What Makes a City a Success for Aging Populations?
Ever think about where you are going to live when you retire? Planning on moving to a sunbelt state (we really don’t miss the snow)? The Milken Institute offers a report on the Best Cities for Successful Aging, dividing the cities into two categories: large and small metros. The last report was done in 2012 and is accessible here. In this 2012 report written by Anusuya Chatterjee with Ross DeVol, Provo, Utah was #1 in the large cities and Sioux Falls, South Dakota #1 in the small cities. The report is based on evaluations in a number of different areas and gives an overall ranking, as well as a ranking by age group. The top 10 are reported out somewhat in a “grade card” format with two categories: nailed it and needs work. My city (Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater) didn’t make the top 10. We were 65, but if you are a class half-full kind of person, you could say we were in the top 100!
I think this is a great resource for our classes when discussing various social services programs and the types of issues clients face as they age. According to a recent story done by PBS, the next report will be out in the summer of 2014.
Becky Morgan