6 Best Towns Near Memphis For Retirees
Six towns within easy drive of Memphis give retirees a quieter base while keeping the cost of living below the big city. Marion sits across the river in Arkansas. Hernando and Oxford lie south in Mississippi. Covington runs north of Memphis in Tennessee, and Brownsville and Bolivar sit further east. Memphis is also the only spot where three states meet along the Mississippi River. A short drive can cross a state line and shrink a senior's tax burden.
Tennessee retirement at city scale
For a wider look at retirement across the rest of the state, see our roundup of the best cities to retire in Tennessee.
Marion, Arkansas
Marion, the seat of Crittenden County, Arkansas, is the closest of these towns to Memphis, just 13 miles west across the Mississippi River. The cost of homes here is a real plus, with average values of $239,000. New rental options, such as Angelo's Grove, have also made the town a more attractive retirement destination in the Arkansas Delta.
Arkansas doesn't tax Social Security benefits, another plus. Day-to-day healthcare is handled by Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden, an acute-care hospital in neighboring West Memphis, while the larger Memphis hospitals are an easy 15-minute drive away.
As for the fun side, the Esperanza Bonanza is a weekend festival with a carnival, live music, and a corn maze that takes place on the site of the original European settlement at Fort Esperanza. For outdoor types, Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge is centered on a 600-acre lake with walking trails and birdwatching along the Mississippi Flyway, the continental bird-migration route.
Hernando, Mississippi
A 25-minute drive south of Memphis, Hernando is the seat of DeSoto County, Mississippi. The landmark here is the DeSoto County Courthouse, built in 1942 on the town square. Seven murals painted in 1913 for the Gayoso Hotel in Memphis hang inside; they're worth a look, and they depict the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, the first European to reach the Mississippi River and the town's namesake.
Saturday mornings are a good time to venture downtown from April through October when the Hernando Farmers Market takes over the square. A Mississippi Certified market, sellers grow or make their goods in the state, and the market even runs senior nutrition programs.
On the practical side, homes here average around $348,000, higher than the Mississippi average but well under Memphis-area prices. Mississippi also exempts retirement income from state tax, covering Social Security, pensions, and withdrawals from retirement accounts. Homeowners 65 and older get an added homestead allowance on top of that. Healthcare is close at hand at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, a 10-minute drive north in Southaven.
Covington, Tennessee
Covington has the practical side of retirement covered. The seat of Tipton County, Tennessee, sits a 40-minute drive north of Memphis. Healthcare runs through Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton, an acute-care facility with a 24-hour emergency room.
It delivers on housing costs too, with average home values around $210,000, well below Tennessee averages. Like its neighboring states, Tennessee gives its older population additional savings. With no state income tax, Social Security, pensions, and retirement withdrawals all go untaxed.
Community life centers on the town square, home to the Court Square Cafe and Dulce Amada Bakery, both spots to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The square's landmark structure, the Historic Ruffin Theater, is an Art Deco playhouse from 1936 that hosted Elvis Presley in 1955 and now stages community productions.
Brownsville, Tennessee
Music has also played an important role in Brownsville, the seat of Haywood County, Tennessee. An hour's drive east of Memphis, the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center deals with the area's history, including its musical heritage. The star of the show here is the Tina Turner Museum, set in the one-room schoolhouse the singer attended as a child in nearby Nutbush before it was moved and restored. The relocated home of blues musician Sleepy John Estes is also on-site.
Other cultural highlights include Billy Tripp's Mindfield, a welded tower of old steel and salvaged metal that's now the largest outdoor sculpture in Tennessee, and the Ann L. Marks Performing Arts Center, a restored theater that hosts concerts and plays.
Brownsville's appeal to retirees also extends to its affordability, with median home values of $167,000. The Haywood County Community Hospital comes with an emergency department and an urgent-care clinic, with the larger Jackson hospitals a 30-minute drive east.
Bolivar, Tennessee
The seat of Hardeman County, Tennessee, Bolivar is an hour and fifteen minutes southeast of Memphis and owes its name to the South American liberator, Simón Bolívar. For retirees, the numbers add up. The median home price is $153,000, one of the lowest in this group and well below the Tennessee average.
As for healthcare, West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar Hospital, a critical-access hospital, covers emergency and inpatient care in town. Several senior-focused facilities also operate in and around Bolivar, including Pecan Grove and Pine Meadows Healthcare Center.
The town itself is a big draw for older residents, with several antebellum homes still standing along its uptown streets. The centerpiece is The Pillars, an 1820s house that saw many notable guests drop in, including Andrew Jackson. Now a museum, it and the Little Courthouse Museum, the town's history museum, are also always keen to hear from potential volunteers.
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a serious contender for retirees who want to get involved in the local culture. The seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, and an hour and fifteen minutes south of Memphis, Oxford grew up around the University of Mississippi (aka Ole Miss), a hotbed of literary talent that included William Faulkner. The university also offers free classes to residents 65 and over. Faulkner set much of his work in a fictionalized version of the county, writing from his home at Rowan Oak, an attractive Greek Revival house built in 1844 that he bought in 1930.
The beating heart of this attractive town is the Town Square and the Lafayette County Courthouse. Ringed by independent businesses like Square Books, notable for its roster of author readings, the courthouse was rebuilt in 1872 after the Civil War. It's also the scene of popular community events like April's Double Decker Arts Festival with food, music, and artists.
All of this culture comes at a price. Median home prices hover around $417,400, but Mississippi exempts retirement income from state tax. Homeowners 65 and over also get an added break on the first $7,500 of a home's assessed value. If homeownership isn't on the cards, options like The Blake at Oxford rent independent apartments. As for healthcare, Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi covers residents with its trauma center.
The Mississippi retirement picture
For a broader take on retirement towns across the Magnolia State, see our list of the best towns in Mississippi to retire comfortably.
Six Towns, One City Within Reach
For older adults looking for a place to retire, each of these six towns sits close enough to Memphis to provide easy access to airports, specialists, and a night out, yet far enough to keep housing affordable and the pace of life unhurried. Tax treatment also makes a difference, with Tennessee and Mississippi leaving retirement income alone, and Arkansas sparing Social Security.
