Three Colorado mountain towns rank in top five in U.S. for growth in senior population (Denver: leasing, condo)

[SkyDog77]

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/02/1...en-population/


15 U.S. COMMUNITIES WITH LARGEST INCREASE IN THE 65-PLUS POPULATION BETWEEN 2010 AND 2016
1. Steamboat Springs, CO
2. The Villages, FL
3. Edwards, CO
4. Breckenridge, CO
5. Summit Park, UT
6. Myrtle Beach, SC
7. Heber, UT
8. Gillette, WY
9. Santa Fe, NM
10. Austin, TX
11. Jackson, WY
12. Hailey, ID
13. Glenwood Springs, CO
14. Bend, OR
15. Fairfield, IA

[brightdoglover]

Any way to tell if people moved in or were already there and just got older?

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Any way to tell if people moved in or were already there and just got older?

That percentage growth in age is far above what would come from just an aging population. Has to be a lot of people moving here. That’s what the article discusses.

[NW Crow]

Articles says 15% growth in over 65 population nationally since 2010, while Steamboat grew 80%, so most of Steamboat's growth was probably move in recently, either already senior or close. If one played with detailed Census data might be able to determine local move in vs. natural growth more exactly.


55-64 year old % of population levels vary some. Some of Steamboat's greater growth was probably from a greater than national average near senior population. I haven't checked what the Steamboat data looked like 5-10 years ago; but looking at the current data, it has a 1/3rd greater than national average population % 55-59. It starts fall and accelerates as you go up the age curve. More seniors are living in mountain towns than they used to but it appears that a lot of them are still eventually moving away. By 75 years and older, the % of the population in that group in mountain towns is far lower than national average.


In Steamboat the % population 65-74 is about 15% less than national average, 75-84 about 40% less, 85 plus amount 60% less. So change from past but many seniors eventually move away. Like younger people, they tend to favor bigger cities, with the exception of the very biggest metros. Will more stay even longer in mountain towns in future compared to this most recent behavior? Probably, especially if mountains adjust with more senior health and other senior oriented services & amenities.


After the last boomers move the the trend could accelerate or reverse. GenXers & Millennials may not want to leave the bigger cities. Or even more than favor places that are big AND near the mountains like Colorado Springs, Boise, etc.

[brightdoglover]

My concern about Ridgway- that people come there for their "second act" (or third) but then go back to wherever in older age.

Since I don't have a "back" to go back to, I am constantly thinking of backup plans, primarily if unable to drive. Never did ski!

[sunsprit]

absent hard data on prior ownership in the mountain communities with the growth, I'm not so sure that it's only an influx of new folk to those towns in Colorado.

Case in point: I know several people who have recently purchased housing in these towns, especially SteamboatSprings ... and moved there for their retirement. But all of them had owned other residential properties in the area for years and frequently visited. The only difference now is that they're retired full time so have made SS their primary residence rather than their 2nd home. In one case, it's an MD who has relocated to SS into a $650K townhouse who already owned a smaller unit there; he now is a traveling doc who has a weekend "fill-in" rotating schedule around Western Colorado, working around 10 days/month.

Same thing for my Vail neighbors. 6 houses on the block near my place were 2nd homes for friends in Denver. They've now retired and have moved their primary residence to Vail. Several friends have kept their 2nd homes or Vail rental properties in condo developments while purchasing houses down-valley for their primary residence. One neighbor in Vail on Main Gore bought a parcel in Edwards 20-something years ago. He recently built a house there and has moved into it, now leasing out his Vail house.

Another friend from LosAngeles (a commercial building GC/developer) had several condo's in Vail in Antlers and Montaneros, so he had his choice of them to use when he came to Colorado to ski. He's recently retired to a condo in the down-valley area.

While my experience isn't a comprehensive tally of all the over-65 crowd moving to a primary residence in the area, it's interesting that so many of the folk I've known as friends/neighbors for almost 4 decades in the area are now making their primary residence in their Colorado 2nd homes areas. They are by far and away not "newcomers" to the area except to have recently made the Colorado resort areas their primary residence.

That's why I bought in Vail in the early 1980's. The housing served dual purposes: 2nd home and rental cash flows. My intent was to move there when it was time to "retire". But life's circumstances have precluded me from doing so, with a farm/ranch in Wyoming which takes so much of my time each year. Maybe someday when it's time to lease out the farm and the ranch when those chores get overwhelming for us in advancing years. We're already past an age when most folk "retire", so it's difficult to forecast when we'll make that move. It remains a viable option with no mortgages on the housing there.

[NW Crow]

BDL, it appears the 65-74 yr old population in Ridgway is 25% above national average. Less for 75-84 year old band but still over-represented compared to national. At 85 plus the number falls to near zero (or zero?). I sent you the link. After some age, you may consider Montrose, Durango or other. Or not.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

My concern about Ridgway- that people come there for their "second act" (or third) but then go back to wherever in older age.

Since I don't have a "back" to go back to, I am constantly thinking of backup plans, primarily if unable to drive. Never did ski!

I think it can go either way. I have one good friend who at age 70 has decided to move from Cortez to Tempe, AZ - in part because of better access to transportation and health care. I have another friend who is in his 60's and states unequivocally that he will NEVER leave Cortez since he despises life in the big city. But I'm betting that he may very well end up in the Boulder area since that's where his daughter lives and she is constantly after him to move where it's easier for her to keep an eye on him.

Personally, if I had more money I might be seriously thinking of moving back to Colorado Springs since health care in the Four Corners can be very much a hit or miss proposition. The lack of adequate public transportation hardly helps matters.

That being said, I wouldn't worry over much about some hypothetical day when you are no longer able to strap on your mountaineering skis for a quick trip to the doctor down in Montrose. Many Colorado mountain towns are setting up their own cab services. On my tiny income I could never afford a cab into say Durango for a doctor's visit, but lucky for me, The State of Colorado in its vast wisdom has set up a transportation program for elderly and/or disabled people who need transportation out of the sticks to the big city for health care needs. I can actually call up Cortez Cab and arrange for a ride to Farmington, NM or Durango for visits to a specialist. In addition, the county health department has arranged for certain specialists to be available here in town on a sort of rotating basis. It's still a long wait to see a specialist but it beats never which is the way it was before. Thank you people of Colorado!

Also, I noticed an article in the local paper which stated that Colorado is going to implement a shuttle system all the way from Denver to Durango. So, if you need to get a ride, you can hobble down to 550 and flag down the shuttle. I keep meaning to follow up on the progress of this proposed plan, but it certainly would be a god-send if it comes through. I'll DM you with the info once I find out more about it myself.

Don't worry, BDL - be happy! You're moving to God's country!

[orngkat]

If you can live in Austin as a senior, then you have a very healthy income. Maybe that is the story with most of these growing growing senior populations in CO. That and as mentioned, many already had second homes like my 70 yo brother who has a second home in Telluride.

[pikabike]

Speculations about mass movements of older populations may show trends, but they totally ignore individual factors.

I know people who could not step into pickup trucks or climb stairs or bend down to get clothes out of dryers even at age 50.

I have also met those who were doing things over age 75 that could whip most people half their age: climbing/hiking mountains, running or cycling or kayaking long distances and/or difficult conditions, *working* at nondesk jobs, doing hard volunteer work such as digging and planting or weed-pulling, and so on.

Whether other residents move out when they get really old doesn’t worry me. What suits them does not necessarily indicate the same for me or whoever else moves in. I do not want most neighbors to be homogeneous in age. Might as well move straight into a retirement village then!

One guy I met had just retired and owned homes in Steamboat Springs and on San Juan Island. He and his wife went back and forth. They may or may not have their primary residence in one of these...could be in Mexico or ???? Or maybe they are now in assisted living in a city near a big hospital. Good luck trying to fit them into some marketing segment.