Cities That Aren't Quite There Yet Might Be America's Best Options For Semi-Retirement

Using Buffalo, New York's West Side as a placeholder neighborhood

After flying a red eye—the only non-stop flight between Los Angeles and Buffalo—Tuesday night, I’m a bit beat as I write this Wednesday afternoon. I wonder why JetBlue even operates a direct flight between these two cities. Our plane was half full and the route doesn’t even exist in summer. But, whatever, it’s convenient. So I’m not complaining.

But this actually speaks to something. Buffalo is one of those cities that’s not quite there yet. However, where it’s already there it’s really, really there. And where it’s not quite there yet, you can see that it soon will be … there.

Over the next few days, my partner and I plan on walking around Buffalo’s West Side neighborhoods, taking pictures of food (!), the urban landscape and, hopefully, finding properties for sale. We’re not planning to buy one. And we don’t necessarily think you should. However, Buffalo serves as a placeholder for a relatively affordable city where you might just be able to live a full—and decidedly urban—semi-retired life.

You have to find those cities without direct flights. Or with that one random direct flight that doesn’t seem to make sense. The deed has already been done in San Francisco, Seattle, LA and other prohibitively expensive places. Plus, cities of this nature aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. This is where a place like Buffalo can come in.

What has happened and is happening here—specifically in the West Side neighborhoods—is nothing short of super cool and, given the state of much of urban America, incredible.

Our Airbnb hosts are a great example. Their area codes say it all!