Region Gets High Marks From Retirees

‘Retirement Places Rated,” a hefty volume of 309 pages, covers retirement areas the length and breadth of America.

Author David Savageau provides a wealth of information on no fewer than 180 retirement communities, including such heretofore unheralded hot spots as Chewelah, Wash.; Priest River, Idaho; and Polson, Mont.

But not a word on Spokane.

However, Savageau is not alone in shunning Spokane.

In “Fifty Fabulous Places to Retire in America,” Lee and Sara Rosenberg devote four full pages to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Minuscule Hayden Lake, neighboring Sandpoint, and the minute Spokane bedroom community of Post Falls are “nearby areas to consider,” the Rosenbergs write.

But Spokane rates nary a mention.

And so it goes, in book after book, and the magazines, too.

“Where to Retire” magazine profiles the creme de la creme, Coeur d’Alene included. But Spokane? “Well, no,” admitted consulting editor Karen Northridge. “Sorry.”

So I asked Tom Otwell, national spokesman for the American Association of Retired Persons in Washington, D.C.: Does anybody list Spokane? “I cannot recall ever having heard or read about Spokane,” he said.

Well, that’s grist for another column. This one will go by the books, such as they are.

According to the latest edition of Savageau’s “Retirement Places Rated,” the top 10 havens are, in order: Las Vegas, Nev.; St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.; Bellingham, Wash.; Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo.; Medford-Ashland, Ore.; Tucson, Ariz.; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Traverse City, Mich.; Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz., and Melbourne, Fla.

Every book’s ranking is different.

“Consumer Reports” top five are: Las Vegas, Nev.; Las Cruces, N.M.; Chapell Hill, N.C.; Bellingham, Wash., and Sarasota, Fla. Unranked picks include Medford, Ore., again, and Coeur d’Alene, of course.

“Fifty Fabulous Places to Retire in America” doesn’t rank its selections. But Florida accounts for 10 of the 50 selections. Montana, none.

In this region, Oregon rates three selections - Lincoln City, Eugene, and Medford. Washington two - Sequim and Olympia. Idaho - just Coeur d’Alene.

Despite the snubs from retirement writers, Washington and Oregon rank high among the 50 states in terms of inmigration by retirees.

Retirement migration expert Charles Longino of Wake Forest University reports six out of 10 retirees who relocate move to just 10 states. And Washington and Oregon are among them.

The last U.S. Census count of migrants age 60-plus spanned the five-year period ending in 1990. The top 10 gainers were, in order, Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Washington (number 8), Illinois, and New York.

In terms of total net migrants - those who came vs. those who left - Oregon ranked 5th, Washington 7th, and Idaho 24th. Montana, 29th, posted a net loss of 1,086 retires.

One out of three retirees who migrated to Washington came from California. Golden State data show a net migration of minus 55,726 in the last half of the 80s.

“Earthquakes, floods, immigration problems, and economic upheaval probably all contributed to the exodus,” Longino speculates.

Statistics also show that exactly half of the states did experience a net loss of retirees during the five-year period.

So did Spokane. A total of 402 more retirees left than came. That was twice the loss of any other county in the state.

Possibly that is why Spokane doesn’t enjoy a national reputation as a retirement community.

Now for the good news: The editors of “Where to Retire” are making another swing by Coeur d’Alene in two weeks. And they promise this time to take a good look at Spokane.

Future installments of this column will cover Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint, Priest River, Chewelah, and Kalispell, Mont., my hometown and nationally ranked 27th. Next: How to choose between the top picks.

, DataTimes MEMO: Associate Editor Frank Bartel writes on retirement issues each Sunday. He can be reached with ideas for future columns at 459-5467 or fax 459-5482.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review