These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
Photo: Visual Hunt
For our purposes, we are assuming that you really want to move, invest in, work in and around, start a business or retire in a new community that doubles as a vacation resort with pristine quality of lifestyle activities. Otherwise, why bother?
Here’s what we know already.
Neighborhoods change slowly.
“Birds of a Feather Flock Together.”
They attract the same kinds of people over time.
You’ll want to see if current residents match your criteria.
We’ve already done the heavy lifting for you: identifying neighborhood characteristics by age and the stage of life of their residents.
Single (20-29, 25-54, or 30-44).
Couple (55+ or 65+).
Family (20-44, 25-54, 35-54).
Mid-Lifers (30-44).
Empty Nests (45+).
Baby Boomers (55+).
Seniors (65+).
And, we’ve compared neighborhoods by population density.
From urban and suburban Wealthy Influentials and Permanent Temporaries to premier quality-of-life Wireless Resorters to pristine small town and rustic High Country Eagles.
So, if you want to narrow your focus to neighborhoods with, say, 25-54 year old families in Wireless Resorts, then you can find a list that suits you best.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
Refer to 66 lifestyle segment descriptions grouped in sets of ten, beginning with the most affluent and ending with the least. You’ll see that we’ve identified a sample town where you’ll most likely find each lifestyle listed.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
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:
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?
“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:
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.
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.
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?
Typically, the commercial base of Mom-and-Pop stores is struggling and in need of a renaissance.
Photo: Visual Hunt
The small-city cousins of inner-city districts, Family Thrifts contain young, ethnically diverse parents who have lots of children and work entry-level service jobs.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM contrasts Urban Uptown with Urban Downtown households with income at the bottom of the scale.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 5,854,297
Median Household Income : $27,116 Photo: Visual Hunt
“Urban Cores segments are characterized by relatively modest incomes, educations and rental apartments, but affordable housing is part of the allure for the group’s young singles and aging retirees.
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: Highland Park, CA
Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?
We’ve identified one in Southern California:
Highland Park, CA
How well does the following lifestyle describe you?
66F4U3, Low-Rise Living, 20-44, Families, Sustaining Families, Urban Cores, Urban, PTTC The Cutters, Permanent Temporaries (Highland Park, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,693,512 (1.45%)
Median Household Income: $24,378
In 2011 Claritas described The Cutters (PTTC) second household lifestyle:
Photo: Visual Hunt
“The most economically challenged urban segment, Low-Rise Living is known as a transient world for young, ethnically diverse singles and single parents.
Home values are low-about half the national average-and even then less than a quarter of residents can afford to own real estate.
Typically, the commercial base of Mom-and-Pop stores is struggling and in need of a renaissance.”
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Purchased in-home cosmetics
Traveled domestically by bus
Read Ebony
Watched BET
Drove a Nissan Pathfinder”
Small City Cores
Let’s turn to the neighborhoods where we’ll find the remaining Permanent Temporaries living in less dense metropolitan areas.:
2011 Statistics:
18.3% of United States population.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Second Tier Cities are less densely populated than urban areas, with population density scores between 40 and 85.
They are surrounded by areas of moderate or low population density, so that population density usually decreases on all sides of a second city.
They can be independent cities or satellites cities in major metro areas.
Should you include these Birds-of-a Feather (BOF) lifestyles on your Bucket List?
“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.”
Google Maps: Eureka, CA
Where in the West will you find those two lifestyles?
We’ve identified two sustaining lifestyles in California:
Ukiah, CA
Eureka, CA
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
63F4C3, Family Thrifts, 20-44, Families, Sustaining Families, Second Tier Cities, Micro-City Blues, PTTC The Cutters, Permanent Temporaries (Ukiah, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 2,134,566 (1.83%)
Median Household Income: $30,290
In 2011 Claritas described The Cutters (PTTC) household lifestyles:
“The small-city cousins of inner-city districts, Family Thrifts contain young, ethnically diverse parents who have lots of children and work entry-level service jobs.
In these apartment-filled neighborhoods, visitors find the streets jam-packed with babies and toddlers, tricycles and basketball hoops, Daewoos and Hyundais.”
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at Walgreen
Bought large baby dolls
Read Life & Style
Watched Noticiero Univision
Drove Suzuki Cars“
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.
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?
They include both the downtowns of major cities and surrounding neighborhoods.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Urban Cores segments are characterized by relatively modest incomes, educations and rental apartments, but affordable housing is part of the allure for the group’s young singles and aging retirees.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM contrasts Urban Uptown with Urban Downtown households with income at the bottom of the scale.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 5,854,297
Median Household Income : $27,116
Photo: Visual Hunt
“Urban Cores segments are characterized by relatively modest incomes, educations and rental apartments, but affordable housing is part of the allure for the group’s young singles and aging retirees.
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.”
Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?
Google Maps
We’ve identified two in one community and one in a neighboring Southern California downtown area:
Seal Beach, CA
Long Beach, CA
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
65F4U3, Big City Blues, 20-44, Families, Sustaining Families, Urban Cores, Urban, PTUT Urban Trapped, Permanent Temporaries (Long Beach, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,301,418 (1.11%)
Median Household Income: $31,429
In 2011 Claritas described these Urban Trapped (PTUT ) household lifestyles:
“With a population that’s 50 percent Latino, Big City Blues has the highest concentration of Hispanic Americans in the nation.
Densely Populated Urban Neighborhoods
But it’s also the multi-ethnic address for downscale Asian and African-American households occupying older inner-city apartments.
Concentrated in a handful of major metros, these young singles and single-parent families face enormous challenges: low incomes, uncertain jobs and modest educations.
More than 40 percent haven’t finished high school.
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”
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″
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
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:
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
“The small-city cousins of inner-city districts, Family Thrifts contain young, ethnically diverse parents who have lots of children and work entry-level service jobs.
