Thursday, July 10, 2008

State Program hopes to attract Retirees

Louisiana communities are working to make our state the country's next prime retirement location, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said, and grants awarded Wednesday will help spread the word.

Eleven communities across the state are slated to receive $20,000 each as part of a program to attract retirees.

The communities are supposed to use the money for marketing and other efforts to retain and draw people 55 and older to the state.

The communities are the Louisiana Interstate 12 Retirement District, which includes four parishes along the I-12 corridor, Bossier City, Crowley, Covington, Lake Charles, New Iberia, Thibodaux and the parishes of Natchitoches, St. Landry, Union and Vernon.

In applying for the state program’s grants, the communities agreed to put up $10,000 of their own money.

Heather Reggio Finke, executive director of the Louisiana Retirement Development Commission, said 75 million baby boomers are “about to come of age.” The state needs to attract as many of them as possible, she said.

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