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The 15 Best Places to Reinvent Your Life
By Grace Lichtenstein, Elaine Robbins, and Michael Dupuis, May-June 2003
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1. LOVELAND/FORT COLLINS, CO
Just 45 minutes from Denver's dense traffic and sprawling subdivisions lies Loveland, a town as attractive as its name. Both its older residential areas of single-family homes shaded by huge trees and the newer outlying neighborhoods that sprout from the prairie beckon visitors with spectacular mountain views and easy access to year-round outdoor fun.
Loveland and Fort Collins are adjacent cities facing the majestic Front Range of the Rockies. They sit under vast, clear blue skies, along a corridor of northern Colorado where technology fueled job growth in the 1980s and '90s. Those jobs, plus the cities' proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park and the skiing, hiking, and fishing that make rural Colorado an outdoor Eden, have lured so many newcomers that the place ranked 15th on the list of fastest-growing metropolitan areas nationwide, according to the 2000 Census.
Fort Collins, home to Colorado State University, took in more of those crowds. Loveland, the smaller, quieter of the two, has an appealing mix of professors and students, artists and computer jockeys. Clusters of lively restaurants and new art galleries, all in stately turn-of-the-century buildings, dot the downtown area. And thanks to a thriving community of working sculptors, the city is regarded as among the best art towns in the United States.
But the heart of the city lies a few blocks away in an outdoor urban paradise: Lake Loveland, with its pretty, sandy shores, and Benson Park, with its tranquil sculpture garden, are part of almost 300 acres of green playground. Golf courses, athletic fields, and bicycle paths dot the landscape, and in the midst of all this verdant space is the Loveland Museum/Gallery, a center for historical exhibits and the performing arts.
Housing prices in Loveland are above the national median, but still far more affordable than those in Boulder, a long-popular city that has many similar amenities.
2. BELLINGHAM, WA
This western find is situated on a bay along the Pacific Northwest coast between Seattle and Vancouver. The setting? You've got a seaside marina, Victorian historic districts, lush forests, freshwater lakes, and, to the east, snow-capped Mount Baker.
All this natural charm, affordable neighborhoods, and recreational opportunities (kayaking, sailing, snowboarding, and more) have drawn a slew of transplants in recent years. Homesteaders have their choice of communities: One is Fairhaven, a town-within-a-town of adorable stores and restaurants overlooking the bay, where you'll find restored Victorian and original Craftsman homes (the latter at around $175,000). The unofficial motto at Village Books is "Stay and browse," which seems to capture the all-welcoming spirit of the town.
3. RALEIGH/DURHAM/CHAPEL HILL, NC
A dynamic metropolitan area, anchored by the high-tech and biotechnology facilities located in its Research Triangle Park and by more than 10 higher-education institutions, this corner of North Carolina definitely has Southern roots. But the country's R&D hub has drawn professors and students from all over the world, lending it a truly cosmopolitan cast. Happy residents are quick to point out that they are three hours from the seashore and just as close to the mountains.
Durham, home of Duke University, is the most affordable and vibrantly diverse of the three towns. Old tobacco warehouses downtown have been converted into lofts and funky new stores; it's easy to find the buzzing live music and dining scenes. The city's population is almost evenly split between African Americans and whites, and the business sector there has a long history of black financial leadership.
4. SARASOTA, FL
Sarasota, a small, civilized city on Florida's Gulf Coast, has it all—35 miles of beaches, a temperate climate, golf courses and tennis courts aplenty, and good boating in the Gulf and Sarasota Bay. Fine dining has rendered the early-bird special an endangered species—you'll have no trouble finding first-rate food at places like Pattigeorge's on Longboat Key or late-night burgers at Patrick's downtown. The local economy is robust (unemployment is a mere 2.8 percent), and there is a mix of jobs in tourism, the financial and health fields, and information technology.
But, apart from the sun, what residents love most is the range of cultural opportunities. What other small Florida city has an opera, a symphony, a film society, a theater scene (from Broadway classics like Porgy and Bess to a cabaret where you can dine while watching original productions), lots of art galleries—and The Ringling Museum of Art (with paintings by Rubens as well as circus props). "If you can't find something to do around here," says Regina Kelley, a local teacher, "you'd better check your pulse."
5. FAYETTEVILLE, AR
The Ozarks—with bright fall foliage, fishing in clear mountain lakes, little crime, and one of the lowest costs of living in the nation—have long attracted people. Until recently, that package came with a deeply rural feel and also a dirt-poor economy.
Now things are changing in this southern town with bigtime affordability. Unemployment is a low 2 percent, thanks to an economy driven by retail, government, and industry. (Wal-Mart's headquarters, J.B. Hunt transport, and Tyson Foods are nearby.) And the University of Arkansas fosters an appealing intellectual microclimate (the writing program attracts many novelists and poets).
"It's a tiny little Austin," says writer Robert Ford. "The big joke is that everyone thinks they'll come here for a year to teach and then move. They find that 10 years later, they're still here." Dickson Street near the university is a lively strip of bistros and music venues. In the downtown square, a farmer's market is held three days a week, spring through fall, amid a mix of historic buildings and newer development.
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