Dear MarketWatch,
I'm an inveterate rails-to-trails cyclist who most enjoys biking along rivers. I'd like to retire to a small town with easy access to hiking and biking trails, kayaking and other joys of the natural world.
Can you suggest some walkable small towns (3,000-10,000 population) that are county seats and/or college towns, politically liberal, and have easy access to rivers and bike trails?
I will have an income of $30,000-$40,000. I will be downsizing, and should have sufficient proceeds from the sale of my current home to be able to buy outright and avoid most ongoing housing costs. I'd like to come in under $200,000.
Thank you,
Jesse
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Jesse,
I'm not too worried about your ability to find rail-trails, those old railway lines that have been converted to trails for walking, cycling and sometimes even horseback riding and snowmobiling; the Rails to Trails Conservancy counts 2,289 of them covering 24,905 miles in the U.S. For the best of them, check out its hall of fame.
{Lots More test, then we get into Iowa...}
Grinnell, Iowa
Like Oberlin, Grinnell is home to a noted small liberal-arts college. With 9,500 residents, it's slightly larger than Oberlin. And like Oberlin, it's in a county that went red in 2020 (55.9% of Poweshiek County voted for Donald Trump).
It checks the rail-trail box with the 5.8-mile Rock Creek Recreation Bike Trail that stretches from Rock Creek State Park (and a lake) to the western end of town, where it connects with the 1.8-mile Grinnell Trail.
Drive 55 miles west to Des Moines and you'll have many rail-trails, including the Raccoon River Valley Trail, the 2021 inductee in the Rails to Trails Hall of Fame. Go 67 miles east to Iowa City (which gets raves as a place to live and was suggested here) for lots more trails. If you want to be closer to big-city amenities, check out small towns outside of both while you're exploring Grinnell.
And if you live in Iowa, there's no excuse not to join the weeklong party that is Ragbrai and pedal across the state.
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