Based on factors ranging from housing costs to transportation and community engagement, Decatur, Candler Park and Edgewood are the most livable communities for seniors inside the Atlanta perimeter, according to this year’s AARP Public Policy Institute assessment.
Decatur, along with Candler Park and Edgewood, scored 57 out of 100 on a scale that ranks seven categories: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement and opportunity. The latter two categories focus on metrics and policies on voting rights, human rights and cultural engagement as well as job availability, government creditworthiness and graduation rates respectively. Once the categories are ranked, the scores are averaged for a total livability number.
Closing out the top 5 were Ansley Park and Oakhurst, which each scored 56.
The broader Atlanta community scored an aggregate total of 52, putting it in the top half of communities in the U.S.
Here’s how the numbers tallied for each of those top ITP locales:
Decatur
- Score: 57
- Population: 24,002
- Housing: 54
- Neighborhood: 65
- Transportation: 56
- Environment: 62
- Health: 63
- Engagement: 53
- Opportunity: 50
Candler Park
- Score: 57
- Population: 969
- Housing: 37
- Neighborhood: 64
- Transportation: 57
- Environment: 70
- Health: 68
- Engagement: 53
- Opportunity: 49
Edgewood
- Score: 57
- Population: 1,372
- Housing: 77
- Neighborhood: 61
- Transportation: 60
- Environment: 54
- Health: 53
- Engagement: 53
- Opportunity: 40
Ansley Park
- Score: 56
- Population: 1,003
- Housing: 55
- Neighborhood: 76
- Transportation: 64
- Environment: 39
- Health: 73
- Engagement: 56
- Opportunity: 32
Oakhurst
- Score: 56
- Population: 1,461
- Housing: 43
- Neighborhood: 62
- Transportation: 53
- Environment: 70
- Health: 59
- Engagement: 53
- Opportunity: 50
The index, which began in 2015, bases its findings on 50 databases nationwide.
“The majority of older adults want to stay in their current homes and communities as they age, which requires walkable neighborhoods, public transportation options, opportunities to engage in community activities, and affordable and adaptable housing,” Rodney Harrell, Ph.D., AARP Vice President of Family, Home and Community, said in a press release.
“The AARP Livability Index provides the clearest picture yet of how well a community meets needs across one’s lifespan, regardless of income, physical ability or ethnicity.”
Nationally, the following neighborhoods earned the top livability scores:
- Large cities (population 500,000+): San Francisco
- Mid-size cities (population 100,000-499,999): Alexandria, Virginia
- Small cities (population 25,000-99,999): St. Louis Park, Minnesota
- Small towns (population 5,000 to 24,999): Aspen, Colorado
Read more about the findings or look into your neighborhood’s AARP 2022 ranking at aarp.org/livabilityindex.
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