55 Communities - Pros and Cons

I obsessed about moving to a senior complex and looked at some around St. Petersburg Fla. I am not a typical socialiser and do not enjoy the usual games or bingo. Boring. I have little in common with others, and seniors are no different. I agree with PackerJohn's point but you don't know the backgrounds of the residents until you move in. The management may not know or care. Also, there is reverse snobism that occurs when blue collar uneducated people do not want to associate with educated sophisticated residents. I have seen this many times. Nothing is wrong with the former. You can have more or less in common with both types. Personality matters, not occupation.
I don't know what to do or where to go any more. Exhausted with all the pros and cons.
 

We had the option of living in a senior community or typical neighborhood. Didn't much care for the thought that living where your neighbors have 1 foot in the grave , way to depressing . Happy living in a neighborhood where life goes on like were used to.
Stating that living in a senior setting with people that have "one foot in the grave" is a bit much. If you are 55 plus but run around like a teenager, then you might look silly but you wouldn't be young. You still will be 55 plus. I have stayed at several senior homes in the US where people enjoy the golfing behind their homes & the social events at the community center. Of course, these are gated communities & you have to have a bit of cash to buy into the establishment.

Regarding "happy living in a neighborhood where life goes on like we used to" I don't know about that. When we have a medical appointment we too "enjoy" life beyond our 55 plus condo. There we "enjoy" the rushing traffic, the fight for parking space, the bad music in the malls & restaurants, the massive advertising signs all over the streets & in some places crime. Am I talking about stress? Yup! I am talking about stress. At 60, 70, 80 years how much stress do you want & how much stress can your nerves & heart take? If you live long enough & know what is good for you you must decide, at some point, to downsize and relocate.

This argument can go on forever, because there are various factors to consider: your age, your health, your neighborhood, your financial status, your tolerance for noise, your expectations, your family & your friends. NOT ALL SENIORS HAVE "ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE". BUT I HAVE SEEN SOME 40 YEARS OLD THAT DO!
 
1 foot in the grave is a saying. I was just recognizing that older people die & living in a senior community is filled with older people. Making friends with people closer to death just not what we envisioned as the way to spend our last years.

At 79 I still hike, bike, work out 5 days a week but quit roller blading. That is to say I'm still active. As for stress I enjoy the way life thrives around me & helping neighbors with home repairs. A senior community may have it better points but for us downsizing from a 5 bedroom bi-level home on 8 acres of land to a 3 bedroom rancher in the heart of the city meets/exceeds what we envisioned as the way we wanted to enjoy our retirement years.

And yes different viewpoints is what the op asked for so that was the reason for my post.
 

I obsessed about moving to a senior complex and looked at some around St. Petersburg Fla. I am not a typical socialiser and do not enjoy the usual games or bingo. Boring. I have little in common with others, and seniors are no different. I agree with PackerJohn's point but you don't know the backgrounds of the residents until you move in. The management may not know or care. Also, there is reverse snobism that occurs when blue collar uneducated people do not want to associate with educated sophisticated residents. I have seen this many times. Nothing is wrong with the former. You can have more or less in common with both types. Personality matters, not occupation.
I don't know what to do or where to go any more. Exhausted with all the pros and cons.
We have friends that play cards a couple times each week but we never play cards. We like to think that we are active. Then there are those seniors that sit & watch TV all day. I guess that it is really worth your time to take time & study what sort of community you are buying into.
 
Janet and I are, almost always, the oldest folks at the events we attend, in Austin. It does get a bit annoying, in truth, and I wouldn't mind having a few more couples around who are our age.

That being said, I don't want to be surrounded by older folks. It just would feel odd, for us, I think.

Austin is a very young city, no doubt. (Median age is 31.8) As we look at cities in the higher elevations of Colorado, for our next move, we'll almost certainly be surrounded by younger folks, again. (Median age in Woodland Park is 43) We'll see how that goes.
 
Janet and I are, almost always, the oldest folks at the events we attend, in Austin. It does get a bit annoying, in truth, and I wouldn't mind having a few more couples around who are our age.

That being said, I don't want to be surrounded by older folks. It just would feel odd, for us, I think.

That's also true of us. Most people we know are younger, probably because we don't belong to any kind of social group that throws us in with people our own age. I have a few good friends my own age, and as a couple we've become quite close to two of the sets of our children-in-law's parents.

My husband doesn't enjoy playing cards or games like Pictionary, which is how a lot of people our age spend time together.
 
A relative who lives in a 55+ community stated that given the chance he wouldn't move into an older community again. His reasoning was that too many of the people have nothing better to do than degrade the current leadership, facilities, goverment, etc. etc. Basically they have too much time on their hands.

I've always thought a 55+ community would be quiet and safe. What are the thoughts of those who live in these communities?
We had one of those back home called Grand Oaks. It's a HUD housing village I guess you could call it. It started out as 55+ but, they weren't getting enough residents so they opened it up more but there were regulations we had to follow so it was quiet and safe and very peaceful. They did inspections every so often to make sure tenants were clean to keep the critters out. It was low income. I miss it.
 
We would not live anywhere but a 55+ community. When we moved into the first one in Arizona we were youngsters 59 and 60. We aged there for 14 years and then decided to return to Florida. We only considered 55+ communities.
People generally move in and age in place. It is fairly common leave to move in with grown kids or to go to assisted living. When their house/condo is vacant , "youngsters" will move in. The turnover goes on.
We know a lady that turned 100 last month. She is at one of our group meetings every week.
 
My ex lives in a "community with a HOA". Most of the homes were built in the late 80s. So most of the owners are in their late 60s-the kids are well out of the house . The HOA wants to turn the place into 55+. The homes are all 3-4 bedroom, 2-3 bath homes. If they go only 55+, who is going to buy them? What retired person wants that kind of home? Plus, you have the old biddy squad. They patrol the place, putting post-it notes all over. My ex got one , because her cat was looking out the window. She was fined for mowing her lawn 15 minutes before the allotted time. The HOA has a print out of the rules, it's over an inch thick. I guess if you want to live under a magnifying lens, with the old biddies-great. There are two factions of owners that are always fighting each other, and making idiotic rules. Both sides have lawyers. It's costing a fortune. Even if you aren't involved with the politics of the place, there's a "if you aren't with us- your against us" attitude. It kind of hostile, I think there's a huge difference in temporary communities (snowbirds), and when you have to live the rest of the year with them communities. I just couldn't live with that nonsense.

The more I thought about this, I decided I didn't want to be surrounded by just old farts, I want kids, too. Yup, loud , rambunctious kids- not old biddies.
 
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I didn’t move here because “I have one foot in the grave,” because I’ve been here, in this over 55 community, over twenty years. To suggest that is nuts. We love it here and was one of the best moves we ever made.

I'm with you on that Pappy ... I didn't move here (my senior apartment) to die either, but to enjoy life again!
And it has changed my whole outlook on life ... it's a sweet life w/o house issues, and so easygoing.
 
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In my area there seems to be "senior housing" pretty much apartments geared to the senior citizen population.
My distaste is with the "looky loos",who watches everyone,knows all their "business" and doesn't hesitate to gossip,truthfully or not.
This was the problem I had when I live in an old people's complex. You couldn't do anything without someone making comments or wanting to know all your business. As soon as I was able, I moved out.
 
I'm biased against those over 55 communities. I found them to be where old, embittered, budinskis live. Ask yourself, if you'd like to live in a community , where only 19-25 years old live, or only 29-49. Why limit the age group? If you don't have kids running around, it's a dead unnatural place. Are you that much of a fuddy duddy that you can't tolerate younger people? Are you that fragile that you can't live next to a younger human being?
 
I live in a 55 plus community, it's a Co-Op. Been there about 14 years now. I enjoy it, especially the Clubhouse activities.
I even was a director on the board of directors, held that spot for probably 10 years..

Lately what bugs me is no one wants to run for the director's, it's a co-op so everyone is part owner and should share. Seems like the same people year after year run the place. One other thing is renters, we have member's that pass away, their kids take over and rent the units out. You think the younger generation don't care about rentals, older people are as bad for care..

Our By laws are old, so the lawyer has them now, we needed to have changes made to not rent units..Even some of the buyers look to darn young, and when they move in we find out they still have young teens living with them.. Good thing we have a clause, no one under 16 years of age.. We do screen the new members, but somethings do slip by..

I like our Clubhouse, it has a fully functional kitchen and dining area, we have a upper room where you can just lounge around and read books from the library, or have a coffee from the mini bar, or play cards, or games, if your not into this, turn the 48 inch flat screen TV on. We have a basement unit where we have exercise equipment, or play pool, we also have a Olympic size outdoor heated pool.

All in all it's not bad, except I see my friends passing away one by one
 
I’m old & love living in my own apartment among a mixed age group. One of my grandsons in-laws who is 6 months younger than I and still has her own car like I do, About same mobility level, lives in a very plush retirement apt with fine dining, recreation activities &facilities etc.
Although I practice social distancing I am free to come & go, and associate with whom I choose, when I choose. her complex has just directed that it’s residents may not leave or have guests. She posted a picture of herself waving from her balcony. I surely wouldn’t want to trade places.
 
Although I practice social distancing I am free to come & go, and associate with whom I choose, when I choose. her complex has just directed that it’s residents may not leave or have guests. She posted a picture of herself waving from her balcony. I surely wouldn’t want to trade places.
Wow! Me either!!!
 
I think its a mixed bag. Some like it because it quiet and taxes are low..no school system to support.

My parents retired in Sun City Arizona many years ago after living all their lives in northern Minnesota. They loved it there. Visited them many times. I would not like it there...to many people ... no children...to hot in summer.
 
We live in the house we built in 1994, and I suppose we will be carried out of here someday. ZERO interest in any age-restricted community. We are not into scheduled "activities" but prefer to live life on our own terms. No need of any clubhouse; we have our own yard, patio and swimming pool. Our cul-de-sac is mostly the original home owners who moved in around the same time we did, so the children are grown and gone... though there are a couple of younger families that have moved in.

It's nice to live in a society where we have choices, because one size definitely does not fit all.
 
I posted about one senior place that had bugs but I have to say that there are numerous other senior places in my city that are okay as far as I know.
 
My aunt who is 83 lives in a retirement village in a smallish country community in a moderately mountainous coastal area - so she’s in a village within a village. Each resident has a small villa, 2-3 bedrooms. Ages range from late 60’s to late 90’s. All living independently with various aid according to their needs. Everyone is friendly and supportive of each other and the management are wonderful. There’s a community hall, cafe and swimming pool. A few minutes walk and you’re on the Main Street of this pretty town, with cafes, restaurants, supermarket and medical centres.
We researched this place thoroughly for her, the villa was a bargain price and the fees are very reasonable. She says it’s the best move she made in her life.
Just saying this because there are great success stories for retirement living out there as long as you do your homework.
 
I haven't tried living in a senior community but given the chance, I might. I just want to surround myself with positive people ~ the ones with a zest for life. I believe you're as old as you think and feel, it's all in the mind. However, it's important to take care of ourselves, even if we're blessed with good genes.

I strive to live with as little material baggage as I can to allow me to go anywhere I want to.
 
I thought I was resolute in my decision to stay in my home until I can't manage things on my own. I cherish the freedom of having a home but it comes with responsibilities and costs. I'm starting to entertain thoughts of perhaps moving into a retirement community sometime in the next 10 years (I'm 64 now) before I HAVE to move into one. It's something I think about at least once a day.
 
I thought I was resolute in my decision to stay in my home until I can't manage things on my own. I cherish the freedom of having a home but it comes with responsibilities and costs. I'm starting to entertain thoughts of perhaps moving into a retirement community sometime in the next 10 years (I'm 64 now) before I HAVE to move into one. It's something I think about at least once a day.
My wife and I are planning to move into one. I am 77 and she is 70, we expect to make the move within a couple of years. There seems to be a wide variation in retirement communities.
 


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