I am not fond of age related communities but I would like to make a suggestion. Start looking at towns that have colleges. In this area many have the social activities that you are looking for especially those that have strong arts programs and probably it is similar in Florida. If you want to live in a community with similar aged residents my suggest would not be a good fit for you.

I’m not quite a senior, but take my mom over to our local community rec/senior center, which has a LOT of very well attended senior activities and classes. Also, there’s a YMCA nearby, with senior stuff going on. I’ve seen dances, bus trips to casinos and attractions, nature hikes, computer classes, bridge, yoga, etc etc. I am not in Florida, but near San Diego. Maybe look for proximity to this type of situation, or bigger communities.

When I've been to or nearby any of several over-55 developments in my state, all have seemed to be relatively animated with a lot going on. A neighbor/friend couple we know moved to one a few hours away to get to a lower cost of living area, and that one seems to be pretty active too. Many of the better ones have golf courses, that's a lure for some.

Many people from the Midwest and East Coast want to retire to Florida to escape cold winters, state income tax and to benefit for the lower cost of living. Lots of areas and developments to choose from.

If you keep looking, I'm sure you'll find somewhere suitable. Neither these communities nor Florida ring a bell for me. Most of our friends and colleagues in this area tend to stay where they are at retirement. Personal choices, personal tastes. Good luck.

We visited 8 or 9 Asst Lvg facilities when we were looking for a place for my MIL. It was interesting how different they all were in "feeling". There were a couple of facilities that felt highly social, and we picked one of them for MIL as she needed that social interaction.

Keep looking, but be sure to make multiple visits to your list of finalists. We made four visits to our #1 choice over six months' time before actually moving MIL in.

Curious what time of year you visited these places? My parents had a condo in Fort Myers for 18 years -- it wasn't 55 and older, although most of the owners were. It was very active during "the season" but come mid-April most people went "home" (aka north) or didn't come outside again until October because it's so darn hot. But... bingo, pot lucks all of that stopped for the extended summer.

And I am going to add they absolutely loved it there and met so many wonderful friends. I can't imagine what their retirement years would have been like being stuck in the cold, white north all winter.

tropidale, I became familiar with Sun City Hilton Head when I lived in that area. That community was hoppin', I assure you. There were numerous clubs, classes, college courses, they took trips together, bicycles were the favored mode of transportation within the community. I taught a ten week plant ID course out there, and thirty or more people showed up every single week!

It was still pretty new when I was there, I'm sure that it has grown successfully since then.

One thing we observed with my mother’s community is that it filled up relatively quickly when it was built. At that point in time, it was predominantly 55-70, still active. But everyone aged, and as people passed away, the people buying in after them would be more likely to match the then-current age of residents. Thus it drifted towards more people in their 70s and 80s.

For our friends and us, in our 60s, we're not looking at retirement cities. We’re looking at continuing care communities where we live, outside of Boston (or other major cities). That way, we can create friendships with other new neighbors but not be dependent on them for our activities. We happen to be choosing continuing care because we have no kids, but I think the same could work for regular over 55 communities.

In other words, we’re not going to move away from old friends, just creating opportunities for new ones.

Thanks all, We did visit Sun City Hilton Head in June and were quite impressed. I actually met a few 80 year olds that I would be happy to try and keep up with, and I'm only 66. Seemed like a nice place to meet people and learn new things. I have heard the caution about the aging of residents as communities age. But I guess we won't sweat that. I expect that eventually the ages become more mixed and diverse. I believe the most important concern to us is the maintenance and renewal of a community once it is built out and in the hands of the HOA. We visited one older Sun City, and much of it was really going to seed badly. And they had no plans for renewal. We aren't so financially well off that we can disregard property values. If we make a move I will report back. May be a year or so.

My parents retired in 1986 to what was then called Leisure World and is now called Laguna Woods.

My parents were ex-New Yorkers and quite cosmopolitan - took advantage of the cultural amenities in New York City.

They were about 66 when they bought their condo and absolutely loved the experience. The community is so large and diverse that almost any interest was satisfied - there were some college courses taught on-site but it was an easy drive to the Community College where they took course. My father took up golf and played badly but enjoyed it. There are all kinds of interest groups and facilities for crafts, wood working - multiple ways to keep fit etc. including lovely walking trails.

They had been considering Florida but realized that as they got older they wouldn't be able to physically handle moving to a more temperate climate in the summer and they couldn't deal with a Florida summer. Southern California really has more of an all year round climate - in winter there were people from Canada and cold climes and in summer there were the sun birds from Arizona escaping the desert heat.

With regard to age, because of the sheer size of Laguna Woods, the age is quite diverse and so it is not all one age as sales are staggered as this point. They had friends of all ages (at least in terms of those above retirement age).

Upkeep was not an issue - my parents continually raved about the great landscaping and how the maintenance people came quickly if there were issues of any kind.