PORT TOWNSEND — Where to Retire
magazine, a national publication geared toward helping retired people relocate, has profiled Port Townsend as a top retirement town.
Writer Carole Jacobs spent three days in Port Townsend in April, interviewing retirees and business people to determine what makes the town a good place to relocate.
Her story is in in the September/October issue, which was mailed to subscribers July 30, according to the magazine, which is based in Houston, Texas.
The magazine, which publishes six times annually and claims a 200,000 national circulation, strives to cover towns in various geographic locations and with different climates, said magazine staffer Lindsay Lindquist.
Three other towns profiled in the issue are Lafayette, La.; Ocean County, N.J.; and Venice, Fla.
The four-page article covers obvious high points — Fort Worden State Park, the Victorian-style structures of the town and the “Officer and a Gentleman” connection — while providing information about economics and services that will help people decide.
Among those interviewed are Barry and Jo’el Shandre, Mary and Jon Toof, Jerry and Kc Hutter and Realtor John Eissinger.
“There are some really cool people up there,” Jacobs said Thursday. “The high quality of people, professionally and educationally, was given as a reason as to why people like living there.”
Jacobs, who lives in California, said that, while she did not choose the assignment, “I would move to Port Townsend in a minute, if I had the chance.”
Jacobs has worked out a routine for these assignments. She contacts local real estate agents for referrals to retirees who have recently bought homes.
“It’s too difficult to make cold calls to retirees because they think you are trying to sell them something,” she said.
Jacobs’ technique in taking the pulse of the community is simple.
“I just let people talk and let them tell their own story about why they like the town,” she said.
The magazine is sold on newstands as well as to subscribers. Its content is not online.
Where to Retire
editor Mary Lu Abbott said Port Townsend possesses many qualities important to today’s retirees.
Abbot said that active retirees are drawn by the natural beauty of the Olympic Peninsula, combined with Port Townsend’s sophisticated, artsy vibe, offering galleries and concerts along with wineries and great restaurants.
“It’s a small town with a laid-back, stress-free lifestyle and a pleasant not-too-rainy climate,” Abbott said.
For more information about the magazine, which was launched in 1992, see www.wheretoretire.com.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.