“Quality of life” factors key to relocating Boomers

    The quality of life in a region attracts mobile workers. According to Next Generation Consulting (http://www.nextgenerationconsulting.com), the seven indexes of a “Next City” are the potential for / the availability of:  Earnings, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital. Each of these quantifiable measures, according to Next Gen, indicates how well a city is able to retain and attract next-generation, knowledge workers … by highlighting just how cool a city really is. A region’s quality of life story can also shape a civic agenda for partnering with area employers in need of such workers.

I argue that these same quality of life indexes could be used to determine the attractiveness of an area for the Boomer generation. While Boomers might decide to leave an area because of high living costs,  they often choose to relocate to an area because of attractive lifestyle options. This generation frequently needs to still work in retirement, so they look for an area with available jobs and good earnings. Or they see this stage of their life as a time to learn something new, and so look for educational opportunities in both formal and informal settings. Even those looking to live a life of leisure in their retirement, know that they need stimulating activities and people around them in order to remain happy and engaged.

So if quality of life is so important to generations young and old, why do some regions engage in policies that enhance this factor while others do everything they can to diminish it? In a state like New Jersey, residents have often tolerated high taxes and high home prices in exchange for proximity. We appreciate having shopping and history, arts and culture, beaches and mountains all within a short drive. But now those things that we love about the state are in jeopardy. The Governor’s proposed budget takes aim at funding for such places as the Battleship New Jersey, the Moreven Museum, and Ellis Island (The Star Ledger, April 15, 2010). What does the future hold for quality of life in the Garden State?

This is something to examine when considering a relocation to any new area - what is the current support for quality of life factors and what has been the support over time? Will the jobs that are there today be there tomorrow? Will enterprise zones and small business grants be there for a budding entrepreneur? Will the historical and cultural gems that define a region still be open in the future? How much will it cost you to enjoy those gems today, next year or the year after? Are people like you staying in the area or moving out? Will there be anything left to get you excited and engaged in your community?

This entry was posted on 27. April 2010 at 20:31 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.