Retirement Communities

Retirement communities, particularly those in the Sun Belt states, have a considerable number of residents who are called ‘‘snowbirds’’: residents who come to a warmer climate during the winter and then move back to a cooler climate in spring and summer, or become traveling retirees. The snowbird phenomenon includes as many as half of the residents in some communities. Generally the higher the income level of a community the larger the number of snowbirds. Another trend that has been observed is that as persons become older they are less likely to migrate seasonally. Some residents find the annual treks south and north too difficult and they tend to age in place in a warmer climate. Snowbirds also find that as they become older their roots become deeper in a retirement community, and the annual migration home to the cold is less attractive.