Great Places to Retire in North Carolina

North Carolina Best Walkable Places

April 6, 2023 — Earlier this year we wrote about the best walkable towns in South Carolina. Not to be outdone, here are some great towns with good walkability in its northerly neighbor, North Carolina.

New Bern, NC. We really liked our visit to New Bern. It is a real, walkable town with a whole lot going on. It has a 56 square block tree-lined historic district near where 2 rivers join to meet the Pamlico Sound. The city, originally settled by Swiss and Germans, is the second oldest town in North Carolina and also one of its fastest growing.

Beaufort, NC. Many boaters are familiar with this Beaufort, pronounced BO-FURT, because it is a popular stop on the intracoastal waterway. This compact old seaport has history and beautiful homes – many homes sport historic plaques. The pirate Blackbeard lived here in the 1700’s, leaving his young (and 14th!) wife a widow. The Town Hall is on a green with banyan trees, while the commercial center is on the old port. There are a surprisingly high number of excellent restaurants here.

Hendersonville, NC. If your idea of a great retirement community involves stately Victorian homes with flower-boxes along tree-shaded streets, Hendersonville and the nearby Village of Flat Rock might be the place for you. The city has an exceptionally beautifully and revitalized downtown area with coffee shops, boutiques, antique shops and tourist attractions.

Asheville, NC. One of the interesting things about this town in the NC mountains is that people either tend to love it or hate it. For those who love it, the compact downtown with its many restaurants, boutiques, and galleries are a big appeal. Those who don’t like it think it is too arty or busy. As for Topretirements, we like it a lot.

Davidson, NC. Davidson is an upscale college town in southwestern North Carolina. Local downtown businesses, characterized by restaurants and specialty shops, cater to an affluent market. Prestigious, nationally known Davidson College has made the town an intellectual and cultural center, drawing into its orbit professionals and some retirees.

Edenton, NC is a beautiful small town located on the coastline of North Carolina, known for its lovely homes and tree-lined streets. The waterfront and the wide main shopping street leading to a picturesque, grassy waterfront is exceptionally beautiful. Many of the homes are mansions dating from before the Civil War. 

Pinehurst Village, NC  This classic village is set in a serene and beautiful forest. The Pinehurst Resort is located within the village. The resort is so low-key and private that you could drive by the entrance to the town and not realize that you were there. Established with the goal of being a healthful retreat, famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted assisted in the design. Then the golf followed.

Waynesville, NC is a small, vibrant town in western North Carolina. Located within the Appalachian Mountain chains and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Waynesville draws many visitors each year to witness the mountain views and enjoy the nearby national forests.  It has a vibrant downtown full of restaurants, art galleries, and shopsl within the very walkable community.  

Sylva, NC. Retirees who want a small, mountain town (pop.2700) with a low cost of living and a walkable and vibrant downtown would enjoy living here. Sylva has galleries, restaurants, three bookstores, breweries, a hospital, great fishing, and is close to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is recognized as the state’s premier trout fishing destination.

Southport, NC is actually comprised of several towns – Caswell Beach, Oak Island, the Village of Bald Head Island, Boiling Springs Lakes, and the Town of St. James. The town was an active seaport in colonial times and remains one of the few active fishing villages in North Carolina. Its picturesque location and Victorian homes have been used for the television shows “Dawson’s Creek” and “Spies”, and in many movies. The downtown area features old brick storefronts and antique shops.

Bottom line
It turns out that if walkability is something you have to have in the place where you retire, North Carolina (and South Carolina too!) have many great possibilities too. If you think we missed any communities we should have included, please add them in the Comments section below.

For further reading:

Most Walkable Towns in South Carolina (many interesting comments)

Best Walkable Towns for Retirement