My 50-plus Life in Manhattan

According to the Census Bureau, America's love affair with the suburbs is cooling off -- people are moving back to the cities in droves. And many of those migrants are in their 50s and beyond, men and women who have recognized something I've known all along: Cities are a great place to grow old.

Okay, I'm prejudiced. I live in Manhattan, and I'm figuratively, if not literally, a graybeard. But both science and common sense argue for the benefits of urban life over suburban as one ages.

Studies have shown that people who live in sprawling suburban areas, for example, are more likely to have arthritis, headaches, high blood pressure, and a list of other such ailments than those in compact cities like New York. In part, that's because we do more walking than our car-dependent suburban counterparts. No matter what the race, economic status, or age of those studied, the urban advantage held.

Yes, city dwellers suffer from far greater air and noise pollution -- I awaken each morning to the sound of a car alarm -- and disease spreads more rapidly in urban crowds, flu in particular. Yes, cities are less genteel with lots more pushing and shoving, trash on the street, and crime, the usual result of packing large numbers of human beings (and animals) into relatively small spaces. Yet for me and so many other over-50s, these negatives are far outweighed by the positives.

The younger elders, their children out of the nest, move to the city to be closer to their workplace and to enjoy the action: the excitement of urban streets, the polyglot ethnic mix, the infinity of cultural options. When they retire, they tend to stay in the city; in fact, that's when its greatest advantages kick in.

A city like New York is a playground for retirees, assuming they have some spending money. High-quality, low-cost music and theatre abound. Likewise museums. There are all sorts of continuing education opportunities at local colleges, and shops, restaurants, and markets to fit every taste and pocketbook. That goes for physicians and hospitals, too.

One of the city's greatest gifts to older people is mobility. In the suburbs, once you have to surrender your car keys you're likely to be stuck at home, an isolation that can lead to depression and even suicide. Cities have an elaborate network of subways or buses or both to get you where you want to go. They also provide buses specially designed to accommodate the handicapped and a shared-ride transport system.

Instead of having to drive to a shopping center, as I once did in suburban Connecticut, I now have groceries, shoemakers, liquor stores, banks, movie theaters, and pharmacies within a few blocks of my apartment. There are all sorts of tennis courts, swimming pools, ball fields, and parks I can get to within 15 or 20 minutes by subway, bus, or on foot.

Isolation? Not in the city -- not as long as you can walk across the hall to knock on your neighbor's door or take the elevator down to the lobby. On the street, you're part of the local community, nodding to the people in the dry cleaner's, picking up a newspaper at the corner stand, stopping to chat with another dog walker (I have a feisty Jack Russell terrier on my leash).

All in all, I can't think of a better place for me to spend this stage of my life. Yes, I know, I'm prejudiced in behalf of the city. But can you blame me?

Robert W. Stock, a New York Times  alumnus, is a writer and editor based in New York.