Picture a classic Americana postcard springing to life—vintage cars cruising past brick-façade storefronts, neighbors chatting on street corners, and a cost of living that feels like a throwback to decades past.
Welcome to Pontiac, Illinois, where your dollars stretch like saltwater taffy and retirement dreams find an unexpectedly perfect home.
When I first rolled into Pontiac along Route 66, I half expected to see Rod Serling standing on a corner explaining I’d just crossed into a dimension where inflation never happened.
The truth is both simpler and more delightful—this gem of a town nestled about 100 miles southwest of Chicago has mastered the increasingly rare art of offering genuine small-town charm without the big-city price tag…