The Joy of Possibility

Nearly anything is possible if we put in the time and effort needed to get to the finish line, whatever the finish line might be. The idea certainly applies to achieving difficult goals such as getting in shape, completing an advanced degree, or writing a novel. The same goes for attaining the kind of life we want, now and into the future, regardless of our age. Translation: You can have a rich and fulfilling life in retirement. Many retirees choose to find fulfillment in the Philadelphia area. That includes those who move here from elsewhere—to be closer to friends and family, to partake in the many offerings particular to the city and its surroundings, and to benefit from living in a part of the world in which they can experience all four seasons. A recent Stacker report highlighted several counties in the Philadelphia area as among the Keystone State’s best places to retire: Bucks (No. 21), Delaware (No. 12), and Montgomery (No. 3). Factors that make them so prized include a low cost of living, excellent health care, and the proximity to various means of recreation, among others. Likewise, Travel + Leisure recently named West Chester, in Chester County, as one of the top 10 best places to retire in Pennsylvania—No. 2, just behind Pittsburgh—while Philadelphia and Swarthmore also earned plum spots (Nos. 5 and 9, respectively). Many older adults prefer to move into a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) or independent-living facility. While such moves require an adjustment, those who make the transition tend to find that life in a CCRC fulfills every criterion—top-shelf health care and wellness facilities, flexible accommodations and first-rate staff, a host of dining options, opportunities to explore, and programs and activities to help them pursue interests they either forgot about or never even knew existed. Residents often realize that if they can envision a goal or imagine a possibility, the staffs at these communities will do everything in their power to make it happen. Top of the Mountain To some older adults, nothing could be more comforting than “aging in place” in their long-time family homes. Others prefer to pursue a different option in which to enjoy the final chapters of their lives—namely, a retirement community. Such communities offer comfort and security, opportunities to get involved and develop friendships, and other means of enhancing their health and well-being, such as expanding their minds or adopting new hobbies. The southeastern corner of Pennsylvania has an abundance of CCRCs and independent-living facilities devoted to helping older adults live their best lives, whether they live independently, require personal care, or need specialized support, such as memory care. Some of these communities are routinely ranked among the best places to retire in all of Pennsylvania, or any other state in the union for that matter. Following are some of the top retirement communities in the Philadelphia area. Suburban Life acknowledges the Philadelphia area has many exceptional places to retire and only a fraction of them are represented here. Acts Retirement Life Communities Brittany Pointe Estates in Lansdale, Fort Washington Estates, Granite Farm Estates and Lima Estates in Media, Gwynedd Estates in Ambler, Normandy Farms Estates in Blue Bell, Southampton Estates, and Spring House Estates in Lower Gwynedd actsretirement.org Ann’s Choice – Erickson Senior Living Warminster ericksonseniorliving.com/anns-choice Arbour Square of Harleysville Harleysville trueconnectioncommunities.com Artis Senior Living Huntingdon Valley, Yardley, and Princeton, New Jersey artisseniorliving.com Atria Senior Living Atria Bethlehem, Atria Center City in Philadelphia, and Atria Lafayette Hill atriaseniorliving.com Brandywine Senior Living Haverford Estates, Longwood in Kennett Square, and Upper Providence in Phoenixville brandycare.com Chandler Hall Newtown chandlerhallhealthservices.org Cornwall Manor Cornwall (Lebanon County) cornwallmanor.org Dresher Estates Dresher dresherestates.com Dunwoody Village Newtown Square dunwoody.org Eagleview Landing Exton eagleviewlanding.com Elm Terrace Gardens Lansdale elmterracegardens.org Five Star Senior Living The Devon Senior Living, NewSeasons at New Britain in Chalfont, and Forwood Manor in Wilmington, Delaware fivestarseniorliving.com Freedom Village at Brandywine Coatesville fvbrandywine.com Friends Home & Village Newtown fhvpa.org Garden Spot Village New Holland gardenspotvillage.org HarborChase of Wilmington Wilmington, Delaware harborchase.com/harborchase-wilmington The Hearth at Drexel Bala Cynwyd thehearthatdrexel.org The Hickman West Chester thehickman.org HumanGood The Mansion at Rosemont, Rydal Park & Waters in Jenkintown, and Spring Mill Pointe in Lafayette Hill humangood.org Independence Court of Quakertown Quakertown icquakertown.com IntegraCare Glen Mills Senior Living, Exton Senior Living, Magnolias of Lancaster integracare.com Kendal-Crosslands Communities Kennett Square kendal-crosslands.org The Manor at York Town Jamison themanoratyorktown.org Maplewood at Princeton Plainsboro, New Jersey maplewoodseniorliving.com Maris Grove – Erickson Senior Living ericksonseniorliving.com/maris-grove Glen Mills Masonic Villages Lafayette Hill and Warminster masonicvillages.org Meadowood Lansdale meadowood.net Merrill Gardens Eagleview Landing in Exton, Merrill Gardens at Glen Mills and West Chester, Truewood by Merrill in Glen Riddle merrillgardens.com Oxford Enhanced Senior Living Langhorne oxfordenhancedseniorliving.com Pennswood Village Newtown pennswood.org Phoebe Ministries Allentown and Wyncote phoebe.org Pickering Manor Newtown pickeringmanor.org Pine Run Village Doylestown pinerun.org Pleasant View Communities Manheim pleasantviewcommunities.org Riddle Village Retirement Community Media riddlevillage.com Rosette Gladwyne livingatrosette.com SageLife The 501 at Mattison Estate in Ambler, Plush Mills in Wallingford, Daylesford Crossing in Paoli, and Echo Lake in Malvern sagelife.com The Solana Doylestown Warrington thesolanadoylestown.com Springton Lake Village Media springtonlakevillage.com Sunrise Senior Living Abington, Dresher, Haverford, Lafayette Hill, Media, Newtown Square, and North Wales sunriseseniorliving.com Symphony Square Bala Cynwyd symphonysq.com Bellingham at West Chester West Chester seniorlivingbellingham.com Waverly Heights Gladwyne waverlyheightsltd.org White Horse Village Newtown Square whitehorsevillage.org Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, February 2025.