The great state of Pennsylvania has the second oldest population in the country behind the popular vacation destination state of Florida. However, many who have lived in the north eastern part of the United States have opted not only to vacation frequently in Florida but outright move there as well! It makes sense since Florida typically has many more days of sunshine and perhaps some famous attractions than other states can boast. However, there is a sizable population of older Americans who don’t feel the need to uproot themselves hundreds of miles away for the sun. They see living where they are as just fine—but they wish that there would be more conveniences and perhaps better neighborly interactions.
That is why the popularity of senior living communities have risen exponentially. It is not enough to say that the Baby Boomers are aging and therefore there is natural demand for such communities. Instead, we should focus on the fact that these Boomers grew up in an age where the world did not move as fast as it does today, and there is a real sense of nostalgia. In Florida and surrounding states like North and South Carolina, these popular senior living communities have capitalized on that nostalgia. Barren land that otherwise had no improvement to it, including no water or sewer access, was fully improved with all necessary utilities. Then cottages or single and double wide trailers constituted all the housing needs that seniors would care to upkeep. The lawns, roads, interior and exterior maintenance repairs were all the responsibility of the management company, the homeowner’s association, or the original developer. In the north east, we have land to spare. We have also become accustomed to having our space, especially those of us who have lived in urban environments for many years. It was understood and accepted that to live the urban life was to sacrifice some space and income. However, in the golden years, those trade-offs need not cause a burden anymore. Deservedly so, our seniors should have the comfortable life that comes with years of hard work while also enjoying fresh mountain air. These seniors should not be bored with their time but planning their days in and around their communities. Some of the time would be allocated to seeing their children and grandchildren, while the rest would be devoted to country living leisure with all the city conveniences at their immediate access. That brings us back to Pennsylvania. By and large, Pennsylvania is a state that is land abundant and mountainous. It is a state with very temperate conditions. Typically, natural disasters are not common especially in the north eastern part of the state. That is the great benefit of having mountains ever present instead of plains and flat lands. In the winter, bitter cold bites for a month at most. In the spring, rain gushes for a few weeks in sum. In the summer, hot sticky days last for a couple of weeks only (of which air conditioning makes those days very tolerable!). In the fall, you have 3 months of the most beautiful natural landscape to rival the most gifted painter’s artistic creation. The weather is really quite reasonable, too—not warm but definitely not winter. There is no need for shutters against awesomely powerful winds, no shifting foundations to absorb high readings on a Richter scale, no underground bunker to hide in and then to emerge hoping your house is still in one piece. The consistent peace of mind is an asset that has not perhaps been fully appreciated in this very high cost of living time of which we are a part. As we know, weather is not enough. With money so cheap for almost a decade, investors who had seen Pennsylvania as an opportunity for commercial growth built amenities and promoted businesses that had helped to fuel the population boom in the South. Whether unknowingly or not, their collective efforts have made it very easy for senior living developers to begin creating the most optimal community without having to recreate a whole new town from scratch. The north eastern part of Pennsylvania has especially seen such commercial growth including increased retail and office availability. The convenience of leaving your home to partake in a competitive atmosphere of consuming has never been easier in Pennsylvania. Take this opportunity to learn more about communities that have yet to be built and the advantages of locating here to make it happen!
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June 2017
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