Students aren’t the only group flocking to Athens to begin the next chapter of their life.
Across the nation, more and more retirees are moving to college towns as opposed to traditional retirement communities in Florida and Arizona, and Athens is no exception.
“I do see a lot of people who retire here,” Mayor Paul Wiehl said. “There is a certain amount of energy here. There are many cities that would die to have the activity we have on Court Street.”
Wiehl, who moved to Athens from New York City in 1981, knows others who have moved to the area as well. He said he believes the attraction is the low cost of living combined with the vast amount of activities available to residents.
“There is always something going on,” Wiehl said. “But it’s not like a big city where you’re going to have to wait in line and spend $75 for a ticket to get in. You can actually take the time to do what you want to do. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Greg and Janet Polzer, a couple who retired to Athens after living in New Jersey for 30 years, made their decision after years of thought.
“We went to 16 cities in the United States,” Janet said. “But the thing was that they were the ones in the retirement books. So when we got there, they had already been discovered. And then it was getting crowded, just like New Jersey. We were really striking out. Then Greg got a book called 100 small art communities. He was reading it one day and said, ‘Let’s go to Athens.’ I said, ‘What’s there? Where’s that?’ He said, ‘We wouldn’t have to fly, just drive and check it out. See what it’s like.’”
The Polzers ended up making three separate trips to Athens to see if it was the right place for them, including two times during the dreary months of the year to ensure that “the cherry blossoms wouldn’t draw us in,” Janet said.
“My husband wanted a good value,” she said. “We both wanted some kind of outdoor activity stuff, and the bike path was appealing. We wanted a small arts theater. We wanted a university setting. And it just felt good. We only knew one person here when we moved. So that was kind of a leap of faith.”
Once the Polzers decided Athens was for them, they put their house on the market, which sold in two days, and Greg flew out to Athens and bought a house that Janet hadn’t even seen.
“It’s been better than I thought it would be, and I thought it was going to be great,” Janet said. “I love it. I don’t want anyone to know about it. I don’t want 33 to bring people in. I love it just the way it is.”
While there isn’t the population base for a large retirement center, Athens County Treasurer Bill Bias said he has certainly seen a lot of people move to Athens to live out their retirement.
“I think it’s a great place to retire,” Bias said. “There is a tremendous amount of entertainment and culture because OU is a very large dog on a very small front porch.”
The availability of entertainment is just one of the many reasons the Polzers have been so delighted with their choice.
“We get fabulous basketball seats, fabulous football seats,” Janet said. “It just feels like we are on the inside track. We could never get these tickets in New Jersey.”
One of the things Greg said he enjoys the most is that you can get right to the source and reach out to anyone in town, even the mayor.
“We know all these people just by walking up to them and introducing ourselves and talking to them,” Greg said. “During political season, we were fortunate enough to meet all these national political leaders; you just don’t have access to those people in more populated areas.”
The casualness of Athens is what Greg believes holds the community together.
“People here are without any kind of snottiness,” Greg said. “You go to a party at somebody’s house, and you’ll see people there wearing anything from blue jeans to a fancy sport coat and tie, and yet no one looks down on the guy with blue jeans or the guy with a jacket. Everyone does their own thing.”
Some of Janet’s favorite parts about Athens include going to the Farmers Market and the 30 Mile Meal program.
“This stuff doesn’t happen anywhere else,” Janet said. “You know restaurants say, ‘This is a 30-mile meal; this is food that your neighbor has produced.’ That’s not common in other parts of the country.”
Both Greg and Janet are heavily involved in local volunteer efforts. Greg is the President of the local chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, and Janet is involved with Habitat for Humanity, amongst other causes.
“All these organizations are helping a lot of needy people,” Greg said. “And for all of the needy people that are here, there are an equal amount of people who volunteer their time and money to help out. I would say there’s a real high quality of lifestyle available here. If you want to do something, it’s possible.”
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