An Age-Old Dilemma : Many Hesitate to Spend Their Golden Years in the Golden State

Back in 1965, when California was still the “land of golden opportunity,” Teresa and Glenn McGill said goodby to their sleepy little Pennsylvania town and headed west. Here they found good jobs, purchased a comfortable home in Canoga Park and raised three children.

Decades later, when it was time to retire, the couple chose California again.

“A lot of people ask us [about moving],” 74-year-old Teresa McGill said.

“You think about it, but where are you going to go? The only way we’d do it is if we hit the big lottery,” she joked.

But many older people are choosing to leave California--or not to come at all.

According to a University of Michigan study, California suffered a net loss of 53,472 people age 60 and older from 1985 to 1990. At the same time, Nevada gained 26,965 through migration. In “Retirement Places Rated,” a guidebook for retirees, Las Vegas was rated No. 1, while California failed to make the top 10.

Between 1985 and 1990, California suffered a net loss of 12,159 seniors to the state of Oregon, a loss of 10,997 to Nevada, 10,453 to Arizona and 6,545 to Washington, according to the Michigan study.

California is the only state in the region that is losing more older people than it is gaining.

“That’s dramatic and does show that there’s something unique going on there that’s unique to the region,” said demographer William H. Frey, author of the Michigan study.

Such statistics notwithstanding, California still has more residents age 65 and older than any other state. The large elderly population is due in part to people like the McGills, who migrated here decades ago and now have chosen to spend their leisure years in the place where they once made a living.

“The good years in California brought people from all across the country,” Frey said. “There’s a huge number that aren’t leaving.”

Demographers call it “aging in place.” Rather than head for retirement magnets, recent retirees decide to remain where they are--often because of family, friends and the comfort of familiar neighborhoods. Some lack the economic means to move, while others simply have no desire to leave.

Since their retirement, the McGills have discovered another side to life in Southern California.

During their working lives, Glenn was an auto technician at Hughes Aircraft and Teresa was manager of a Valley motel. Now the two are bona fide retirees, intent on enjoying the benefits that come with the title. They bowl, ballroom dance, play bingo. At the Canoga Park Senior Center, Teresa McGill runs the bingo and bowling and helps out when the seniors take trips to Las Vegas, Santa Anita and other recreation spots.

“I’m telling you, we’re so busy,” Teresa McGill said. “It keeps us active.”

With three adult daughters and seven grandchildren, their time is also filled with Little League games and family gatherings.

“We have five grandchildren who play in Little League,” Teresa McGill said. “They always look for Grandma and Grandpap. We enjoy that.”

The two see no reason to return to Pennsylvania or go anywhere else.

Many who migrated during California’s boom years now form a wealthier stratum of the state’s elderly population, Frey said. Overall, this group tends to have higher education levels and lower poverty levels.

But older people who worked low-paying jobs or none at all during their younger years often find that their economic situation worsens in retirement. For this group, leaving is often not an option.

“In a way, they’re stuck,” said Sandra Davis, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles office of the American Assn. of Retired Persons. “From an economic standpoint, they can’t move.”

In 1993, there were more than 3 million people age 65 and older living in California--about 1 million in Los Angeles County.

Statewide, about 7.6% lived below the poverty level in 1989, according to one study. Only Connecticut had a lower poverty rate for older people.

Born in Spain, 83-year-old Helen Rodriguez moved to California from New York in 1956. For Rodriguez it made good financial sense to stay here and live with her family.

“I live with my daughter and it’s not so bad. But if I wasn’t living with her, it would be very bad,” Rodriguez said. “How can I pay rent and eat and everything? It’s impossible.”

“I still love California,” said 84-year-old Rose West, who had no notions about leaving.

West was born in the Downtown area--”the heart of L.A.”--and has lived in the city all her life.

“I remember when . . . we used to come out to the Valley in a horse and buggy,” she said.

For 18 years West has worked part time and volunteered for the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. According to Frey, the phenomenon of aging in place has long-term implications at the state level, “ranging from the allocation of social services to formulating political agendas.”

“People stay home, but they need more and more assistance to stay, which puts a tremendous strain on our resources,” said Maria Arechaederra, executive director of WISE Senior Services in Santa Monica.

In Santa Monica, where about 18% of the population is elderly, the city government has tried to improve services for them, Arechaederra said.

It provides a comprehensive transit service to ferry older residents to doctor appointments and shopping. And through WISE, the city has a one-stop, consolidated resource center for senior services. The center offers a range of services from health insurance counseling to case management.

But too often Arechaederra encounters retired people who--whether choosing to leave or stay--have not planned sufficiently for life after work.

“I’m amazed at the people who come here newly retired and think that Medicare will take care of everything, and are surprised that they have to buy supplemental insurance,” she said. “I think we all have a responsibility to really start looking at what we have and how we’re going to make it.”

In the 17 years that she has worked at the center, Arechaederra has seen a decline in the city’s elderly population.

“I don’t see that migration of older people trying to move to California to retire,” she said.

The loss of older people from California--and Los Angeles in particular--is a classic case of push and pull.

The cost of living in California is a significant push for California retirees and a deterrent for those from other states.

“Before, people used to come to California because of the climate, but what we are seeing is that people are looking more for financial security,” Davis said.

People still value “climate friendly” locations, she said, but states such as Nevada, which has no personal income tax, provide an added allure--a nice climate and fewer taxes.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, and man-made events such as the riots of 1992, may also deter people from coming to California, Davis said.

Crime and the desire--or need--to be near relatives also factor into decisions to leave California.

And, in general, large-scale immigration--such as that seen in California--and the social changes it brings can also cause an increase in older people leaving the state, Frey said. It’s not the people, but the pace of change and societal turmoil that seniors find difficult to cope with, Frey and others said.

Vera Phillips, who was born in Boston but moved to California in 1960, has seen friends leave the state only to encounter different problems in their new homes.

“Friends of mine have gone to Florida,” she said. “They said by the time you pay to spray each month for all the bugs Florida has, you might as well pay a [personal income] tax. . . . You’re paying a lot more for food and clothing. She is thinking of moving back.”

Another friend moved to Texas, which also has no income tax. That friend was shocked when she received a huge bill for property taxes, Phillips said.

“They’re going to get you one way or the other,” said Phillips, who volunteers at the Joslyn Center in Burbank. “It all balances out.

“In California, you can go to the ocean, you can go to the mountains, whereas in so many states you can’t,” she said. “That’s a great plus.”

Frances and Herbert Johnson have no regrets about remaining in California for their retirement--even though it is no longer the retirement spot of choice.

“You always think the grass is greener on the other side--but it isn’t,” 71-year-old Frances Johnson said, before heading off to serve lunch to other seniors at the Canoga Park Senior Citizen Center. “At our stage in life, I think we should stay where we are and be happy.”

And still, there are those who do come to California to retire.

“To us it’s like a year-round vacation,” said Jean Kostoff, who moved to Burbank from the Chicago area in 1987.

Kostoff’s husband was stationed in Merced in the military in the 1940s and always dreamed of living in California. “He was determined he was going to come out here,” she said.

“We’re very happy now.”

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Moving On Between 1985 and 1990, California experienced a net loss of residents age 65 and older, more older people left the state than arrived. Below are the 12 state that attracted the most Californians.

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Orgeon: 12,159

Nevada: 10,997

Arizona: 10,453

Washington: 6,545

Florida: 4,252

Texas: 2,857

New Mexico: 1,387

Arkansas: 1,279

Utah: 1,247

Oklahoma: 1,135

Idaho: 1,126

North Carolina: 1,002

Source: U.S. Census