The first wave (the so-called leading edge) of the Baby Boomer Generation, born between 1946 and 1955, have retired or plan to in the next few years.
For some retirees, down-sizing is a priority. For others there’s the dream of relocating from the city or suburbs to a small town which has a great quality of life and abundant outdoors opportunities nearby.
Kentucky has many retirement options for those who want to move. The state ranks third on the list of states with the lowest cost of living, surpassed only by Tennessee and Mississippi. Many Kentucky small towns low tax rates, affordable housing and reasonable food, fuel prices and electrical rates.
They are also within easy driving distance of major reservoirs, small lakes, major rivers, state and national forests, wildlife refuges or wildlife management areas.
Here are three Kentucky small towns close to prime fishing, hunting and nature destinations, that are actively courting retirees.
Columbia
A good argument can be made for several small towns in Central Kentucky, but one obvious choice is in Adair County. Local tourism officials say Columbia is on the radar of retirees looking for an “outdoorsy” place to live.
“About one-third of inquiries are related to outdoor recreation opportunities,” said Sue Stivers, executive director of the Columbia/Adair County Tourism Commission. “We’re in a strategic location.”
Columbia is just off the Cumberland Parkway, a four-lane highway that begins as US-27 near Somerset, and ends at Interstate-65 at Bowling Green.
The college town (Lindsey Wilson College) has a population of 4,510, and is within two hours of driving time from Louisville, Lexington and Nashville.
“Recent inquires from retirees looking to re-locate have come from as far away as Florida, Pennsylvania and Vermont,” said Stivers.
Arguably, Columbia is close to some of the state’s best fishing — 10 minutes from excellent muskie and walleye fishing at 8, 210-acre Green River Lake, 30 minutes from Burkesville, on the Cumberland River, Kentucky’s premier trout tailwaters, and 30 minutes from 50,250-acre Lake Cumberland, which offers the state’s best striped bass fishing and abundant water sports opportunities.
Dale Hollow Lake, 27,700 acres straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee line, is another 30 minutes to the south of Burkesville. It is arguably the best smallmouth bass fishing lake in the South. Barren River Lake, a largemouth bass destination, is 40 minutes to the west off the Cumberland Parkway. The 10,000 acre lake offers excellent bass fishing, especially in the fall.
“Retirees want to come here because we’re so close to four lakes,” said Stivers.
Morehead
Just off Interstate-64, Morehead is about an hour’s drive east of Lexington. The county seat of Rowan County has a population of 6,917 and is the home of Morehead State University.
It is surrounded by Daniel Boone National Forest, offering thousands of acres of land open to the public use. A trails initiative in recent years has upgraded and lengthened the region’s trail system for hikers and mountain bikers. There is also good full-service campgrounds and trails for horseback riding.
The northern reaches of the national forest also offer squirrel, deer and wild turkey hunting. The 7,731 acre Pioneer Weapons Wildlife Management Area is open to primitive weapons only, including muzzleloaders, traditional longbows and recurve bows.
But the main draw for this area is 8,270-acre Cave Run Lake, a ruggedly beautiful lake just a few minutes drive from downtown. The lake is Kentucky’s top muskie fishing destination, having yielded several state records. The hills surrounding the lake are especially beautiful in the fall when the leaves turn colors.
“We hear from a lot of retirees who want to be out by the lake,” said Joy Brown, executive director of the Morehead Tourism Commission. “They want to move back here and be a part of the many clubs and organizations.”
Brown said there has been a spike in development between Morehead and the east side of the lake, close to boat ramps and marinas on the lake.
Murray
Murray’s reputation as a retirement mecca for outdoor enthusiasts has been well documented.
In fact the town of 18,106 (based on the 2013 census) in far western Calloway County, was one of the featured destinations for retirees in an article posted on the Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money website in 2012. The article cited friendly residents and an abundance of crappie and bass in nearby Kentucky Lake.
“Two or three couples a week wander into our office to inquire about retiring here,” said Erin Carrico, executive director of the Murray Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “Everyone remembers your name. We’re very welcoming to strangers here.”
Murray’s leisurely pace of life and reasonable cost of living are other reasons for its retirement reputation. At the time of the article, the cost of living in Murray was 17.5 percent below the national average. Carrico said Murray has been booming economically in the past four years
The close proximity of Land Between the Lakes (LBL), with its Elk and Bison Range and eagle viewing weekends in the winter, is also a plus for nature lovers. There is great bass fishing in Lake Barkley and most of the 175,000 acres in LBL are open to deer, turkey and small game hunting.
Murray is 45 minutes from Paducah and two hours from Nashville, and home to Murray State University
“Murray has an interesting mix of people from all walks of life,” said Carrico. “Everyone embraces the lifestyle here.”
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.