SAN ANTONIO — Fredericksburg is known for its wineries and German heritage that draw Texans from all over the region for weekend trips, but one magazine suggests you couldn't do much better if you're also looking for a community to retire in.
Southern Living, a publication which has explored regional life and culture since 1966, featured the Hill Country community in a new list of the most affordable Southern cities to retire in. The magazine, teaming up with the financial news website Investopedia, determined that Fredericksburg's median monthly housing costs amounted to $1,254—more than $500 less than the median monthly mortgage cost across all of Texas, per the financial services company SoFi.
The Southern Living article's writer, Ashley Cusick, also commended Fredericksburg's natural beauty, its "quaint feel" and wine scene. Further making its case as an affordable city to retire in, Cusick noted Texas's lack of an income tax and homestead exemptions offered to eligible homeowners.
"The area's German heritage is reflected in its architecture, cuisine and beer selections," Cusick went on to write about Fredericksburg, which has a population of about 11,000 and a median age of 50.7 years old.
Fredericksburg was the only Texas city cited in Southern Living's list. Also highlighted are Charleston, West Virginia; North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Hickory, North Carolina; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Englewood, Florida; Vero Beach, Florida; Maryville, Tennessee; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Valdosta, Georgia.
All but one of those cities, Southern Living wrote, had a lower media monthly housing cost than Fredericksburg. Englewood came in as the cheapest of the featured communities, at $779 a month.
