Scottsdale leads list of cities with people older than 65
Feb 28, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — A new report on where retirees live in Arizona might surprise you.
People over the age of 65 are a growing population.
“Ten-thousand people turn 65 every day in this country,” said AARP Vice President Julie Lee.
U.S. News and World Report says that Arizona and Florida have the highest rates of people older than 65.
You might be surprised to hear that the largest percentage of them is not in Sun City, Ariz. As of 2010, 20 percent of Scottsdale residents were over 65. That makes it the place with the highest percentage of 65-year-old (or older) residents among cities with more than 100,000 people.
Roughly 44,000 residents over the age of 65 call Scottsdale home. Lee said that it’s easy to see why.
“It’s a beautiful city,” she said. “I can imagine why a lot of people want to come here after they stop working and come and play golf and do lots of great things in your beautiful city.”
Surprise, Ariz., is fourth on the list at 19 percent. Florida’s Clearwater and Hialeah and Honolulu, Hawaii, are the other three cities in the top five.
Lee added it might be a good idea for people over 65 to take a refresher course on driving. She said that several are being offered in the Valley.
“There are lots of courses in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas. A volunteer teaches the course that refreshes various driving skills. There’s no test, and it’s really lots of fun,” she said.
For more information on driving courses, click here.
