TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A new report from financial website WalletHub ranks Florida as 2018's best state to retire.
Choosing where to spend your later years in life can be challenging, but for many, the place to stay is Leon County. The Florida Department of Elder Affairs reports more than 50,000 residents are 60 and older.
Elder Care Services says it's seeing more requests for help in recent years.
"We have a waitlist for our Meals on Wheels and our in-home services, and that waitlist just keeps growing," said Nicole Ballas, who works with fund development at Elder Care Services. "As members of the community that are currently in poverty -- as they get older, then they are just kind of aging into our services."
Several retirement communities have recently made Tallahassee home, including Mulligan park. In its first four weeks, 93 residents settled into brand-new apartments.
"We want this to be the most active community in Tallahassee," said Susan Maas, the marketing director of the Mulligan Park Retirement Community. "This is for people who are looking to share their life with people. We are right in between living on your own but not assisted living."
With an aging population, Tallahassee is seeing more resources pop up to meet their needs. City officials say it's not just a sign of development but an active mission to keep residents here.
"Having places for people to live where they can age comfortably, whether they have all their faculties or if they're beginning to have some dementia issues, we have that in Tallahassee, and it's a growing population," said Gil Ziffer, a Tallahassee city commissioner.
Out of 95 upcoming development projects in Tallahassee, nine are assisted living as people continue making the capital city a retirement destination.
Mulligan Park has a grand opening Sunday with more than 40 units still available.
You can view WalletHub's original report here.
