Experts are quick to segment society into generations. There are such titles as the Greatest Generation, Generation X and so on, but for those over the age of 45, they can quickly be united under the title of the growing generation.

According to population statistics, those over the age of 45 make up 50 percent of the area’s population — and that figure is only expected to rise.

More specifically, those areas in the Suffolk and Western Tidewater areas of Virginia and the Gates and Hertford County area of North Carolina are expected to see significant growth in those who fall into the 45 and older age group.

In order to meet that growing population and to better serve that segment of its readership, Suffolk Publications announced Thursday the development and launch of “Virginia-Carolina Boomers.”

Virginia-Carolina Boomers is a locally produced magazine with content that reaches far outside of the region’s coverage area and is set to publish twice each year, aimed at serving those in the “active generation.”

“Our main goal as a media company is to serve two groups,” Suffolk Publications editor Tim Reeves said during the product’s launch Thursday at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Suffolk. “We want to serve our readers and our business partners. If we fail to serve the needs of either group, then we fail to have a solid franchise.”

Virginia-Carolina Boomers is unique to Suffolk Publications in that it is a joint venture between Suffolk Publications and its sister media companies in Franklin and Ahoskie.

“By partnering together, we can better serve the combined region and our valued readers,” Suffolk Publications Director of Special Projects Nikki Reeves said. “The talent we have throughout our companies will give us a great opportunity to create a top-notch product.”

The companies will also combine distribution, giving the magazine an impressive 30,000-plus distribution from the very start.

The content of the magazine will focus on overall quality-of-life topics, such as travel, home and garden, healthy living, entertainment and more.

“We want to make sure this is the type of product that is enjoyed from cover to cover,” Tim Reeves said. “We are really excited about getting started.”

The first edition of Boomers is scheduled for this fall, with the second scheduled to release in early 2011.