Retirement Communities (55+)

[flyingpylon]

Although I am not yet in a position to “retire” (however you wish to define that), I do turn 55 this year. A snowy Sunday afternoon in the Midwest has me wondering about all of these 55+ active adult communities around the country, particularly the ones in warmer climates.

Looking for pros and cons, mostly out of curiosity at this point. Does anyone currently live in one of these communities? Has anyone evaluated them and decided against it? All insights and opinions are welcome.

[pp4me]

Although I am not yet in a position to “retire” (however you wish to define that), I do turn 55 this year. A snowy Sunday afternoon in the Midwest has me wondering about all of these 55+ active adult communities around the country, particularly the ones in warmer climates.

Looking for pros and cons, mostly out of curiosity at this point. Does anyone currently live in one of these communities? Has anyone evaluated them and decided against it? All insights and opinions are welcome.

We have a lot of these in Florida and though I've never lived in one, I've visited quite a few because my parents lived in them during the winter months for about 25 of their retirement years. They really enjoyed it because of the activities and companionship of other senior citizens but it turned me off on the idea. Basically because I don't enjoy the activities and companionship of other senior citizens all that much. I guess you could say it makes me feel old (I'm only 71). I prefer living in a normal community with mixed ages and seeing kids in the neighborhood, even if they do stay inside most of the time nowadays.

[vnatale]

Although I am not yet in a position to “retire” (however you wish to define that), I do turn 55 this year. A snowy Sunday afternoon in the Midwest has me wondering about all of these 55+ active adult communities around the country, particularly the ones in warmer climates.

Looking for pros and cons, mostly out of curiosity at this point. Does anyone currently live in one of these communities? Has anyone evaluated them and decided against it? All insights and opinions are welcome.

We have a lot of these in Florida and though I've never lived in one, I've visited quite a few because my parents lived in them during the winter months for about 25 of their retirement years. They really enjoyed it because of the activities and companionship of other senior citizens but it turned me off on the idea. Basically because I don't enjoy the activities and companionship of other senior citizens all that much. I guess you could say it makes me feel old (I'm only 71). I prefer living in a normal community with mixed ages and seeing kids in the neighborhood, even if they do stay inside most of the time nowadays.

I'm in your camp. I'd not want to live in such a homogenized community with my independence taken away from me.

I wonder how many freedom loving, liberty loving people join these communities which end up putting far more restrictions on how they live than does the government.

[amdda01]

Great topics, flyingpylon.

I love the idea of nonstop activities all day long - like summer camp for adults.

[Mark Leavy]

My impression of Florida is that the whole dang state is virtually a retirement community with non-stop activities for senior citizens.

You can find this sort of thing going on every night of the week in almost in any town. $3 Happy hour beers and the music starting at 4pm.

Florida.jpeg (116.45 KiB) Viewed 1838 times

Plus : boating and hiking and beach walking and Nascar and crap wine tasting and gardening and Karaoke and drivers bound and determined to kill you. You name it.

[vnatale]

My impression of Florida is that the whole dang state is virtually a retirement community with non-stop activities for senior citizens.

You can find this sort of thing going on every night of the week in almost in any town. $3 Happy hour beers and the music starting at 4pm.

Florida.jpeg

Plus : boating and hiking and beach walking and Nascar and crap wine tasting and gardening and Karaoke and drivers bound and determined to kill you. You name it.

Does the music correspondingly stop at 9 PM??!!

[dualstow]

My impression of Florida is that the whole dang state is virtually a retirement community with non-stop activities for senior citizens.

You can find this sort of thing going on every night of the week in almost in any town. $3 Happy hour beers and the music starting at 4pm.

Florida.jpeg

Plus : boating and hiking and beach walking and Nascar and crap wine tasting and gardening and Karaoke and drivers bound and determined to kill you. You name it.

Not the Keys, though.

[Mark Leavy]

Not the Keys, though.

Maybe not on Duval street. But Stock Island and Isla Morada and Key Largo...

[pp4me]

My impression of Florida is that the whole dang state is virtually a retirement community with non-stop activities for senior citizens.

You can find this sort of thing going on every night of the week in almost in any town. $3 Happy hour beers and the music starting at 4pm.

Florida.jpeg

Plus : boating and hiking and beach walking and Nascar and crap wine tasting and gardening and Karaoke and drivers bound and determined to kill you. You name it.

Actually sounds pretty good to me except for the crap wine and drivers determined to kill you (when you get old they are ALL out to kill you but South Florida (Miami/Ft Lauderdale) is the worse, for sure.

Sorry I can't confirm the nightlife. Mine are spent mostly on my back porch when it's warm enough which is most nights except for spurts in a few months like right now (which you northerners would think was great until you live here long enough). I have my own happy hour but it can last until 3 AM and drinks are a lot less than $3. One good pipe a night is about $100 for 3 months unless you do it legally in which case it can be a lot more just for the license.

[dualstow]

Not the Keys, though.

Maybe not on Duval street. But Stock Island and Isla Morada and Key Largo...

True. (Never spent time on Key Largo myself. My parents are leaving Key West for, sniff sniff, something like a retirement community).

[Mark Leavy]

Daytona Beach right now.

8AC611ED-C80D-42A5-96B7-37E0D3186F3C.jpeg (92.64 KiB) Viewed 1770 times

[I Shrugged]

I have real life experience in a few. We’ve visited/rented, and owned. Overall they are great because you meet people easily, and everyone is super friendly. If you are happier as a hermit, they are not for you. But nobody much cares what you do or don’t do. They are living their own lives. Just make sure your front door is an approved color, and no Christmas decorations out of season.

The best ones have a zillion things to do. Some people do lots, and some just do one thing that’s important to them, like book club or golf. The more activities and facilities, the higher the hoa fees. My wife and I don’t need a hundred friends but we do need a few, and we make them a lot more easily at one of these places.

The ones who really thrive are the drinkers/partiers. There’s a happy hour either every day at the pool, or in someone’s yard. We are not much for drinking so we don’t get as much of that.

In a nutshell:
Happy people
Easy to make friends
Lots of things to do
More expensive

PM me if you need to

[WiseOne]

I live in a coop that has all the attributes of a retirement community except for the ADA compliance (because it's old). Mainly there are steps at the building entrances and an awkward pair of heavy, antique doors to push through. Still, many residents live here through their 90s and even 100s, and manage just fine.

It's got all the attributes that I Shrugged lists, although the "things to do" are mostly on hold due to COVID. And, it's rather nice not being car-dependent, that's a huge issue for seniors aging in the suburbs. And, the cost of my coop is a lot less than a typical retirement community. It's more than you would pay to maintain a house if you DIY most things, but if you hire services like my 85 yo Mom has to do, the cost is comparable. Also, my coop is one of the designated ones that can get additional services from NYC through their "aging in place" initiative. I don't know quite what that means yet, but it could someday be useful.

I don't know if other cities have similar setups but it might be worth a look.

[Hal]

Also, my coop is one of the designated ones that can get additional services from NYC through their "aging in place" initiative. I don't know quite what that means yet, but it could someday be useful.

I don't know if other cities have similar setups but it might be worth a look.

This is what it means in Australia, so I guess it would be similar.
https://www.agedcareguide.com.au/s/home-care