About 38 million senior citizens live in the United States, according to a 2009 Census Bureau report, which is more than 12 percent of the country's population. San Francisco--with its consistently mild weather and variety of activities--is home to one of the largest senior populations in the country, according to a 2000 Senior Journal report. The city is senior-friendly with lots of fitness- and nutrition-oriented activities to do for people 65 years or older.
Benefits
San Francisco has one of the most consistent temperatures in the entire country, with average high temperatures staying within seven degrees all year, according to a weather report from SFTravel. The December and January average high is 57 degrees, while the peak of the summer has a high of 64 degrees. This consistency provides pleasant weather for senior citizens year-round.
Senior Citizen Centers
Activities for seniors in San Francisco cover a wide variety of recreational activities. The San Francisco Senior Center offers many activities for adults all year, including exercises like Tai Chi, yoga and Qi Gong, as well as other activities like rowing, gardening and dancing. They also offer fitness and nutrition classes, low-cost hot lunches, counseling and flu shots. The YMCA Senior Center in the city also offers similar programs such as daily nutritious lunches, exercise classes, field trips, legal help and counseling. Some other activities at the YMCASF Senior Center include personal training, aquatics classes and camping trips.
The Arts and Relaxation
The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco offers dozens of performances by world-class actors every year. Senior citizens can purchase season subscriptions to these performances at discounted prices, which include tickets to six plays, free seat upgrades, gift items and other discounts. Additionally, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers seniors half-price tickets at $9 each, providing some of the finest modern and contemporary art exhibits in the city and lots of room to walk around and get some exercise at the same time. The museum also has healthy food options in its Caffè Museo, featuring local organic produce.
Food
Lakeside Cafe on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco offers one of the most popular early-bird specials for senior citizens year-round. The cafe's menu includes an assortment of gourmet salads and soups and fine dining dishes like grilled pork chops, chicken breast, fish, steak and pastas. For routine grocery shopping, Rainbow Grocery in Northwest San Francisco offers organic, fresh, non-genetically-modified food products, as well as a 10-percent discount to senior citizens (60 years or older) every day.
Scenic Exercise
San Francisco's many hiking trails, bluffs and overlooks provide healthy, scenic recreation for senior citizens. The Presidio has a network of trails and overlooks with breathtaking views of the city, Golden Gate Bridge and the ocean off in the distance. The location has easy, smooth trails along the beach, as well as more difficult trails through forests and over creeks and along bluffs on the coast. The network of trails are listed on the Presidio website (see Resources).
