Floridian wants to be a snowbird
 

I have lived all of my life in Florida and now that I am retired I would like to fly north for the summers. I would love a Villages in the Northeast area, but I know it does not exist. Any suggestions on where I should look? I love the Maine upper northeast part, but I'm open to suggestions. I would like an active retirement community. Thanks!

Evidently you are financially able live your dream! A good furnace, thermostat, protected water pipes and a person on staff to shovel your Roof are just a few of your future expenditures! Go for it, life is too short

If you plan to be somewhere north for 3-4 months consider renting instead of buying. This would give you the opportunity to see if you enjoyed the area and determine if it would justify the cost of purchasing vs renting.

Our neighbor rents on a lake in New Hampshire. Weather is in the 70s.

I’m from PA - I wouldn’t but a single family home - too much to worry about when you are down here. Buy a condo or rent an apartment.
OR, just rent a place for the summer.
As far as where - all depends on what you like to do. Golf/boating/fishing/etc.
There are no “villages of the north” - but plenty of good alternatives.

The great Chesapeake Bay in Virginia! Country living, boating, beaches and golf. Check out some properties at Northern Neck & Chesapeake Bay Realty | Horsley Real Estate | We handle all of your Real Estate needs. Never hurts to take a look.

Rent, its not worth worrying about another house while you're down here, especially during the winter months.

Thanks for your replies, but only a few of you have mention where. That is my question, don't worry about my finances I have worked since age 12 and have no children. I'm also used to stress. I owned several businesses and strive quite well from it. Where is my northeastern Utopia?

Another vote for you to RENT. I only know the East Coast and homes are at a premium right now.

I would suggest you try renting through one of the Suite Hotels, i.e. Embassy Suites, Raddison, and there are more. You will get a decent room and kitchenette, probably a balcony or outside sitting area, a pool and maid service.

If you want to be on the water you have to book way ahead.

I’m also a Floridian which is why i bought in the Villages. My parents live in Lake County, outside of TV. I wanted to be closer. Why don’t you rent in areas that look interesting to you. Like the upper northeast part of Maine for a summer, then try another place maybe Vermont? For a summer. And so on…. Until you find your place. I personally love NYC so I’d be looking for something close so I could train into the city when the urge hit me. Good luck!:welcome:

There are at least 2 locations that are similar to TV, but not quite in the Northeast. Lakeside Chataqua in Lakeside, OH and the Chataqua in Western NY state have lifestyle & activities very similar to TV but on a smaller scale. My sister goes to the Ohio one every summer and I just visited there. You can rent. Other Villagers (don't know their names) live there during the summer.

LOL! a post about where and the responses are about how. . .

Although the Northeast is a place, there are many, many places for a snowbird summer
We are from New england, both families here since the 1630's . . .

Maine is nice, choices are along the ocean, very cool water, Moody or Old Orchard, or rural wooded and lakes inland
New Hampshire is nice, choices are less rural wooded and lakes inland, some hiking, very small ocean front
Vermonth is the same as New Hampshire but less lakes and more trees and less people, land locked
MA has Cape Cod, ocean, sandy beaches, option of warm or cool water, Bay side warm, Atlantic side cool

I don't know exactly for what you are looking, however, I would also look at

Prince Edward Island, Canada,
Michigan for lakes and fishing, golfing,
Upstate New York 1000 islands
Utah/Colorado mountain /Park City, Sun Valley, ski towns, white water rafting, hiking
Montana/Wyoming camping in Yellowstone, much more rural

For three months, I would pick one of these options per year. . .

Our summer snowbirding is in an RV trailer, to visit NE relatives/ grand children/neices/nephews and then onto the Canadian and Western locations as this country has some wonderful National Parks. . . pick up a book on National parks, and read about them and pick a few around the country to visit the area. . . and living there for 3 months JUL through SEP would be ideal to learn about most of the area. . .

Yes, I have done the RV with and without kids for 4 weeks and 2 weeks. . it was wonderful to see many parts of the country very, very different than either FL or the NE

travelin guy

Google Del Webb communities. They are all over. Connecticut has a Del Webb community. Delwebb.com good luck!

We know what you won't find up north: the Villages, or anything like it. You know this too.

No one can answer your question, since you don't mention a single detail about what you DO want, and what you ARE willing to do.

The north has snow in the winter. It has ice storms, power outages, wind damage to property, branches that need to be picked up, driveways to plow/shovel. In some areas, it needs the oil tank to be maintained, and in other areas you might need the septic company to drain the tank every so often. And then the well water might need service. Access from the street to your utilities even in 10 feet of snow drifts is required.

Those are all things you need to either be willing to do, or willing to hire someone to do as needed.

Now that you have what you MUST be willing to do out of the way, what features are you looking for?

Do you want a basement? A townhouse? A senior apartment building? What kind of area? Suburb within 10 minutes of the nearest shopping mall? City where the local coffee shop is down the elevator 2 floors? A farm on the outskirts of town? A fancy double-wide modular home in an upscale senior trailer park? One floor, two floors? Do you need access to a clubhouse? An indoor pool? Golf course? Near/on the beach?

Are you looking into New England? New York? Ohio?

You need to know what you're looking for, so people can help you narrow it down.

In the early 1970a when visiting my aunt and uncle in Winterhaven I got to know a couple local businessmen in their early sixties. They had motorhomes and took off during the summer months every year. That might be a good way to start, see the country a piece at a time. It is vast, beautiful and variant. During the years my children were growing up we owned a series of three motorhomes and took them all over the country and into both Canada and Mexico. We had some incredible experiences!

just bring lots & LOTS of $$$$$$$

Some googled options
 

New England being settled for 300+ years, has a different land use than FL, much less farming, and much more residential, so condo developments are best near where there are activities you find interesting.

Just some quick options for a summer of northern activities

Wyoming Dude Ranches - ResortsandLodges.com

Mt. Washington Valley NH Condos For Sale | Select Real Estate buy and use during summer, rent out during the winter ski season

New England style retirement villages. . easy drive to Cape Cod, Boston, Providence and Newport, RI

Symington Woods - The Pinehills

just for options,
Active Life - RiverWoods Retirement Community


good luck

More insight of my wants and needs. I have 2 small dogs and will always have a dog. :-). Love those little guys. Ideally, I would love what The Villages have here; a Courtyard Villa up in the Northeast area. I traveled all of the USA and World while I was younger. I'm a homebody now and do not want to rent and do not want to travel. I want to be where the action is, no Green Acres Life for me. Someone mentioned they wanted more info of my needs. This is it in a nut shell.............an active retirement community but in the northeast. I will find it. Stop telling me how much work a winter home is and all the negative remarks. I'm not afraid of work and I know the negative already. This is my dream, can we make it a little more positive please.........love you and thanks for all the replies.

Check out the Jersey Shore, beautiful beaches, lots of great restaurants. A few miles inland has a lot of retirement communities, especially in Ocean County.

Run an internet search for 55+ communities in Maine []55+ communities in maine at DuckDuckGo - there are a few - but not so much in your desired location - but your desired location does offer several retirement communities without the 55+ designation.

We love the Cumberland/Oxford County areas - Bridgton specifically - which has a small 55+ community there. We love Bridgton because it has 1 traffic light, a Police Dept, a Hospital with Urgent Care Center, 3 gas stations, 2 grocery stores. a Country Club with 18 hole golf course, an active senior center and community, a ski center [Shawnee Peak] several lakes/ponds, a farmer's market and 2 organic farms that sell to the public, 5 Fields Farm that offers the best apples/cider in the Fall, a full blown hardware store and best of all a Reny's department store! And don't let me forget its restaurants from Chinese to Southwest to steak house and Italian, too! We love the 30 minute drive to the tax free shopping in N. Conway [read Walmart and the outlets and more outlets] and we enjoy an occasional ride on the Conway RR and along the Kangamagus Hgwy in any season. Driving in the other direction takes us to the Oxford Casino/hotel in Oxford, Maine also home to stock car racing at the Oxford Plains Speedway. Bridgton is about a 45-60 min drive up from the Portland airport - no shuttle service that I'm aware of. We are also about an hour and a half drive from LL Bean in Freeport if we don't find what we want in the N.Conway outlet store! If you decide to go the single family lifestyle - there are lots of folks making their living from the property maintenance business. And no - I do not work for their Chamber of Commerce! lol We own a home next door in Denmark, ME - a bit more sleepy than Bridgton!

take a look at Plymouth Massachusetts...or Cape Cod

NAH! It is NOTHING like Maine [except for the Old Orchard Beach area], and it already has too much traffic! There is little to enjoy here in the summer unless one has a front porch from which to watch traffic and tourists - which we have! lololol

John41...Rent on a lake
 

Where? :) 70's sound great during the summer!

There’s a place called Leisure Village in Ridge, NY. It’s on the north shore of Long Island, near Brookhaven. Many years ago friends of my parents retired there and loved. But I have no idea what it’s like now. Looks like it only has resales now.

DUNSTAN CROSSING | A Chamberlain Homes Community in Scarborough, Maine

Drove through this development yesterday. Looks nice. I believe it is homes, condos and apartments and it is in Maine just below Portland.

I regularly wonder why people ask this sort of question. We do not know you. We are ex-New Yorkers. You could rent an apartment in New York City. New York City has everything including Florida tourists blocking up the place when we were trying to get to work.

West Virginia
 

Check out Alta Vista West Virginia.... mountains and a lake. I know some who live there and it's small but the weather is nice.

No problem. A majority of Villagers go to the Northeast for the summer months. Shouldn't be a problem organizing a local club for weekly get togethers and some line dancing in the NE corridor.

Where to Look
 

My wife and I are snowbirds from Ohio. In my humble opinion, I think you need to look no further for a summer stay than Camden, Maine. A beautiful, small town (pop 4800) located in mid-coast Maine on Penobscot Bay. There are so many things to do and see there and don't forget that this is the home of the lobster. You are just a stone's throw from a multitude of small towns along the coast, where you can watch the lobster trawlers pull into the docks and unload their catch. If you want to head a little further north on a sightseeing tour, you'll come across Acadia National Park. If you Google Camden Maine, you can judge for yourself if you'd like to make that a part of your future - I don't think you'd be sorry if you do.

Hmmmm
 

That's exactly the way we "Florida tourists" feel about you NYC people when you block the aisles at Publix.

good suggestion chataqua - understand they've s built condo since i left ny
rockport mass is a nice area as is ogunquit, wells, & kennebunkport, me. hopefully we're there next july & aug.,

:popcorn::popcorn::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Northeast is great...till winter
 

What are you interested in? Beach, mountains, city. There are so many great places in the north east. Burlington, Vermont. the Berkshires are exquisite. Any town, Lenox, lee, Great Barrington. Pennsylvania, the Poconos . I live in the Hudson valley ..Saugerties, Woodstock, Rhinebeck ny.
Beautiful beaches in Cape cod., Maine, Delaware. what’s your dream. I have been to all the above places. I like quiet under developed places, now, originally from nyc. I will be in villages this winter for the first time and am concerned it is too over developed. But willing to explore.

Look at North Shore Towers Golf and Country Club….golf, tennis, pickle ball, twenty minutes to the beach and express bus to NYC.

I recommend Collingwood in Ontario, Canada. Lots to do: tennis, pickleball, golf, hiking, beach activities, boating... The weather is perfect in the summer. If you buy a place, it can easily be rented out during the ski season too. Good luck with your northern adventures!!

I would consider a condo in a ski resort. This would give you rental income in their “season” and allow you to use this property in the summer. We own one with ski in/out access, heated boot room/ski lockers, etc in the winter. In summer there is a golf course, gym/spa, pool, mountain biking, etc and nearby hiking, fishing, farms and charming small towns to explore. Those in VT would probability rent best in season. Alternatively I would consider a NE beach destination such as Cape Cod or the Delmarva peninsula in DE. They are building lots of new senior communities in that area of DE.

The correct spelling for Chataqua is Chautauqua. Located in Western NY it is a gated community, Chautauqua Institution, dedicated to the arts of all types, only opens officially for two months to have all the events scheduled, July 1st through August 31st, and is located on Lake Chautauqua, approx. 25 miles long. Boating, fishing and just cruising. Beautiful old style homes, many summer residences only. The community does have year around residents. Across the highway is a 18 hole golf course.
Too much to write about here. Google it!

Sugar Springs, Gladwin MI
 

This is a beautiful retirement community. Lakes golf courses community center. Best of up north Michigan living.

Shes not looking for advice on renting vs owning

There are so many lovely places to visit. I wouldn't limit myself to one place but to travel/fly to various places if possible. As a previous poster listed the Chataqua resorts; Stockbridge, MA puts you close to Tanglewood for music, Berkshires for beauty and peace; Saratoga, NY, thoroughbred racing in August; Chatham, MA; Charlevoix, MI and a day trip to Beaver Island; Good Hart, MI and the Tunnel of Trees; easy day trip to Mackinaw; also Saugatauk and Douglas, MI; Jamestown, RI; Ashville, NC, putting you close to the Biltmore and Hendersonville and Flat Rock, Flat Rock Playhouse, also Carl Sandburg home - so many places to go and visit to find where you might want to land.