The new data give us more details on racial categories and answer a host of questions about the makeup of American households. The boomers made their mark, as usual. Meanwhile, the country's senior citizens are recognized for making a different kind of impact on the 2000 census. It's the first time that age group didn't grow as fast as the overall population. Suzanne Miller, for one, wasn't surprised to see Silver Lake leading the silver-haired set.
Villagers love their picturesque lake, which is surrounded by comfortable homes.
Miller's boss, Warner Mendenhall, says a walk through town makes it obvious that not only are there lots of older folks around, but also they are staying vigorous longer. Being 67 himself, Mendenhall feels very in tune with the special needs of his village. For instance, any time talks pick up about a proposed commuter rail that would run behind some Silver Lake homes on its way from Cleveland to Canton, he wonders how noisy the train would be, and whether it would block routes to area hospitals. The mayor of Fairlawn, on the other hand, was surprised to see his city still ranking high on the list, with nearly one in four residents at least 65 years old. When Fairlawn boasted the highest concentration of seniors in the region back in 1990, residents said they noticed new families taking the place of some homeowners who died or moved south.