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Where to retire? .... Where to live? I was just thinking about places to retire and I could use your opinions. (the KEY FACTOR is ) easy access for fishing, streams or rivers an older gentleman can wade but still offers good quality. (Pete From MA)

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Pete In Vermont says:

OK, we've had 60+ posts on this subject. Below I've picked out quotes from the ones that I AGREE WITH and with which I am familiar. I've been pretty much around the country over the past 68 years, fishing in many states. I think St. Louis, Mo., for example, would never be on MY list for retirement. You might just as well say New York City or Philadelphia or Atlanta.

REMEMBER, this is my personal summary of places mentioned in the 60 posts that I ACTUALLY KNOW and where I agree with the poster that one could have a comfortable retirement location that centered on FLY FISHING in season for one's primary outdoor activity.

MY personal views, as supported by several of the 60 other forum members, strongly favor areas that have good fishing within 10 to 15 miles of "home" and that home is as convenient to modern facilities-medical services, transportation and shopping-as possible without being beyond that 10-miles-to-good-trout-fishing zone.

[As many of you know, after being in Vermont for 19 years, my medical needs are paramount now and I regret not taking advantage of the great trout waters within 10 to 20 miles as much as I should have over the years. While air transportation from central Vermont is lousy, we are only 35 miles from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (8000 employees and two helicopters one of which transported me in 2002.) But we are also in a county with 17 towns, 26,000 people (1,500 pop. Average) and only ONE traffic light in the whole county. And that traffic light is 32 miles from my house. Small town living here is like I remember the Boston suburbs in the 1940s and 1950s. It's friendly and you can participate as much as you want in local affairs. Winter seems to be a scary word to many people, but it's not to those of us who live through it every year, even when it hits 40-below. After three winters, you automatically adapt. If you didn't, nobody would live in Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland or most of Russia.]

So here's summary of comments that support places where trout fishing is a prime sport and where I could live if I didn't live here in Vermont. (Your comments, not so much as mine.)

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Western Massachusetts is a secret world.

OK--count me among the fans of Western Massachusetts-

I'd take up Battenkiller's offer--live in Saratoga, NY and come up to the Adirondacks to fish and hike

I tried to think a little more about Massachusetts ....and thought about the Western part of the State with the Deerfield river and the swift river. And I was thinking of towns like Tanglewood, Stockbridge & Lenox

The Adirondack's (New York) is where I'm trying to figure out how to move to. Yeah it's cold in the winter but, heck, The West Branch of the Ausable. One of the finest trout streams in the country.

The hill towns of Western Mass; Berkshire, Franklin or Hampshire county, the cultural epicenter of the Northeast,

In Vermont (and into NY) is the Mettawee, as well as the Dog, White, New Haven, Winooski and Lamoille rivers.

Having lived in Northeastern NY (not far from Saratoga and the Adirondacks) and only a few minutes from the Battenkill let me offer the following. I loved it, Western Massachusetts that Soft Hackle speaks of is beautiful and if you like to ski and burn wood and shovel snow My best friend retired to the the Bozeman area. A year later he was back to Northern NY where five or six months of winter seemed almost tropical to Montana

We found ourselves gravitating toward western ME near the NH border in the White Mountain National Forest Region, plenty of water of all types,

Asheville, NC--mountain brook trout, tail water browns and rainbows (big ones), river smallmouth, and warm water bass and bluegill. A couple of well-respected bamboo rod makers live nearby.

I would really love to retire in the western Maine/NH area that Banjo speaks of.

Shhhhhhhh. Don't tell everyone about Asheville NC. I have been living here all of my life. I have seen the population go from 25,000 to over 100,000. There is some great places to fish here. You can fish year round and be on water within 20 minutes regardless of which side of town that you live on.

Shenandoah Valley of Virginia has year-round trout fishing, but enough of a winter to make a Yankee feel at home.

Knoxville, Asheville, Winston-Salem and Roanoke, and most places in-between them, afford good year-round fishing nearby, medical care, reasonable amenities and lack of crowds for the most part

The two places previously mentioned that I like the best are Ashville, NC and State College, PA with PA getting the nod for great fishing. (In fact, I'm headed to the State College, Spruce Creek, Penns Creek, Little Juniata, etc. tomorrow.)

I like fly fishing Montana, Wyoming and Colorado too, but they are REALLY remote, so I chose the 2nd most picture-perfect state in the country---VERMONT. Everything is beautiful about the state--the scenery any time of year, the fishing and the hospital availability,

I don't think you can go wrong with State College, PA. There are miles and miles of spring creeks to fish for trout that range from something you can step across to something big enough that it is difficult to cast across. Lots of wild trout, lots of bugs, fairly easy access and wading. Cool water in the summer, unfrozen water in the winter.