According to the US Census Bureau, the U.S. population of people aged 55 and older is expected to grow nearly 20% between last year and 2034. With this influx of Baby Boomers, there are a number of things they need to consider when purchasing a home, including size, location and cost. But one consideration that is often overlooked and deserves additional thought and attention is finding a neighborhood that will facilitate an active and social lifestyle.

Why? Studies show that the health benefits of seniors staying active and social are substantial. One study from PLOS Medicine says seniors with strong social relationships have a 50% increased likelihood of survival than those with weaker ones. Additionally, a Population Reference Bureau study shows that seniors who practice regular physical activity over a two-year period were less likely to experience a major disability.

The website www.myMHcommunity.com, is an easy one stop site that helps buyers find the perfect home in an environment that fosters an active, social and fulfilled lifestyle. The site features listings of manufactured homes and communities that offer residents wonderful amenities, planned activities and socially-focused neighborhoods that many are seeking to become a part of.

Residents of these types of communities are staying active by partaking in these resort-like amenities. Even with 2020 restrictions on group activities, many have flocked to unconventional outdoor sports, such as the increasingly popular pickleball or taking the Zumba class outside in the fresh air, both of which are resident favorites at the ViewPoint Golf Resort community in Mesa, AZ. This doesn’t even account for ViewPoint’s traditional activities like the full 18-hole golf course for residents to use anytime.

Outdoor recreation areas like pools, pickleball, tennis and other outdoor sport courts provide residents an opportunity to be active and social within their community. Photo courtesy of Viewpoint Golf Resort

Continuing with traditional sports, some communities even have organized teams and their own fields, like the age-qualified Monte Vista Village Resort, also in Mesa. The recently refurbished onsite softball field, with a new scoreboard, foul poles and safety netting sets the example of how outdoor, team sports can be very important to residents, when choosing a place to live.

Even before the pandemic, an AARP report indicated that many seniors are faced with the negative effects of social isolation, which have a significant impact on the physical and emotional health of Baby Boomers. Many communities commonly host daily social events and leisure activities in their clubhouses and other facilities, as well as organized group outings. With many protocols put in place in 2020 for resident health and safety, communities have made adjustments with their social activities.

For example, residents at Mid Florida Lakes in Leesburg, FL typically have many social events throughout the year and celebrate the holidays as a big group in the community clubhouse. This season, residents will be treated to an outdoor, socially distant holiday concert that still brings the community together in a safe way to celebrate the season and foster a spirit of togetherness. At Emerald Lake in Punta Gorda, also in Florida, a resident musician worked with the community to host a socially distant concert for neighbors every Friday night at the community tiki hut after his regular performances were cancelled due to the local restaurant closures.

These neighborhood events bring neighbors together and offer new residents an instant sense of community, even when social distancing is necessary. Additional examples of how tight-knit communities form include Colony Cove in Ellenton, FL which has a community garden where residents bond over their fruit, vegetable and flower plantings. At the Voyager RV Resort community in Tucson, AZ, a group of residents joined together to sew nearly 12,000 masks for Arizonans to help protect themselves.

As residents are at the same stage in life and share similar interests, communities offering these types of active amenities and social activities create the perfect environment for seniors to create life-long friendships. By fully evaluating potential communities, Boomers can go a long way toward finding a community that supports the active and social lifestyle they are seeking, while gaining the substantial inherent health benefits.

To find many of these communities and for more information on active adult communities, visit www.myMHcommunity.com.