Chester, a town of about 77,000 that is south of Liverpool, is one of the most interesting towns in England. It is a former Roman outpost and then medieval city.  The walls from the latter era still almost completely surround Chester, and it is one of the best preserved walled cities in the British Isles. Chester has a number of…...

Phoenixville is an old town of about 16,000 near Valley Forge.  It was once famous for manufacturing, including steel.  Photo of restored Phoenix Iron Works courtesy of Wikipedia and J Clear; photo of Bridge Street courtesy of Wikipedia and Dough4872, photo of Church and Main Sts. courtesy of Wikipedia and Pdakeyboardplaya, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0/...

With the nickname "Blue Hole" one might not know what to expect about Sequim, Washington. Pronounced (skwim), this growing town of about 6,600 (with 20,000 more in the area) gets its name because pilots kept noticing that there was almost always blue skies over the area - it is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains.  At about 14"…...

Eugene, population 158,000, has many attractions as a place to retire. For one, it is a vibrant college town; 17,000 students attend the University of Oregon here. It has the Cascade Mountain range for unlimited hiking, skiing and outdoor opportunities. The wild and rugged Pacific coast is just an hour to the west. The city, birthplace of Nike, is famous…...