Anyone looking into or live in an active seniors community?

Parent Cafe
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One of my book club friends recently bought in a 55 plus community. She is pretty youthful and still working at a university. For her it was a financial decision. The 55 plus community was affordable. She had sold her regular condo and moved for a few years to another 55 plus community in a different part of the state. When she decided to return she could only afford the 55 community.

My sister-in-law recently bought a place in Sun City Palm Desert. She will rent it out but she liked all the amenities the community has. She felt even at 68 she felt like there were many peers who she connected with. Her and her partner are active but also very social. They liked the social aspect. They plan it as a 2nd home that they will also rent out.

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The age segregation of some of these huge CCRC’s positioned out of the way, so to speak, does concern me. It almost feels like warehousing in order to keep the truly elderly out of sight.

I lived in Little Italy for 15 years and I remember the old woman on my street who sat in the sun on a stoop, and we all said hello as we passed. Part of the community (and family).

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I think one of the reasons you see some of them separate from the community is that to build a newer development you need land. Preferably land that is cheap. When we drive to visit one of our kids we pass on the highway a good number of signs for new housing developments. Some advertising as 55 plus others single family or townhomes or some communities with a mix of types of dwellings. What they all have in common is the need for a vehicle. At least in most areas there isn’t room within the downtown corridors for larger scale new housing.

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Something like that might work for me if there was a house plan small enough
both for cost but also, I just don’t need more space than I’d have in a smallish apartment, but I do like the idea of my own casita and my own small green space outside the door and community activities to join in on.

Oddly, NYC actually does have its appeal, IF affordable
.and kinda close to a park? I do love the Highline but idk to what advanced age I could walk the stairs to access it. I was intrigued by an article in the NYT about a woman who moved to a modest apartment in Manhattan (from some beautiful bucolic suburban place) when she could no longer drive, or just felt too isolated
I’d say late 70s if memory serves, and is now mid-90s, going strong and living entirely independently. She walks and busses every day, volunteers at a museum something like twice per week, goes to cultural events, finds free or reduced-price things to do, uses a library card, carries her own groceries from nearby markets and delis, etc. She has a son on the west coast that she talks with just about every day. I don’t know, the noise level and hard pavements might be too much but, there’s something about NYC and feeling you’re in the pulse of humanity every day. At home, I resent things like noisy mowers and weed-wackers and construction tools
I want peace and quiet and nature but New York
.well, it’s a different sort of happy there


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If I had friends and family near, I could totally do that.

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Where is her community?

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I’m pretty sure my daughter will live there for at least a couple of years while when she finally finishes school, but she’s not convinced she would make a life there. I’ll likely hunker down where I am for a few years to see where her life is heading before making any big moves!

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@oldmom4896 may be willing to comment on what it’s like to stay young-at-heart in NYC!

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As I have posted before on many threads, I think NYC is a great place to grow old, especially (like me) with limited income and assets.

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My husband and I downsized and moved into a 55+ apartment. Although our building is age restricted, the other buildings in the same new development are not. I like that although my neighbors are older, I can still interact with people of all ages within the neighborhood. To me it is the best of both worlds. Also, the town is very walkable. I walk to the library, my yoga classes, the post office, the train station, etc.

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Orange County, California.

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I have been spending part of the year in the city (Cambridge). My car has 200k miles. I am thinking of giving up a car and living in the city full-time. My daughter is in Brooklyn near the park. I love it there. (Still have to meet @oldmom4806.) I walk and walk. One of my other kids is in the Boston area, and has bipolar 1 and some other challenges, which is keeping me here for now. I wish they would move to NYC too, then I would in a heartbeat!

ps @inthegarden I have tinnitus and noxacusis (hyperacusis that causes pain) and the leaf blowers etc. outside the city are torments. City noise does not bother me at all! I think background noise in the city is effectively white noise for me and hides other noises that might otherwise be a problem.

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it would be easy to live in Cambridge without a car. My daughter has lived in Boston for 13 years and never had a car.

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I currently live in a large city in the Midwest. I have posted many times that my neighborhood is very walkable. I walk to my yoga class, the gym, a lake ( could walk to another one) , parks, a movie theater, stores ( including a supermarket and pharmacy) coffee shops and restaurants, etc. I walk to get my hair done and my eye doctor. There is also public transportation and ride share. I could get by without a car.

I do own a car but don’t put many miles on it. Even driving in bad weather or with a lot of groceries etc. everything is very close.

My neighborhood is mostly single family homes ( it’s an old neighborhood, very pretty) but there are also duplexes, a few townhomes and several condo and apartment buildings. I am considering selling my home in the next few years and moving into one of the apartment buildings in the neighborhood.

There are a mix of ages in my neighborhood. Lots of seniors but also many young families. Many people walk or bike to get around. Kids walk to schools ( high school, public and Catholic elementary schools in the neighborhood).

The only downside is the cost. It is not cheap. And the winter is long and cold ( that one does not bother me).

But I think city living is not a bad thing for seniors.

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Yes I lived in Boston and Cambridge for years without a car. My first car was age 40. Once I had children we moved out of the city (not my choice) and I had to have a car.

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My son lived in Sommerville and Cambridge after college a few years without a car (though he had roommates with cars, helped for groceries). Rode his bike to work except for about 20 days/year, took public transportation on those worst weather days. Of course he was younger and hardier than most commuters.

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Older people use the T and get groceries delivered, also roller bags etc. I see really elderly folks out walking with their cane or walker. Of course, some of the communities have long hallways and connected buildings which also help to encourage walking.

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I have a cousin who sold the suburban house and car, moved to Brookline, lived into her 90’s and was independent until the week before she died. She said that once you realize that you don’t need 98 rolls of toilet paper in your garage, urban living in a place with public transportation is just much easier than driving everywhere. The cost of owning, insuring, maintaining a car (which people don’t think about if they’ve always owned a car) compared with the occasional taxi or zipcar when necessary
. the math was obvious. But it was more lifestyle than finances– theater without worrying “who still drives at night”, concerts 7 nights a week ranging from BSO to contemporary jazz, galleries, exhibits, etc. Her suburban life was doing this stuff occasionally when she could persuade a friend to venture downtown- her urban life was constantly on the go.

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We moved back to dh’s home state about a year and a half ago. We bought a two-story townhome with all bedrooms up. I asked about doing that here on CC, and many advised against it. So, now of course, we are going to be buying/building with a two bedrooms downstairs. Lol

Truth is, we knew this place would just be a placeholder for us. It was available and not that expensive. The good part is we have learned that we love our location. The developer will be building 130 single-family homes expanding our neighborhood significantly. 50 of those will be a, “pocket community,” where 80% of residents will be 55+, which is where we will be building. Yards are maintained as part of the HOA fees. It will be at the very back of the neighborhood. Homes are close together, but we don’t mind that.

I think this is a good middle ground for us. There is an elementary school a quarter of a mile away, so I know there will be young families in our neighborhood, but not in our immediate area. The 55+ section does not have its own pool, but will have its own community area, fire pit area, and pickle ball court.

We do keep upsizing, but I hope this will be our, “right-sizing,” at 2,300 sq ft. We will be able to live completely on our ground floor if necessary. This home won’t be forever, but I hope we can live there a nice, long time.

We can walk to some places - though things aren’t particularly, “close.” One mile to a grocery store. We are getting a cute coffee shop at the end of our row of townhouses next week!

After looking at and understanding the CCRC where my mil will be buying in, I can’t imagine that would be something we would ever choose. It’s like junior high out there! And, while I might want to have some distance from young kiddos, I don’t want to only be around old people.

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Does anyone? :joy:

But, of course, that’s saying we don’t want to be around only ourselves.

I get it, though. Same here.

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