Moving and Retirement

By now, the demise of the American small town is a common tale. But even as most of them continue to lose residents, a few are adding them at a rapid clip. In several Western and Southern states, small towns are growing quickly as fast-growing metro areas swallow up more outlying towns, according to a Stateline analysis of census estimates. Between 2015 and 2016, the growth was particularly strong in small towns in Utah, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Idaho, Delaware, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and South Carolina, where small towns grew around 1 percent or more. more »

New detailed estimates show the nation's median age rose from 35.3 years on April 1, 2000, to 37.9 years on July 1, 2016. "The baby-boom generation is largely responsible for this trend," said Peter Borsella, a demographer in the Population Division. more »

Although there are challenges, including physical and/or cognitive limitations that may come with old age, senior drivers crash less (per mile) than teens, according to data reviewed by CR. And perhaps surprisingly, a CR survey of nationwide drivers revealed that older motorists (ages 75+) were less likely than younger ones to report difficulties and errors in the previous six months such as difficulty merging into traffic or changing lanes, driving through a stop sign or red light, accidentally putting the car in reverse instead of drive, or having difficulty adjusting to faster traffic around them. more »

Rose Madeline Mula writes: Friends who had been clever enough to become teachers, protected by a powerful union, were raking in much more money than me and enjoying considerably more leisure time. Two weeks paid vacation was the most I ever got and no overtime pay for the many nights, holidays and weekends I worked. Noram I now enjoying a generous pension such as those that are financing the retirement travels of my teacher friends. Furthermore, they never had to go to work when it snowed, though back in the day we secretaries were expected to man our typewriters even during blizzards of historic proportions. more »