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See a slide show of all our Best Cities for Empty-Nesters.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
The kids grew up, the house got too big, and the soccer cleats grew cobwebs. Now you're ready to move where you can graze the sushi, roam the galleries, hit the clubs and stroll back to your downtown digs late at night.
Our suggestion? Ditch the 'burbs and move to Seattle, where energy bubbles like froth on a cappuccino. Seattle owes its creative heat to a thriving arts scene, a strong technology job market and an eclectic mix of software geeks, artists, musicians and academics.
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For empty-nesters, much of the action lies downtown, in the three-star restaurants, raffish bars, small theaters and funky nightclubs. Seattle comes in second only to Anchorage, Alaska, in coffee shops per capita and has taken the "most literate city" title two years in a row, thanks to its many bookstores and libraries.
True, wet happens in Rain City, but the natives cure cabin fever by biking the 27-mile Burke-Gilman trail, hiking the Cascade foothills, and boating in Lake Union, where marinas alternate with shambling shipyards and cedar-shingled houseboats. In this maritime community, you're as likely to tie up as to park, says Kelly Blake, a real estate agent with Windermere. "The marinas have guest moorage. You can pull up at a restaurant, have dinner and sleep on your boat."
Brian and Suzanne Lee, both 51, raised their two daughters in Woodinville, 20 miles northeast of Seattle. The Lees recently traded their four-bedroom house and high-maintenance yard for smaller quarters closer in. "We wanted to get into Seattle proper," says Brian, a vice-president of a medical-electronics company.
They chose Ballard, a neighborhood known back in the day for "smoky bars, brothels and boats," says Blake, who grew up there. The Lees' new house, a three-bedroom rambler for which they paid a little more than $700,000, puts the couple within walking distance of Ballard's quaint shopping district and close to one of Seattle's sandy beaches. Brian has a 15-minute drive to the downtown clubs, where he plays blues guitar with his band, the Blues Orbiters.
When Brenda and Mike Finkenbinder (she's 49 and he's 50) moved to Seattle eight years ago, they rented an apartment near Pike Place Market, the colorful venue for fruit sellers, veggie vendors and fishmongers. They spent their free time wandering the market, walking to the theater and ducking into bars. "We'd say, 'This place looks fun, let's check it out,' " says Brenda. The Finkenbinders have since moved to a house on Mercer Island, ten minutes by car to downtown.
Seattle recently revised its zoning laws to accommodate more residents, and developers have responded accordingly, with posh -- and pricey -- new buildings. At the Cristalla, in the Belltown area, you'll pay $600,000 or more for a one-bedroom condo with a bay view, and $1 million and up for a two-bedroom. As for bargains, you can score a two-bedroom condo in a brownstone in Ballard for about $415,000 or get your feet wet with a tiny houseboat for $350,000.
Like 30% of people who live downtown and commute more than ten miles to work, the Lees figure the temporary inconvenience is worth it and lets them get a head start on their next phase of life. -- Jane Bennett Clark
What you'll love about Seattle
Tourists and natives head to Pike Place Market, on First Avenue, for the lavish bouquets, the glorious vegetables and, of course, the flying fish.
The Elliott Bay Book Company, on South Main, is a haven for book lovers, with its brick walls, cedar shelves and earnest young authors reading aloud in the room behind the cafe.
At the Macrina Bakery & Cafe, in Belltown, start with the house specialty: bread pudding with blackberry sauce, Seattle's ultimate comfort food. Then go for the lemon-lavender coffeecake.
BOULDER, COLORADO
What's better than raising a family in Boulder? Living in Boulder after the kids are gone. You can sample Boulder's 300-odd restaurants, shop the boutiques on the Pearl Street Mall, take tea at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and bike along Boulder Creek Path. No worries about intellectual stimulation, either: Boulder has enough artists, techies and activists to keep you on your toes indefinitely.
If you want to move to a close-in neighborhood, however, expect to downsize. Because of Boulder's tight growth restrictions, downtown housing is scarce and expensive: A single-family detached home averages $500,000, says Barry Friedlander, of Re/Max of Boulder. The same house runs $200,000 to $300,000 ten miles outside of town. You can find a two-bedroom condo for $250,000 or a one-bedroom loft with a view of the Flatirons for $280,000.
Or you can enjoy nature's glories close up -- and without the yardwork. "I'm 15 minutes from the edge of town," says Friedlander, 58. "I live on a mountaintop, so I can see Denver. I don't mow grass. I ride my motorcycle to the office once a month. This morning I was outside watching a bald eagle fly." -- Jane Bennett Clark