Just Retired? Find Out Why People Are Saying This Georgia City Is The Place To Move

The freedom that comes when the daily grind is no longer a factor in where you choose to live begs the question — do I want to move? A "yes" answer opens a world of choices. Narrowing them down might seem daunting, but keeping your needs in the forefront should be your first consideration. After that, housing, the cost of living, and livability will all have an effect on your quality of life in your new home. Athens, Georgia, a small city about 70 miles east of Atlanta, ranks high in affordability, lifelong learning, and access to medical care. HGTV named the city's downtown one of the most charming in America, and you can probably ditch the shovel because the area only averages two inches of snow a year.

Athens placed high on Forbes' 2025 list of best places to retire. They looked at almost 1,000 locales, examining factors like climate change, crime, and the availability of doctors, then compared those results with each city's outdoor, fine dining, and arts offerings. According to their findings, Athens' cost of living is 12% below the national average, and if you want to buy a home on your retirement income, the median home cost, at $334,000, is 20% lower than the national median. Data from Data USA and the Economic Policy Institute's Family Budget Calculator indicate that the average retiree should budget $27,787 to cover personal living costs for a year.

Of course, quality of life goes beyond cost of living, though not having financial worries is an important part of having a less stressful retirement. A city's livability is harder to measure with hard data, but it is a factor in choosing a place to retire. It includes a community's economic prosperity, the natural environment, social stability, and equity, as well as factors like educational opportunities and cultural resources. Athens made Livability's Best Places to Live in the US 2025 list for its public art, thriving music and theater scene, outdoor activities, and wealth of community festivals. The University of Georgia contributes a significant amount to Athens' livability. Its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offers free courses without exams or grades to retirees in categories ranging from opera to olive oil, and their 62+ program admits older residents to the university, tuition-free.

The city's pickleball and tennis courts are open year-round, as are the mountain biking trails and the Firefly Trail rail-trail for bikers and hikers. The North Oconee River is the city's first water trail, open to kayakers and canoeists. If hiking the Appalachian Trail is on your retirement bucket list, the southern terminus is just 75 miles northwest of Athens. City buses operate free of charge, and major attractions like the Georgia State Botanical Garden don't charge admission.

Quality health care becomes increasingly important as retirees age. The Athens-Clark County demographic area, with about 128,000 residents, is served by five hospitals, and there's an above-average ratio of primary care doctors per capita. The area has retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and memory care options for those who want or need them.