Retire El Paso

Vic Kolenc

Nov. 7, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- EL PASO -- An El Paso business group and the city have started a marketing campaign aimed at attracting retirees from around the country to move to El Paso.

"We're trying to get things started and put us on the map. We simply are not on anyone's radar as a retirement destination," said Jimmy Rogers Jr., 75, co-chairman of the Paso Del Norte Group's retirement/tourism committee. "This is something we should have done as a community years ago, and never did. Look at Tucson, Phoenix and other places in Texas -- they've been successful in attracting retirees. And we've been asleep at the switch."

The marketing campaign includes this week's launch of a Web site, www.retireelpaso.com, which has information about El Paso's weather, recreational options, cultural activities, colleges, hospitals, cost of living and opportunities for military retirees. It also includes a toll-free number answered by the city's Department of Economic Development.

Advertisements promoting El Paso as a retirement community are now being run in military magazines and the Army Times Web site.

About 76 million people were born between 1946 and 1962, and the oldest of these baby boomers are now reaching retirement age. More than 20,000 people retire each year from the nation's military branches, according to data from the federal Office of Personnel Management.

The marketing campaign stems from a study released in 2008 that concluded El Paso has many

attributes to draw retirees, but is decades behind other Southwestern cities because El Paso has not concentrated on attracting retirees. The $30,000 study, paid for by the Paso del Norte Group and the city of El Paso, also said this area suffers because it has a "dusty border town" reputation.

The study recommended El Paso focus first on attracting military retirees because of Fort Bliss, and on aging alumni of the University of Texas at El Paso living in other areas of the country.

Bill Blaziek, general manager of the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is overseeing the advertising portion of the campaign and is paying the $30,000 cost of the ads, said the marketing campaign will run for about six months. It will then be evaluated to see if it is effective.

"You can't just build a Website and attract retirees," Blaziek said. "Active retirement communities have to be part of the future to be successful in this marketing effort."

Rogers said the long-term goal of the Paso del Norte Group's retirement initiative is to attract local and national developers of retirement communities, such as Del Webb retirement communities in Arizona. But there's not much real estate development going on now because of the poor economy, he said.

"We have to make the region known (as a retirement community), so when the economy improves, and development starts again, we will be first in line," Rogers said. His committee next week will begin looking at possible sites for retirement communities, he said.

David Buchmueller, Paso del Norte chief operating officer, said El Paso's retirement options have never really had a Web presence.

The new Website, which Paso del Norte paid an El Paso company about $5,000 to produce, is still a work in progress, he said.

It has not yet been added to Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and other Internet search engines, but will be soon, he said.

"We also want to bring people here who write books about retirement places, so they can experience the area, see the cost of homes, and see the recreational opportunities," Buchmueller said.

Las Cruces is listed as a top retirement community in two of four books Buchmueller now has in his office, he noted.

Las Cruces has done a good job of attracting retirees, and El Paso has the same attributes as Las Cruces to attract retirees, including a university, good weather, reasonable housing costs, and a relatively thriving arts and culture scene, Buchmueller said.

Rogers said New Mexico's low property taxes are a big reason Las Cruces has been able to attract retirees.

"If more people come to Las Cruces, it helps the region. This is not Las Cruces versus El Paso," Buchmueller said.

San Antonio and Tucson are probably two of El Paso's chief rivals in the pursuit of retirees, he said. San Antonio attracts many military retirees.

The 2008 study done by ProMatura, a Mississippi market research firm focused on the retiree market, recommended El Paso establish a four-year "start-up" retiree attraction program with a full-time director, a part-time staff member to manage volunteers, and an initial budget of $176,000.

Kathy Dodson, director of the city's Economic Development Department, said no one has the money now to put into such a start-up program.

But the study showed El Paso is a good market for attracting retirees, so this marketing campaign can "reach out to the groups (military and UTEP graduates) identified, and gauge the interest, and see how many people call," she said.

Buchmueller said, "We're in the second inning of a nine-inning game, but at least we're playing in the game, which is important."

Vic Kolenc may be reached at vkolenc@elpasotimes.com, 546-6421

Study findings

Some of the findings of a 2008 study of El Paso's potential for attracting retirees to live here:

--Each retiree household attracted to El Paso would be equivalent to 3.1 manufacturing jobs in its economic impact.

--Retiree households put comparatively little strain on community resources and infrastructure when compared to younger households with children.

--El Paso has an abundance of natural, cultural, educational and recreational attributes, and a favorable cost of living, which are attractive to retirees.

--This area has not had the influx of retirees seen in other areas of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona because El Paso has not concentrated on attracting retirees.

--Development of a military-focused retirement community on or near Fort Bliss should be attractive to developers.

--The Hispanic market may present a significant opportunity for developing independent and assisted living communities here.

Source: ProMatura study released in January 2008

Newstex ID: KRTB-0478-39525682