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