What it Means to Live in an Active Lifestyle Community

The concept of living out your retirement in a sedentary fashion, playing bridge on the weekends and whittling wood on the porch is long since outdated. Thanks to active Baby Boomers, the new norm is to treat retirement as an opportunity to pursue the fun and exciting lifestyle working adults simply don’t have time for.

This has led to the growth of active lifestyle communities, including Hendersonville, NC communities that cater to seniors looking to kick off their retirement in a setting that offers abundant opportunities to remain active. What can retirees expect when they start looking into active adult communities in North Carolina? Here’s what it means to live in an active lifestyle community.

Opportunities to Downsize

By the time you reach the age of retirement, and often before, there’s a good chance your kids will be out of the house, living their own lives and starting their own families. As a result, you may find yourself juggling the burdens of maintaining a home much larger than what you need.

Whether you’re looking to downsize, retire, or both, it might be time to think about what your future holds and where you might want to live out your days as an active older adult. If your future plans include moving to a small mountain town in search of a slower pace of life and the opportunity to meet new people that share your station in life, you’ll find North Carolina mountain real estate for sale that meets your distinct needs.

Active lifestyle communities are generally age-restricted to homeowners 55 and older, with properties designed for seniors who no longer need tons of square footage and myriad bedrooms to accommodate children, and who no longer want the burden of maintaining a large, older home. While you’ll still own your home, many active lifestyle communities offer low-maintenance exteriors and services through an HOA so that residents only have to worry about interior upkeep.

Access to Physical Activities

These communities tend to feature amenities like pools, parks, walking trails, tennis courts, and other facilities designed for active pursuits. In many ways, they’re similar to what you might find in gated communities, but they’re geared toward seniors that have different wants and needs than, say, parents with young children.

Active lifestyle communities don’t tend to feature amenities like dining, shopping, entertainment options, or healthcare facilities on-site, unlike some senior accommodations, but they’re often situated near such amenities for the convenience of residents.

The Camaraderie of Retirement Living Communities

As we get older, it can become more difficult to meet new people and make friends in our age group or stage of life. As kids we meet plenty of peers at school. As adults, we make friends through college, the workplace, and even through parenthood, as we enroll our own children in school and meet other parents.

After a certain age, however, it becomes harder and harder to make new friends. That all changes when you enter an active lifestyle community. Not only are you moving to a community where everyone is over 55 and familiar with the stage you’re at in life, but the vast majority of people looking to join such communities are doing so with the goal of forging lasting friendships.

This creates a certain sense of camaraderie that is only furthered by access to activities that encourage socialization. Joining an active lifestyle community provides no shortage of opportunities to engage in active pursuits within the community, opening door to new relationships along the way. Whether you meet your neighbors out walking dogs or you join others at the pool or tennis courts, this type of community facilitates friendly interactions with other residents.

Beautiful Homes in the Mountains

When you start looking for North Carolina mountain homes for sale, you’ll be pleased to discover active lifestyle communities that make the most of this beautiful region with scenic vistas that greet you every time you walk out the door. As an active older adult, you’ll have access not only to parks and trails within the community, but all the natural beauty surrounding the area, including national forests complete with waterfalls and abundant foliage.

With four lovely seasons to enjoy and temperate weather conditions, there are plenty of reasons to choose North Carolina as a retirement destination and living on the edge of a small town that offers dining, entertainment, and community spirit rounds out the checklist. If you’re an older adult that still has a lot of life to live and you want to do it with people your own age who have similar interests, it’s time to discover the many benefits of active lifestyle communities.