Groceries and prescriptions
A short, comfortable route to essentials can matter more than being close to restaurants or visitor attractions.
Car-Light Retirement Planner
Choose a city, think through the trips you make every week, and build a route checklist for a home you may actually choose.
Choose a city
Start with a place you are considering for retirement.
At a glance
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Use these details to decide which everyday trips to test from a possible home.
- Citywide walkability snapshot
- 3.5 / 5 · Very Good
- Workers walking to work
- 10.8%
- Workers using public transit
- 3.6%
- 65+ householders with no vehicle available
- 14.6%
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Walkability Index · EPA NWI 2021 release using 2018 population inputs; Census 2020 place boundary
What to check in person
A historical, modeled city-boundary screen. It is not a current sidewalk, crossing, accessibility, terrain, weather, or transit audit.
U.S. Census Bureau · 2020-2024 ACS 5-year
What to check in person
Work-commute context only. It does not describe retirees, daily errands, pedestrian quality, or all trips.
U.S. Census Bureau · 2020-2024 ACS 5-year
What to check in person
Work-commute context only. It does not measure transit frequency, accessibility, coverage, or car independence.
U.S. Census Bureau · 2024
What to check in person
Area-level household context. It does not describe an individual’s ability to drive, mobility, transit access, or need for a car.
Your address check
Verify the weekly routine
Goal: Drive only when needed. Start at housing you could realistically choose.
Groceries
Test the full route with an ordinary load. Check sidewalks, crossings, hills, shade, delivery area, hours, and the return trip.
Pharmacy
Confirm the exact pharmacy, prescription services, hours, delivery, crossings, weather exposure, and a backup when walking is not practical.
Routine care
Map the actual clinic or provider route. Check appointment hours, transfers, accessible pickup, wait time, and the trip home.
Social and fitness
Check the places you would use weekly, including evening return options, lighting, seating, weather, and schedule reliability.
Everyday services
List the library, bank, post office, cafés, parks, and other regular stops separately. Verify each route from the housing you could afford.
Backups to verify
- Public transit: Verify the stop, service days, frequency, transfers, accessible boarding, fares, weather shelter, and last return trip.
- Rideshare or taxi: Check typical availability, pickup location, accessible options, evening coverage, and a realistic monthly allowance.
- Delivery: Confirm the exact address is served, fees and minimums, prescription limits, substitutions, and a backup for service interruptions.
What less driving could look like day to day
A city can look walkable on paper and still require a car from the home you choose. Start with the trips you make repeatedly and the backup you would trust when walking is not practical.
Medical appointments
Consider the full trip to doctors, therapy, labs, and hospitals, including days when you may not be able to drive home.
The home location
Sidewalks, crossings, hills, lighting, and distance can change block by block and should shape where you look for housing.
Weather and mobility
Heat, cold, rain, balance, vision, and stamina can turn a manageable route into one that needs another option.
A dependable backup
Transit, rides, delivery, community transportation, and help from others need workable hours, costs, and availability.
A normal week test
Try the exact routes at the times you would use them before deciding that one fewer car will work.
What to check from the exact home
Walk the sidewalks and crossings, notice hills and lighting, and try the routes to groceries, pharmacies, appointments, and social activities. Check service hours, accessibility, weather comfort, and the cost of backup rides.
A citywide average cannot tell you whether a route works for your mobility or your schedule. Test the home, destinations, and backup options before deciding to live with fewer cars.