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Active Adult Living Del Webb Communities

Best Locations For Over 55 Communities

Most of the good size 55+ Active Adult Communities are located on the outer edges of the larger metro areas. Some say that is because land prices are cheaper for the developers like Del Webb, to acquire the hundreds of acres at a reasonable price. That may be part of the reason for the location, but it is more than that.

As the article Best Small Towns Are In Big City Metros points out:
“It turns out that some of the best small towns in the country to retire in may be found near the outskirts of some of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.  More and more city dwellers nearing retirement age are contemplating a shorter distance to their end-of-work destination and are not crossing the state line.  Rather, retirees are moving to the outskirts of the major city they worked in for decades, to smaller communities that offer a lower cost of living and a much slower pace.” In fact, one of the most searched terms is 55 and over communities near me.

Shelly Bloom with Virtual Properties Realty, our Village at Deaton Creek resident agent, points out on her web site: This location provides easy access to Atlanta, Gainesville, Athens, Lake Lanier and the mountains, giving homeowners admission to entertainment, shopping, fine dining and a myriad of outdoor activities.

So the outer Metro locations are the best of both worlds.  It also has these benefits:

5 Reasons Outer Metros Are the Best Locations for Active Adult Communities

  1. You can live among the outskirts of a metro area and remain close to friends, family and loved ones without dealing with the traffic, high taxes, crime or neighbors too busy to be friends with a retired person. Plus if you have lived your life in that metro area, then you are familiar with the area.
  2. Provides convenient access to state-of-the-art hospitals and medical centers.  Specialists and general practitioners are even opening up second locations next to 55+ Communities to provide easy access for their patients. This is particularity true here at Village at Deaton Creek with the new Northeast Georgia Medical Center right next door, the new Longstreet Clinic building across the street and many more existing and under construction medical buildings along our Friendship Parkway. See Being Close to A Hospital is Mandatory
  3. Rather than living in the hustle of a city, retirees like to slow down a little to smell the roses and enjoy a more relaxing lifestyle.
  4. As listed above, if you wanted to continue working full or part time, you are close enough to commute to a job.
  5. The beauty of the areas is amazing, something you will not get in the suburbs. You can actually see the sky, enjoy the many local parks,  see the mountains, watch the sunrise or sunset.

So there are many reasons the outer Metro areas are the perfect location for 55+ Active Adult Communities.

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Active Adult Living Del Webb Communities

Entertainment Shows

Banks and Shane at Village at Deaton Creek
Banks and Shane at Village at Deaton Creek

When considering the Pros and Cons of Active Adult Communities, you may not fully appreciate having on site entertainment, until you actually live in one.  We have enjoyed the entertainment here at Village at Deaton Creek more than we realized we would.

I think on site entertainment is often overlooked because it’s not something you see or experience when visiting the community as a prospect. Most larger Active Adult Communities do have excellent entertainment programs.

Our Grand Ballroom probably seats 250 people and many times it is sold out for shows, so two or more shows are added.

Grand Ballroom at Village at Deaton Creek
Grand Ballroom at Village at Deaton Creek

The Homeowners Association puts on a lot of the shows but here at VDC, our community was one of the first to start a resident’s club (It’s Showtime) that provides entertainment for our residents. There is a new show every month which includes tribute shows or other entertainers, game shows with dinner and a play performed by residents.

Some of the reasons we love the on site entertainment are:

  1. The shows are always good and some even excellent. Some of the tribute bands sound as good as the original act.
  2. The variety of the shows.  In our short time here we have seen tribute shows for Elvis, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Everly Brothers, Bon Jovi, Journey, Bee Gees, Neil Diamond, Kingston Trio, and many house bands playing a variety of music we like. We have seen a symphony trio, comedy show, variety show, Ventriloquist, Korean Cultural Show and dinner, and the games shows: Liars Club and Family Feud. Wow!  Of course, there have been many more shows we didn’t go to including an opera singer, other tributes for Barbara Streisand and one for Frank Sinatra, cruise boat entertainers, etc. The Agatha Mystery Theater show sold out so fast we missed it.
  3. It’s nice not to have to drive outside the community. We get to the clubhouse in 2 or 3 minutes and there is plenty of parking. No dangerous night driving.
  4. Prices are reasonable. Always less than $20 per ticket and some as cheap as $8.  We are probably paying at least $10 less per ticket than the same groups get elsewhere since we are non profit.
  5. Always something going on every month with at least 3 or 4 shows per month.
  6. A smaller music venue like ours offer an intimate experience with the performer and are the growing trend in entertainment.
  7. It’s nice to go with friends and neighbors. Many times groups get tables to sit together. Some go out for dinner before or after a show or coffee and desert at a neighbors house.

Entertainment shows are something we really enjoy about living in our Del Webb Active Adult Community.  We feel like this is a bonus benefit of choosing to live here. Our neighbor called yesterday and added us to their ticket order for an upcoming John Denver Tribute show. Every month we look forward to seeing what shows will be coming up.