| Identity & Community | | | | of housing will evolve faster as the boomer |
| Middle age, they say, brings about many questions | | | | generation experiences freedom unencumbered by |
| including "Who are we?" Scholars claim this seeking as | | | | the demands of raising families and staying in prime |
| a reason for a strong uptrend in interest in religions | | | | school districts. |
| during these years and some are even making a | | | | The choice of homes we chose or built to shelter our |
| connection to present American trends toward faith. | | | | growing families, played a pivotal part in how we |
| This book has no interest in this debate, but it I am | | | | identified ourselves and the outlook our children took |
| curious as to the question of how boomers will | | | | forth in how they will live their lives. Which suburb or |
| answer this question of identity and how the | | | | school district did we chose was a decision we |
| community in which they live or desire to live reflects | | | | undertook with great care. Even the style of home |
| their view of who they are. For instance, if you live in | | | | we raised our children in was a decision of magnitude |
| an upscale town and you raised your children in this | | | | that had less to do with us, than them. Maybe you |
| uptown neighborhood, do you long now for a simpler | | | | chose a traditional home, but wanted a loft condo or |
| life in retirement or a gated golf community that | | | | a yurt? Personal identity in the next phase of life will |
| reflects the values of your chosen hometown? Or as | | | | be reflected in housing choices, and boomers are |
| many boomers relocated often during their lifetime, | | | | looking outside the normal scope of choices. |
| was there an idyllic small town in the past and future | | | | Reinventing norms of housing have just begun, as |
| they want to return to? Do boomers in mass dream | | | | rules are no longer restrained by location or family |
| of a cabin in the woods, a cottage on golden pond, | | | | sizes. |
| an Andy Griffith style Mayberry small town, or do | | | | Will the boomer generation, which once embraced |
| they want to be movin' on up to a penthouse in the | | | | communal, living as youths, reinvent retirement in a |
| sky? | | | | more social community form? Some of the same |
| The answer may be, boomers want it all. They want | | | | generation has spent 30+ years in subdivisions where |
| choice and they want to have experiences. They | | | | neighbors often moved in and out of town without |
| desire experiences that are both different from the | | | | knowing each other's names. Will higher cost of land |
| first half of their lives and comfortably the same. The | | | | and housing materials force boomers to share more |
| rise of homogenous luxury resort experiences may | | | | amenities in condominium communities? Will small |
| be a key to understanding that no matter where | | | | town America, and Main Street, rise again in an |
| American's go, they want the same things and they | | | | attempt to revert to a simpler life of the boomer |
| want a consistent base level of amenities and luxuries | | | | generation's childhood? Will rural America once again |
| - they want The Best they can afford. | | | | be dotted with hobby farms from ex-urbanites who |
| Another sure fact is that the boomer generation has | | | | want to get closer to land and hold childhood |
| comfortably changed housing at a faster velocity | | | | fantasies about living the Green Acres lifestyle? It is |
| than any previous generation. Boomers on average | | | | easy to believe that all of these housing possibilities |
| have moved homes 4 times during their first 50 | | | | will flourish in the coming decades. It's likely that with |
| years, and there is no reason to believe their next | | | | the size of the boomer generation that all these |
| move will be their last move. Mobility has been a | | | | trends in retirement housing will take root. This |
| hallmark of this generation. Change in housing | | | | generation will make their next house after empty |
| demands has followed each of their life's stages. | | | | nesting their Best Nest yet. |
| Wide ties, narrow ties, short skirts or long - the style | | | | |