The modern version of "Go west, young man," may very well be, "Go west, aging boomer." Demographers who track retirement trends report increasing numbers of baby boomers are retiring to Wyoming and Montana. This past year, we read articles titled "Forget Florida or Arizona, More Baby Boomers Are Heading West" and "More Boomers Head to Mountain West." We didn't put much stock in such news. We didn't want to believe the "rumors" of a somewhat surprising trend. That was, before we received a call from lifelong friends. They told us they'd sold their home in Dallas, Texas, and were retiring to Saratoga, Wyo. ...more

January 11, 2008

With Florida's economy slowing, legislators will focus heavily on economic development efforts at this year's legislative session, especially ways to beef up Florida's high-tech industries, Florida business and legislative leaders said Wednesday. ...more

January 9, 2008

Life in Florida has changed in ways many residents don't like. ...more

January 1, 2008

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is likely to further complicate business relations between the United States and Pakistan, which is already a major manufacturer of clothing and has been pushing for deeper private-sector ties. ...more

December 28, 2007

For the first time this decade, Florida grew by fewer than 200,000 people in a year, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. ...more

December 27, 2007

Florida's population growth was slower in 2006 than for any year this decade, and for the first time since 2000, the state's population grew by fewer than 200,000 people, according to figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. ...more

December 27, 2007

Florida's population growth slowed, and Louisiana appears to be rebounding from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, gaining 50,000 residents in the year ending July 1, according to Census Bureau state population estimates released Wednesday. ...more

December 27, 2007

Homeowners started losing hold of their homes years before spiking foreclosures and the housing slump slammed the economy. ...more

December 6, 2007

LAKE PLACID — Local builder Chuck Oakes is poised to capitalize on the steady graying of county residents. On Tuesday, Oakes threw open the doors during a grand opening of a $6.5 million, 50,000 square foot, assisted living facility, located just north of town on U.S. 27. Oakes said he expected to open immediately after gaining state approval within 15 to 30 days for the Southern Lifestyle Assisted Living Facility. Oakes is not alone in an effort to capitalize locally on demographics that point to a large senior population in the county. Statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau show that 35 percent of Highlands County's residents are 65 and older, with a state average of 16.8 percent. George Hougthon, Inc., broke ground this year on Windsor Lakeside Village, a 70,000 square foot retirement community, with 129 independent living suites and 26 townhomes. Windsor Lakeside Village is located on County Road 621, on the shores of Lake Huntley. Sandy Foster, executive director of NU-HOPE, cited a large number of area seniors who should keep the new centers busy. ...more

December 2, 2007

Anyone who follows the media has probably heard many times that the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and incomes of the population in general are stagnating. Moreover, those who say such things can produce many statistics, including data from the Census Bureau, which seem to indicate that. ...more

November 23, 2007