It has been stated many times by our City Manager, Bill Wiggins, during city council meetings that Livingston is a retirement community. It is a myth that is not only frequently repeated but reflected through policy from the Mayor and the City Manager, down to City Council who votes on those policy recommendations. It was repeated again at the most recent City Council meeting this week where it was asserted how important the repairs to the golf course were because we are a retirement community and many of our retired citizens enjoy playing golf. While I don't disagree that the golf course is an important and valuable amenity to many of our older residents, it seems wholly out of touch with the needs of the rest of the community who drive on crumbling roads where paved roads exist, do not have accessible playgrounds, are at risk of losing churches from disintegrating underground drainage infrastructure, cannot get help in raising funds for a metal roof over a basketball court in an area of town that does not have walkable access to any amenities, or have to stumble over raised and broken concrete to shop or do business in our downtown area, the most vital tourist area in our city.
We need to squash this myth immediately, as the numbers tell quite a different story. According to the most recent census data released in 2022 by the United States Census Bureau, the median age in Livingston is 36.9 years old and trending downward, a far cry from the average retirement age in Texas of 65, indicating that our town, far from being a quiet retirement community, is a widely dynamic community of young families, professionals, and younger adults looking to start a life. The retirement community myth that is much too often repeated not only reveals a disconnect between some of the elected and appointed officials in City Hall and the citizens who deal with the fallout of their policies, but also damagingly misrepresents who we are as a community. This is not to say that we don't have a significant, equally valuable, and important elderly and retirement population who deserve equal consideration when it comes to policy decisions and amenities, but a retirement community we are not.
Taking a look at the data, young adults aged 25-29 years old with children make up by far the largest percentage of Livingston's population by age at 8.65%, with adults aged 30-34 years falling closely behind at 7.31%. In total, the amount of Livingston's population under the average retirement age of 65 is an overwhelming 71.03%. Let's look at it another way:
Children and young adults ages 0 - 19 account for 23.58% of Livingston's total population.
Mature adults between the ages of 20 - 39 account for 28.74%.
Combining those, mature adults and children account for 52.32%, more than half Livingston's population.
Middle-aged adults ages 40 - 64 account for 30.71%.
Senior adults ages 65 - 85 and over account for 16.97%, less than all other age groups individually.
As the numbers show, families with children are the most numerically significant part of Livingston's community. However, the notion of Livingston being a retirement community can have a detrimental effect on this demographic, and others, as it leads to less focus on the issues that have a direct impact on them such as lack of economic opportunity, the city's walkability, recreational programs, playgrounds, safe sidewalks, entertainment venues, and numerous other factors.
This "retirement community" effect on economic opportunity cannot be understated. Though it is far from the only hindrance to meaningful opportunity, it plays a role. Businesses that might invest in Livingston's economy could shy away from doing business here with the idea that our population is less likely to be working, spending, and have less capacity for innovation. That could not be further from the truth. While it is true that Livingston's leadership is not what I would consider innovative, Livingston's community is teeming with potential, with young professionals, entrepreneurs, and those seeking opportunity to provide the best life for their families eager to see or start new businesses, tech hubs, and start-ups. Getting rid of the notion of us being a retirement community, and setting policies geared toward this mentality, can attract the kind of investment that provides jobs with above-minimum-wage pay, supports local businesses, and stimulates our local economy.
We are also in desperate need of road and sidewalk installment and repair. While this is more of an issue of decades-long neglect throughout years of different elected officials, our current elected and appointed officials have also failed to meet that challenge. Safety and accessibility are absolutely crucial to the success and livability of our community. Sidewalk improvements benefit everyone, our retirement-age citizens included. Parents with strollers, people walking to local shops or schools, children riding bikes, and many more examples, all need well-maintained and safe sidewalks. Addressing this issue is absolutely necessary to reduce accidents, improve the look and feel or our city, encourage tourism and pedestrian traffic, and foster a healthier and more well-connected community in general.
Entertainment options are a concern I often hear about from our citizens. And while the city likely will not invest in these venues alone, or at all, its policies under different leadership could and would encourage more venues to set up shop in our city. We simply need more entertainment which caters to a broad audience and is reflective of Livingston's wants, needs, and demographic profile. A movie theater, more music venues or live music, a nightlife. A vibrant cultural scene is not only needed to engage our residents, but also to attract visitors and new residents to help boost our local economy.
Along the same lines, Livingston used to be a hub of numerous cultural festivals. The 4th of July Parade, The Pinecone Festival, a thriving Trade Days, Hometown Christmas. These events, with the possible exception of Hometown Christmas, have dwindled to a shell of their former selves, if they still exist now at all. This is also a policy failure. It's a failure in bringing in much needed sales tax revenues, tourism, and local foot traffic, and it's a failure of preserving a thriving local culture where our citizens are engaged and enthusiastic about our collective identity. By recognizing that Livingston is not a retirement community and is, by and large, a young, family-based community, we can and must encourage a return to and expansion of cultural events which encourage a greater sense of community and identity.
If elected as Mayor, I intend to aggressively assert Livingston's identity for what it is; a young yet age-diverse community full of young families with children and young adults who want a return of culture, who want opportunity, who want safe spaces for their children to play, who desire entertainment. It is a community open to meaningful and beneficial investment, to innovation, better paying jobs, a place that cares about our seniors and retirees and encourages meaningful amenities for all ages. But we are not a retirement community.
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