What is an active adult community?  On the surface, that seems like an easy enough question.  But, it must not be.  Many of you have asked us to clarify what exactly is the difference between communities that list themselves as active adult or active lifestyle, active resort lifestyle, age targeted, or age-restricted developments.  It turns out that even the developers of these communities which responded to my queries didn’t even have a concrete working definition. 

Here at ActiveAdultLiving.com, we have been using an all-inclusive definition.  That is, active adults are commonly defined as 50 or better, pre-retired empty-nesters, or retired, independent, physically active persons with a variety of interests looking for quality, value and amenities to suit their lifestyles.  Those are the persons whom our website and e-newsletter seek to serve. 

From the developers, it seems the common ground definition for an active adult community roughly corresponds to a community built for persons in the 55+ age bracket who desire to continue to live independently among their peers in an environment that is secure and offers plenty of activities that help keep community members fit, alert and comfortable in an age-appropriate way.  The community is marketed to couples or individuals who have no children under the age of 18 living with them full time.  Common amenities may include a common recreation/fitness center, walking paths, tennis courts and close access to a golf course, lake or both.

Active adult resort lifestyles make communities go at least a step higher than that.  What they offer can be anything from organized activities to shopping and services on-site.  These communities try to create an atmosphere like you might expect in an exclusive resort, whether it is in the mountains, in town or on the waterfront.

Some developers take either one of those lifestyle communities one step further, and market them as age-restricted.  Some make their properties available only to persons 55+, or even older while others make their communities restricted to persons of no less than 18 years of age.  The intent of the restrictions is to have a true adult community.  That is not to say that grandchildren or other children are not welcome to visit, it is just that the environment is built for adults.  Details of Federal definitions and guidelines for age-restricted communities may be found at the www.HUD.gov website. 

On the flip side, active lifestyle or active resort lifestyle communities are like the age-restricted properties except they are not limited to mature adults and there are no child restrictions.  In fact, many of these provide playgrounds and other kid-friendly amenities.

We hope this helps clear up this matter.  Whichever lifestyle you are looking for, know that you can find it at www.activeadultliving.com.