Seniors in Suburbia.

The new list of senior growth magnets, based on an analysis of Census 2000, cuts a broad swath across much of the West, and a good part of the South, stretching well beyond the Sunshine state. Some of these new areas have different kinds of amenities, including "wired" communities and university towns where the term "surfing" relates to the World Wide Web. The fastest growing metros for seniors now lie in the small to medium-size range. And the greatest rise in elderly growth is taking place in the suburbs. Nationally, the 1990s can be considered a slow decade for the growth of the elderly population (ages 65 and above). Because the small Depression cohort entered the elderly ranks during this decade, the senior population grew by just 12%, compared with 22% in the 1980s. Yet the 1990s represent only a temporary slowdown in elderly growth, which will explode over the next 30 years, as the Baby Boom becomes absorbed into the ranks of the elderly.