I’m in my 30s and I already live in a 55+ community (unrestricted, obviously, but almost everyone is old). It’s fabulous. Lots of activities in the clubhouse, a pool, lawn service, friendly neighbors, and no screaming kids unless someone’s grandkids are visiting.
I don’t think we could ever leave and go to Florida, though, no matter how nice the weather is. We settled at home.
I don’t fit in the poll. I’ve never lived near my adult children/grandchildren and have no intention of ever doing so. It’s not that I don’t love them, but you couldn’t pay me to live in Wisconsin or even MSP. I traveled all my working life. The last 11 years of it were in Anchorage, and we couldn’t see ourselves retiring there. I hate Florida and Arizona with a purple passion that is only exceeded by my hatred of golf. Also, those retirement communities are my idea of giving up. I’m staying in my Portland bungalow until they carry me out feet first.
I recently turned 60, but I regard it as a joke: I don’t feel anywhere near that old, I don’t look that old, nobody believes I’m that old.
Besides, the Firebug turns 7 this summer. We’re not moving out of our house until after he goes off to college, at the soonest.
I don’t anticipate our moving out of our house until it becomes unsafe for one or both of us to navigate the stairs. For me, I’m thinking that’s 25 years off; my wife, despite being younger, may reach that point sooner.
My father (88 years old) and his wife are in a retirement community about an hour away from us. It kinda looks like fun; they’ve got movies and wine-tastings and other activities of all sorts. It looks like being in college, only without the course work, and with nice apartments instead of dorm rooms.
OTOH, the community they’re in is populated by old people - practically everybody looks like they’re over 80, rather than merely over 55 or 65, and I’d bet no more than 20% of their current residents will still be alive in 10 years.
It would be more fun to be in a community of people who were of a certain age, but many were still fit enough to go do stuff like hike or swim or play tennis or go bicycling. I have no idea whether such places exist, but that would be my ideal for a retirement community.
As a clarification on “keep the kids”, I mean not just your own grandkids, but all the neighborhood kids.
As folks might have guessed: I’m in the “stay put, and have all generations in the neighborhood” crowd. Not just my own kids (though I sincerely doubt we’ll ever be empty-nesters - my kids both have issues), but I like seeing people of all ages.
That said, I could see myself downsizing - our house would be a bit much to take care of in 15 years, and we don’t use the yard much anyway, so a nice condo or whatever has a certain appeal. But anything specifically 55+, or one of those continuing-care places (where you can go from apartment to assisted to nursing home) - no way. Shoot me first, please.
Of course I reserve the right to change my mind in 10 years :D.
My folks moved to a 55+ community about 17 years ago. All they do now is complain about the neighbors and the board that runs the place.
That’s awesome! You ought to put that out on Facebook.