life after 60

New report reveals Austinites should retire elsewhere in Texas

Austin is not one of the most appealing places for retirees, the report found.

Retired folks relocate for a variety of reasons, but moving to a place with a lower cost of living (and more relaxed lifestyle) are the best reasons for moving to a place like San Antonio, which was just named one of the best cities to put away those work boots. Austin, on the other hand, lagged far behind.

Austin ranked No. 133 while San Antonio triumphed No. 2 in SmartAsset's new national ranking of "Where Retirees Are Moving – 2024 Study," published May 2. San Antonio had the second highest rate of retirees flocking to the city, right behind Mesa, Arizona, in the top spot.

To determine where retirement-age Americans are moving, the report relied on Census Bureau data from 182 large U.S. cities and all 50 state populations with people aged 60 and older. Net migration was determined by subtracting the number of retirees who moved out of their cities in 2022, and the number that moved into the respective cities from out-of-state.

The report found San Antonio's population of retirement-age folks amounted to more than 272,000 people, representing 18.5 percent of the total population. A little more than 4,100 seniors moved into the city from out-of-state, and only 1,166 moved out, showing a net migration of 2,936 retirees.

Retirement lifestyles don't seem to be as compatible with the status quo in Austin. For the 1,528 seniors that moved into the Texas Capital in 2022, 1,900 moved out, creating a net migration loss of 352 retirees.

So, why are retirees picking San Antonio over most other U.S. cities? Other than the city's affordability (especially in comparison to many other big Texas cities), San Antonio has fairly favorable weather, and it's surrounded by many other top retirement destinations like New Braunfels and Boerne. Of course, Austin is close to these, too, but every minute counts when sitting in traffic.

"As people retire, their goals shift, often causing them to reconsider where they’re living and how they spend their money," the report's author wrote. "Places with a high cost of living, high taxes and cold winters, for example, could influence retirees to move to warmer locations where they can stretch their retirement savings further and enjoy their free time."

Other top-10 ranking Texas cities that retirement-age Austinites should consider moving to are Houston (No. 7) and Fort Worth (No. 8). Houston had a net migration of 1,139, with 4,675 seniors moving into the city and 3,536 moving out in 2022. Fort Worth only saw 989 seniors move out of the city in the same time period, and 2,119 moved in, creating a net migration of 1,130.

The top 10 U.S. cities that had the highest inflow of retirement-age folks are:

No. 1 – Mesa, Arizona
No. 2 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 3 – Henderson, Nevada
No. 4 – St. Petersburg, Florida
No. 5 – Murfreesboro, Tennessee
No. 6 – Chattanooga, Tennessee
No. 7 – Houston, Texas
No. 8 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 9 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 10 – Clearwater, Florida

Texas is an overall top destination for retirees
In a statewide comparison, Texas came out on top as the No. 4 top state for retirees. The Lone Star State's 60-plus demographic adds up to nearly 5.7 million people, making up 19 percent of the total population.

Less than 69,000 seniors moved into Texas in 2022, with a little more than 50,000 making the opposite move, creating a net migration of 18,742 retirement-age residents.

Texans may want to take the city-level findings with a grain of salt, as the report points out that its data doesn't factor in-state migration, only state-to-state migration. Plus, not all retirees are 60 years old, nor do they all live in one singular place.

"For example, if a person moved to Phoenix from Scottsdale, [Arizona,] they would not be factored into our data," the report added. "Some retirees might live in multiple places throughout the year; this is not reflected in our metrics."

The three states that outperformed Texas in the statewide analysis were Florida (No. 1), Arizona (No. 2), and South Carolina (No. 3). North Carolina rounded out the top five.

The full report can be found on smartasset.com.

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Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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