By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
If Florida is the first place that comes to mind when you hear the word retirement, think again.
According to Chuck Longino, director of the Reynolda Gerontology Program at Wake Forest University, media attention has labeled Florida, Arizona, and California as the most traditionally popular retirement destinations, but only about four and a half percent of people over 60 move across state lines.
Principles of Migration
Longino studies retirement migration trends and has discovered three principles:Regionally rooted people search for a retirement location only 30 to 50 miles away from where they have lived to stay close to family, friends, and patterns of life.
• Metropolitan access offers people with more educated taste and interests the amenities of a city while providing a relaxed, small-town style of life.
• Regional retirement centers allow movers to more easily maintain some degree of social continuity. This principle combines the first two.
"People want the best of both worlds—a place without the hassles of city life, but with the lifestyles they’ve developed over the years," Longino says.
Returning Home
By providing all three of Longino’s principles, New Jersey appeals to all types of people who have lived there the majority of their life, even those who first retired elsewhere.
That was the case for Ruth Schwartz, who recently moved to New Jersey after first retiring to Florida from Long Island. Schwartz moved to Cedar Crest to be close to her family—only 15 minutes—and far from Florida’s hurricanes. "After hurricane Wilma, I decided at my age I would need protection. When I moved to Florida I didn’t think about things like health. After visiting, I was very impressed and decided this was the place for me," she says.