Going Up to the Country: In recent years, an increasing number of retirees
have been heading back to city centers, drawn in by walkable streets and cultural possibilities. Active retirees
have also been bound for college towns, where continuing education classes and campus activities are a lure. Now
the Chicago Tribune is reporting on a very different migratory trend: Retirees are buying up land in the country, drawn by peace, quiet and potential financial rewards. Could a rural retirement be right for you? It certainly has a lot to recommend it: Natural beauty, escape from urban hubbub.There are more tangible benefits, too: Rural land has weathered the recession and housing bust a lot better than residential land has, according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. In the same time period that residential land value decreased 70 percent, the value of U.S. farmland rose by a fifth. The downside is this makes it harder for rural buyers to find a bargain. The upside is that rural land values are poised to keep growing, which makes farmland an attractive investment.
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