 |
| Blueprints: Developer Riley Richardson, president of Richardson Homes (left), goes over plans with a contractor in St. George, Utah. The
city is now the fastest-growing metro area in America. Joanne Ciccarello – staff  Southwest boom hits St. George, Utah |
In Utah, a boom town for retiring boomers
St. George is the fastest-growing metro area in America largely due to an influx of senior citizens.
from the July 5, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Why the West is a draw for seniors
The West is a big gainer largely because of its long streak of economic growth and an attractive set of smaller, less-expensive cities in beautiful settings. St. George epitomizes the trend, posting the fastest national gain in seniors between 1990 and 2005.
"There's pretty much everything here for whatever you want to do if you are an outdoorsy kind of guy," says Wheeler.
Boomers are healthier and more active than their predecessors. A recent survey by Del Webb, a retirement community developer, found that a growing number of people over age 55 rank adventure pursuits as very important, with 26 percent citing canoeing/kayaking, 18 percent denoting hiking, and 9 percent naming downhill skiing.
They also want to keep working, and Wheeler is no exception. "I realized that there was more to life than just hitting a golf ball," he says.
Wheeler used his skills in the printing industry to put together a golf self-help book. He's distributed some 40,000 copies and sold advertising against it.
Another newcomer to town, Bill Ostler, retired from Silicon Valley in 2004 and now splits his time working as a consultant, teaching college courses, and biking three days a week around St. George. For him, the airport and the local universities were a big draw.
"I've got a friend who is a doctor and at 50 he retired and that was it. I thought what a waste of experience and knowledge," he says.
Mr. Ostler and Wheeler exemplify two new trends emerging as the boomers age, says author Joel Kotkin. They are both "equity refugees," selling homes in an expensive market and moving to a cheaper locale. And they are extending their careers with the help of airports and the Internet.
"You are seeing a kind of person who is essentially carrying their skill sets and their computer address with them," says Mr. Kotkin. That's driving growth in smaller, once remote locales like Bellingham, Wash., Rapid City, S.D., Jackson Hole, Wyo., and San Luis Obispo, Calif. "Places that used to be thought of as second-home, recreation places are now increasingly viable as main residences," he says. [Editor's note: The original version misidentified the location of Rapid City, S.D.]
However, most seniors still want to be near their grandkids – and a good hospital, says Thomas Wetzel, president of the Retirement Living Information Center in Redding, Conn.
RSS feed
