all," said Gayle Anderson, president and CEO of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.
It's something that Andrews, a very active senior, appreciates.
“You can't play golf six days a week and I had an association with the bank until I was 73. But that’s just my personality trait," said Andrews.
This is all at a cost most can afford.
“The U.S. measures the cost of living and we're generally about 10 percent lower cost of living than the average city in the U.S.," said Andrews.
There is also top notch health care readily available.
“There are a lot of baby boomers who are retiring and they're still very active and wanting to be involved in the community and that would be a real plus for us," said Andrews.
While Andrews is not exactly of the baby boomer generation, he still fits the profile of an ideal retiree.
“They've got me doing the ‘News and Views’ here which is a one-hour program for all the residents and I get about 18-20," said Andrews.
Although he's already spent some of his golden years in here, he said, "I think if I had to do it all over again, I'd still pick Winston-Salem.”
Asheville was the only other North Carolina community on the list and it came in first.