'Oasis on the prairie': Kiplinger's cites Lawrence as great place for retirees

Part of the allure of homecoming, we admit, is to see how the city of Lawrence has grown and changed since our college days.

But that Larrytown appeal is not something only KU alumni feel.

Liberty Hall in downtown Lawrence.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine this month reported that increasing numbers of 21st-century retirees are spurning Sun Belt senior citizen communities and choosing to spend their golden years in bustling, four-season college towns. And it cited "tranquil yet vibrant" Lawrence as one of three "great places" for retirees in the nation.

"They are all small cities in beautiful locations that offer plenty of cultural and recreational activities in an environment in which the seasons change but the chance to broaden your horizons never ends," the magazine reports in selecting Lawrence along with Bellingham, Wash., home of Western Washington University, and Charlottesville, Va., home of the University of Virginia.

Kiplinger's reports that historically only 5 percent of retirees relocate to another state but predicts that the statistic will change as the Baby Boomer generation-healthier and better traveled than older generations-begins to retire. The magazine also said that smaller, less congested communities such as Lawrence are particularly attractive in the wake of Sept. 11.

In describing Lawrence, Kiplinger's notes that the National Trust for Historic Preservation calls the city one of the 100 best small towns for art in the United States, that Old West Lawrence features about 125 houses listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and that Joseph Lubow, author of "Choose a College Town for Retirement," calls KU's Spencer Museum of Art one of the finest campus museums in the nation.

And of course, Jayhawk basketball is an added bonus.

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