Disciplines
Geography
Abstract (300 words maximum)
As the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers reach “full maturity,” communities across the nation will see changes in their neighborhoods, activities, needs, and ways of taking care of business. Cobb County is part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area and is a great place to explore such potential changes and possible ways to adapt to make life continue to be meaningful, fun, and healthy, even as time marches on. Budgets and community resource allocations may be put to the test as the older cohorts begin to use these funds and programs in greater numbers. In Cobb County, for example, a current tax exemption from all taxes designated for schools for taxpayers over 62 has been scrutinized of late, with some suggesting that perhaps senior citizens should continue to pay a portion of their tax dollars to fund public schools, while the elders offer that they have already paid their fair share while educating their own families. How many dollars do not flow into the school district as a result? Does this tax exemption encourage other older citizens to relocate to Cobb County? What will Cobb County’s landscape look like as the Silents/Boomers rise to the top of the population pyramid? Will assisted living facilities, or CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities) spring up in greater numbers? Are there enough physicians and medical centers to accommodate the increasing needs that come with old age? Will zoning codes need to be revolutionized, enabling more on-site living arrangements for caretakers and adult children? Will public transit find ways to accommodate people as they give up their car keys? While communities everywhere are moving into different and unfamiliar circumstances, Cobb County appears to be on the forefront of recognizing that because, and with apologies to Bob Dylan, “the times, they are a-changin’.”
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology
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Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Paul McDaniel
The Graying of Cobb County: Getting Older or Getting Better?
As the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers reach “full maturity,” communities across the nation will see changes in their neighborhoods, activities, needs, and ways of taking care of business. Cobb County is part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area and is a great place to explore such potential changes and possible ways to adapt to make life continue to be meaningful, fun, and healthy, even as time marches on. Budgets and community resource allocations may be put to the test as the older cohorts begin to use these funds and programs in greater numbers. In Cobb County, for example, a current tax exemption from all taxes designated for schools for taxpayers over 62 has been scrutinized of late, with some suggesting that perhaps senior citizens should continue to pay a portion of their tax dollars to fund public schools, while the elders offer that they have already paid their fair share while educating their own families. How many dollars do not flow into the school district as a result? Does this tax exemption encourage other older citizens to relocate to Cobb County? What will Cobb County’s landscape look like as the Silents/Boomers rise to the top of the population pyramid? Will assisted living facilities, or CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities) spring up in greater numbers? Are there enough physicians and medical centers to accommodate the increasing needs that come with old age? Will zoning codes need to be revolutionized, enabling more on-site living arrangements for caretakers and adult children? Will public transit find ways to accommodate people as they give up their car keys? While communities everywhere are moving into different and unfamiliar circumstances, Cobb County appears to be on the forefront of recognizing that because, and with apologies to Bob Dylan, “the times, they are a-changin’.”