Del Webb Corp. relies on surveys, queries from retirees, and focus groups before deciding where to build, Doughtie says. Research shows people wanted East Coast, but not Florida. We are seeing more and more people re-retiring now and moving back up the coast. While Florida and Arizona still rank highest in net numbers of new migrants, their share of the total market has fallen. What that means is that retirees are branching out and finding new communities in diverse areas such as the Fifth District.
Most folks stay put once they retire.
After all, they usually have unburdened themselves of their house payment and built an extensive social network of friends and family in their hometown. But, for reasons as diverse as the population itself, some retirees do move and those numbers are swelling. Although the percentage of migrating retirees has changed little in the past 40 years, numbers are growing because the over-60 age population is increasing considerably faster than the population as a whole. Historically, it was the wealthy who vacationed and retired, seeking warmer climes or scenic surroundings. But postwar prosperity and interstate highways paved the way for the average family to vacation.