[angel222]

I have a wonderful friend who is about to retire and loves TV but believes she can't leave her closeness to her children and grands. I have tried to convince her of the wonders of Skype and easy flights back for visits but she just can't bring herself to leave northern NJ. This woman is so special and has had many "bumps" in her life journey and I'd love to see her have a great retirement. If anyone knows of any active retirement communities in NJ or eastern PA, I would be glad to pass info on to her. She is a really active artistic 65 year old. Thanks for any help you can give...

[Biker Dog]

The Heritage of Green Hills is just south of Reading, Pa on Route 10. Don't have the full name or phone number, but have a friend that is the activities director & other friends that live there. They love the place.

Sorry I can't give you more info on it. She should be able to google it.

[blaZen]

Since we moved to T.V., kids, grand kids, friends, relatives, and folk we hardly know visit us because we are so near Orlando. We are 61 miles from the gates of Disney. She'll have to chase them off with a stick!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by blaZen

Since we moved to T.V., kids, grand kids, friends, and folk we hardly know visit us because we are so near Orlando. We are 61 miles from the gates of Disney. She'll have to chase them off with a stick!

I understand how she feels. Our two grandchildren are almost entirely launched into the world so we felt we could sneak away to enjoy ourselves...but I miss our daughter back in Ohio sometimes so badly.

I think your friend could try to rent for a month once a year here in Lower Paradise.

[emconover]

There are many active retirement communities in northern Ocean County, NJ. Brick, Lakewood, Manchester and Toms River all have several. There are also more to the south along the GS Parkway. Communities like Hovnanians 4 Seasons, Kokes Fairways at Lake Ridge and del Webbs new community have many amenities.

[NECHFalcon68]

Originally Posted by emconover

There are many active retirement communities in northern Ocean County, NJ. Brick, Lakewood, Manchester and Toms River all have several. There are also more to the south along the GS Parkway. Communities like Hovnanians 4 Seasons, Kokes Fairways at Lake Ridge and del Webbs new community have many amenities.

Amenities such as shovels, salt and sleds.

[hansel]

We moved from S Florida to a Hovnanians 4 Seasons on NJ to be near the grandchildren, once they started school they had little spare time for us so we moved to the Villages. Most of the "active" retirement communities are NOT VERY ACTIVE. From November thru March it was a long cold winter.........Also bear in mind the property taxes in NJ are out of this world. $8000 a year for a small house on property the size of a postage stamp.

[rjm1cc]

If you are looking anywhere in NJ or PA she won't be too close to them. Maybe you could get her to do a short term rental in the villages while she looks for a place in PA or NJ.

[clekr]

Your friend should keep in mind that once the grandkids get to 13 they will do everything they can to spend their time with their friends and not her. Evidence the loo kon the faces of the 13 to 17 year old girls walking around the square with their parents and grandparents.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

Originally Posted by Biker Dog

The Heritage is just south of Reading, Pa on Route 10. Don't have the full name or phone number, but have a friend that is the activities director & other friends that live there. They love the place.

Sorry I can't give you more info on it. She should be able to google it.

This is the website. Home - The Heritage of Green Hills I live near Reading, PA (work in Reading) now and in fact have never heard of it and I have driven down Rt 10 frequently. I grew up in NJ (Ocean County) where every other corner is an "Active Adult Community" and in fact, they are not. They offer nothing but a clubhouse, a pool and a few trips here and there. My dad lived in one and my aunt who is 92, remarkably active and still travels to Europe independently, lives in one of those. She *THINKS* they have all that TV has but they don't. No place has all that TV has and that is why after a LOT of looking we bought a house in TV. I'm not crazy about leaving my family either, but I understand what that means and I am willing to deal with it. Everyone who posted is right and perhaps your friend can live in TV part time and spend extended visits with her family up north. Hoping she can work it out in a way that isn't too hard for her to deal with. It's a personal choice and never without something to miss either way. Good luck.

[fred boswell]

No tax on pensions, cheaper real estate taxes and car insurance. Check it out.

[gmcneill]

I dont have information that could answer your inquiry but I share the opinions of fellow thread hijackers re: being near kids/grandkids.

A friend has two children, each of whom has children. When he first retired he and his wife tried to stay put to be near them.

But as the grands grew older and started school, and as later homework, friends, sports, and other normal kids activities developed the quality time with them diminshed.

There came a time when job opportunities forced moves by the kids to different parts of their state and, eventually, the country. My friends realized that the family togetherness they craved and cherised could not be possible.

They tell me that since moving to TV, when the kids and grands make their annual visits here (it sure helps that Disney,
Universal, other Orlando attractions, and beaches are just down the road a bit) they actually have more quality time together because there are no work, school, etc obligations to get in the way.

When my friends need a family fix between annual visits, the Orlando, Sanford, and
Tampa airports provide many options for relatively low cost air travel.

My married daughter lives in Phoenix, which has one or two active adult communities of it's own. We miss her terribly but we have chosen TV. We are accumulating frequent flyer miles as a result.

[2BNTV]

I will be probably be in the minority as my son lives in Florida and will be 4 1/2 hours away by car. He has made it known that he wouldn't want me to be within walking distance.

There is also a possiblity where he might move out of state for a better job. For that reason, I think it would be a mistake on my part to build a life around him and my granddaughter as she will be soon approaching an age where she will be off on her own.

My mother lived in a senior citizen community and never wanted to be separated from her friends. I personally think one needs their own set of friends and family will always be there for special trips and or occasions.
Trips by plane have made visiting much easier and distances became small.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by blaZen

Since we moved to T.V., kids, grand kids, friends, relatives, and folk we hardly know visit us because we are so near Orlando. We are 61 miles from the gates of Disney. She'll have to chase them off with a stick!

Exactly. She should not worry about lack of visits from her children / family, friends.

Ours have made it known that they will spend all the holidays, etc., etc.
This is the reason we cannot opt for a small villa but need at the very least a three bedroom , 2 bathroom or more spacious home........with room for sofa beds in great room, etc..........

When we've lived in Florida previously (twice before) I can totally relate to your above words of wisdom...........what they say is true.

The same thing happened to us when we relocated from New Jersey to Vermont in 1970. At that time we had company every single weekend for a very long weekend of guests. In those days, I cooked three big meals a day, plus snacks and desserts.......any state that is perceived as a tourist destination will not have lonely residents..........that's for sure.

Oh, and the funny thing about the move to Vermont, after we sold our home in New Jersey, we rented for a half a year in a farm house at the end of a very very long dirt road through the woods..........(known only to us there was a paved road at the other end). My hubby got a kick out of telling the folks to meet him in the center of our little town and he would have them follow his car up to our farmhouse............well, their jaws would drop after traveling that long dirt road...........it looked as if we were in the middle of nowhere. But they still kept coming. After awhile it does get tedious taking everyone over and over again to the same touristy places...........but fond memories nevertheless. I'm sure it's the same for Villagers.

I was happy to leave the farmhouse when we bought a new home on the outskirts of town, where we raised our family...........didn't miss the snakes and mice, hunters walking past the dining room windows.......with guns........the fox that walked past every morning..........back down to civilization.

[angel222]

Thanks to all for your advice and thoughts...my friends children cannot afford to visit her in Florida so she is scared she won't see them ..I've told her of the advantages of Skype visits that I use once a week to see everyone but to no avail..