For Your Consideration: Innsbruck, Austria

Like Switzerland, but Cheaper.

Austria’s Alpine territory is a lot like Switzerland, but a lot cheaper and a lot more welcoming to immigration. And Innsbruck is the crown jewel of the Austrian Alps. It is hard to imagine tiny Innsbruck getting suckered into hosting the Winter Olympics. Twice, no less.

Innsbruck Altstadt

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Of course, hosting the Olympics in 1964 and 1976 was a different affair than it is half a century later. In the 21st century, hosting the games requires billions in investment. In 1976, Innsbruckers put some new paint on old ski jumps and started selling tickets.

With a population of around 130,000, it comes in at about the size of Athens, Georgia. But whereas Athens has bands, Innsbruck has mountains. The Nordkette Mountains run to the north and the Patscherkofel run south.

If you want to go out for a bowl of pasta, the Brenner Pass and Italy’s Sudtirol region is a little less than 30 miles south. Unsurprisingly, there’s very good wine to be found in the Italian Alps. But the region has excellent access to fresh food and restaurants.

The region’s economy is driven by its universities, agriculture, and tourism. The Brenner Pass has been one of the most important thoroughfares from Italy to Central Europe for millennia, so they’ve been doing the tourism for a while. That has led to a rich culinary scene in the small city. The Altstadt is famous for its array of pastel buildings overlooking the Inn River with snowcapped mountains looming over.

The Difference Between A Battleship and A Waltz

It turns out this landlocked country is a pretty good destination for retirees. One of the biggest challenges when looking for European landing spots is healthcare. Plugging into Austria’s robust state-run system is pretty straightforward, and the costs are reasonable. Innsbruck, with its world-renowned Medical University, has particularly good access.

Austria can be easy to overlook in general. It’s easy to think of it as a younger sibling to the German powerhouse, but according to one of its more famous sons, it’s actually the funnier, happier country.

Innsbruck was one of the centers of the Hapsburg Empire, and that dynasty left behind many palaces, museums, and elaborate gardens throughout the city. It is still the capital of Tyrol.

So let’s get to the scoring.

Overall Score: 4.1

This comes in as a tie with Bern, but I think I’d go with Innsbruck anyway. Perhaps we should start weighting cost of living and housing over the proximity of vineyards and airports. Overall, Innsbruck hits so many notes. Its proximity to Südtirol, Munich, and the Allgäu tips the scales.

Song of the Week

Al Green’s “ Here I Am” makes an appearance this week. I’ve been looking for an excuse to post some Reverend Al, and I pulled this one from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy soundtrack, though it certainly predates that dubious film. Famously, Douglas Adams conceived of that perfect book while lying drunk in a park in Innsbruck. If I ever get to Innsbruck, I will try the same tactic and see what stroke of genius comes to me.