One of the most important decisions made by senior citizens involves choosing a community as a place to retire.

Sometimes it comes down to a choice between urban and rural. Larger cities have more medical facilities and more cultural activities. The down side is that they can seem overwhelmingly big for someone who’s aging, who’s becoming less active.

When someone chooses Marshall, they get a combination of city and country. They get the best of both worlds.

We have excellent housing options for seniors. They have three great congregate choices with Boulder Estates, Hill Street Place and Heritage Pointe. There’s also a good selection of apartment buildings that are fully handicapped accessible.

Avera Marshall is a regional medical center. Very often there’s a way to meet all medical needs without having to travel to larger cities.

People find a good assortment of retail stores and service providers. They have both large box stores and small businesses run by entrepreneurs. The service sector meets almost every basic need.

Recreational opportunities are abundant. Marshall has an extensive set of city parks and a city-wide trail system. There’s an arts center and a three-floor county museum. Almost every week people can attend at least one concert or play, sometimes at no cost.

Even though we have a lot to offer, we’re still a very livable small city. The traffic is not nearly as bad as a major metropolitan area. The downtown area is very accessible. Parking is usually convenient.

Another factor is safety, a major concern for older residents. Marshall prides itself on being a safe community. A person who is elderly or disabled can be out and about without worrying about becoming a crime victim.

When it’s all added together, Marshall is a great possibility for retirees. The city as a regional center is in a good position to attract senior citizens, which is clear when you consider the variety of older people who choose to call Marshall home.

We have hundreds of residents who are from nearby small towns. Marshall gives them a chance to stay close to home and still have plenty of amenities that add to the overall quality of life.

There are also dozens of residents who retire in Marshall after living in distant locations. Most of the time they come here because they have relatives in the area. It makes a big difference. It becomes a good way to have family around while living independently.

A third category involves people like me, Marshall natives who simply stay put. They often move from houses to apartments by downsizing. It’s a simpler process than relocating to a different city. There’s the same familiar people and places, the same advantages that Marshall has always provided.

The city along with Avera, the chamber of commerce, and housing facilities should continue to market Marshall as a retirement destination. If possible they should find new ways to reach out to those who are making a decision about where to live as they become elderly.

Senior citizens are an economic asset. Many of them shop in stores and utilize community based services. Some of them are able to volunteer in community based organizations, to give time and talent.

In the second half of the 20th century much was said about the “brain drain”. It still happens. Many graduates of Marshall High School still go off to college and never come back.

We’ve been helped greatly by the fact that we’re a college town. We lose capable high school graduates, but we gain many outstanding college students who add to the local workforce.

The same thing should happen with retirees. We lose some because they move away to be closer to their kids. We gain many more, and can gain an even greater number in the future, because of what Marshall as a small city has to offer.

There’s a good potential to add at least one more large facility that provides congregate and assisted living housing options.

The ones that exist have waiting lists. I waited a year to move to Boulder Estates. It would be a good thing if new facilities shortened the time it takes to obtain an apartment.

Marshall is a great place to live at any age. We should look for ways to make it even better, to keep the people we have and to bring in new residents.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent