West Sacramento is a young city, incorporated in 1987. But affordability has attracted many older people to this suburb of California’s capital. One recent study showed that the number of people over age 65 would increase by 153 percent between 2000 and 2030. (The city overall has experienced rapid growth: from roughly 32,000 residents in 2000 to about 54,000 in 2018. With it has come more stability and less crime.) In the past few years, the older population has dominated the agenda for Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, who was only 33 when he took office in 1998.
In 2011, West Sacramento did what many cities do for “senior citizens”: open a community center, and in this case one with an Active Aging program, complete with fitness classes, a lending library and a seniors-only lounge.
But Cabaldon realized that wasn’t enough. “Eighty-year-olds are out rock climbing,” Cabaldon explains. “Many seniors today don’t think of themselves as seniors, and they do not want to go to a senior center or live in seniors-only housing. They want to be part of the whole community.”
For the full story, visit AARP.org/Home-Family.
