Southern Pines is a charming and beautiful town in North Carolina, just east of Pinehurst in the south central portion of the state.  The population is just over 15,500 (2020). What makes it so attractive is a bit ironic, since a major railroad line runs down the center of town. But the tracks are landscaped in a wide buffer, and…...

Stratford is an old Connecticut town of 51,000 on the Housatonic River north of Brideport. It is home to Sikorsky Aircraft and has a long tradition in aviation and defense manufacturing.  It was home for a long time to the American Shakespeare Theatre, which has unfortunately ceased operation. The town has several islands in the river and many nice beaches.…...

Eureka, California is a port city on the Humboldt Bay of California’s northern coast that makes an excellent retirement community. The population was 27,000 in 2018. Eureka was founded in 1856, and soon became an important port city for northern California's logging and commercial fishing industries. Eureka’s northern isolation means that it missed much of the post-war redevelopment. As result…...

Vilcabamba is a small village in southern Ecuador, about 42 kilometers from the city of Loja.  The village is renowned as the "Playground of the Incas" used by Incan royalty. From the airport in Loja, the road snakes over a mountain pass into the wonderful town of Vilcabamba. The town has attracted fame due to its energizer bunny - like…...