I live in a state that is already known as a retirement destination for senior citizens, but my city is worse than most.
There is a huge lean towards people over 65 when you analyze local age demographics. I don’t mind it now that I’m older, but it was frustrating when I was young and wanted to meet other people my age. The few friends I had in high school would all pile into a car and we’d drive 45 minutes to the nearest city to have fun on Friday and Saturday nights. Even though gasoline was close to $4 a gallon in those days, we’d split the expenses for the gas put in my friend’s van. I had committed myself to leaving this place when it came time to apply to college, but I surprised everyone when I decided to stay. I attended the local community college instead of leaving the state for one of the large universities that had caught my eye out east. I don’t mind the age demographic here now that I’m much older. Not to mention my parents have reached the “senior” age and are likely to benefit from the many sales and promotions at local businesses that target people their age. For instance, my health and fitness center offers membership discounts for senior citizens over the age of 65. This was a huge incentive for my parents when I pushed them to start going to the gym with me. I told them about the senior discount and it really piqued their interest. My parents need to consider their health and wellness at their age and attending a local gym could do a lot of good in that regard.