The world is getting smaller and people are more likely to move out of the area in which they were raised to attend college, take a job, or move to a new area to simply get a new start. While the largest age group to move to another state is still those aged 18 to 29 years old, 3.1% of people over the age of 50 are moving to another state. Of the 15 metropolitan areas in which this group of 50+ year-olds are moving, six of these metropolitan areas are in Florida.
Florida is not the only southern destination for people over 50. Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, and California are other areas in the South to which people over the age of 50 are moving. While there is a trend of people over 50 moving south, Sheboygan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin are two of the top four places that have seen the highest growth rate of people over 50 moving in the past 10 years. So, while it may seem that everyone over the age of 50 is moving south, that’s just not the case. There are plenty of people over 50 moving throughout the country. Whether you are moving north, south, east or west, there are some things to consider when making the move.
Moving isn’t easy, but there are things that will make your move easier and less difficult as you look to get settled into your new city. Before you choose a new city to move to, determine the factors that you want to consider in a new destination city. You will want to determine your own factors, but here are three factors that influence people over 50 as to where they might move: cost of living, healthcare needs, and specific retirement goals.
Cost of Living
In our dream world, money would not be a constraint in our move, but for most of us the cost of living in our new destination city will be a factor for us. Compare many of the online tools that list the cost of living for your differing destinations to see which of the possible cities meet your budget. What are your non-negotiables for your standard of living when seeking out a new city to live?
Are you moving for a new job or will you need to seek employment in your destination city? 41% of people over the age of 50 were unemployed when they moved to their destination city. Use online job seeking tools to see what is available in your destination city.
Healthcare Needs
As we age, we are are both more aware of our health and the healthcare needs that we have. Check with your current doctor(s) to see if they know of anyone in the area in which you are planning to move. Are there certain types of doctors or facilities that are mandatory for your healthcare needs to be met?
Specific Retirement Goals
As you seek out a new place to live, if there are specific goals that you have for retirement, check and make sure that you can accomplish these goals in your new city. For instance, Homosassa, Florida has seen it’s population of people over the age of 50 increase by 10% because it was identified as one of the top fishing locations. Where is an area that thrives on providing you a place to meet your retirement goals?
Once you have your list of factors in helping you choose a destination city, do your research! In the age of the internet research has never been easier. Use your favorite search engine to begin your research. Read through several of the articles ranking different cities, but make sure you read the ranking that use the factors that you chose in moving to a new city.
There is no need to read a ranking about the cities with the most snowfall if you have a goal of being on the beach. Dig more specific about your possible destination city. Try and find information about the different areas of town: do you want to live downtown or in one of the suburbs. You might find that there are great restaurants and entertainment downtown but none in the area of town that you have looked to move.
There are now ways to search about specific areas of towns and even specific neighborhoods. Finally, how much does your destination city care about older residents? Are there specific areas and entertainment designed for people over 50. You may also want to research the state’s Department of Aging.
To help ease your move you can also become a virtual citizen before you become an actual citizen. By using your favorite maps app you can zoom into street view and virtually navigate around your city. You may also find virtual tours of your destination city by searching on YouTube. To get to know some of the citizens of the city you can become an “online citizen” and join different chat groups run by organizations that interest you in your new home. Here you can virtually meet people and find out about events and entertainment in the city before you physically arrive.
One final thing that will help make your move easier is finding a moving company that you can trust. Firefighting’s Finest Moving & Storage is in the business to help make your move easier. We offer you and/or your business premier moving services out of the Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston areas.
Two off-duty firemen started Firefighting’s Finest Moving & Storage in 2001 and we’ve stayed in business by offering a unique customer service approach and a stellar reputation for consistently delivering the highest quality moving, packing, crating, and storage services possible. While doing your research on us you will find that we are ProMover certified, a Pinnacle Mover, and Better Business Bureau accredited. For more information about us find us on the web at www.firefightersmovers.com, or find our other contact information here.
