Going west has meant healthier retirement living conditions for some seniors

The Rockies and Pacific Coast used to draw explorers and gold miners in the 19th century, but the land now represents a new opportunity for retirement living plans, according to a new survey.


Data released from the Pew Research Foundation shows that older adults in the West feel younger and healthier than those in other regions of the country.


They've also moved there by choice, with less than a quarter of Western seniors saying they live in the same community they grew up in, compared to 40 percent of Northeasternerss and those in the midwest.


Once they move out, roughly three-quarters say they are in excellent or good health, 10 percent more than any other region of the country, a similar jump to those who say they feel younger than their age.


"As is true of older Americans in other parts of the country, the vast majority of older folks in the West live independently in their own home or apartment," note the study's authors.

"But older Westerners are twice as likely as those living elsewhere to reside in an age-restricted community."


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