Although the percentage and the sheer volume of elders and people with disabilities living in the United States in the 21st century is increasing, their distribution will vary across the country; the Floridization of the country will happen in pockets.
—Robyn I. Stone, "Toward Person-Centered Care," Nursing Homes, February 1, 2000
Pundits predict the young and old will face off in an intergenerational war about resources — Social Security vs. higher education, Medicare vs. school lunch. Others say there can be a graceful transition if Americans eschew stereotypes and scapegoating and, most important, if planning begins now.
'Ultimately,' warns Scott Wright, a gerontologist at the University of Utah, 'we will have to face the Floridization of the country.'
—Lili Wright, "A Question For the Ages ... How Will Utah Care For a Graying Populace?," The Salt Lake Tribune, August 18, 1996
According to the 2000 census, the percentage of people aged 65 and over in the United States is 12.4. In Florida alone, however, the percentage of those who are 65+ is 17.6, the highest of any state. This is the source of today's word (that, and the common perception that Florida is the favored destination of retirees and Canadian "snowbirds"), which I managed to trace back to 1996.
