Easton, MD
Population 16,500
The Talbot County seat hits many sweet spots for retirees. Its historic and attractive downtown evokes Mayberry and includes the Avalon Theatre, one of the Shore’s largest live performance venues. Walkscore.com, which ranks communities by how easily errands can be done on foot instead of in a driver’s seat, rates Easton “highly walkable.” The town is not on the Bay itself though there is a small marina on the Tred Avon River, and plans are in the works for more development there. But the Bay and its larger tributaries are close by, as is the charming waterside town tourist town of St. Michaels. Publishers ranging from Readers Digest to Kiplinger have praised Easton, the latter calling it “a great place to retire.”
Niche rating: A for Retirees
Waterside alternative—Chestertown, Md. (pop. 5,100) on the namesake Chester River mixes colonial quaintness with the youthful buzz of Washington College.
