Retirement Planning : Texas Cities : Athens is a Great Place to Live Out Your Golden Years

Dallas, Texas is a great place to work and live, but for retirement, some may prefer Athens, Texas; a small town nearby that offers good fortune and adventure!

By Danny S. (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

English: Category:Images of Dallas, Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Looking for a Great Place to Live Out Your Golden Years? Planning Retirement? Athens, Texas is a Certified Retirement Community. Learn More

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July 2011, Forbes magazine published a TOP 10 List of Cities considered to be "economic superstars". Dallas, Texas was chosen as one of those cities because of its relatively low housing prices and its attractive job market. While Dallas may be a terrific place to work and live, some may prefer to retire to one of the surrounding Texan communities or towns such as Athens (population 10,000+ as of 2010).



Good Luck Peas and Texas Caviar
In 1971, Athens held the first-ever Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree. The history behind this event is as follows.


The late J. B. Henry, an Athens businessman, decided to grow the black-eyed pea and market the legumes on a commercial scale as "Good Luck Peas for New Year's Day"; and for the wealthy and well-to-do (or those who like to dream they are), pickled black-eyed peas were sold as "Texas Caviar".


Mr. Henry passed away in 1940 but to this day he is still referred to as the "Black-Eyed Pea King of East Texas". Such loyalty to his kingship is deserved. Giving black-eyed peas the aura of "good fortune" and calling them "caviar" for the rich folks. Who would've thunk it? That was genius!!!


Today, all the credit being given to the savvy marketing talents of Mr. Henry, Athens, Texas is referred to as the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World".


First GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community
In addition to the honor of being designated the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World", Athens holds the honor of being chosen as one of the first "GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Communities" in the state.


If you visit the site Retire in Texas, and go to the respective page, you will find a list of all the communities that have been approved for this program. The Texas Department of Agriculture, Trade and Business Development state their intentions plainly as follows:


"The GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community Program is a certification and promotion program provided by the Texas Department of Agriculture.  The GO TEXAN stamp of approval ensures each certified community has demonstrated through its application that it can meet the living, employment/volunteer, health, entertainment, education and safety needs of its citizens and visitors - all the things that make Texas a great place to retire."


Other Texas cities or towns are welcome to apply for this program.


Final Accolade
Per USA Today, ziplining is a zany form of adventure for thrill-seekers that first became popular in Costa Rica but has now become popular in the USA.


Athens, Texas is the first city that I have ever known that puts New York and Texas together and makes it work. Not New York, New York (which is what I thought of when I first saw one of the advertisements for the New York, Texas ZipLine Adventures; but New York, Texas (about 20 miles east of Athens). It's easy to get confused, especially when you discover that there is also an Athens, New York!


But an article by freelance writer, Veronica Terres, entitled "Get Up and Get Out" in the May-June 2011 issue of the East Texas Outdoors Magazine made everything plain when she pointed out the location of the NY TX Zip Line Adventures and aptly described this attraction in two words: "Adrenaline Rush".


But why would this attraction about a ziplining adventure be significant if you're planning to retire to Athens, Texas, instead of say ... assurances about golfing? I don't know! Why did former President George Bush Sr. decide to go parachuting on his 80th and 85th birthdays and plan to do it again when he turns 90? Ziplining may be a key factor in deciding whether or not you want to retire to Athens, Texas.


Recommended Reading:

• Purposefully Planning Your Retirement - What Is Time To You?

Practical advice and information from Jeff Brown (aka "The Bawld Guy"), who has extensive knowledge and experience in long term retirement planning.


General Information Links:

• Athens Daily Review
• City of Athens, Texas | Official Website
• Welcome to The City of Athens Texas
• Athens, TX Housing and Residents

References:

• Kotkin, Joel. "The Next Big Boom Towns In The U.S." Forbes.com, 6 July 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• Bly, Laura. "The Zany Joy of Ziplining Catches Hold in the USA - USATODAY.com." Travel. USATODAY, 13 June 2008. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• Terres, Veronica. "Get Up and Get Out." East Texas Outdoors Magazine. Youblisher, May-June 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• "Bush Parachutes for 80th Birthday - CNN." Featured Articles from CNN. 13 June 2004. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

• "George Bush Snr Celebrates 85th Birthday with Skydive over Maine - Telegraph." Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk, 12 June 2009. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

Small Town USA - Greenville, Texas (near Dallas)

Back in 2011, Forbes magazine prepared a TOP 10 List of cities considered to be “economic superstars”. They were recognized as a “superstar” because they have relatively low housing prices, and somehow experienced an increase in new jobs, and managed to keep their economies afloat. The List included 4 Texas cities. - Austin, Texas was Number 1; - San Antonio was Number 4 on the List; - Houston, Number 5; and - Dallas, Number 7. 

- Read more at:  "The Next Big Boom Towns in the U.S." https://web.archive.org/web/20161202135817/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/pf_article_113083.html

Austin is the state capital; and in the same way, Cedar Park, Texas benefits from being a part of the Greater Austin community, Greenville, Texas is a “small town” that likely benefits from their proximity to Dallas, one of the places named as an economic superstar. Downtown Greenville is an easy 45 minute trip from Dallas, Texas.

The 2015 estimated population projection for this city is less than 30,000. That's close enough to meeting my definition of having small-town charm.

Greenville, TX is north of Dallas in Northeast, Texas. 

Map found at greenville-texas.com



Here are just a few facts to peak your interest in this colorful U.S. city.


Greenville was established in 1846. It was famous for a sign that read "Welcome to Greenville, The Blackest Land, The Whitest People". 

This sign was hung over the main street in the downtown area from the 1920s to the 1960s. Between the 1960s and 1970s, the sign was changed to "The Blackest Land, The Greatest People". 

There has been a dispute over the interpretation of those words.  Some believed the sign indicated a racist attitude of the people in the city.  Others insisted that "whitest" was not referring to their race but rather their purity, honesty, and integrity of the people who lived there. The color "white" is symbolic for purity, is it not?

Eventually, the sign was just taken down. The fertile black soil of the area resulted in excellent cotton production, and Greenville became known as the "cotton capital of the world".
 
Times have changed for the better and the new attitude is reflected in the City's vision statement:

“The vision of the City of Greenville is to build on our hometown values and rich heritage as a diverse community, by providing cost-effective, quality services to create an enjoyable vibrant place where families and business choose to live, grow and prosper.”

Image credit: Old map of Greenville, TX, 1891; Public Domain; Wikimedia Commons

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