Category: Active adult communities
Updated Sept. 2023 -- In the real world not retiree is looking for a community where the list of amenities goes on and on - big clubhouses, fancy golf courses, pickleball pavilions, hundreds of clubs, activity directors, marinas, etc. Although the amenities are what attract many retired people, many people just simply don't want these extras, especially if it means paying for something they don't tend to use.
That's exactly what Pamela was looking for a few years ago when she wrote to Topretirements with this request: “Please consider writing an article for people who don’t want to live in an amenity-rich community, and how frustrating it is trying to buy a home because that’s all that is being built? I’d love your perspective on this dilemma and any suggestions you may have." Pamela wrote a lot more to explain her issue and asked for input from us and her fellow Members. Wow, then, the Comments rolled in - 60 in all! (Here is the link to that post). We are going to include a representative sample of those Comments here, along with Pamela's final thoughts after seeing what everyone one on this site had to say. In the end her question provided one of the most interesting discussions on this site of all time. We hope you enjoy it, and that it generates even more suggestions!
Amenity-lite suggestions
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Published on August 1, 2021
Comments 14
Category: Baby Boomer Retirement Issues
Note: This article has been updated to include vote totals as of August 10. However, you may still take the poll and the results will continue to change. August 4, 2021 — There seems to be more than a good natured rivalry going on with the baby boomer generation vs.
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Published on August 3, 2021
Comments 4
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
August 10, 2021 -
(Note: This is an update to our 2018 article on "The Best 10 States for Retirement", which generated almost 100 interesting comments).
One good way to determine the best state for retirement is is to look at which states retirees are moving to. SmartAsset.com analyzed US Census Bureau data to explore which states have the highest retirement age net migration - the number of people age 60 and over moving into a state minus the number moving out. In effect, it is a measure of how people voted with their moving vans. Here is what SmartAsset came up with when examining data from 2019: (T indicates a state with no income tax)
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Published on August 9, 2021
Comments 42
Category: Retirement Real Estate
August 13, 2021 — The median sales price of single-family existing homes rose in 99% of metro areas in the second quarter of 2021 compared to one year ago. And those increases were not small – there were double-digit price gains in 94% of markets measured by the NAR. Continued…
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Published on August 13, 2021
Comments 14
Category: Active adult communities
August 17, 2021 -- There are active adult communities everywhere, and most have all kinds of great activities and amenities. And then there are the really large active communities, those with almost 10,000, or even over 130,000 residents. As for the popularity of really large communities, The Villages, the grandaddy of all, just showed up (again) as the fastest growing Metro in the U.S. So obviously, they are doing something right for a certain segment of the population.
These super communities offer a truly amazing variety of amenities and lifestyle options. Many have hundreds of clubs and a dizzying number of choices for non-stop activities every day. The problem there is not finding something to do on a given day, rather it is narrowing down the choices.
Exact figures are hard to come by, but we estimate that there are at least 10 active communities in the eastern U.S. with more than 10,000 residents. If you know of some that we have overlooked, please let us know about them! Because of their size they feature a range of recreational and social options that smaller communities generally cannot provide. Here are some of what they typically offer:
– Wide choice of sports suitable for all ages of retirees (multiple golf courses and tennis courts, swimming pools, softball, pickleball, bocci, etc.)– Active social program with planned events on a daily schedule– Wide array of clubs to match many different interests. Sometimes there are hundreds of different clubs– Planned activities to enjoy such as crafts, woodworking, arts, singing, theater, etc.– Classes and opportunities for life-long learning on campus– Clubhouses, community centers, ballrooms, and performance venues that bring people and talent together– Many of these communities have restaurants, stores, medical facilities, etc. on the premises- Golf carts are usually permitted on internal roads - many people rely on them for their daily transportation needs- Not all of the communities we list here are exclusively for adults 55+. Some are open to residents of all ages and even have schools for the children that live there. But some have distinct 55+ neighborhoods within them.
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Published on August 17, 2021
Comments 6
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
August 23, 2021 — A successful retirement should be fun! After all, what was the point of all of those years of hard work and saving. Even more so, it is hard to be a grumpy old man (or woman) if you live in a place where fun is all…
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Published on August 23, 2021
Comments 0
Category: Family and Retirement
August 24, 2021 — The assumption has always been that you would bring up your children and they would go on to raise their own families. Empty nesting and retirement would follow for you, bringing relaxation and less stress. But for the 2.3 million baby boomers who are raising an…
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Published on August 24, 2021
Comments 0
Category: Retirement Planning
August 30, 2021 — We’re curious – if you had to pick one, most important reason why you would pick a place to retire (or already did), what would that be? We realize most people probably have several overlapping criteria that go into their decision, but if you had to…
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Published on August 29, 2021
Comments 22
