The impact of newly arrived retirees is already evident in Mount Airy, in the foothills of northwestern North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Parkway: There are no retail vacancies downtown, wireless Internet access abounds, and the Old North State Winery, a local operation, has set up shop on North Main Street. The Andy Griffith Playhouse hosts community theater productions along with frequent bluegrass jam sessions. And "The Merry-Go-Round," one of the region's oldest bluegrass radio shows, broadcasts live every Saturday from the Downtown Cinema Theatre.

Mr. Lydens, 76, first lived in Mount Airy while serving as city manager in the 1960s. He has lived several places since, but was drawn back by the town's friendliness, what he calls "the Mount Airy way." Mr. Lydens also was impressed with new greenways being developed that tie into a downtown recreation complex and riverside park with a good spot for fly-fishing. He and his wife, Linda Wright, bought a condominium in Mount Airy last year and plan to move there full time next year from Charleston, W.Va., after she retires as head of the local library system. As in many small towns, the cost of living in Mount Airy is still moderate, with home prices ranging from $90 to $125 a square foot and taxes on a $200,000 home costing less than $3,000 a year.

One caveat:
If you move to a small town with a lot of retirees, you may find yourself mingling only with other transplants and having a tough time breaking into established circles of friends and family. But the transplant network has one advantage: It can offer easy routes to meaningful volunteer work. Already, Betty Ann Collins, hired to run Mount Airy's Chamber of Commerce in April, has recruited Mr. Lydens to find ways to answer the many questions the chamber gets from retirees considering a move to the area. Most of the calls come from the Northeast and Midwest, along with people in Florida seeking to escape hurricane-prone spots.

Mr. Lydens last year started assembling a relocation packet and now is gearing up to help train people who already have moved to Mount Airy to serve as a "retiree ambassador corps." Mr. Lydens was pleased that he was recruited to help, he says. "I want to live somewhere where I can be involved and do something meaningful."