I Want To Be A Snowbird
 

Hello Everyone, I have lived in Florida all of my life and would like to get a place up north to escape the heat from the Florida Summers. I live in The Villages and would love a Villages up north.

My question to you all is, " Does anyone know of an active retirement community up north?" I have searched hours on the Web and have come up empty handed."

My only criteria is some place cooler. Thank you

Del Webb is up north

No
Pick the type of area you want and repost. City or rural, lake or ocean near by, cost of living, mobile home parks ok? North West, Central, East?
I do not think you will find any. What size would you like or what varity of activities?

The Villages here in Florida is unique and as far as I know there is nothing like it anywhere in NH where I spend the summer/Fall. There are retirement communities made up of rather expensive homes, but no activities. I would suggest you try renting for a summer in a state or area that you like and see what you think of it.

I am wondering whether you might like a mobile home park on a lake. Most people own their own homes and come for the weekends in the summer and get to know their neighbors and I think they might have activities. I know an owner of a park in Maine who winters in TV and I get the impression the really good parks are fully booked year to year, but it is worth seeing whether you could rent a home from someone in a park and try it on for size;)

You won't find anything as active as the Villages up North, but we looked very carefully at Fairfield Glade in Crossville, TN before we finally decided on the Villages. You can have a real house with a hobby barn on an acre lot, if you want. The golf courses are nicer, bigger, and even cheaper than our executive courses, when you consider the higher cost of our amenity fees. And then you've got all the lakes just to the east, if you're into boating and fishing. If you want to actually live on the lake, check out Lake Tansi retirement village, also in Crossville, or Tellico Village, near Knoxville.

We also looked a lot around Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri (but its not a retirement village -- just cool summers).

The way I found places to check out was Home - Retirement Communities | 55+ Communities | 55places.

I would consider the Del Webb communities. There are 59 communities in 20 states. There is one on Rt 441 just north of The Villages, called Spruce Creek.

tellico village in east tenn.

Something that might interest you is the Summer Senior Rental Program at the University of Minnesota - Duluth. Other Universities might offer similar programs. This particular program has five- and eight-week sessions, supplying an apartment at one of the residence halls which includes (from the website) "Each apartment has a kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and two bedrooms with two single beds in each room. Each apartment is furnished with a stove, full-size refrigerator, dining table and chairs, couch and chair, end table, desks and chairs, desk lamps, closet and dresser space, beds and mattresses, draperies and shower curtains. "

The University also offers summer programs, classes, etc. for Seniors who might be interested in taking them, or they could just use the program as a base of operations to enjoy what Northern Minnesota has to offer in the summer, and it is a lot: outdoor activities predominate with fishing, hiking, camping being the biggies. You're less than three hours from The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as well as Voyageur's National Park. Plus you're right next to Lake Superior, and with North Shore drive available it is incredibly picturesque. And it IS cool: Mark Twain once remarked that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in Duluth. A bit of an exaggeration but the "lake effect" keeps Duluth and other areas surrounding the lake cool even though it can get pretty hot inland.

Duluth itself is a bit of an inland cultural center with three Universities located there as well as one in Superior, WI just a short drive across the bridge. The port of Duluth/Superior is North America's most inland port and is a major shipping center, moving "a leading mover of bulk commodities ranging from iron ore, coal and limestone, to grain, cement and salt. Duluth- Superior is also recognized worldwide as the heaviest lift port on the Great Lakes for its expertise in handling wind energy cargoes, project cargoes, wood pulp, paper, steel coils and containerized cargoes." We used to spend hours watching the ships come and go, both "Lakers" hauling mainly iron ore out and coal in, as well as the "Salties" which come from ports across the world via the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. A major attraction in that regard is the Duluth ship canal which culminates the the Aerial Lift Bridge which raises and lowers so that the ships can pass. The canal is not that wide but has a protected walkway along the side, and the when the ships pass it seems as if they are almost close enough to touch.

That's just a brief overview: you can get a better idea of the costs and availabilities by visiting the UMD website and accessing the Senior Summer Rental Program.

I would look in Tennessee’, Maine or North Carolina. Fairfield Glade near Crossville, Tn is worth taking a look. We have a place in Illinois where it’s cooler than Florida and family living in Southern Illinois makes it a “draw” for us. BTW, if you own in The Villages and go north in the summer I’m told you are a Sunbird. A Snowbird is one that goes south for the winter.

Bella vista Arkansas. Some what Like mini village with very few restrictions, started in early to mid 60s I think?

I'd be cautious if I were you (I'm a native northerner), the big cities can be as hot as central Florida. "Urban heat island effects in New York, which occur because buildings absorb and hold more heat than forests or waterways“.* The ocean water is stunningly colder if you are a swimmer or a sailor, but unless you are parked right on the water, it can be hot & humid & further, many houses do not have central A/C. Additionally, summer 2023 in the northeast US was hot, & amazingly rainy, & whether you were in a retirement community or not, it was way better (weatherwise) to be in central Florida (if you had an A/C house). Also, if you are a Villager, the bugs in the north may be able to astonish you. I will rely on some of my midwestern colleages to report on the heat, humidity, & bugs of the north. Maybe Greenland should be considered.

*NYT 7-28-2023

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think Arkansas is a good place to "escape the heat" as to what the OP wants.

End of July we went to the north pole to escape the heat. Was low 70;s so we did not completely escape it.

Some may disagree, but I don't think there is any place that can compete with The Villages dollar for dollar.

That being said, a very nice 55+ community is Oxford Greens in Oxford, CT. It's a Del Webb community and it's on beautiful golf course. If you are not living in CT more than 6 months and a day, you don't have to worry about state income tax, sales tax is 6.35%, and there are no tolls anywhere in the state and Oxford property taxes are much lower than most towns.

This is far enough away and close enough if you want. Very nice ad golf cart friendly.

https://youtu.be/0Pg4Wl1PIXw?si=ir3PFAZgetxepMo1

Technically, a snowbird is one who moves from a cold place to a warm place in the winter, a northerner going south for the winter.
A sunbird is one that moves from a warm place to a cool place in the summer, a southerner going north for the summer.
:smiley:

There is a world beyond the villages - Del Webb is a great choice and found throughout the country. I'm sure not everyone has to be active 24/7. I am a hiker and hike up north all summer. The weather varies, not day in day out the same. It's a wonderful change of scenery. Go for it. If you have family you might want to be near then that's a choice also. Good luck.

Canada

I lived in a Del Webb before TV and I wouldn’t live in another 1. Had multiple issues with warranty work, hoa, and recreational area issues. I had to write the ceo multiple times and each time after he investigated the issues, they got fixed. You shouldn’t have to go this far.
If you want a cool place for a snowbird home in the summer, go up to Banff or Lake Louise area, gorgeous in the summer. A lot of golfing, scenery is awesome, and the people were friendly.

I wish there was an active retirement community like The Villages in Canada, but I haven't found one. The best scenario is a retirement community with golf and tennis and the rest can be near if you want it. Great weather in the summer if you go north enough like Collingwood, Ontario which is a retirement haven on a fantastic body of water.

If you are considering a place in Tennessee, I recommend Tellico Village. I believe it to be far superior to Fairfield Glade in Crossville. It is larger, with more amenities, on a bigger and cleaner lake, with built in social and support networks such as activities, recreation and wellness centers. It also has a daytime respite place for caretakers (if your spouse requires constant care from, say, Parkinson's, they will watch him during the day so you can run errands, etc.) and even a group of volunteers focused on helping you age well here. They will fix small things, pick up your prescriptions, change your smoke alarm batteries, etc.

It is long established, financially well off, convenient to shopping, and is much closer to larger amenities (cities, hospitals, etc) than is fairly small and remote Crossville, in my opinion. Crossville is good for one thing: Golf. That being said, Tellico Village has three 18-hole courses, two country-club club houses and a yacht club on the lake.

Best of luck on your search and decision.

Sun City Huntley, Illinois
 

I am an agent in the Chicago Area. Feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more about Sun City in a suburb of Chicago. 630.327.7201

I don’t know if you want to buy or rent, but there is Amberwood in Pa just north of Gettysburg. It has several activities, but no golf and not on the level of The Villages. You would have to buy.

I became a snowbird, Love it
 

I was diagnosed with emphysema, and had to find a place up north for my health.
Goto Niche.com, this will help you get an idea of what you may want! I choose lack of crime as one of my factors and of course weather.

I then narrowed my scope.
Holland Michigan
Midland Michigan
Appleton Wisconsin

I visited areas and ended up in Ludington Michigan, I love it!
It is a vacation area right on Lake Michigan and only a population of 10,000.
Very hard to find a place to buy! They have golf, pickle ball and many trails and just beautiful.

Like The Villages it doubles in size for the summer months.

I rented an Airbnb for a month to test it out. I loved it so much I bought a 1930 cottage.

I hope this helps you on how to get started.

I suggest you take a look at Northern Wisconsin or Minnesota if you truly want cooler summer weather. Door County Wisconsin is gorgeous but I cannot speak to activity levels up there.

Snowbird
 

Del Webb and Carillon have several places in the Chicago suburbs, including several that are 50 miles outside downtown Chicago.

We own a park model on a lake in Wisconsin.. tons to do.kayaking ,boating,fishing.,Green fees are cheap. Free pickle ball
Bar restaurant on campground
Free music at bars all over. Lots of concerts , craft fairs cute towns to visit
Campground spot right on lake $3500 season with pier.
You can put anything from a travel trail or to a mini home/ park model on it..
Best of both worlds
I usually fly back & forth
Leave enough clothes there.
I drove this last time home
Only 18 hours.
A one time only to rescue plants that. Would have froze in the gardens up there.

What a great idea! I’ve just looked it up: Eight weeks for a COUPLE for $2550 (more for extras like a TV and sheets). Early June to early August. You won’t need AC in Duluth!

I used the below when we first started looking.

Home - Retirement Communities | 55+ Communities | 55places

After being here for two summers, we have said enough is enough. We traveled full-time in our motorhome for 3 1/2 years before purchasing a home in The Villages. Next year, we are going to Bar Harbor, Maine for the summer and taking side trips to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the Boston area. In 2025, we are headed to the Rockies in Colorado.

The enjoyment of having an RV is the ability to freely travel, stay as long or as short as you like in as many different places as you like. You don’t have the typical second home expenses, such as maintenance, HOA fees, utilities, property taxes, new furniture, and being stuck in one place. I am not saying you won’t have expenses within a RV, but they will be much less than owning a second home and being tied down to one place.

I would advise you to go online to thecottages@summervillage.com
It’s in Wells, Maine. You can buy a seasonal cottage there or rent by the month or for the whole summer. The season there is from May 1st through October 31st. Then the cottages all get winterized and closed. It’s a beautiful place. We used to own one of the cottages. We sold it just a couple of years ago because of our advancing age. The developer designed the complex like The Villages and he did a great job. It isn’t 55 and over, though. It’s a mix of families and retirees. We live here in The Villages full time now. Good Luck.

Snowbird in Michigan (Canadian Lakes)
 

Hi! We have a summer home in Canadian Lakes, Michigan. Although it’s not a 55 and over community, it is primarily retirement age people that live there. It has one 18 hole course and two 9 hole courses with lots of other golf in the area. It is on a private all sports lake, there are clubs, indoor pool, outdoor pool, pickle ball, softball team, etc . As you can imagine, it’s hard to find the same thing as we have here in the villages. But Canadian Lakes is a small version of it. We go up to our lakehouse May through September, then live in The Villages for 7 months. It’s a great balance! Below is a link if you want to see more about it. I am also a realtor in Michigan and would be happy to answer any questions about Michigan summers. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or if you want me to send you some houses in the area. It truly is a gorgeous area. 😊


Thank you!
Jodi Miller
Keller Williams Lakeside
Jodimiller@kw.com

First question is what do you want to do? Sit by a lake, boat, fish, peace, rural setting, or do you want more nightlife metro area? Do you need ready access to medical care? How much of the summer do you want to go and can afford? What you lose in temperature you may gain in mosquitos and black flies.

All good points! We are snowbirds from Northern MN and plan on relocating to Duluth when our stay in The Villages is done. The main reason among many is world class healthcare.
Motto is: If you are going to be a snowbird go big or go home......

The Highlands in The North Carolina mountains is a favorite Floridian get away because of the weather but it’s not a Villages north it’s just great cool weather in majestic mountains.

Northern Arkansas Ozark mountains no different than north Tennessee, Georgia, or anywhere else except coasts.

Asheville
 

We moved from The Villages to Asheville, NC about 4 years ago. What an incredibly refreshing change, for many reasons. Only used our AC three times this summer. Asheville NC Insider’s Travel Guide

Senior Communities with lots of Activities going on
 

Hello , there is very nice community 55 and older in Huntley Illinois , It’s from Dell Web . Single-family homes and Townhomes , lots of activities - shopping also very close by and many Restaurants .
Has approximately 5000 Homes .

We have a house in Alaska. Cool summers especially this past one but almost 24 hours of daylight. Many recreational opportunities hiking biking canoeing kayaking.

That is a smart thing to do because summers are predicted to keep getting hotter and setting records for, at least, the next 8 years.