(Well, I have screwed this thread/poll up twice. I think this is OK!)
What are the factors one might want in a retirement mode?
My wife and I
wanted a community with a broad age range mix - someplace where we could see kids playing and growing, stork signs on the lawn that proclaim, "It's a boy" and younger and older folks with whom to interact. We have about 400 houses in our "enclave" with 55 acres of open space, and internal trails connected with the main trail system of our town. I can bicycle 40 miles out and back while only crossing 4 streets. This is part of our open space area:
Another requirement was that we be directly on a bike path (of which we have many around here) and that we could walk, not drive, to the store/restaurants/barber shop, etc. So we are exactly .98 miles from all of the above, and .9 miles from the local recreation center. We are also very close to medical care (it got a bit more important to us recently!), and I have a great LBS also just off one of the bicycle trails, 3 miles away.
We have been here 5 years next month, and everything is working out just fine as we had planned. We know all of our neighbors on a first name basis. I believe we are something of a "physical activity" role model to many of them. We have also found a wonderful church where we are active (and, yes, it is five miles down the bike path, and we bike there), and I have discovered I can sing, so I also have found a great voice teacher, I am active in two choirs, and have just recently formed a male singing group which is going to do its first performance in 4 weeks.
I am assuming we all want someplace near easy bicycling activities!
So, what is important to you?