South Florida has long been famed as a haven for retirees anxious to leave behind a lifetime of winters spent shoveling snow. But rapid urbanization is making some cities in the area a lot less attractive to seniors.
Between 2000 and 2010, Broward County lost 4 percent of its population age 65 and older, according to new Census data cited Wednesday by the
South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Fourteen cities in the county lost 11,685 seniors during the decade, led by Hallandale Beach with a 24 percent drop and Tamarac with a 21 percent decline, the figures show.
Dick Ogburn, an analyst with the South Florida Regional Planning Council, told the Sun Sentinel the change is not surprising.
“As we have become a congested urban environment, we have become less attractive to retirees,” Ogburn said.
Despite the shift, the Sunshine State still has the highest percentage of senior citizens in the country. In 2010, 17.3 percent of Floridians were in the 65-plus bracket.
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