Hey, Green Valley, who knew you had such a bad rep?
Well, at least according to America Online, you do.
An article posted last month on AOL's Web site listed Green Valley as the 11th-worst place to retire in the United States.
"It certainly came as a shock to us," said Jim DiGiacomo, executive director of the Green Valley-Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce. "I came here 42 years ago, and Green Valley has always been listed as one of the top 20 places to retire by Where to Retire magazine."
The AOL article, written by New York-based freelance writer Carol Vinzant, referred to Green Valley as a "once idyllic retirement town" that is "now facing a drug violence problem."
The article went on to say that "gangs of bandits known as bajadores carry AK-47s and ambush trucks of smugglers sneaking up from Mexico."
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Citing an Oct. 15 CBS News story, Vinzant wrote that "hundreds of bodies are found in the surrounding desert each year, and at least a dozen people have been murdered by the bajadores this year."
News of the article has been spreading through Green Valley, though Joyce Finkelstein, executive director of the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council, said such information is falling on deaf ears when it comes to residents of the town, about 20 miles south of Tucson.
"We have such wonderfully intelligent people here that they can read these things critically and know this is just one woman's opinion," Finkelstein said. "We don't have a drug violence problem. And to the best of our knowledge, we've never seen bodies around here."
Dove Haber, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, said Green Valley is no different from any other part of the Tucson area in terms of drug violence.
"There is activity in that area, as there is activity in many parts of the Tucson Sector," she said. "I think the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies do everything they can to make it as safe as possible. I don't know where CBS got their research, or who they talked to, but I think they'd have been best served to speak to the residents of Green Valley who are very happy living there."
While locals are more in the know, the same can't be said for people who live elsewhere in the U.S. and are considering Green Valley for retirement, said Tim Carmichael, vice president of marketing for La Posada, an assisted-living facility in Green Valley.
Carmichael said that when people call for information about La Posada, "we have to tell them, obviously, there is a border issue here. And although the area is vast, there have been problems in the past. But with our particular organization's location, we haven't had problems.
"Ultimately, though, it can have a very adverse affect for people who are relocating to the area," Carmichael said of the AOL story. "I think the Chamber of Commerce needs to take a very active role in promoting the area as a whole."
The chamber's first plan of action: Invite the writer out for a visit.
"I just got her e-mail address this morning," DiGiacomo said Friday, adding that he also intends to extend an invitation to CBS News anchor Katie Couric, who presented the October story about drug violence around Green Valley.
"We're going to take them around, show them the area. I might even have them sit down with the Border Patrol," DiGiacomo said.
While the reasons Green Valley is on the list seem the most sensationalistic, other places identified as being among the worst for retirement may have gotten the designation for more solid reasons.
Clearwater, Fla., which topped the list, got its ranking because it has the highest percentage of seniors of any city in the U.S., while third-worst Anchorage was on there because it has too few retirees. Fifth-place Washington, D.C., has the most seniors who are poor.
It could have been worse, though. The entire state of Rhode Island was singled out as the sixth-worst retirement location because only 41 percent of residents 65 and older are men, making it not so desirable for senior ladies looking for love.
'Worst places to retire' list
According to America Online, these are the 13 least desirable places to kick back after a long career:
1. Clearwater City, Fla.
2. Austin, Texas
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. Bridgeport, Conn.
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Rhode Island (entire state)
7. Provo, Utah
8. Queens, N.Y.
9. Connecticut (entire state)
10. Your kids' house
11. Green Valley, Ariz.
12. Corpus Christi, Texas
13. Riverside, Calif.
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