Did you know that North Carolina surpassed Florida as the #1 Retirement State in the country several years back?  And, to add to that, that Raleigh ranked as the #4 "Best Place to Retire" and the # 3 "Best Place to Reinvent Yourself?"  To view the complete article from AARP click here.  

So what makes the Triangle area so appealing for Active 55+ Seniors? 

• Great housing
• Nice weather
• Low crime rate
• High standard of living
• Great hospitals
• Excellent transportation to the airport w/little congestion
• Interstate Highways
• Amtrack railway system that connects the East Coast
• Location, Location, Location - We are an our and a half to the beach and the mountains are about three hours away
• **Photo of Seniors in the Park courtesy of Flicker**

One overlooked resource that helps keep Seniors active in this area and is a huge benefit to the community is the Cary Senior Center.  The goal of the Cary Senior Center is to provide quality leisure activities and serves to all adult ages 55 and older.  The activities are designed to enrich, inform, entertain, and educate the lives of the Town of Cary citizens. 

The Cary Senior Center is located within Bond Park on High House Road. The facility is a 17,000 square foot building with a ballroom, courtyard gazebo, conference room, classroom, an arts and crafts room an exercise room, and a media room.  This facility offers more than 1,500 programs for seniors!!!

If you're still interested read more about some of the local communities geared toward Active 55+ Seniors in Cary:

• Carolina Preserve at Amberly - The amenity rich community opened up just last Spring and has sold over 400 homes with over 200 closed.   Clients that I've taken to this community are really excited about the sense of community.  The club house will be the central gathering place for the neighborhood and is scheduled to open in late November.  When complete, the community will have about 1,200 homes.  A Del Webb community, they are now pre-selling for delivery in October 2008. 
• Searstone - This community is located in the heart of Cary across the street from my office!!  This neighborhood will offer the New Urbanist lifestyle that allows residents to be able to walk to restaurants, shopping, health care, and more.  The community is scheduled to be completed between late 2009 and 2010. 
• Glenaire - This retirement community is well established and offers independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing to its residents.  This facility offers a more traditional retirement arrangement.  However, Gleanaire offers lots of activities and outings for its residents and even has an activities director onsite. 

For more information visit my "Top 10 List for Active Adult Communities in the Triangle"

Here are some additional Senior Resources that you might enjoy:

Links to Seniors Resources for Your Reference:

• Seniors Resource Guide
• SAREC
• Long Term Care Planning - Price Quotes
• Medicaire
• AARP
• Talking w/Parents about Health Coverage
• Kiplinger's Your Family Records Organizer
• Area Agencies on Aging
• The Five Wishes
• Reverse Mortgage
• Helpful Seniors Links - Nationwide