The second homes that once laid dormant much of the year, waiting for the next summer or winter vacation getaway, are now a desirable location for baby boomers to retire.
Archie Ingersoll reports that "over the next 10 years, as the baby boomer generation ages, more seasonal residents are expected to transition into year-round lake life, according to a University of Minnesota report released last year."
"Through a survey, researchers found that 56 percent of second-home owners in Otter Tail, Becker, Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Pope and Douglas counties -- an estimated 46,000 households -- have plans to eventually live there full time," reports Ingersoll of this collection of counties in the state of Minnesota.
The article goes into more detail about the consequences of these trends, including a strain on healthcare resources in these areas. Another consequence: home remodels that add more "impervious surfaces like rooftops, driveways and sidewalks, and leaves less natural vegetation to filter rain and keep runoff containing sediment and fertilizers out of the [area's lakes]."
FULL STORY: As baby boomers age, more cabin owners expected to become full-timers at Minnesota lakes
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