Village Hearth Cohousing, Durham, North Carolina
This LGBTQ-focused, 55-plus community opened in May 2020. The cottages have large porches and are arranged around a central lawn. A 2,600-square-foot common house encourages neighbors to gather. Half of the residents are LGBTQ, and the majority of the others have a friend or family member who is LGBTQ. About 75 percent of residents moved here from other states.
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Lasell Village, Newton, Massachusetts
The retired residents living at Lasell University have to enroll in 450 hours of learning each year. That’s about nine hours a week, with a choice of undergraduate and graduate academic courses, fitness classes, community activities and cultural programs.
Courtesy NoHo Senior Art Colony
NoHo Senior Arts Colony, North Hollywood in Los Angeles
This retirement community for residents 62 and older offers classes in acting, scriptwriting, choir and visual arts. It shares a building with a theater, home to the Road Theatre Company. “Opportunities to discover your passion, creativity and skills are wonderful in the second 50 years of life — when you have time to explore yourself and ask yourself, what is your legacy?” says Nancy Goodhart, chief operations officer of EngAGE, which runs the programs.
Courtesy Adawehi Wellness Village
Adawehi Wellness Village, North Carolina
Residents of this community, set on 125 acres of woodlands, take classes in yoga, personal growth, tai chi, drumming and other disciplines. Holistic practitioners offer acupressure, massage, chiropractic care, astrology readings, reflexology and colon hydrotherapy. The property also has an organic grocer, a gym, gardens and greenhouses.
Courtesy Modern Granny Flat
An ADU in Southern California
When Gaye Howorth, 78, lived in Texas, she saw her 11-year-old grandson once or twice a year. Now that she lives in a small house in her daughter’s backyard, she sees him every day. “I am so thrilled that I get to be a part of his life,” the retired educator says. Accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, have become increasingly popular in high-cost areas. Howorth had her 726-square-foot ADU built in 2018 for $200,000.
ShantiNiketan, a home for Indian Americans in Central Florida
ShantiNiketan is the brainchild of Iggy Ignatius, who decided that Indian immigrant boomers like himself would be drawn to a community designed for them. Food, he said, was the one of the biggest issues for observant Hindu retirees. “They want Indian vegetarian food,” says Ignatius, 66. They also “want to live with people of their own origins, talking in their native language.” The community’s large kitchen prepares only vegetarian Indian food. Instead of swimming and shuffleboard, the complex has yoga and Hindu prayer rooms. Today, there are three ShantiNiketan communities in Tavares, Florida — two across the street from each other and another 4 miles away that opened in 2018 and will finish construction in 2024. The 1,200-square-foot attached villas at the newest location cost around $250,000, with $300 a month in association dues.
Ronda Kaysen is a freelance journalist and New York Times contributor who reports on housing and real estate.
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