Go west, not-so-young man
Florida is no longer the preferred choice as a retirement haven
Del Webb, the company that built the Sun City communities scattered throughout the Sun Belt, is betting that boomers will stay put. In a 1999 survey, the company found that of every 10 boomers, 3 plan a long-distance move when they retire, 3 plan to move less than three hours away, and 4 don't plan to move at all. The company's response: smaller retirement communities with many of the activities and amenities of its Sun City developments but in places where boomers already live--like Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, and New Jersey's suburbs.
Wherever they settle, the boomers will set off building booms, stimulate local economies, buoy volunteer workforces, and form powerful political constituencies. And they will create jobs for working-age folks, leading to an influx of younger people, in turn stimulating development and growth--not to mention soaring real-estate prices. New Jersey-based demographer and economist Richard Hokenson predicts that baby boomers, who have had to compete with one another at every stage of their lives, will also find themselves competing for choice retirement spots. Avoid the rush, he advises. "The longer you wait," he says, "the more expensive it will get."
Let's head for...Anchorage?
Retirees are thinking beyond traditional destinations like the heavily populated east and west coasts of Florida. Metro areas in Colorado, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, and even Alaska have become senior magnets, as shown by the rapid rate of growth from 1990 to 2000 in the 65-plus population of these retirement hot spots.
Major Metropolitan Areas
(1 million and over)
65-plus
Rank growth
1 Las Vegas 86.2 pct.
2 Phoenix-Mesa 38.0 pct.
3 Austin-San Marcos 37.3 pct.
4 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria 31.8 pct.
5 Atlanta 30.8 pct.
6 Orlando 28.8 pct.
7 Sacramento-Yolo, Calif. 27.8 pct.
8 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C. 25.8 pct.
9 Denver-Boulder-Greeley 25.8 pct.
10 Dallas-Fort Worth 25.1 pct.
Small Metropolitan Areas
(under 1 million)
65-plus
Rank growth
1 Yuma, Ariz. 78.2 pct.
2 Naples, Fla. 77.9 pct.
3 Anchorage 72.5 pct.
4 Myrtle Beach, S.C. 61.7 pct.
5 Las Cruces, N.M. 55.7 pct.
6 Fort Walton Beach, Fla. 55.1 pct.
7 Ocala, Fla. 47.0 pct.
8 Flagstaff, Ariz. 46.3 pct.
9 Wilmington, N.C. 45.7 pct.
10 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex. 43.8 pct.
Source: William H. Frey, analysis of census data
With Paul Berger, Carol Flake Chapman, Michelle Dally and Jeff Truesdell
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