One important correction from Wednesday's eNewsletter. Wake Forest University has not been in Wake Forest for a very long time; it moved to Winston-Salem, NC in 1956. Thanks to ressolllc for correcting our error. Urban planners and visionaries have long salivated at the prospect of building communities from scratch. As opposed to the usual willy-nilly approach, a ground-up plan usually provides greater beauty, amenities, circulation, ambiance, and convenience. Since the 1980's much of this planning has followed what is called the new urbanism, which is characterized by a return to values held before the advent of the automobile (communities vary in how much they adhere to these principles). Photo of Venice, CA above courtesy of Wikipedia and Town Designer. In this issue we will provide a small sample of master planned communities in the 55+/active adult space. You can find more by using our search boxes and looking for "urbanism", "master planned community", etc. A Sampling of Master Planned Communities:
This community is an example of a community for active adults located within a larger, mixed generation community. Heritage Village is part of Scottsdale Ranch, a master planned community of 1100 acres. The Knolls is also located within a larger community, The Highlands. Footpaths at the door lead to just about everything - health care facilities, shopping, dining, spa, biking trails, and social activities. If you are looking for a facility where you can find a range of options from independent living to nursing care, Abingdon might be for you. This facility has homes and apartments available. It is also located within a larger community, Tradition. This type A retirement community in Cranberry Township has been carefully thought out by a grassroots effort of retirees who wanted to give themselves andtheir friends the option to stay in the Pittsburgh area during theirretirement. We are proud to feature Sherwood Oaks as a Top Community at Topretirements. It's about ready to go to the printer. Thanks to those of you who have already reserved a copy of our all new, completely updated 2nd edition of " 100 Best Retirement Towns". The new edition includes insight and facts on 25 new towns, plus updated and expanded info on the 75 that remained on the list. Includes as a bonus the 50 most popular active communities at Topretirements. You can order in print, eBook or Kindle. Expect shipment by the end of February. | 
