11 Most Interesting Retirement Communities, Where Out of the Box Thinking Rules

I love reading these lists of different communities. I wish that someone who actually lives in one of them would write to add their thoughts and reviews. They all sound pretty unique. I was very interested to read about Babcock Ranch and since we are going to be visiting the Punta Gorda area next year I would like to look at it, but on the map it looks like it may be a little isolated. Has anyone looked at this development ?

Jem we have also been watching Babcock Ranch. Especially since Hurricane Ian as the homes were not as damaged as others and the electricity is not too much to worry about. It appears they are powered by a massive solar farm.

Yes Babcock Ranch is way out there but it is beautiful and worth the ride to see it. They have many different neighborhoods and already have a grammar school and high school. Walking paths everywhere and a beautiful lake and a nice restaurant you can go to when you are there. They just opened up their first Publix grocery store which is a big help for the people who live there because it is a long ride to go shopping. They do have a large solar field and you can add additional solar panels to your roof. They also have gas. They were not in the path of the hurricane being very inland. I am sure they had some wind and rain but not like what those of us who live on what we call the beach side of Ft Myers.
Lee Health now has big health clinic there but it is a long ride to any hospital or group of specialists. That will change over time but they have a long way to go to build it out. Lots of people moved there during the pandemic because they could work from home and do not have to drive a long way to work. Definitely worth going there to see it-beautiful setting out in the middle of lots of open land.

We own a condo in Punta Gorda and we have toured Babcock Ranch. The homes and development layout is nice and the little town center is on a large lake where they have some weekend events. For us it is just too remote. It feels like you are in a farming area.

Applaud "Thinking Outside The Box" & while do like WPB area best not adverse to SoCal or Arizona along I10. Do know 2things [& for a Guy; that's good] Am now too Old to SKI Downhill & really do like Warm better!! Just need to K.I.S.S. [this info helps] & make up my Direction by 10/31/23.

Babcock Ranch is about 45 minutes from the airport (Southwest Florida Regional) and 45 minutes to the beach. I visited Babcock Ranch to include in my recently released book, The New Retirement, 3rd edition (2022). First solar-powered town in the United States, and it will have about 50,000 residents when built out, Surrounded by a 73,000 acre preserve. The site was previously used for cattle ranching and tree farming.
When I visited, there were lots of people strolling around the square, an active Farmer's market, and lots of golfers on the course. Plenty of sidewalks and little parks scattered throughout. A variety of price points and over 50 miles of trails. The new high school recently opened (in addition to a K-8 school), and instruction is project-based.
And, it was already mentioned how well Babcock Ranch survived Ian.
If you're interested in a newer, self-contained, ecologically conscious town, close to - but not on - the water,it could fit the bill. Prices range from around $200,000 to more than a million, with a variety of housing styles, and rentals as well. (I am not a realtor nor have any stake in the place, just review lots of communities/areas for my book for those considering different places to live.)

Winslow Cohousing Group on Bainbridge Island, WA, is a great example of out of the box thinking. There are 30 self-sufficient units and a common house. The all ages community includes townhouses, duplexes, a fourplex, and the Carriage house with 6 flats of varied sizes. For those who like the idea of living close to other people and sharing common elements, cohousing can be a great idea. https://www.topretirements.com/reviews/Washington/Seattle/Winslow%20Cohousing%20Group.html

And, how about living on a ship? You' may have heard of the World, but there are other large residential ships under constrctuion, such as Somnio (scheduled to be launched in 2024). This "resdential superyatch" will have 39 apartments starting around $11 million. And, how about tiny homes/micro communities? You could check out Lakeshore in Oxford, Florida. Their tagline: "Live Large, Carry Less." There are also tiny home communities close to Hendersonville and Asheville, as well as Cedar Springs Tiny Village in New Paris, Ohio.

Jan Cullinane, The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Wiley, 2022)

This comment came from Phil concerning affordable communities:

Do you ever list communities, like The Villages in Florida, in the South West that cost $300,000 or less? It appears to me that you only list communities that exorbitant amounts of money for rich people only.

Phil

Hi Phil

Thanks for writing.

I think you will find that of the thousands of communities we have listed in our site, a good percentage of them could be considered affordable. You can use our advanced searches to screen for lower cost .

This link might also be helpful

https://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/how-to-find-an-affordable-55-community.html/

Thanks for visiting our site

John Brady
Topretirements.com