Carnes: One for the ages

This year more than 11,000 Americans will reach the age of 65 each day, totaling over 4 million for the year.

Medicare numbers are gonna skyrocket.

There will be more people over 65 than ever in American history, and Eagle County will not be immune from this inevitable aging of our general population.

But don’t get me wrong, using the word “immune” does not mean it’s some tragic trend to be afraid of, just that more and more have settled in our little slice of nirvana, choosing nature in the Rocky Mountains over what I assume is the “hell on earth” of city life (being my 40th year in Happy Valley, it gets easier annually to block certain urban memories of yore).

“Today’s 65-year-olds are redefining a milestone long associated with retirement parties and the end of productive years,” the Wall Street Journal article reported. “They are wealthier and by many measures, healthier, and expected to live another 20 years. A growing share are divorced. Many turn their focus to what they want in this next stage.”

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Not sure how well the divorce part applies here, as most in my circle are not (although, now that I think about it, there are more than I first thought), but the “wealthier and healthier” certainly does, and nary a one doesn’t expect to live at least another 20 years.

What kind of lame ski bum would ever think otherwise?

As if you couldn’t guess by now, I will be turning 65 in 2024, joining the ranks of “Superior Seniority” over all we survey, although some might call us senior citizens or something relatively patronizing along those lines.

Eagle County Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry, citing data from the Colorado Demographer’s Office a few years ago, expects the over-65 crowd to grow around here over 200% between 2010 and 2030, while those under 65 to only grow about 30% in the same timeframe.

So what does it all mean?

“It means you’re getting old, Dick, that’s what it means.”

Sure, but besides that, 65 years ago our Eagle County population was around 4,500, a little less than just the town of Vail currently, and now the number of those (OK, us …) over 65 has almost doubled, approaching 9,000, roughly one out of every five.

According to the AARP (yes, I’m already a … um … reluctantly proud member), many are staying in the workforce for financial reasons, but also simply because they enjoy it, and that applies even more so around here, especially within the ski industry. 

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I’m constantly surprised by the percentage of Vail and Beaver Creek employees, from ticket checkers to food and beverage workers to ski instructors, that are at least over 50 (ah, the good ol’ days), and swear it was nowhere near that many back in the 80s.

But with ski lessons over $1,200, lift tickets over $250, hamburgers over $20, a 12-ounce can of beer over $10, etc. and $1,500 rent per bedroom, the realization of pricing the younger generation out of the resort industry, which has been staring us in the face for decades, I fear has finally come to pass.

Hopefully, the over-65 crowd won’t be the last generation able to enjoy a lifetime of living in Happy (Retirement) Valley.

Richard Carnes, of Avon, writes weekly. He can be reached at poor@vail.net.