The Best of Both Worlds

Retired middle school teacher Dorrie Greeley doesn't enjoy cold weather. Ice and snow are nice, she says, but only on Christmas cards. So when this "60-something" frequent traveler went down to Florida a few years ago, she fell in love with the climate. Now Greeley and her husband Quentin, an attorney, split their time between Adams Farm, an active adult community in Shrewsbury, and a condo on the ninth hole of Cedar Hammock Golf Club in southwest Florida. "It's the best of both worlds," says Greeley. "My duplex here in Massachusetts has an open layout that reminds me of Florida, and in Florida we soak up the sun and meet people from all over."

Greeley is typical of the baby boomer population, the 75 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. A sedate, quiet retirement is the last thing on their minds. This active, independent generation looks at aging as a welcome stage of life. "This is an exciting and fun time," says Greeley. "People say, 'Dorrie, are you getting bored?' But the days go quickly." Housing developers have responded to the aging of the largest generation in U.S. history with a surge in age-restricted "active adult communities," developments limited to residents 55 years of age or older.

One recent study by the Citizen's Housing and Planning Association showed that more than 24,000 units of age-restricted developments have been built or are in the construction stages in Massachusetts. "When they say 'active' community, it's true," says Gloria Abu, 81, who, with her husband Michael, sold her longtime home in Framingham seven years ago for a small townhouse at Southborough Meadows. "Everybody seems to keep really busy."

Many New England snowbirds have traditionally divided their time between a home in the Boston area, where they can be close to their children, and someplace that offers winter sunshine. The residents of active adult communities are no different, except that the no-maintenance lifestyle makes it easier to just lock the door and leave, without worrying about security or upkeep during long absences. Elinor Ginzler, director for livable communities in the Office of Social Impact at AARP, says that residents in over-55 communities who split their time between the warm climates and New England "get the best of both worlds. That's what's appealing about being in this housing niche; it makes it easier to do both."

The Abus exemplify this trend. Although they owned a home in Florida for many years, they now "flit about" in January and February, visiting friends and family around the U.S. for extended periods, with visits to Palm Desert, Calif.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and most recently, Las Vegas, Nev., and Huntington Beach, Calif. "It's a nice life on the West Coast," says Abu, who, along with her husband, owned a series of restaurants in the Boston area. "We never have to use the heat or air conditioning when we stay with my son, who has a place right on the beach." Whether at home in their New England active adult community or traveling in warmer climes, most snowbirds like the Abus are extremely social, enjoying camaraderie with peers.

Greeley says she spent years in closely knit neighborhoods, but as an empty nester, she wanted to move into a place where there was no history among families on the street; she preferred a blank slate. She was only the first or second person on Independence Lane in Adams Farm and has watched as homes were constructed and new residents moved in. "As an empty nester, I found old friends moving in different directions; my life was changing," she says. "I wanted to downsize, explore new vistas, and make new friends."

When she went to Florida for the winter, Greeley also found a fresh start in Naples' vibrant community. With her husband Quentin working, she was alone but had plenty of invitations for dinner and golf outings from couples and single woman alike. "I'd get calls, 'We're going out to eat; come with us.' I never felt isolated."

Proximity is important to snowbirds; the direct flights from Boston to Florida make travel easy. Florida's affordable real estate is another attractive feature of this way of life. With Massachusetts' baby boomer incomes higher than many in other regions of the nation, snowbirds are also buying and renting second homes in other markets such as the Carolinas and Arizona, and even in foreign locations like Mexico or Costa Rica.

But no matter where retirees live, whether it's New England or the Gulf Coast (or both), Ginzler of the AARP says the most important thing is proximity to friends and families. "That's the reason that people move or stay. They want to be near the people they care about."