11 Simple Steps for Finding the Authentic Quality-of-Life You Deserve

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.

Like the mountains of California or Colorado.

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.

6.  We’ve already done the heavy lifting for you by identifying neighborhood characteristics by the age and stage of life of their residents.  Single (20-29, 25-54, Mid-Lifers (30-44).  Couple (55+ or 65+). Family (20-44, 25-54, 35-54). Empty Nests (45+ and 55+).  Baby Boomers ( 55+). Seniors ( 65+).  

7.  And, we’ve compared neighborhoods by wealth and status and by density.  From Wealthy Influentials and Wireless Resorters to High Country Eagles and Permanent Temporaries.  And from Metropolitan to Suburban to Small Cities and Country Towns.  So, if you want to narrow your focus to neighborhoods with 25-54 year old families in Wireless Resorts, then you can find a list that no other top 10 magazine list can provide (New Braunfels, TX and Park City, UT).

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.

66 Neighborhood Lifestyles Ranked by Wealth and Status

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:

Status and Affluence Rankings

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.

Photo: Visual Hunt

01M1S1, Upper Crust, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty-Nests, Elite Suburbs, – WIAE Affluently Elite, Wealthy Influentials (Half Moon Bay, CA)

02F1S1, Blue Blood Estates, 45+ Families, Elite Suburbs, WIAE Affluently Elite, Wealthy Influentials (West Linn, OR)

03Y1S1, Movers & Shakers,  30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Elite Suburbs, WIAE Affluently Elite, Wealthy Influentials (Scottsdale, AZ)

04Y2U1, Young Digerati, 25 – 54, Mainstream Singles, Urban Uptown, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Chandler, AZ)

05F1T1, Country Squires, 45+, Family, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Lake Arrowhead, CA)

06F1S1, Winner’s Circle, 45+, Families, Accumulated Wealth, Elite Suburbs, WIAE Affluently Elite , Wealthy Influentials (Alta, UT)

07M1U1, Money & Brains, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty Nests, Urban Uptown, WIAE Affluently Elite, Wealthy Influentials (Seal Beach, CA)

08Y1S2, ExecutiveSuites, 30-44,  Couples, Midlife Success, Affluentials, WIES Exurb Society, Wealthy Influentials (Mission Viejo, CA)

09M1T1, Big Fish Small Pond, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty Nests, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Mammoth Lakes, CA)

10M1C1, Second City Elite, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty Nests, Second City Society, WIDM Digitally Mobiles, Wealthy Influentials  (Ft. Myers, FL)

Photo: Stephen G. Howard

11Y1T1, God’s Country, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Landed Gentry, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Boulder, CO)

12Y1C1, Brite Lites Lil City, 30-44, Couples, Midlife, Second City Society, WIDM Digitally Mobiles, Wealthy Influentials   (Santa Fe, NM)

13F2C1, Upward Bound, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Second City Society, WIDM Digitally Mobiles, Wealthy Influentials  (Louisville, CO)

14M2S2, NewEmptyNests, 55+, Couples, Conservative Classics, Affluentials, WIES Exurb Society, Wealthy Influentials (Indian Wells, CA)

15M2S2, Patios & Pools, 55+, Couples, Empty Nests, Conservative Classics, Affluentials, WIES Exurb Society, Wealthy Influentials (Mukilteo, WA)

16Y2U1, Bohemian Mix, 25 – 54, Mainstream Singles, Urban Uptown, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Huntington Beach, CA)

17F2S2, Beltway Boomers, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Suburbs, Affluentials,  WIES Exurb Society, Wealthy Influentials  (Santa Cruz, CA)

18F2S2, Kids & Cul-de-Sacs, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Suburbs, Affluentials,  WIES Exurb Society, Wealthy Influentials  (Mukilteo, WA)

19Y1S2, Home Sweet Home, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Suburbs, Affluentials, WIES Exurb Society, Wealthy Influentials  (Irvine, CA)

20F2T1, Fast-Track Families, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Cornish, NH)

Summer Outdoors

21M2S3, Gray Power, 55+, Couples, Conservative Classics,  Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (Laguna Hills, CA)

22Y2S3, Young Influentials, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (Tempe, AZ)

23Y2T2, Greenbelt Sports, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Aspen, CO)

24Y2C2, Up-and-Comers, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, City Centers, HCESC Satellite City-zens, High Country Eagles (Napa, CA)

25Y1T1, Country Casuals, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Westwood, CA)

26M2U1, The Cosmopolitans, 55+, Couples,  Conservative Classics, Urban Uptown, WIDM Digitally Mobiles, Wealthy Influentials  (Huntington Beach, CA)

27M2C2, Middleburg Managers, 55+, Couples,  Conservative Classics, City Centers, HCESC Satellite City-zens, High Country Eagles   (South Lake Tahoe, CA)

28M2T2, Traditional Times, Empty Nests, 55+, Couples, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (St. Helena, CA)

29F2U1, American Dreams, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Urban Uptown, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Naples, CA)

30Y1S3, Suburban Sprawl, 30-44, Singles, Midlife, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (none in knowledge bank)

Photo: Visual Hunt

31Y2U2, Urban Achievers, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Midtown Mix – WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Tempe, AZ)

32F3T2, New Homesteaders, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (New Braunfels, TX)

33F3T2, Big Sky Families, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Park City, UT)

34F3C2, White Picket Fences, 25-54, Mainstream Families, City Centers, HCESC Satellite City-zens, High Country Eagles  (Aurora, CO)

35Y2C2, Boomtown Singles, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, City Centers, HCESC Satellite City-zens, High Country Eagles  (San Marcos, TX)

36F3S3, Blue-Chip Blues, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries  (Santa Cruz, CA)

37Y1T2, Mayberry-ville, 25-54, Families, Couples, Midlife Success, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Truckee, CA)

38M3T3, Simple Pleasures, 55+, Couples,  Cautious Couples, Middle America, WRRS Resort Suburbans, Wireless Resorters (Idyllwild, CA)

39M3S3, Domestic Duos , 55+, Couples, Cautious Couples, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (Lakewood, CO)

40M3U2, Close-In Couples, 55+, Couples,  Cautious Couples, Midtown Mix – WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (La Mirada, CA)

Photo: Visual Hunt

41M3C2, Sunset City Blues, 55+, Couples, Cautious Couples, Empty Nests – City Centers, HCESC Satellite City-zens, High Country Eagles  (Santa Fe, NM)

42Y3T3, Red, White & Blues, 20-29, Striving Singles, Middle America, WRRS Resort Suburbans, Wireless Resorters (Healdsburg, CA)

43M3T3, Heartlanders, 55+, Couples,  Cautious Couples, Middle America – WRRS Resort Suburbans, Wireless Resorters  (Prescott. AZ)

44Y3S4, New Beginnings, 20-29, Striving Singles,Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries (Santa Cruz, CA)

45Y3T3, Blue Highways, 20-29, Striving Singles, Middle America HCERC Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Dillon, CO)

46M3S4, Old Glories, 55+, Couples,  Cautious Couples, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries  (none in knowledge bank)

47Y3C3, City Startups, 20-29, Striving Singles, Striving Singles, Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles (Eureka, CA)

48Y3T4, Young and Rustic, 20-29, Striving Singles, Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters (ParkCity, UT)

49M3S4, American Classics, 55+, Couples, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries  (Surprise, AZ)

50F3T3, Kid Country, USA, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Middle America – HCERC Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles  (Coeur d’Alene, ID)

Photo: Visual Hunt

51F3T3, Shotguns & Pickups, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Middle America, HCERC Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles  (Surprise, AZ)

52F3S4, Suburban Pioneers, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries  (Boulder, CO)

53Y3C3,  Mobility Blues, 20-29, Striving Singles, Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles (Coeur d’Alene, ID)

54F3U2, Multi-Culti Mosaic, 25-54,  Mainstream Families, Midtown Mix, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Lakewood, CO)

55M4T4, Golden Ponds, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Couples, Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters  (Elgin, AZ)

56Y3T4, Crossroads Villagers, 20-29, Striving Singles,Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters  (Telluride, CO)

57M4T4, Old Milltown, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Rustic Living, HCERE Rustic Eagles, High Country Eagles (Taos, NM)

58M4T4, Back Country Folks, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Rustic Living, HCERE Rustic Eagles, High Country Eagles  (Whitefish, MT)

59M4U3, Urban Elders, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Urban Cores, Urban, PTUT Urban Trapped, Permanent Temporaries (Long Beach, CA)

60M4C3, Park Bench Seniors, 65+Sustaining Seniors,  Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles  (Palm Desert, CA)

Photo: Visual Hunt

61M4U3, City Roots, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Urban Cores, Urban, PTUT Urban Trapped, Permanent Temporaries (Seal Beach, CA)

62M4C3, Hometown Retired , 65+Sustaining Seniors, Second Tier Cities, Micro-City Blues, PTTC The Cutters, Permanent Temporaries (Eureka, CA)

63F4C3, Family Thrifts, 20-44, Sustaining Families, Second Tier Cities, Micro-City Blues, PTTC The Cutters, Permanent Temporaries  (Ukiah, CA)

64F4T4, Bedrock America, 20-44, Sustaining Families, Town and Country, Rustic Living, HCERE Rustic Eagles, High Country Eagles  (Palm Springs, CA) 

65F4U3, Big City Blues, 20-44, Sustaining Families, Urban Cores, Urban, PTUT Urban Trapped, Permanent Temporaries (Long Beach, CA)

66F4U3, Low-Rise Living, 20-44, Sustaining Families,Urban Cores, Urban, PTTC The Cutters, Permanent Temporaries  (Highland Park, CA)

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Suburban, Wireless Resorter Lifestyles Appeal to You?

We’ve identified two former exurban towns morphing into bedroom suburbs in California and one in Arizona.

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
You can pursue a rustic lifestyle where hunting and fishing remain prime leisure activities along with cooking, sewing, camping and boating.

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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:

Wireless Resorters, Resort Suburbans (WRRS) – One 20-29 year old Striving Singles and two 55+ year old Cautious Couples.

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?

42Y3T3, Red, White & Blues, 20-29, Striving Singles, Middle America, WRRS Resort Suburbans, Wireless Resorters (Healdsburg, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,278,769 (1.09%)
  • Median Household Income: $42,995

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.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Lowe’s
  • Went fishing
  • Read Four Wheeler
  • Watched Speed Channel
  • Drove a Dodge Ram”

38M3T3, Simple Pleasures, 55+, Couples, Cautious Couples, Middle America, WRRS Resort Suburbans, Wireless Resorters (Idyllwild, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,754,587 (2.36%)
  • Median Household Income: $43,257

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.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at True Value
  • Belonged to a fraternal order
  • Read fraternal magazines
  • Watched Wheel of Fortune
  • Drove Ford Taurus”

43M3T3, Heartlanders, 55+, Couples, Cautious Couples, Middle America – WRRS Resort Suburbans , Wireless Resorters (Prescott. AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,334,924 (2.00%)
  • Median Household Income: $43,485

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Distant Exurban, Wireless Resorter Lifestyles Appeal to You?

With their service industry jobs and modest incomes, these folks still try to fashion fast-paced lifestyles centered on sports, cars and dating.

Google Maps: Telluride, CO
We identified three resort communities where residents enjoy a more rustic quality-of-life away from population centers in Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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:

Wireless Resorters, Distant Exurbans (WRDE) – Two 20-29 year old Striving Singles and one 65+ year old Sustaining Seniors.

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.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,224,366 (1.90%)
  • Median Household  Income: $32,238

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from Columbia House
  • Bought science fiction books
  • Read Car Craft
  • Watched WWE Wrestling
  • Owned a Dodge Ram Diesel

56Y3T4, Crossroads Villagers, 20-29 Striving Single, Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters (Telluride, CO)

Distant Exurban (WRDE): Residents are high school-educated, with lower-middle incomes and modest housing; one-quarter live in mobile homes.

Photo: Visual Hunt

With a population of middle-aged, blue-collar couples and families, Crossroads Villagers is a classic  rural lifestyle.

And there’s an air of self-reliance in these households as Crossroads Villagers help put food on the table through fishing, gardening and hunting.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,466,414 (2.11%)
  • Median Household Income: $32,084

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Wal-Mart Pharmacy
  • Owned a motor home
  • Read Motorcyclist
  • Watched The Jerry Springer Show
  • Owned a Chevrolet Aveo

55M4T4, Golden Ponds, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Couples, Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters ( Elgin, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,985,453 (1.70%)
  • Median Household Income: $31,657

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Rural, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You?

Friday nights are for celebrating high school sports.

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
These Americans tend to be young, working-class couples with large families-more than half have two or more kids-living in small homes and manufactured housing.

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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 High Country Eagle household lifestyles:

High Country Eagles, Rural Cowboy (HCERC) – 20-29 year old Striving Singles and two 25-54 year old Mainstream Families.

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

Three Rural Cowboy (HCERC) and another three (of the six) segments in Middle America are 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 in the West will you find those three lifestyles?

Google Maps: Coeur d’Alene, ID

We find three Rural Cowboy neighborhoods, one each in Arizona, Colorado and Idaho:

  • Surprise, AZ
  • Dillon, CO
  • Coeur d’Alene, ID

 

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

45Y3T3, Blue Highways, 20-29 Striving Singles, Middle America HCERC Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Dillon, CO)

Rural Cowboy (HCERC): On maps, blue highways are often two-lane roads that wind through remote stretches of the American landscape.

Among  lifestyles, Blue Highways is the standout for lower middle-class singles and couples who live in isolated towns and farmsteads. 

They like to hunt and fish, the women enjoy sewing and crafts, and everyone looks forward to going out to a country music concert.”

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,809,961 (1.55%)
  • Median Household Income: $43,023

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Wal-Mart
  • Owned satellite dish
  • Read Guns & Ammo
  • Watched auto racing
  • Drove Chevrolet Colorado

50F3T3, Kid Country, USA, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Middle America – HCERC  Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Coeur d’Alene, ID)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,481,771 (1.27%)
  • Median Household Income: $42,166

Rural Cowboy (HCERC): “Widely scattered throughout the nation’s heartland, Kid Country, USA is a segment dominated by large families living in small towns. 

Predominantly white, with an above average concentration of Hispanics, these young, these working-class households include homeowners, renters and military personnel living in base housing; about 16 – 20 percent of residents own mobile homes.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from oldnavy.com
  • Bought infant toys
  • Read Fit Pregnancy
  • Watched Nick at Nite
  • Drove a  Nissan Titan Flex Fuel”

51F3T3, Shotguns & Pickups, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Middle America, HCERC  Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Surprise, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,873,167 (1.60%)
  • Median Household Income: $41,859

Rural Cowboy (HCERC): “The segment known as Shotguns & Pickups came by its moniker honestly: it scores near the top of all lifestyles for owning hunting rifles and pickup trucks. 

These Americans tend to be young, working-class couples with large families-more than half have two or more kids-living in small homes and manufactured housing.

Nearly a third of residents live in mobile homes, more than anywhere else in the nation.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Sears Hardware
  • Went camping
  • Read North American Hunter
  • Watched Outdoor Channel
  • Drove Ford F-Series”

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Inner Suburban, Permanently Temporary Lifestyles Appeal to You?

Filled with young, single adults, New Beginnings is a magnet for adults in transition.

Photo: Visual Hunt
Many of the residents are twentysomething singles and couples just starting out on their career paths who live in communities attractive to older neighbors who may be starting over after recent divorces or job losses. 

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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

Suburbs

Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM ranks suburbs as having a medium density, although they may in fact be surrounded by high density urban areas.

“Population density rises as you approach the city, and decreases as you move away from it.”

Photo: Visual Hunt

In 2011 roughly 23.4% of the population in the United States lived in the nation’s suburbs.

And Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM said:

“Suburbs have population density scores between 40 and 90, and are clearly dependent on urban areas or second cities.” 

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?

Permanent Temporaries, Start Overs (PTSO) – Two 55+ year old Couples, a 20-29 year old Single and a 25-54 year old  Family life stages.

Statistics:

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 5,854,297
  • Median Household Income : $27,116

According to Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM, “The four segments in the Inner Suburbs social group are concentrated in the inner-ring suburbs of major metros—areas where residents tend to be high school educated, unmarried and lower-middle class.

Watching the People’s Court. Photo: Visual Hunt

One of the least affluent social groups, U3 has a high concentration of Hispanics and African-Americans, and surveys indicate a fondness for both ethnic and mainstream media and products. 

Among the group’s preferences: TV news and daytime programming, Spanish and black radio, telephony services and pagers, cheap fast food and high-end department stores.”

Google Maps: Boulder, CO

Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?

We’ve identified households in Arizona, California and Colorado:

  • Surprise, AZ
  • Santa Cruz, CA
  • Boulder, CO

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

44Y3S4, New Beginnings, 20-29, Singles, Striving Singles, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries (Santa Cruz, CA)

“Filled with young, single adults, New Beginnings is a magnet for adults in transition.

Start Over (PTSO) :  “Many of the residents are twentysomething singles and couples just starting out on their career paths who live in communities attractive to older neighbors who may be starting over after recent divorces or job losses.  

Ethnically diverse-with nearly half its residents Hispanic, Asian or African-American-New Beginnings households tend to have the modest living standards typical of transient apartment dwellers.”

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,837,994 (1.57%)
  • Median Household Income: $31,226

Here are some examples from Claritas Lifestyle & Media Traits. They:

  • Shopped at Express
  • Read comic books
  • Read Vibe
  • Watched Maury
  • Owned a Kia Spectra”

52F3S4, Suburban Pioneers, 25-54, Families, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries (Boulder, CO)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,240,482 (1.06%)
  • Median Household Income: $33,658

Start Overs (PTSO):  Suburban Pioneers represents one of the nation’s eclectic lifestyles, a mix of young singles, recently divorced and single parents who have moved into older, inner-ring suburbs.

They live in aging homes and garden-style apartment buildings, where the jobs are blue-collar and the money is tight. 

But what unites these residents-a diverse mix of whites, Hispanics and African-Americans is a working-class sensibility and an appreciation for their off-the-beaten track neighborhoods.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Lane Bryant
  • Bought mail order toys
  • Read OK! Magazine
  • Watched Sabado Gigante
  • Drove Dodge Charger”

46M3S4, Old Glories, 55+, Cautious Couples, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries (none in Knowledge Bank)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,155,944 (0.99%)
  • Median Household Income: $31,162

Start Overs (PTSO): Old Glories are the nation’s downscale suburban retirees, Americans aging in place in older apartment complexes.

These racially mixed households often contain widows and widowers living on fixed incomes, and they tend to lead home-centered lifestyles.

Photo: Visual Hunt

They’re among the nation’s most ardent television fans, watching game shows, soaps, talk shows and newsmagazines at high rates.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Purchased Clothing In-Home
  • Played bingo
  • Read Saturday Evening Post
  • Watched Jeopardy!
  • Drove a Kia Rio”

49M3S4, American Classics, 55+, Cautious Couples, Suburbs, Inner Suburbs, PTSO Start Overs, Permanent Temporaries (Surprise, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,211,533 (1.04%)
  • Median Household Income: $34,680

Start Overs (PTSO): “They may be older, lower-middle class and retired, but the residents of American Classics are still living the American Dream of home ownership.

Photo: Visual Hunt

Few segments rank higher in their percentage of home owners, and that fact alone reflects a more comfortable lifestyle for these predominantly white singles and couples with deep ties.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from Reader’s Digest
  • Gambled in Atlantic City, NJ
  • Read American Woodworker
  • Watched The Dr. Phil Show
  • Drove a Chevrolet Monte Carlo”

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Suburban, Permanently Temporary Lifestyles Appeal to You?

Having recently left college dorms, they now live in apartment complexes surrounded by ball fields, health clubs, and casual-dining restaurants.

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
The steady rise of older, healthier Americans over the past decade has produced one important by-product: middle-class, home-owning suburbanites who are aging in place rather than moving to retirement communities.

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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

Suburbs

Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM ranks suburbs as having a medium density, although they may in fact be surrounded by high density urban areas.

“Population density rises as you approach the city, and decreases as you move away from it.”

Photo: Visual Hunt

In 2011 roughly 23.4% of the population in the United States lived in the nation’s suburbs.

And Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM said:

“Suburbs have population density scores between 40 and 90, and are clearly dependent on urban areas or second cities.” 

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?

Permanent Temporaries, Interim Middle Managers (PTIMM) – Choose from a mix of 25-54 year old Mainstream Singles25-54 year old Mainstream Families; 30-44 year old Midlife Singles;  55+ year old Cautious Couples, or 55+ year old Classic Couples.

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.

These five segments that comprise Middleburbs share a middle-class, suburban perspective, but there the similarity ends. 

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 7,192,186
  • Median Household Income : $50,281

“Two groups are filled with very young residents, two are filled with seniors and one is middle-aged. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

In addition, S3 includes a mix of both, homeowners and renters as well as high school graduates and college alums. 

With good jobs and money in their jeans, the members of Middleburbs tend to have plenty of discretionary income to visit nightclubs and casual-dining restaurants, shop at midscale department stores, buy dance and easy listening CDs by the dozen and travel across the U.S. and Canada”

Southwest United States – Wikitravel

Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?

We’ve identified one in Arizona, two in California and one in Colorado:

  • Tempe, AZ
  • Santa Cruz, CA
  • Laguna Hills, CA
  • Lakewood, CO

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

22Y2S3, Young Influentials, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (Tempe, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,712,614 (1.47%)
  • Median Household Income: $49,182

Interim Middle Managers (PTIMM): “Once known as the home of the nation’s yuppies, Young Influentials reflects the fading glow of acquisitive yuppiedom. 

Today, the segment is a common address for younger, middle-class singles and couples who are more preoccupied with balancing work and leisure pursuits. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

Having recently left college dorms, they now live in apartment complexes surrounded by ball fields, health clubs, and casual-dining restaurants.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from orbitz.com
  • Attended NBA games
  • Read Entrepreneur
  • Watched Family Guy
  • Drove a Subaru Outback”

36F3S3, Blue-Chip Blues, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries  (Santa Cruz, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,458,594 (1.25%)
  • Median Household Income: $50,667

Interim Middle Managers (PTIMM):  Blue-Chip Blues is known as a comfortable lifestyle for young, sprawling families with well-paying blue-collar jobs. 

Ethnically diverse-with a significant presence of Hispanics and African-Americans-the segment’s aging neighborhoods feature compact, modestly priced homes surrounded by commercial centers that cater to child-filled households

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Marshalls
  • Bought fashion dolls
  • Read Baby Talk
  • Watched Univision
  • Drove a Mitsubishi Lancer”

30Y1S3, Suburban Sprawl, 30-44, Singles Midlife, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers (none in knowledge bank)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,529,350 (1.31%)
  • Median Household Income: $50,584

Interim Middle Managers (PTIMM):  “Suburban Sprawl is an unusual American lifestyle: a collection of midscale, middle-aged singles and couples living in the heart of suburbia. 

Typically members of the Baby Boom generation, they hold decent jobs, own older homes and condos, and pursue cocooning versions of the American Dream.

Among their favorite activities are jogging on treadmills, playing trivia games and renting videos.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at FedEx Kinkos
  • Sung karaoke
  • Read Cycle World
  • Watched Scrubs
  • Drove a Mazda 6″

21M2S3, Gray Power, 55+, Conservative Classics, Couples, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM, Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (Laguna Hills, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,093,066 (0.94%)
  • Median Household Income: $52,784

Interim Middle Managers (PTIMM): The steady rise of older, healthier Americans over the past decade has produced one important by-product: middle-class, home-owning suburbanites who are aging in place rather than moving to retirement communities.

Photo: Visual Pursuit

Gray Power reflects this trend, a segment of older, midscale singles and couples who live in quiet comfort.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Ace Hardware
  • Belonged to a veterans club
  • Read Audubon
  • Watched Masterpiece Theatre
  • Drove a Buick Lucerne”

39M3S3, Domestic Duos, 55+, Couples, Cautious Couples, Suburbs, Middleburbs, PTIMM Interim Middle Managers, Permanent Temporaries (Lakewood, CO)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,398,562 (1.20%)
  • Median Household Income: $49,261

Interim Middle Managers (PTIMM): Domestic Duos represents a middle-class mix of mainly over 55 singles and married couples living in older suburban homes.

Photo: Visual Hunt

With their high-school educations and fixed incomes, segment residents maintain an easy-going lifestyle.

Residents like to socialize by going bowling, seeing a play, meeting at the local fraternal order or going out to eat

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Kohl’s
  • Cruised on Norwegian
  • Read Smithsonian
  • Watched Live from Lincoln Center
  • Drove a Chevrolet Impala”

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Uptown and Midtown Wealthy Influential Lifestyles Appeal To You?

They include both the downtowns of major cities and surrounding neighborhoods.

Photo: Visual Hunt
It’s the most ethnically diverse social group, besides containing a mix of singles and couples, homeowners and renters, college alumnae and high school graduates.

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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

Urban Centers

Like roughly 18.7% of United States population, according to Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM  living in urban centers, three Portfolio Locals live in Uptown and three in Midtown metropolitan areas .

Photo: Visual Hunt

Urban centers have population density scores between 85 and 99.

They include both the downtowns of major cities and surrounding neighborhoods.

These areas often extend beyond the city limits and into surrounding jurisdictions.

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?

Let’s turn to the the first set of three Wealthy Influential lifestyle profiles.

Wealthy Influential, Portfolio Locals (WIPL) -Two 25–54 year old Mainstream Singles and one 35-54 year old  Family profile.

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  Urban Uptown communities are home to the nation’s wealthiest urban consumers.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 9,480,843
  • Median Household Income : $65,583

“Members of this social group tend to be affluent to middle class, college educated and ethnically diverse, with above average concentrations of Asian and Hispanic Americans.

Photo: Visual Hunt

Although this group is diverse in terms of housing styles and family sizes, residents share an upscale urban perspective that’s reflected in their marketplace choices.

Urban Uptown consumers tend to frequent the arts, shop at exclusive retailers, drive luxury imports, travel abroad and spend heavily on computer and wireless technology.”

Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?

Google Maps – Naples, CA

We’ve identified two in Southern California and one in Arizona:

  • Chandler, AZ
  • Huntington Beach, CA
  • Naples, CA

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

04Y2U1, Young Digerati, 25 – 54, Mainstream Singles, Urban Uptown, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Chandler, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,397,823 (1.20%)
  • Median Household Income: $85,599

Portfolio Locals (WIPL): Young Digerati are the nation’s tech-savvy singles and couples living in fashionable neighborhoods on the urban fringe.

Affluent, highly educated and ethnically mixed, Young Digerati communities are typically filled with trendy apartments and condos, fitness clubs and clothing boutiques, casual restaurants and all types of bars-from juice to coffee to microbrew.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from expedia.com
  • Gone water skiing
  • Read The Economist
  • Watched Independent Film Channel
  • Drove an Audi A3

16Y2U1, Bohemian Mix, 25 – 54, Mainstream Singles, Urban Uptown, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Huntington Beach, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,052,684 (1.76%)
  • Median Household Income: $54,098

Portfolio Locals (WIPL):  “A collection of young, mobile urbanites, Bohemian Mix represents the nation’s most liberal lifestyles.

Its residents are a progressive mix of young singles and couples, students and professionals, Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans and whites.  

In their funky rowhouses and apartments, Bohemian Mixers are the early adopters who are quick to check out the latest movie, nightclub, laptop and microbrew.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Express
  • Rented/bought foreign videos
  • Read Details
  • Watched soccer on TV
  • Drove a Volkswagen Rabbit”

29F2U1, American Dreams, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Urban Uptown, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Naples, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,451,331 (2.10%)
  • Median Household Income: $55,270

Portfolio Locals (WIPL): “American Dreams is a living example of how ethnically diverse the nation has become: more than half the residents are Hispanic, Asian or African-American.

Photo: Visual Hunt

In these multilingual neighborhoods-one in ten speaks a language other than English middle-aged immigrants and their children live in middle-class comfort.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Old Navy
  • Bought motivational tapes
  • Read Black Enterprise
  • Watched TeleFutura
  • Drove a Lexus IS”

Midtown Urban Centers

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?

Let’s turn to the second set of three Wealthy Influential lifestyle profiles.

Wealthy Influential, Portfolio Locals (WIPL) – One 25-54 year old  Mainstream Singles, one 25-54 year old  Mainstream Families, and one older 55+ year old Cautious Couple profile.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 5,069,419
  • Median Household Income : $36,855

Diversity is the hallmark of Midtown Mix, a group of midscale urban segments.

Photo: Visual Hunt

 It’s the most ethnically diverse social group, besides containing a mix of singles and couples, homeowners and renters, college alumnae and high school graduates.

 In U2, the households are dominated by childless consumers who pursue active social lives—frequenting bars, health clubs and restaurants at high rates—listen to progressive music, drive small imports and acquire the latest consumer electronics.

Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?

Google Maps: Lakewood, CO

We’ve identified one lifestyle each  in Arizona, California and Colorado:

  • Tempe, AZ
  • La Mirada, CA
  • Lakewood, CO

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

31Y2U2, Urban Achievers, 25-54, Singles, Mainstream Singles, Midtown Mix – WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (Tempe, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,794,520 (1.54%)
  • Median Household Income: $35,535

Portfolio Locals (WIPL): “Concentrated in the nation’s port cities, Urban Achievers is often the first stop for up-and-coming immigrants from Asia, South America and Europe. 

These young singles and couples are typically college educated and ethnically diverse: about a third are foreign-born, and even more speak a language other than English.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Banana Republic
  • Played soccer
  • Read Latina
  • Watched Tyra
  • Drove a Volkswagen GTI”

54F3U2, Multi-Culti Mosaic, 25-54, Families, Mainstream Families, Midtown Mix, WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials(Lakewood, CO)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,947,324 (1.67%)
  • Median Household Income: $34,876

Portfolio Locals (WIPL):  An immigrant gateway community, Multi-Culti Mosaic is the urban home for a mixed populace of younger Hispanic, Asian and African-American singles and families. 

With nearly a quarter of the residents foreign-born, this segment is a mecca for first-generation Americans who are striving to improve their lower-middle-class status.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at CVS Pharmacy
  • Bought Spanish/Latin music
  • Read Seventeen
  • Watched Premio Juventud
  • Drove a Volkswagen GLI

 

40M3U2, Close-In Couples, 55+, Couples, Cautious Couples, Midtown Mix – WIPL Portfolio Locals, Wealthy Influentials (La Mirada, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,327,575 (1.14%)
  • Median Household Income: $40,860

Portfolio Locals (WIPL):  Close-In Couples is a group of predominantly older, African-American couples living in older homes in the urban neighborhoods of mid-sized metros.

Photo: Visual Hunt

High school educated and empty nesting, these 55-year-old-plus residents typically live in older city neighborhoods, enjoying secure and comfortable retirements.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Macy’s
  • Traveled domestically by railroad
  • Read The New Yorker
  • Watched The View
  • Drove a Chrysler PT Cruiser”

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which Urban and Suburban Wealthy Influential Lifestyles Appeal to You?

Let’s review the upscale metropolitan Wealthy Influential lifestyle and then turn to four more found in the surrounding suburban area.

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
Blue Blood Estates is a family portrait of suburban wealth, a place of million-dollar homes and manicured lawns, high-end cars and exclusive private clubs.

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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

Urban  and Suburban Populations

Urban 

Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM defines Urban areas (U) as having  population density scores between 85 and 99.

Photo: Visual Hunt

They include both the downtowns of major cities and surrounding neighborhoods. 

These areas often extend beyond the city limits and into surrounding jurisdictions.

 

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) residential lifestyles on your Bucket List?

Let’s review the upscale metropolitan Wealthy Influential lifestyle and then turn to four more found in the surrounding suburban area.

Wealthy Influential, Affluently Elite (WIAE) – 45+ year old  Empty-Nest Couples

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.

Urban Uptown segments  are home to the nation’s wealthiest urban consumers.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 9,480,843
  • Median Household Income : $65,583

“Members of this social group tend to be affluent to middle class, college educated and ethnically diverse, with above average concentrations of Asian and Hispanic Americans.

Photo: Visual Hunt

Although this group is diverse in terms of housing styles and family sizes, residents share an upscale urban perspective that’s reflected in their marketplace choices.

Urban Uptown consumers tend to frequent the arts, shop at exclusive retailers, drive luxury imports, travel abroad and spend heavily on computer and wireless technology.”

Where will you find this lifestyle?

Google Maps

In California on the outskirts of Long Beach near Los Angeles County, but in Orange County:

Seal Beach, CA

How well does this lifestyle profile fit you?

07M1U1, Money & Brains, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty Nests, Urban Uptown, WIAE Affluently Elite, Wealthy Influentials (Seal Beach, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,257,088 (1.93%)
  • Median Household Income: $88,813

Affluently Elite (WIAE): The residents of Money & Brains seem to have it all: high incomes, advanced degrees, and sophisticated tastes to match their credentials. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

Many of these city dwellers are married couples with few children who live in fashionable homes on small, manicured lots.

Lifestyle & Media Traits

  • Shop at Nordstrom
  • Contribute to NPR
  • Read Sunday newspaper
  • Watch Ebert & Roeper
  • Drive a Jaguar XJL”

Let’s now consider suburban populations.

Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM ranks suburbs as having a medium density, although they may in fact be surrounded by high density urban areas.

“Population density rises as you approach the city, and decreases as you move away from it.”

Photo: Visual Hunt

In 2011 roughly 23.4% of the population in the United States lived in the nation’s suburbs.

And Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM said:

“Suburbs have population density scores between 40 and 90, and are clearly dependent on urban areas or second cities.” 

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?

Wealthy Influential, Affluently Elite  (WIAE) – 30-44 year old  Midlife Couples, 45+ year old  Empty-Nest Couples and two 45+ year old Families

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: 6,061,268
  • Median Household Income : $109,636

The most affluent suburban social group, Elite Suburbs is a world of six-figure incomes, post-graduate degrees, single-family homes and managerial and professional occupations

The segments here are predominantly white with significant concentrations of well-off Asian Americans. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

Befitting their lofty salaries, they are big consumers of large homes, expensive clothes, luxury cars and foreign travel. 

Despite representing a small portion of the U.S. population, they hold a large share of the nation’s personal net worth.

Where will you find those four lifestyles?

Google Maps

You’ll find communities in Arizona, California, Oregon and Utah.

Scottsdale, AZ

Half Moon Bay, CA

West Linn, OR

Alta, UT

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

03Y1S1, Movers & Shakers,  30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Elite Suburbs, Affluently Elite – WIAE, Wealthy Influentials (Scottsdale, AZ)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,878,356 (1.61%)
  • Median Household Income: $103,357

Affluently Elite  (WIAE): Movers & Shakers is home to America’s up-and-coming business class: a wealthy suburban world of dual-income couples who are highly educated, typically between the ages of 35 and 54 and often with children. 

Given its high percentage of executives and white-collar professionals, there’s a decided business bent to this segment: 

Movers & Shakers rank number one for owning a small business and having a home office. 

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from J.Crew
  • Attended NHL games
  • Read Inc.
  • Watched Saturday Night Live
  • Drove a Land Rover Range Rover”

01M1S1, Upper Crust, 45+, Couple, Affluent Empty-Nests, Elite Suburbs, Affluently Elite – WIAE, Wealthy Influentials (Half Moon Bay, CA)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,770,473 (1.52%)
  • Median Household Income: $114,402

Affluently Elite (WIAE):  “The nation’s most exclusive address, Upper Crust is the wealthiest lifestyle in America a haven for empty-nesting couples over 55 years old. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

 No segment has a higher concentration of residents earning over $100,000 (now $200,000) a year or possessing a postgraduate degree. And none has a more opulent standard of living.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Saks Fifth Ave.
  • Belonged to a country club
  • Read Conde Nast Traveler
  • Watched Golf Channel
  • Drove a Mercedes SL Class”

02F1S1, Blue Blood Estates, 45+ Families, Elite Suburbs, Affluently Elite – WIAE, Wealthy Influentials (West Linn, OR)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,129,199 (0.97%)
  • Median Household Income: $119,314

Affluently Elite  (WIAE):  “Blue Blood Estates is a family portrait of suburban wealth, a place of million-dollar homes and manicured lawns, high-end cars and exclusive private clubs. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

The nation’s second-wealthiest lifestyle, it is characterized by married couples with children, college degrees, a significant percentage of Asian Americans and six figure incomes earned by business executives, managers and professionals.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shop at Thomasville
  • Play tennis
  • Read Architectural Digest
  • Watch video-on-demand
  • Drives an Audi A8″

06F1S1, Winner’s Circle, 45+, Families, Accumulated Wealth, Elite Suburbs, WIAE Affluently Elite , Wealthy Influentials (Alta, UT)

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,283,240 (1.10%)
  • Median Household Income: $105,785

Affluently Elite (WIAE):  Among the wealthy suburban lifestyles, Winner’s Circle is the youngest, a collection of mostly 25- to 34-year-old couples with large families in new-money subdivisions.

Surrounding their homes are the signs of upscale living: recreational parks, golf courses and upscale malls. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

With a median income of nearly $90,000, Winner’s Circle residents are big spenders who like to travel, ski, go out to eat, shop at clothing boutiques and take in a show.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shop at Neiman Marcus
  • Go jogging
  • Read Wall Street Journal
  • Watch Wimbledon Tennis
  • Mercedes GL Class”

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?

Which of These 65+ Year Old Lifestyle Profiles Fits You Best?

Strewn among remote farm communities across the nation, Back Country Folks are a long way away from economic paradise.

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
It is during this time through retrospection that we look back to contemplate our accomplishments and are able to develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.

 

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

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!

Lifestyle Segments by Ages

The final installment in a 10-Part Series.

Part One:  Which of These 20-29 Year Old Lifestyles Fits You?

Part Two: Which 20-44 Year Old Family Lifestyles Fits You?

Part Three: Which of These 7 Single 25-54 Year Old Lifestyles Fits You Best?

Part Four: Which 25-54 Year Old Family Lifestyle Describes You Best?

Part Five: Which 30-44 Year Old Couple Lifestyle Fits You Best?

Part Six: Which 35-54 Year Old Family Lifestyle Describes You Best?

Part Seven: Which 45+ Year Old Lifestyle Describes You Best?

Part Eight: Which Classic 55+ Year Old Lifestyle Describes You Best?

Part Nine: Which of These 7 Mature 55+ Year Old Lifestyles Describes You?

60-Somethings

You’re coming to grips with what life means when you’ve reached the last chapter of your life.

When retirement is approaching or has already taken place.

Fulfillment  or Despair, Depression and Hopelessness

The last and eighth developmental stage is called Maturity.

Photo: Wikipedia

As we grow older and become senior citizens, according to Erikson’s theory, we tend to slow down our productivity and explore life as a retired person.

It is during this time through retrospection that we look back to contemplate our accomplishments and are able to develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.

If so we develop feelings of contentment and integrity if we believe we have led a happy, productive life.

Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?

You’ll find them in more rustic Wireless Resort and High Country Eagle neighborhoods and in less affluent Permanent Temporary communities.

  • Wireless Resorters – Distant Exurbans (WRDE)
  • High Country Eagles – Small Town Borders (HCESTB) and two Rustic Eagles (HCERE)
  • Permanent Temporaries – The Cutters (PTTC) and  two Urban Trapped (PTUT)

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.

We know the number of households and income levels for comparison purposes based upon Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM 2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 12,101,672
  • Median Household Income : $29,346

Sustaining Seniors are filled with older, economically challenged Americans.

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.

Photo: Visual Hunt

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.

Where in the West will you find those seven lifestyles?

Southwest United States – Wikitravel

We’ve identified four in California and one community each in Arizona, New Mexico and Montana:

  • Long Beach, CA
  • Palm Desert, CA
  • Seal Beach, CA
  • Eureka, CA
  • Elgin, AZ
  • Taos, NM
  • Whitefish, MT

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

55M4T4, Golden Ponds, 65+Sustaining Seniors, Couples, Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters ( Elgin, AZ)

2011 Statistics

  • US Households: 1,985,453 (1.70%)
  • Median HH Income: $31,657

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”

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”

59M4U3, Urban Elders, 65+, Sustaining Seniors, Urban Cores, Urban, PTUT Urban Trapped, Permanent Temporaries (Long Beach, CA)

2011 Statistics

  • US Households: 1,532,998 (1.31%)
  • Median Household Income: $24,864

Urban Trapped (PTUT): “For Urban Elders-a segment located in the downtown neighborhoods of such metros as New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Miami life is often an economic struggle. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

These communities have high concentrations of Hispanics and African-Americans, and tend to be downscale, with singles living in older apartment rentals.

Lifestyle & Media Traits

  • Shopped at Rite Aid
  • Traveled Domestically on JetBlue
  • Read Essence
  • Watched Primer Impacto
  • Drove a Ford Crown Victoria”

60M4C3, Park Bench Seniors, 65+Sustaining Seniors,  Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles (Palm Desert, CA)

2011 Statistics

  • US Households: 1,345,679 (1.15%)
  • Median Household Income: $24,290

Small Town Borders (HCESTB): Park Bench Seniors typically are retired singles living in the racially mixed neighborhoods of the nation’s satellite cities. 

With modest educations and incomes, these residents maintain low-key, sedentary lifestyles. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

Theirs is one of the top-ranked segments for TV viewing, especially daytime soaps and game shows.

Lifestyle & Media Traits

  • Purchased in-home housewares 
  • Bought gospel music
  • Read Jet
  • Watched The People’s Court
  • Drove a Suzuki Reno”

61M4U3, City Roots, 65+, Seniors, Sustaining Seniors, Urban Cores, Urban, PTUT Urban Trapped, Permanent Temporaries (Seal Beach, CA)

2011 Statistics

  • US Households: 1,326,369 (1.13%)
  • Median Household Income: $28,006

Urban Trapped (PTUT): Found in urban neighborhoods, City Roots is a segment of lower-income retirees, typically living in older homes and duplexes they’ve owned for years. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

In these ethnically diverse neighborhoods-more than a third are African-American and Hispanic residents are often widows and widowers living on fixed incomes and maintaining low-key lifestyles.

Lifestyle & Media Traits

  • Ordered from drugstore.com
  • Gambled in Reno, NV
  • Read Town & Country
  • Watched NAACP Image Awards
  • Drove a Chrysler 300″

62M4C3, Hometown Retired , 65+, Seniors, Sustaining Seniors, Second Tier Cities, Micro-City Blues, PTTC The Cutters, Permanent Temporaries (Eureka, CA)

2011 Statistics

  • US Households: 1,406,698 (1.20%)
  • Median Household Income: $27,609

The Cutters (PTTC):  With three-quarters of all residents over 65 years old, Hometown Retired is one of the oldest lifestyles. 

These racially mixed seniors tend to live in aging homes-half were built before 1958-and typically get by on social security and modest pensions. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

Because most never made it beyond high school and spent their working lives at blue-collar jobs, their retirements are extremely modest.

Lifestyle & Media Traits

  • Ordered items by mail
  • Collected stamps
  • Read Womans Day
  • Watched Judge Judy
  • Drove a Mercury Grand Marquis”

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.

If you plan to relocate, start visiting communities on your short bucket list.

Don’t have a short list yet?

Steps:

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?