LOU Community Earns Seal of Approval from National Retirement Association

As a top Mississippi retiree destination, Oxford-Lafayette County has once again achieved national recognition by receiving the coveted 2018 Seal of Approval Award by the American Association of Retirement Communities during the annual conference last week in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Oxford-Lafayette County representative accepts American Association of Retirement Communities’ Seal of Approval Award. From left are Ramay Winchester from TN, AARC board of director, Rosie Vassallo, director of Retirement Attraction for Oxford-Lafayette County MS and Frank Carmel from Washington DC, AARC board of director. Photo provided. 

As the nation’s leading organization in educating and inspiring communities to attract retirees, AARC deemed Oxford-Lafayette County one of the best places to retire in the country. The Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation serves as the marketing arm for retiree recruitment in Lafayette County.

Director of Retirement Attraction Rosie Vassallo attended the three-day conference to receive the prestigious award while also being one of the featured speakers and participating in educational seminars and networking sessions among destinations and developers from 15 states and Canada.

The Seal of Approval honor is presented annually to recipients from across the U.S. that demonstrate a cutting-edge commitment to attract retirees through lifestyle programming, amenity development, communication programs and education. Award winners are evaluated by a national panel of retirement destinations experts on a variety of criteria, including health care, retiree-appropriate housing, lifestyle amenities, adult education, recreational and cultural opportunities and governmental and private support of retiree-focused programs.

“As we continue to build our marketing strategies for both travel inspiration and retiree relocations, it offers great pride to be recognized by AARC for the work being done in our community to create a desirable destination,” said Vassallo. “As retirees are estimated to visit a community three to five times before making a decision to relocate, it is a natural fit for our organization to target this demographic.”

Oxford-Lafayette County has become an ideal location to visit and to retire. Retirees become “permanent tourists,” according to Vassallo, seeking a well-positioned location with easy access to large, metro areas and an international airport, access to premier healthcare, and a cost of living well below the national average. Low taxes, four mild seasons, extensive outdoor recreation and community-focused amenities are also desired among today’s retiree.

Since the Retiree Attraction Program’s inception in 1993, the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, Inc. has been successful in attracting retiree households from across the country that now enjoy a cost of living well below the national average and tax abatements that make retirement in Oxford extremely attractive and affordable.

Oxford has been highlighted in over 75 different news commentaries, national publications, and web sites as one of the top retirement destinations in the country with an outstanding quality of like.

The AARC, established in 1994, is a nonprofit group that encourages communities to make their areas desirable for retirees – and promotes the significant, positive economic impact that population can have in an area. 

For more information about retiree recruitment in Oxford-Lafayette County, contact Rosie Vassallo at rosie@oxfordms.com or go to oxfordms.com.

Press release courtesy of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce