There’s a 55+ Community for Everyone: Here’s How to Choose the Right One for You | ShermansTravel
There’s a 55+ Community for Everyone: Here’s How to Choose the Right One for You
Susan B. Barnes | August 16, 2024
Courtesy of Latitude Margaritaville
With more than 18,000 retirement and 55+ communities in the U.S. alone, it can be daunting trying to find the right one for you. In addition to prime locations, these communities are enticing would-be residents with fun and exclusive amenities that differentiate them from the others, allowing residents to live among like-minded people and enjoy their unique lifestyles.
When it comes time to determine which retirement or 55+ community is right for you, there are several factors to consider, the first of which will likely be the cost. After you’ve set a budget, it’s time to begin thinking about the amenities you’d like to enjoy in your new community.
In addition to finding someplace that’s maintenance-free, where the yard work is taken care of and the mail collected when you’re out of town, consider the activities you enjoy and would like to be central in your life. Perhaps you enjoy gardening, or love learning new things. You may feel more at home in an LGBTQ+-friendly community or are keen on living the “5 o’clock somewhere” lifestyle. With so many retirement and 55+ communities in the U.S. and indeed around the world, with a little research, you are bound to find your perfect place.
You’re a Lifelong Learner
Credit: Getty Images/DenisTangneyJr
Those who think of themselves as lifelong learners may consider going back to college, permanently. Lasell Village, on the campus of Lasell University near Boston, requires each of its residents to commit to 450 hours of learning. That learning comes in the form of lectures and events on the subjects of art, music, history, travel, and more, all alongside traditional college students.
Another option is The Forest at Duke, near the Duke University campus in Durham, North Carolina, a retirement community devoted to lifelong learning, education, and exploration. In addition to more than 400 activities offered monthly, onsite classes and events are organized by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke University.
You Want to Live in an LGBTQ+ Community
Credit: Courtesy of Fountaingrove Lodge
Fountaingrove Lodge in Santa Rosa, California, about an hour north of the Bay Area, was specially built for the 55+ LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Myriad public spaces provide plenty of places to mix and mingle with neighbors, and activities align with the community’s eight core elements: think, do, create, learn, socialize, experience, contribute, and connect. Not only is Fountaingrove a retirement community, but it’s a progress community in that it provides assisted living and memory care as well.
You Want All of the Amenities and More
Credit: Courtesy of Toll Brothers
Toll Brothers Regency has 55+ communities pretty much all over the country. Designed for active lifestyles, it’s almost like living in a country club, with luxury homes and resort-style amenities like professional-grade golf courses, state-of-the-art fitness centers and spas, tennis and pickleball courts, swimming pools, social events, and more.
You Have a Green Thumb
Credit: Getty Images/Erdark
Moving into a 55+ or retirement community doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up your garden. When researching communities, look for those that offer garden plots or have a community garden. Places like Ceres Glenn in Dallas, Oregon, about 15 minutes from Salem and 45 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, have a community garden in which residents can plant fruits and vegetables to enjoy and share with their neighbors.
You’re a Parrothead
Credit: Courtesy of Latitude Margaritaville
Parrotheads and those interested in a relaxed lifestyle inspired by Jimmy Buffet will find themselves right at home at Latitude Margaritaville, “55-and-better” communities in Hilton Head, Daytona Beach, and Watersound, Florida. Here residents enjoy tropical resort-style amenities in a food-, fun-, and music-inspired environment.
“When I learned Margaritaville was being developed, I told my husband, we will find our people there,” Tammy Shaklee, the founder of LGBTQ matchmaking company H4M Matchmaking, tells ShermansTravel. “He’s a lifelong surfer and sailor, and I was a Parrothead. With no kids and limited family, we were interested to buy into [the] community.”
In addition to its myriad activities, Shaklee was drawn to Latitude’s pickleball scene and vibrant town square “with a bar for good burgers and margaritas.”
“Our community is spirited and from all walks of life,” adds Shaklee. “We literally are finding our new best friends in this final chapter, meeting each other’s families, and even starting to travel together. “So many of us still work full time from home, and as soon as we log off, there is a ton of vibrancy to engage with.”
You Can’t Get Enough of Walt Disney World
Credit: JHVEPhoto / iStock
An active lifestyle certainly appeals to many seeking out their ideal 55+ and retirement communities, including Kevin Mahoney, an actuary who works remotely from he and his wife’s home in the K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons community outside of Orlando.
“There were several things that drew us to the K Hov community,” says Mahoney. “The main thing was location — we wanted to be within 15 minutes of the Disney parks to be able to get out and be active any day of the week.
“We also wanted a community with great amenities, and our neighborhood has tennis and pickleball courts, swimming pools, and a large clubhouse with a well-equipped fitness center,” he adds. Walkability to a restaurant within the community where neighbors gather for happy hour was also an enticement.
You Want To Be Near Everything You Need
Credit: Getty Images/Yuxiao Zhang
Not everyone who is moving into a 55+ or retirement community is looking for the latest in trendy amenities, though. Others seek out what some may consider the basics, like pools, clubhouses, and proximity to services, like medical offices and grocery stores.
“The number-one amenity for us was the pool,” says Diane O’Dell, an applications developer who moved into a 55+ community with her wife in Clearwater, Florida, in 2021. She also says the community’s covered shuffleboard courts, tennis courts, putting green, and laundry facilities — even a maintenance garage with an air hose to fill tires — all appealed to the couple when making their decision.
