We Are Young

Dallas houses young and vibrant population despite retirement rep

Dallas is where the seniors aren't.

Photo by Matt Pasant

We knew Dallas is where the young and pretty people live, but now the numbers truly back it up. Despite Texas’ being named by WalletHub as one of the top 10 places to retire, and Plano’s being third in line for the same title in a study by Livability.com, a different analysis shows that Dallas actually has one of the smallest populations of baby boomers in the country.

NewGeography pored over 2014 American Community Survey data for the country’s 53 largest metropolitan statistical areas to track where Americans over 65 are living. The answer: not Dallas. And not Austin or Houston either, as all three Texas cities — along with Salt Lake City, Utah, and Raleigh, North Carolina — are in the bottom five for housing baby boomers.

Only 10.2 percent of Dallas’ population is over 65. Compare that to Tucson, Arizona (17.7 percent), and Jacksonville, Florida (14.2 percent), and it’s hard to deny our standing. Oddly enough, it’s not just the sunny standbys that are attracting seniors; the Rust Belt states are also climbing in senior popularity.

The website posits that this is not due to weather, per se, or even older, declining industries, but rather the migration patterns to lower-cost, typically growing cities. Once they planted roots, these folks aren’t inclined to leave, meaning that the senior populations in these areas are here to stay.

Another theory? Older and younger generations are moving to be closer together.

"Many parents are following their migrating children (and, more important, grandchildren) to these areas," the article states. "A recent study ranks this among the biggest reason seniors move. Similarly, as many as one in four millennials has moved to be closer to their parents, often to enjoy life in more affordable communities and get help with raising their kids."

Where seniors move — if they move at all — will do much to shape America’s future geography, the report says.

"In some places, notably in the Rust Belt, an aging population may suffer from the lack of young people to generate new wealth, pay taxes, or provide them with services. In many others, notably in the Sun Belt, areas now built around youthful migration will have to prepare to accommodate many more aging people," it states. "And perhaps the biggest challenges will be felt by suburbs that, built for young families, now have to accommodate a growing senior population."

That means that even though Dallas, Austin, and Houston aren’t on the senior shortlist right now, they very might well be a few generations down the line, as the millennials and young families grow older.

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Animal News

Wills Point, Texas man charged with cruelty for abandoning 18 animals

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Lucas Wayne Penrod, charged with animal cruelty

Another animal cruelty case has emerged from Van Zandt County, resulting in the arrest of a Wills Point man: Lucas Wayne Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

It began on Friday, October 24, when the Wills Point Police Department performed a welfare check at a mobile home within the city limits. Officers became concerned when they heard multiple dogs barking along with a foul odor of animal waste.

On October 25, after obtaining a search warrant, Wills Point PD and the SPCA of Texas ACI Unit entered the residence and found multiple animals living in deplorable conditions.

The mobile home was filled with trash and animal feces. The team discovered a total of 8 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 4 adult dogs, and 4 puppies, cruelly confined to the unsanitary living conditions on the property.

Two dogs were confined to filthy crates with no access to water.
Three puppies were in a small bathroom covered in urine and feces; one of the puppies was deceased and decomposing.
The guinea pigs were found in a cage without access to food or water.

Most of the animals showed signs of long-term neglect and were in dire need of urgent medical intervention. The animals were seized by the SPCA of Texas and transported to the organization's Dallas location for veterinary care.

Dog in cage Wills Point Lucas Wayne Penrod Dog abandoned in Wills Point by Lucas Wayne Penrod.SPCA

On October 26, Lucas Wayne Penrod, the owner of the animals, contacted an SPCA of Texas Investigator regarding the animals. The Investigator determined that Penrod had unlawfully allegedly abandoned the animals, failing to provide them with proper care, resulting in the death of one of the puppies and the critical state of the surviving animals.

On October 28, the SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit obtained an arrest warrant for Penrod, who was apprehended by Tyler Police Department and booked into the Smith County Jail with a $50K bond. Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

On November 1, at a civil custody hearing at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 courthouse in Wills Point, Penrod relinquished custody of the 18 allegedly abandoned, cruelly treated animals to the SPCA.

"The squalid conditions these beautiful animals were living in were abhorrent--locked in spaces without food or water, in their own excrement," said SPCA of Texas ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns, CAWA. "This is some of the worst mistreatment of domestic animals I've seen in my extensive career in animal cruelty investigations. In no small part, these pets owe their lives to the Wills Point Police Department. If it wasn’t for their quick thinking to involve us right away, I don't think the animals would have made it."

"This case perfectly illustrates the team effort that investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases in Texas is," Burns added. "We are extremely thankful to the Tyler Police Department for their efficient assistance in apprehending Penrod so that he can be brought to justice in the timeliest manner possible. And we are especially grateful to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and court system with whom we continue to partner to get justice for abused animals in their jurisdiction."