And finally, for understanding the way you and theneighbors can find the best fit for you in a new community, let’s turn to the other Rustic Eagle lifestyles.
Photo: Visual Hunt
In the PRIZM list of lifestyles, then, Blue Highways describes lower middle-class couples and families who live in isolated towns and farmsteads.
“lower-mid income level (45th out of 66) with median household incomes at $43,023. Out of all US households, they account for under 2% (1.55%) for a total 1,809,961.”
Out of six segments of the Middle America social group 45Y3T3 is the younger of Whitefish’s two — and
“one of seven striving single lifestyles which as a group live in 12,665,698 households with a median household income of $33,160.”
Fifty years ago the most complex thing about maps was trying to fold them up the right way.
On folding paper maps blue highways represent two-lane roads that “wind through remote stretches of the American landscape.”
Photo: Visual Hunt
In the PRIZM list of lifestyles, then, Blue Highways describes lower middle-class couples and families who live in isolated towns and farmsteads.
Sharing the same pursuits as other Whitefish Wireless Resorters and High Country Eagles, they
“like to hunt and fish, the women enjoy sewing and crafts, and everyone looks forward to going out to a country music concert.”
Photo: Visual Hunt
And, they’re likely to:
“Read Guns & Ammo, drive a Chevrolet Colorado and shop at Wal-Mart. Getting television reception in isolated towns means they probably own a satellite dish and watch auto racing.”
And finally, for understanding the way you and theneighbors can find the best fit for you in a new community, let’s turn to the other Rustic Eagle lifestyles.
The second of Whitefish’s High Country Eagles, Rustic Eagles (HCERE) are the much older (M4) neighbors of WRDE Distant Exurbans – 48Y3T4 – the young and restless striving singles living at the greatest distance from the center of town (T4).
Photo: Visual Hunt
Rustic Eagles are the downscale demographic who are the more mature residents who live in households without children.
The 58M4T4 Rustic Eagles fit into one of PRIZM’s nine “Sustaining Seniors” segments filled with older, economically challenged Americans.
As a group sustaining seniors are:
“Racially mixed and dispersed throughout the country, they all score high for having residents who are over 65 years old and household incomes under $25,000.
Many are single or widowed, have modest educational achievement and live in older apartments or small homes.”
On their fixed incomes, they lead low-key, home-centered lifestyles.
“They’re big on watching TV, gardening, sewing and woodworking. Their social life often revolves around activities at veterans clubs and fraternal organizations.”
And as a group of all nine M4 sustaining seniors as of 2011…
lived in just over 12 million American households (12,101,672)
with median household incomes of $29,346.
As one of six PRIZM “Rustic Living” segments (and the second of ’s T4 neighbors) in 2011 …
they lived in slightly more US households (13,401,489) and
lived on more household income ($31,343).
Photo: Visual Hunt
TheRustic Eagles (HCERE), 58M4T4 profiles is known as Back Country Folksin the PRIZM lifestyle categories.
They are “along way away from economic paradise.
The residents tend to be poor, over 55 years old and living in older, modest-sized homes and manufactured housing.
Typically, life in this segment is a throwback to an earlier era when farming dominated the American landscape.”
Mostly retired, these 65+ seniors have below average income producing assets, but they mostly own their own homes.
Growing up on farms in remote rural areas, they have completed some high school course.
In 2011, “they more than 2.5 million homes (2,658,532) or 2.27% of all US households.
With a median household income of $32,207, they tend order from Publishers Clearing House, read Hunting, and watch Soapnet.
And, they more than likely drive a Ford Ranger when they attend board meetings at their local church.”
25) Compare what “life” was like in those communities before the Great Recession, how resilient each was during the economic downturn, and to what degree did each bounce back after with any “economic hangover.”
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
28) Which lifestyles profiled in the western resort towns during 2008 – 2009 remained five years later in 2013-2014? Which disappeared entirely? Why? Which new lifestyles emerged, grew or moved in to shift the neighborhood mix? Have longtime locals been forced out by escalating property valuations and sky high property taxes?
“Town and Rural areas have population density scores under 40.This category includes exurbs, towns, farming communities and a wide range of other rural areas.
Photo: Visual Hunt
How Charles, Arthur and Dudley find new communities across the West.
An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
When you dig in a little deeper below the surface of Whitefish’s zip code you find what you would expect –a community whose residents reflect a mix of three Wireless Resorter lifestyles and two High Country Eagles.
Whitefish attracted a broad range of age and stage lifestyles –from the striving single 20-29 year olds to 65+ year-old sustaining seniors in older homes.
Depending upon their circumstances, residents chose to live in Whitefish households alone or with other singles, couples, families, empty-nesters, and retired seniors.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Using original density definitions from Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM Segmentation, Whitefish fits the “Town and Country” community description.
Just under 40% of the U.S. population (39.6%) call town and country home.
“Town and Rural areas have population density scores under 40.
This category includes exurbs, towns, farming communities and a wide range of other rural areas.
Using our density and lifestyle definitions most town and country residents live in either Wireless Resort or High Country Eagle communities.
Now consider that both Wireless Resorters and High Country Eagles come in four possible “flavors.”
For the rest of our story, we’ll use those profiles as a way for Charles, Arthur and Dudley to find new communities across the West.
Premier Resorts (WRPR),09M1T1.
Photo: Visual Hunt
WRPRs like those that flocked to Whitefish are the more wealthy of those who migrated to smaller boomtowns.
These are what the Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM Segmentation call the “Landed Gentry” social group.
Many of their households contain families with members of the Baby Boomer generation.
WRPR couples already earned college degrees and work in professional jobs.
As a social group living in expansive homes.
They are more likely telecommuting – twice as likely as the rest of Americans.
Along with their upscale incomes and expansive homes comes the ability to afford heavy spending on expensive toys.
They’re the prime consumers of technology –
exercise equipment,
electronics,
wireless and computer technologies,
luxury cars and
powerboats.
They’ll display the books they’ve read, the magazine subscriptions.
And, intentionally or not, the toys they buy their children or grandchildren.
According PRIZM’s 2011 statistics …
9,812,689 US households fall within this social group with a median household income of $82,323.
The “09M1T1” code in our Knowledge Bank stands for one of the most affluent WRPR lifestyles.
Balboa Island Ferry – Getty Images
It means they rank within the top 10 of affluence (09),
have entered their mature life stage (M1) and
reside in the premier resort neighborhoods (T1) of country towns and exurbs.
And, that makes their neighborhoods a mashup of Cambria in California, Pagosa Springs in Colorado, Sedona in Arizona, Santa Fe in New Mexico, Incline Village – Crystal Bay in Nevada and Deer Valley in Utah.
The M1 upscale, empty-nesting couples enjoy the trappings of success.
Photo: Visual Hunt
How so? By …
“belonging to country clubs, maintaining large investment portfolios and spending freely on computer technology.
Older, upper-class, college-educated professionals, the members of PRIZM’s aptly named “Big Fish, Small Pond” are often among the leading citizens of their small-town communities. “
Which is why other Whitefish citizens had these reactions in Kim Murphy’s 2010 article.
Photo: Visual Hunt
“Longtime residents say it’s not unusual to see three or four old houses along the lake razed and replaced with a massive private lodge.
Wine bars, gourmet pizza bistros and boutiques now sit between the saloons at the base of the ski slopes in rustic downtown .”
The Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM Segmentation says:
“While those on the ‘MTV side’ of fifty may debate their inclusion in M1 group, Americans in the Mature Years tend to be over 45 years old and living in houses that have empty-nested.”
Not all empty nests are as affluent as the Affluent Empty Nests 09M1T1 “WRPRs.”
But, as we will see a little later, these are upscale couples.
The members of the M1 life stage group are college educated, hold executive and professional positions and are over 45.
Photo: Visual Hunt
“With their children out of the house, these consumers have plenty of disposable cash to finance active lifestyles rich in travel and cultural events.
They’re highly likely to order from L.L. Bean, contribute to PBS, read Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, watch The Triple Crown, and own a high-end vehicle like the Cadillac DTS.”
Oh, and these WRPRs are also community activists.
They write their politicians, volunteer for environmental groups and vote heavily in elections.
What about the other Whitefish Wireless Resorters, the Distant Exurbans (WRDE) and Resort Suburbans (WRRS)?
Distant Exurbans (WRDE),48Y3T4.
Distant Exurbans come in three lifestyle “flavors” …
Two striving single and younger segments ages 20-29 year olds –both Millennials.
And a third much older sustaining senior 65+ age retirement group.
What they have in common is “rustic living” in their more remote homes (T4).
Whitefish’s Distant Exurbans – 48Y3T4 – fit the profile of “young and restless” singles.
They haven’t made their mark in their life or career like two other younger year segments – Y2 mainstream singles who live in metropolitan areas or the older Y1 30 and 40 year olds succeeding by midlife.
PRIZM labels these “twenty-something” singles the “Young and Rustic” because they typically have low incomes—
Often under $25,000 a year—from service jobs or part-time work they take on while going to college.
“In general,they are high-school educated, but don’t own their own homes
As a home-to-school-back to home and then out on their own group, they rent small apartments instead.
Housing for the striving single group is a mix of cheap apartment complexes, dormitories and mobile homes.”
With their service industry jobs and modest incomes, the younger WRDEs still try to fashion fast-paced lifestyles centered on sports, cars and dating.
Photo: Visual Hunt
As consumers, the residents in these segments score high for …
outdoor sports,
movies and music,
fast food and
inexpensive cars.
In their remote communities, PRIZM says …
“they spend their leisure time in traditional small-town activities as fishing and hunting, attending socialactivities at the local church and veterans club, enjoying country music and car racing.”
WRDE Distant Exurbans – 48Y3T4 – lifestyles, according to Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM Segmentation are more likely to:
“Order from Columbia House, buy science fiction books, read “Car Craft”, watch WWE Wrestling, and drive a Dodge Ram Diesel”
Resort Suburbans, (WRRS)43M3T3.
The third of Whitefish’s Wireless Resorters, 43M3T3 …
live closer (T3) to the premier resort neighborhoods (T1)
than the rustic exurbs (T4)
which is why we call them the Resort Suburbans (WRRS).
Photo: Visual Hunt
The homes in these neighborhoods house mostly older couples without children existing on lower-mid level income rankings(43rd / 66).
Like the ’s fourth lifestyle, High Country Eagles, Rural Cowboys (HCERC), WRRS Resort Suburbans belong to one of six segments of a broad social group, “Middle America.”
Middle America segments are filled with middle-class homeowners living in small towns and remote exurbs.
They’re typically found in scenic settings throughout the nation’s heartland.
Middle Americans tend to be white, high school educated, living as couples or larger families, and ranging in age from under 25 to over 65.
Like many residents of remote communities, these conservative consumers tend to prefer traditional rural pursuits:
fishing,
hunting,
making crafts,
antique collecting,
watching television and
meeting at civic and
veterans clubs for
recreation and companionship.
Friday nights are for celebrating high school sports.
Photo: Visual Hunt
A half a century ago things were different across the U.S.
Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM Segments says …
“America was once a land of small middle class towns, which can still be found today among Heartlanders.
This widespread segment consists of middle-aged couples with working-class jobs living in sturdy,unpretentious homes.
In these communities of small families and empty-nesting couples, Heartlanders pursue a rustic lifestyle where hunting and fishing remain prime leisure activities along with cooking, sewing, camping and boating.”
What about age?
You’ll notice in our knowledge bank we borrow Nielsen’s maturity as part of our code.
First the “M” and then the “Y” portions of the lifestyle label.
Photo: Visual Hunt
M1, the WRPR 09M1T1 affluent empty nesters in premier resorts we’ve already discussed is younger.
The M3 designation refers to the third of four Mature Years segments the large group of Cautious Couples, featuring an over-55-year-old mix.
“Widely scattered throughout the nation, the residents in the Cautious Couples seven lifestyle segments typically are working-class and white, with some college education and a high rate of homeownership. of singles, couples and widows.”
As a whole group, Cautious Couples today pursue sedate lifestyles, given their blue-collar roots.
“They have high rates for reading, travel, eating out at family restaurants and pursuing home-based hobbies like coin collecting and gardening.”
We pulled all of the PRIZM classifications together (2011 Statistics) in our Knowledge Bank for the following snapshot.
43M3T3 WRRS Resort Suburbans can be found living in …
“about 2% of US households (2,334,924) that earn median incomes of $43,485.”
What else do we know about them?
“They tend to shop at places like Kmart, sew clothing from patterns and read “Family Handyman.” On television, they watch the CBS Early Show and would likely drive the GMC Sierra Flex Fuel.”
Fun facts.
M3 Cautious Couples live in roughly 6 times more homes (12,266,568),
but earn roughly $2,000 less a year ($41,303),
as compared to the Middle America social group, 11,533,179 households
25) Compare what “life” was like in those communities before the Great Recession, how resilient each was during the economic downturn, and to what degree did each bounce back after with any “economic hangover.”
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
28) Which lifestyles profiled in the western resort towns during 2008 – 2009 remained five years later in 2013-2014? Which disappeared entirely? Why? Which new lifestyles emerged, grew or moved in to shift the neighborhood mix? Have longtime locals been forced out by escalating property valuations and sky high property taxes?
Maybe, for this time of year you want to visit the desert instead of the mountains.Or take a vacation along the coast. Or islands – like Catalina off the coast of Southern California or one of the Hawaiian Islands.
Photo: Visual Hunt
You may just decide to live there for six months and somewhere else for the other.In the mountains for skiing and snowboarding and then at the beach for surfing and sun bathing.
It may begin with a vacation to a friend’s favorite destination.
Maybe it’s someplace where you’ve never been before.
Where do you find neighborhoods with similar families?
For your first time you’ll want to figure out your route and itinerary.
Usually you have a region in mind, with some ideas where you might want to visit.
Western United States – Texas A&M Transportation Institute
You may start with a map of a region within the West or of Hawaii.
You can start saving bookmarks about potential places, to revisit later.
Or you recall a trip you took out west a few years ago.
From California to Nevada and Arizona.
Up to Colorado and back through Utah and Nevada to your return to California.
A name rings a bell when you read an article in a file saved years ago that you stumble across while cleaning up your office.
It lists the top places for retiring published by AARP – Loveland, Colorado.
You spend a little time on the Internet and discover, it’s been singled out as a great place to retire on the water.
In 2009 it was singled out as a best place to live.
Colorado Regions
You recall the fun you had hiking through the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park.
What were the names of some of those other places you saw on the way?
You wonder if Loveland is right for you?
After all, US News & World Report ranked it 7th on their top 10 places to live in 2009; right ahead of San Luis Obispo, California and behind front runner Albuquerque, New Mexico, # 3 Austin, Texas and #4 Boise, Idaho.
Now you’ve got your work cut out for you. Follow these 11 steps to turn your dreams into your dream home. Let’s use Loveland as an example:
1.I recommend beginning with Wikipedia and WikiTravel for a quick summary, local history some pictures and the zip code or zip codes.You’ll see a map of the state, a subset of that map for it’s county.WikiTravel profiles vacation attractions – directions and transportation, where to stay overnight, where you should eat and play.It gives you ideas for visiting local attractions and doing more when you consider a broader vicinity.So you can plan for a long weekend or a one or more week vacation.
2.If you aren’t interested in Loveland you can stop there and consider San Luis Obispo next.Maybe, for this time of year you want to visit the desert instead of the mountains.Or take a vacation along the coast. Or islands – like Catalina off the coast of Southern California or one of the Hawaiian Islands. But, if you like lakes and rivers, then Loveland may be worth further investigation.
3.For our purposes, we are assuming that you really want to move, invest in, work in, start a business or retire in a new community that doubles as a vacation resort and with pristine quality of lifestyle activities.Otherwise, why bother?
4.So, grab the zip code and go to Google and search on the 5 digits.You’ll find a map which will show you where this destination is in relation to its surrounding area.You see photo slide shows and videos of the area.You can switch to satellite views and hybrid map views.
5.Still believe this town may be a keeper?Jump to Claritas to check out the types of people who already live in the neighborhoods. “Birds of a Feather Flock Together.”Neighborhoods change slowly.They attract the same kinds of people over time.If you plan to move, invest, work, start a business or retire, you’ll want to see if residents match your criteria.
8.Let’s say you’ve compared and narrowed your search for real estate investments.Check out City-Data for in-depth demographics and regional, county and zip code statistics – including the number of registered sex offenders.
9.If you plan to move, you should search by zip code on Weather Underground to find a wealth of weather patterns including tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters for each season, but especially for January and June to determine just how inviting your new vacation resort will be.You may just decide to live there for six months and somewhere else for the other.In the mountains for skiing and snowboarding and then at the beach for surfing and sun bathing.
10. Need a job?Check the openings by zip code from two Internet sites – Indeed and Simply Hired.You’ll want to take a couple of job hunting or house hunting trips before your final decision.Make a vacation of it by returning to WikiTravel to line up the best accommodations, or visit My New Place for a listing, map and photos of rentals by zip code.
11.We know that the best positions are hidden.You find them by a chain of referrals and introductions.How do you create a new network?Use your zip code and key word description of the town in LinkedIn’s advanced search function and begin contacting the first few of 100 local introductions.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
Photo: Visual Hunt
For our purposes, we are assuming that you really want to move, invest in, work in and around, start a business or retire in a new community that doubles as a vacation resort with pristine quality of lifestyle activities. Otherwise, why bother?
Here’s what we know already.
Neighborhoods change slowly.
“Birds of a Feather Flock Together.”
They attract the same kinds of people over time.
You’ll want to see if current residents match your criteria.
We’ve already done the heavy lifting for you: identifying neighborhood characteristics by age and the stage of life of their residents.
Single (20-29, 25-54, or 30-44).
Couple (55+ or 65+).
Family (20-44, 25-54, 35-54).
Mid-Lifers (30-44).
Empty Nests (45+).
Baby Boomers (55+).
Seniors (65+).
And, we’ve compared neighborhoods by population density.
From urban and suburban Wealthy Influentials and Permanent Temporaries to premier quality-of-life Wireless Resorters to pristine small town and rustic High Country Eagles.
So, if you want to narrow your focus to neighborhoods with, say, 25-54 year old families in Wireless Resorts, then you can find a list that suits you best.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
Refer to 66 lifestyle segment descriptions grouped in sets of ten, beginning with the most affluent and ending with the least. You’ll see that we’ve identified a sample town where you’ll most likely find each lifestyle listed.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
In their bucolic communities noted for their recently built homes on sprawling properties, the families of executives live in six-figure comfort.
Google Maps: Mammoth Lakes, CA
These upscale, empty-nesting couples enjoy the trappings of success, belonging to country clubs, maintaining large investment portfolios and spending freely on computer technology.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 9,812,689
Median Household Income : $82,323
“Widely scattered throughout the nation, Landed Gentry social group consist of wealthy Americans who migrated to the smaller boomtowns beyond the nation’s beltways.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Many of the households contain Boomer families and couples with college degrees, professional jobs—they’re twice as likely as average Americans to telecommute—and expansive homes
With their upscale incomes, they can afford to spend heavily on consumer electronics, wireless and computer technology, luxury cars, powerboats, books and magazines, children’s toys and exercise equipment.”
Where will you find those three lifestyles?
Google Maps: Mammoth Lakes, CA
You’ll find neighbors in New Hampshire and three in California:
Cornish, NH
Lake Arrowhead, CA
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Westwood, CA
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
25Y1T1, Country Casuals, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Westwood, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,741,070 (1.49%)
Median Household Income: $71,235
Premier Resorts (WRPR): “There’s a laid-back atmosphere in Country Casuals, a collection of middle-aged, upper middle-class households that have started to empty-nest.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Workers here-and most households boast two earners-have well-paying blue- or white-collar jobs, or own small businesses.
Today these Baby-Boom couples have the disposable income to enjoy traveling, owning timeshares and going out to eat.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at priceline.com
Did woodworking
Read Everyday With Rachel Ray
Watched Great American Country Channel
Drove Ford F-Series Diesels”
20F2T1, Fast-Track Families, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Cornish, NH)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,861,697 (1.59%)
Median Household Income: $74,201
Premier Resorts (WRPR): “With their upper-middle-class incomes, numerous children and spacious homes, Fast-Track Families are in their prime acquisition years.
Photo: Visual Hunt
These middle-aged parents have the disposable income and educated sensibility to want the best for their children.
They buy the latest technology with impunity: new computers, DVD players, home theater systems and video games.
They take advantage of their rustic locales by camping, boating and fishing.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from buy.com
Traveled for business by airplane
Read American Hunter
Watched Country Music Television
Drove a Chevrolet Suburban Flex Fuel”
05F1T1, Country Squires, 45+, Family, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Lake Arrowhead, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,011,809 (1.72%)
Median Household Income: $101,507
Premier Resorts (WRPR): “The wealthiest residents in exurban America live in Country Squires, an oasis for affluent Baby Boomers who’ve fled the city for the charms of small-town living.
Country Squires enjoy country club sports like golf, tennis and swimming as well as skiing, boating and biking.
Photo: Visual Hunt
In their bucolic communities noted for their recently built homes on sprawling properties, the families of executives live in six-figure comfort.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from amazon.com
Went snorkeling
Read Family Fun
Watched pay-per-view movies
Drove a GMC Yukon Denali”
09M1T1, Big Fish Small Pond, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty Nests, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Mammoth Lakes, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,498,189 (2.14%)
Median Household Income: $82,470
Premier Resorts (WRPR) “Older, upper-class, college-educated professionals, the members of Big Fish, Small Pond are often among the leading citizens of their small-town communities.
Photo: Visual Hunt
These upscale, empty-nesting couples enjoy the trappings of success, belonging to country clubs, maintaining large investment portfolios and spending freely on computer technology.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from L.L. Bean
Contributed to PBS
Read Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Watched The Triple Crown
Drove a Cadillac DTS”
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
But to zero in on the best place for you you’ll have to visit and schedule time to explore potential new homes in a region.
Oh, darn!
Lifestyles Segments: Urban to Rustic Density
Country Communities
Photo: Visual Hunt
Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM estimated that country communities represented 39.6% of United States population in 2011.
“Town and Rural areas (T) have population density scores under 40.
This category includes exurbs, towns, farming communities, and a wide range of other rural areas.”
Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?
Let’s turn to six Wireless Resorters household lifestyles. The first five live comfortable country lives, but are a little less affluent than the sixth. Here are the first five:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
The five segments in Country Comfort are filled with predominantly white, middle-class homeowners.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 11,851,298
Median Household Income : $55,843
“In their placid towns and scenic bedroom communities, these Americans tend to be married, between the ages of 25 and 54, with or without children.
Photo: Visual Hunt
They enjoy comfortable upscale lifestyles, exhibiting high indices for barbecuing, bar-hopping and playing golf as well as home-based activities such as gardening, woodworking and crafts.
Reflecting their rural, family environment, they prefer trucks, SUVs and mini-vans to cars.”
Where will you find those five lifestyles?
Google Maps: Aspen, CO
We’ve identified two in California, and one each in Colorado, Texas and Utah.
Aspen, CO
Park City, UT
Truckee, CA
New Braunfels, TX
St. Helena, CA
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
Maturing Resorts (WRMR): “A segment of middle-class exurban couples, Greenbelt Sports is known for its active lifestyle.
Most of these middle-aged residents are married, college-educated and own new homes; about a third have children.
Summer Outdoors
And few segments have higher rates for pursuing outdoor activities such as skiing, canoeing, backpacking, boating and mountain biking.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from Lands’ End
Gone horseback riding
Read Modern Bride
Watched Fox Sports Net
Drove a Subaru Legacy“
33F3T2, Big Sky Families, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Park City, UT)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,130,960 (1.82%)
Median Household Income: $55,553
Maturing Resorts (WRMR): “Scattered in placid towns across the American heartland, Big Sky Families is a segment of young rural families who have turned high school educations and blue-collar jobs into busy, middle-class lifestyles.
Residents like to play baseball, basketball and volleyball, besides going fishing, hunting and horseback riding.
To entertain their sprawling families, they buy virtually every piece of sporting equipment on the market.
Maturing Resorts (WRMR): “Like the old Andy Griffith show set in a quaint picturesque berg, Mayberry-ville harks back to an old-fashioned way of life.
Photo: Visual Hunt
In these small towns, middle-class couples and families like to fish and hunt during the day, and stay home and watch TV at night.
With lucrative blue-collar jobs and moderately priced housing, residents use their discretionary cash to purchase boats, campers, motorcycles and pickup trucks.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at Sherwin-Williams
Went hunting with a gun
Read Bassmaster
Watched Daytona 500
Drove a GMC Sierra Diesel”
32F3T2, New Homesteaders, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (New Braunfels, TX)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,102,864
Median Household Income: $56,181
Maturing Resorts (WRMR): “Young, middle-class families seeking to escape suburban sprawl find refuge in New Homesteaders, a collection of small rustic townships filled with new ranches and Cape Cods.
Photo: Visual Hunt
With decent-paying jobs in white-collar and service industries, these dual income couples have fashioned comfortable, child-centered lifestyles, their driveways filled with campers and powerboats, their family rooms with PlayStations and Game Boys.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at Best Buy
Bought toys
Read American Baby
Watched Cartoon Network
Drove a Chevrolet Uplander Flex Fuel“
28M2T2, Traditional Times, Empty Nests, 55+, Couples, Conservative Classics, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (St. Helena, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 3,300,488 (2.82%)
Median Household Income: $55,175
Maturing Resorts (WRMR): “Traditional Times is the kind of lifestyle where small-town couples nearing retirement are beginning to enjoy their first empty-nest years.
Typically in their fifties and sixties, these middle-class Americans pursue a kind of granola-and-grits lifestyle.
On their coffee tables are magazines with titles ranging from Country Living and Country Home to Gourmet and Forbes.
Photo: Visual Pursuit
But they’re big travelers, especially in recreational vehicles and campers.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from Gevalia Kaffe
Traveled domestically by motor home
Read AARP The Magazine
Watched Antiques Roadshow
Drove a Chevrolet Impala Flex Fuel”
Upscale Country Resorts
Should you include this Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyle on your Bucket List?
The sixth Wireless Resorter Lifestyle rounds out our Maturing Resorts bucket list:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 9,812,689
Median Household Income : $82,323
“Widely scattered throughout the nation, Landed Gentry social group consist of wealthy Americans who migrated to the smaller boomtowns beyond the nation’s beltways.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Many of the households contain Boomer families and couples with college degrees, professional jobs—they’re twice as likely as average Americans to telecommute—and expansive homes
With their upscale incomes, they can afford to spend heavily on consumer electronics, wireless and computer technology, luxury cars, powerboats, books and magazines, children’s toys and exercise equipment.”
Google Maps: Boulder, CO
Where will you find this lifestyle?
We identified a university town northwest of Denver, Colorado.
Maturing Resorts (WRMR): “When city dwellers and suburbanites began moving to the country in the 1970s, God’s Country emerged as the most affluent of the nation’s exurban lifestyles.
Today, wealthier communities exist in the hinterlands, but God’s Country remains a haven for upper income couples in spacious homes.
Typically college-educated Baby Boomers, these Americans try to maintain a balanced lifestyle between high-power jobs and laid back leisure.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from zappos.com
Took golf vacations
Read Yachting
Watched Bloomberg Television
Drove an Audi S6″
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 11,533,179
Median Household Income : $43,123
Joining Rural Cowboy (HCERC), Resort Suburbans (WRRS) round out the remaining three segments in Middle America filled with middle-class homeowners living in small towns and remote exurbs.
“Typically found in scenic settings throughout the nation’s heartland, Middle Americans tend to be white, high school educated, living as couples or larger families, and ranging in age from under 25 to over 65.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Like many residents of remote communities, these conservative consumers tend to prefer traditional rural pursuits: fishing, hunting, making crafts, antique collecting, watching television and meeting at civic and veterans clubs for recreation and companionship.
Friday nights are for celebrating high school sports.”
Where will you find those three lifestyles?
Google Maps: Healdsburg, CA
We’ve identified two former exurban towns morphing into bedroom suburbs in California and one in Arizona:
Prescott. AZ
Healdsburg, CA
Idyllwild, CA
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
Resort Suburban (WRRS): “The residents in Red, White & Blues neighborhoods typically live in exurban towns rapidly morphing into bedroom suburbs.
Starbuck’s Signal Upscale Growth
Their streets feature new fast-food restaurants, and locals have recently celebrated the arrival of chains like Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and Payless Shoes.
Resort Suburbans (WRRS): “With more than two-thirds of its residents over 65 years old, Simple Pleasures is mostly a retirement lifestyle: a neighborhood of lower-middle-class singles and couples living in modestly priced homes.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Many are high school-educated seniors who held blue-collar jobs before their retirement.
And a disproportionate number served in the military; no segment has more members of veterans clubs.
Resort Suburbans (WRRS): “America was once a land of small middleclass towns, which can still be found today among Heartlanders.
Photo: Visual Hunt
This widespread segment consists of middle-aged couples with working-class jobs living in sturdy, unpretentious homes.
In these communities of small families and empty-nesting couples, Heartlanders pursue a rustic lifestyle where hunting and fishing remain prime leisure activities along with cooking, sewing, camping and boating.
Lifestyle & Media Traits
Shopped at Kmart
Sewed clothing from patterns
Read Family Handyman
Watched CBS Early Show
Drove a GMC Sierra Flex Fuel”
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
But to zero in on the best place for you you’ll have to visit and schedule time to explore potential new homes in a region.
Oh, darn!
Lifestyles Segments: Urban to Rustic Density
Country Communities
Photo: Visual Hunt
Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM estimated that country communities represented 39.6% of United States population in 2011.
“Town and Rural areas (T) have population density scores under 40.
This category includes exurbs, towns, farming communities, and a wide range of other rural areas.”
Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?
Let’s turn to three Wireless Resorters household lifestyles which share the same rustic, quality-of-life appeal of nature as it does for High Country Eagles:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 13,401,489
Median Household Income : $31,343
As for High Country Eagles, Rustic Eagles, these remaining three (of the six) segments in Rustic America represent the nation’s most isolated towns and rural villages for Distant Exurbans.
“As a group, T4 residents have relatively modest incomes, low educational levels, aging homes and blue-collar occupations.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Many of the residents, a mix of young singles and seniors, are unmarried, and they’ve watched scores of their neighbors migrate to the city.
In their remote communities, these consumers spend their leisure time in such traditional small-town activities as fishing and hunting, attending social activities at the local church and veterans club, enjoying country music and car racing.”
Google Maps: Telluride, CO
Where will you find those three lifestyles?
We identified three resort communities where residents enjoy a more rustic quality-of-life away from population centers in Arizona, Colorado and Utah.
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
48Y3T4, Young and Rustic, 20-29, Striving Singles, Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters (Park City, UT)
Distant Exurban (WRDE): “Like the soap opera that inspired its nickname, Young & Rustic is composed of young, restless singles.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Unlike the glitzy soap denizens, however, these folks tend to be lower-income, high school-educated and living in tiny apartments in the nation’s towns.
With their service industry jobs and modest incomes, these folks still try to fashion fast-paced lifestyles centered on sports, cars and dating.
Distant Exurbans (WRDE): “Golden Ponds is mostly a retirement lifestyle, dominated by downscale singles and couples over 65 years old.
Found in small bucolic towns around the country, these high school-educated seniors live in small apartments on less than $25,000 a year; one in five resides in a nursing home.
Photo: Visual Hunt
For these elderly residents, daily life is often a succession of sedentary activities such as reading, watching TV, playing bingo and doing craft projects.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Purchased in-home vitamins
Ordered garden supplies by phone
Read American Legion Magazine
Watched The Price is Right
Drove a Mercury Sable”
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 13,401,489
Median Household Income : $31,343
“Three of the six segments in Rustic America represent the nation’s most isolated towns and rural villages.
As a group, T4 residents have relatively modest incomes, low educational levels, aging homes and blue-collar occupations.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Many of the residents, a mix of young singles and seniors, are unmarried, and they’ve watched scores of their neighbors migrate to the city.
In their remote communities, these consumers spend their leisure time in such traditional small-town activities as fishing and hunting, attending social activities at the local church and veterans club, enjoying country music and car racing.”
Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?
Google Maps: Whitefish, MT
We identified three Rustic Eagle residential neighborhoods in California, Montana and New Mexico.
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
64F4T4, Bedrock America, 20-44, Families, Sustaining Families, Town and Country, Rustic Living, HCERE Rustic Eagles, High Country Eagles (Palm Springs, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,220,781 (1.90%)
Median Household Income: $27,602
In 2011 Claritas described these Rustic Eagle (HCERE) household lifestyles:
“Bedrock America consists of young, economically challenged families in small, isolated towns, located throughout the nation’s heartland.
With modest educations, sprawling families and blue-collar jobs, many of these residents struggle to make ends meet.
One quarter live in mobile homes. One in three haven’t finished high school.
Rich in scenery, Bedrock America is a haven for fishing, hunting, hiking and camping.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from Avon
Bought toy cars
Read Parents Magazine
Watched The Young and the Restless
Drove a Dodge Ram Flex Fuel”
57M4T4, Old Milltown, 65+, Sustaining Seniors, Rustic Living, HCERE Rustic Eagles, High Country Eagles ( Taos, NM)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,845,943 (1.58%)
Median Household Income: $30,608
Rustic Eagles (HCERE): “America’s once-thriving mining and manufacturing towns have aged-as have the residents in Old Milltowns communities
Today, the majority of residents are retired singles and couples, living on downscale incomes in pre-1960 homes and apartments.
Photo: Visual Hunt
For leisure, they enjoy gardening, sewing, socializing at veterans clubs or eating out at casual restaurants.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from Home Shopping Network
Did needlepoint
Read Good Housekeeping
Watched As the World Turns
Drove a GMC Canyon”
58M4T4, Back Country Folks, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Rustic Living, HCERE Rustic Eagles, High Country Eagles (Whitefish, MT)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,658,532 (2.27%)
Median Household Income: $32,207
Rustic Eagles (HCERE): “Strewn among remote farm communities across the nation, Back Country Folks are a long way away from economic paradise.
The residents tend to be poor, over 55 years old and living in older, modest-sized homes and manufactured housing.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Typically, life in this segment is a throwback to an earlier era when farming dominated the American landscape.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from Publishers Clearing House
Belonged to church board
Read Hunting
Watched Soapnet
Drove a Ford Ranger”
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
With modest educations, sprawling families and blue-collar jobs, many of these residents struggle to make ends meet.
