In communities as far flung as Birmingham, Northville and Ann Arbor, baby boomers are moving downtown, city officials report, bringing an influx of social and economic capital into downtown communities and businesses.

As Gen-Xers become homebuyers and baby boomers become empty nesters, there’s a growing trend of retirement age couples who are opting for city centers instead of suburban retirement communities. In fact, the number of seniors moving downtown has become large enough that it has spawned the term “ruppie,” or retired older person.

“Most housing development in the last 40 years is the suburban model, but the downtown model may be more suited for the single person or the empty nest couple,” says Susan Pollay of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. “For many boomers, downtown is an alternative to the suburbs.” Downtown living, often considered the province of the twenty- or thirty-something, has a lot to offer to the fifty-and-up crowd, Pollay says.

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