Table of Contents for Knowledge Banking

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

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Knowledge Banking

Wealthy Choices and Healthy Lives.

Table of Contents

Creating a Knowledge Banking System

Curate

Compose 

Build a Mobile KnowCo and Live Anywhere Your Heart Desires

Best Places Bucket Lists 

Itineraries 

Neighborhoods 

You 

Taking Calculated Risks 

Plug In Dreams 

Authentic Boomtowns 

How to Find the Best Neighborhood for You

66 Neighborhood Lifestyles Ranked by Wealth and Status 

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

Life Stages

She’s Leaving Home, Not Living Alone (Buy Buy) 

Failing at Growing Up 

Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage, or … 

Crisis and Pivots for 28 -32 Year Olds 

Making It – Ages 30 – 38 A

Authenticity Crisis for 35 – 45 Year Olds 

Renewal or Resignation in Your Mid-40s 

55 Year Olds – Millennials and Empty Nests 

65+ Years Old: Maturity, Integrity and Wisdom (Pre-Retirement Planning by Years)

Western Locations-at-a-Glance

Dillon 

Copper Mountain, Dillon and Frisco 

Flocking

High Country Cowboys and Eagles in Whitefish

Lifestyle Profiles by Age

Twenty-Somethings

Which 20-44 Year Old Family Lifestyles Fits You?

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

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

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

Thirty-Somethings

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

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

Forty-Somethings

Which 45+ Year Old Lifestyle Describes You Best? 

Fifty-Somethings

Which Classic 55+ Year Old Lifestyle Describes You Best? 

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

Sixty-Somethings

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

 

Lifestyle Profiles by Regional Density

Wealthy Influential

Which Urban and Suburban Wealthy Influential Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Suburban and Exurban Wealthy Influential Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Uptown and Midtown Wealthy Influential Lifestyles Appeal To You? 

Which Urban or Second-Tier City Wealthy Influential Lifestyles Appeal To You? 

Permanent Temporaries

Which Suburban, Permanently Temporary Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Downtown Urban, Permanently Temporary Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Urban or Small City, Permanently Temporary Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Inner Suburban, Permanently Temporary Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

High Country Eagles

Which Satellite City, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Small Town Border, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Rural, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Rustic, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Wireless Resorters

Which Distant Exurban, Wireless Resorter Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Suburban, Wireless Resorter Lifestyles Appeal to You? 

Which Maturing, Wireless Resorter Lifestyles Appeal to You?

Which Premier, Wireless Resorter Lifestyles Appeal to You?

High Country Cowboys and Eagles in Whitefish

And finally, for understanding the way you and the  neighbors 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.

Part One: Flocking

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:

Two of the four possible.

Rural Cowboys (HCERC), 45Y3T3.

Photo: Google Maps

The first of the two  High Country Eagles, Rural Cowboys — HCERC share the Middle America social group characteristics and the

The 2011 PRIZM statistics place them in the

“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 the  neighbors can find the best fit for you in a new community, let’s turn to the other Rustic Eagle lifestyles.

Rustic Eagles (HCERE), 58M4T4.

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

The  Rustic Eagles (HCERE), 58M4T4 profiles is known as Back Country Folks  in 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.”

We’re going to fast forward to 2015.

Given what we now know about Whitefish’s 2008 profile and the 2010 taxing developments, would the California transplants Dudley and Arthur and the long-term locals, Charles and his brother enjoy or hate changes in Whitefish’s neighborhoods and with a mix of new residents?

Steps:

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?

Flocking

“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:

Birds-of-a-Feather flock together.  

Dudley flew his Woodland Hills coop in Los Angeles County and landed in Whitefish in the mid-90s.

Even before the dot-com bubble exploded and the terrorists leveled New York’s Twin Towers.

Rocky Mountain Region – WikiTravel

Arthur’s family fell in love with the pristine valley long before Arthur inherited his old-three bedroom house from his parents.  

It didn’t take much coaxing for him to decide that Flathead Lake would be where he wanted to retire roughly two decades ago in 1998.

We initiated coverage of nearby Whitefish and the surrounding region in the Summer of 2008. 

Almost two years before Kim Murphy published her article in the Los Angeles Times.   

For Bucket List comparisons, here’s how we profiled it “At-A-Glance” in 2008.

Location At-A-Glance

Montana’s Travel Regions – WikiTravel

Region: Rocky Mountain Region, Western United States

State: Montana 

Travel Region: Glacier Country, Montana

County: Flathead 

Real Estate Phase: Early Growth  

Town:  Whitefish, Whitefish Mountain (formerly Big Mountain)

Population Density: Town and Country

Zip Codes: 59937

Profile At-A-Glance (Summer, 2008)

Life Stages: Singles, Couples, Families, Empty Nests, Seniors

Ages: 20-29, 45+, 55+, 65+

Community Neighbors: 

Wireless Resorters

Premier Resorts –WRPR

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

Distant Exurbans — WRDE

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

Resort Suburbans — WRRS

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

Community Neighbors: 

High Country Eagles 

Rural Cowboys — HCERC 

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

Rustic Eagles –HCERE

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

What does all of that mean?

Photo: Whitefish, Zip Code 59937 Google Maps

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.”

Wireless Resort profiles

High Country Eagle profiles 

Let’s analyze the  profiles 

One at a time.

Why?

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.

Photo: Visual Hunt

Unlike the older, more wealthy Wireless Resorters, they rank in the lower middle end of the income scale (48th out 66 rankings).

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 social  activities 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 
  • with median household incomes of $43,123.

Next up?  

Part Two:  High Country Cowboys and Eagles in Whitefish

Steps:

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?

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 Rustic, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You?

We identified three Rustic Eagle residential neighborhoods in California, Montana and New Mexico.

 

Google Maps: Whitefish, MT
Typically, life in this segment is a throwback to an earlier era when farming dominated the American landscape.

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 Eagle, Rustic Eagles (HCERE) – 20-44 year old Sustaining Families and two 65+ 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

“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.

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 Small Town Border, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You?

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

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
One of the youngest segments in America-with ten times as many college students as the national average-these neighborhoods feature low incomes and high concentrations of Hispanics and African-Americans.

 

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, Small Town Borders (HCESTB) – Two 20-29 year old Striving Singles and one 65+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: 7,935,137
  • Median Household Income : $27,604
  • Wikipedia: Breaking Away Film

These three High Country Eagle residents share similar lifestyles preferences with two of our Permanent Temporaries, The Cutters (PTTC) residents.

Micro-City Blues was created via the predominantly downscale residents living in the affordable housing found throughout the nation’s smaller cities.

A diverse social group, these segments contain a mix of old and young, singles and widowers, whites, African-Americans and Hispanics.

Most of the workers hold blue-collar jobs—hence the name—and their marketplace behaviors reflect the segments’ varied lifestyles.

This is one of the few social groups where consumers have a high index for video games and bingo, aerobic exercise and fishing, BET and the Country Music Network.

Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?

Google Maps: Palm Desert, CA

We’ve found them living in two California communities and a neighborhood in Idaho:

  • Coeur d’Alene, ID
  • Eureka, CA
  • Palm Desert, CA

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

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

Small Town Border (HCESTB): “In City Startups, young, multi-ethnic singles have settled in  neighborhoods filled with cheap apartments and a commercial base of cafes, bars, laundromats and clubs that cater to twentysomethings. 

One of the youngest segments in America-with ten times as many college students as the national average-these neighborhoods feature low incomes and high concentrations of Hispanics and African-Americans.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,525,847 (1.31%)
  • Median Household Income: $23,777

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at The Limited
  • Attended college football games
  • Read Spin
  • Watched Game Show Network
  • Drove a Suzuki Forenza”

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

Small Town Border (HCESTB): “Young singles and single parents make their way to Mobility Blues, a segment of working-class  neighborhoods in America’s satellite cities. 

Racially mixed and under 25 years old, these transient Americans tend to have modest lifestyles due to their lower-income blue-collar jobs.

Surveys show they excel in going to movies, playing basketball and shooting pool.

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,522,347 (1.30%)
  • Median Household Income: $29,419

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Circuit City
  • Went whitewater rafting
  • Read WWE Magazine
  • Watched Telemundo
  • Drove a Hundai Tiburon”

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”

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 Satellite City, High Country Eagle Lifestyles Appeal to You?

Young, single and working-class, these residents pursue active lifestyles amid sprawling apartment complexes, bars, convenience stores and laundromats.

 

Photo: Visual Hunt
Found in second-tier cities, these mobile, twentysomethings include a disproportionate number of recent college graduates who are into athletic activities, the latest technology and nightlife entertainment.

 

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 five High Country Eagle household lifestyles at different stages of their life.

High Country Eagles, Satellite City-zens (HCESC) – Two 25-54, Mainstream Singles25-54 Mainstream Families55+, Conservative Classics Couples, 55+ Empty Nests 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: 9,023,807
  • Median Household Income : $46,335

The five segments in the C2 social group consist of a mix of Americans—old and young, homeowners and renters, families and singles—who’ve settled in the nation’s satellite cities. 

Photo: Visual Hunt

What they share is a middle-class status, some college educations and a lifestyle heavy on leisure and recreation.

The members of City Centers tend to be big fans of home-centered activities: computer surfing, video renting, TV viewing and playing games and musical instruments. 

Outside their homes, they go to movies, museums and bowling alleys at high rates.

Google Maps: South Lake Tahoe, CA

Where in the West will you find those five lifestyles?

  • Napa, CA
  • South Lake Tahoe, CA
  • San Marcos, TX
  • Aurora, CO
  • Santa Fe, NM

 

Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?

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

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,510,327 (1.29%)
  • Median Household Income: $50,556

Satellite City-zens (HCESC):  “Up-and-Comers is a stopover for young, midscale singles before they marry, have families and establish more deskbound lifestyles

Found in second-tier cities, these mobile, twentysomethings include a disproportionate number of recent college graduates who are into athletic activities, the latest technology and nightlife entertainment.

Best of Whitefish, Montana

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Ethan Allen Galleries
  • Done Karate
  • Read Maxim
  • Watched MTV
  • Drove a Nissan Xterra”

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

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,617,454 (1.38%)
  • Median Household Income: $39,838

Satellite City-zens (HCESC):  Affordable housing, abundant entry-level jobs and a thriving singles scene-all have given rise to the Boomtown Singles segment in fast-growing satellite cities.

Slowly Evolving Neighborhoods

Young, single and working-class, these residents pursue active lifestyles amid sprawling apartment complexes, bars, convenience stores and laundromats.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Victoria’s Secret
  • Done Karate
  • Read Elle
  • Watched VH1
  • Drove a Suzuki SX4″

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

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 1,536,574 (1.31%)
  • Median Household Income: $51,800

Satellite City-zens (HCESC):  Midpoint on the socioeconomic ladder, residents in White Picket Fences look a lot like the stereotypical American household of a generation ago: young, middle-class, married with children. 

But the current version is characterized by modest homes and ethnic diversity-including a disproportionate number of Hispanics and African-Americans.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from BMG Music
  • Rented/bought kid’s videos
  • Read People en Espanol
  • Watched Latin Grammy Awards
  • Drove a Saturn ION”

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

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,276,009 (1.95%)
  • Median Household Income: $51,769

Satellite City-zens (HCESC): “Middleburg Managers arose when empty nesters settled in satellite communities which offered a lower cost of living and more relaxed pace.

Photo: Visual Pursuit

Today, segment residents tend to be middle-class and over 55 years old, with solid managerial jobs and comfortable retirements. 

 In their older homes, they enjoy reading, playing musical instruments, indoor gardening and refinishing furniture.” 

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Shopped at Office Depot
  • Bought books on tape
  • Read VFW Magazine
  • Watched Inspiration Network
  • Drove Mercury Grand Marquis Flex Fuel”

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

2011 Statistics:

  • US Households: 2,083,443 (1.78%)
  • Median Household Income: $39,366

Satellite City-zens (HCESC): Scattered throughout the older neighborhoods of small cities, Sunset City Blues is a segment of lower-middle-class singles and couples who have retired or are getting closed to it.

These empty-nesters tend to own their homes but have modest educations and incomes.

Photo: Visual Hunt

They maintain a low-key lifestyle filled with newspapers and television by day, and family style restaurants at night.

Lifestyle & Media Traits:

  • Ordered from QVC
  • Collected coins
  • Read Ladies’ Home Journal
  • Watched One Life to Live
  • Drove a Kia Borrego”

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?