Senior Foodies Rejoice: There's A Mecca In Metro Detroit

BIRMINGHAM, MI — According to Dictionary.com, a “foodie” is a “person keenly interested in food, especially in eating or cooking.” By that definition and according to a new ranking of best foodie towns in America to retire in, Birmingham is one of the most desirable places to be.

With dining options like Churchill’s Bistro, Forest and Toast to name just a few, “A Place For Mom” recently ranked Birmingham as the seventh best foodie town to retire in. New York City, the Bronx and San Leandro, California were among the handful of cities that ranked higher.

A Place For Mom is a national referral service senior housing options. It publishes the popular “Senior Living Blog,” which made the rankings after research conducted by data scientist Ben Hanowell with A Place For Mom.

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More than 15,000 senior communities were analyzed to come up with rankings. The top seven cities were selected based on walkability and the availability of dining and drinking establishments nearby that “would be of interest to a foodie,” the Hanowell writes.

“Look at the picture of Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro below and imagine yourself on a spring day sitting on that sidewalk with a glass of shiraz in hand, waiting on some oysters, seared pork belly and broccoli fritto,” Hanowell wrote of Birmingham. “You’d be a ten-minute walk from either All Seasons of Birmingham or Baldwin House.”

Birmingham rated a dining and drinking score of 90, according to the rankings. Evanston, a Chicago suburb, had the highest ranking at 98. New York City actually had the same score, but was ranked second because the median rent range for a senior housing unit was nearly double that of Evanston. The Bronx was a distant third with a ranking of 93.

Photo courtesy of Google Maps