55+ Communities in Vancouver? (Lacey, Salmon Creek, Ridgefield: apartment, lease, homes)

[Farmer15]

Thanks, Stealth. Wish more "agrihoods" would catch on out there. I'd much rather the shared common space in a development be gardens and a few chickens than a golf course. ;-)

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Farmer15

Wish more "agrihoods" would catch on out there. I'd much rather the shared common space in a development be gardens and a few chickens than a golf course. ;-)

Tough sell on left coast. (or any popular area) Property is a PREMIUM. So need "best and highest use", as my tax assessor claims (That does not include chickens!)


What climate do you want? I will keep my eyes open. There are some nice communities 'east-side' that might be keen on allowing a retirement 'ag-centric' community.

I plan to have livestock, shops, green house, activity center and a few apartments for guests and contract caregivers. I went to a very nice one in Davis, CA (there are 3 in Davis). They don't 'advertise', as they like to choose their own neighbors.

[Farmer15]

Sounds like my kind of place. We are east coasters now, but want to retire to PNW to be near family.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Farmer15

Sounds like my kind of place. We are east coasters now, but want to retire to PNW to be near family.

Climate?
Access to airport or city? (<1hr?)
Medical needs / VA eligible ?
What region is the family?

[Farmer15]

Yes on VA eligibility, no special medical needs (yet), but access to good health care important. All the fam is located on I5 corridor, from Portland to Salem. An hour or less to PDX would be nice. Love to take dogs out on long walks, so that's important.

[silibran]

There is a 55+ community in Gresham,OR. I don't know exactly where it is located, and I don't remember the name. But several years ago I toured a home for sale. It was too cramped for us.

A few years ago I toured Fairway Village homes for sale, and I was frankly not impressed. However, if you love to golf, it might be the place for you. Fairway Village has a community center with a pool and a gym, as well as a golf course. I think some of the homes are too close to SR 14, and there is sound pollution in some of the back yards. And the homes are a bit overvalued for their age, IMO. Many of them have only 2 bedrooms. Some of them, inexplicably have two stories. Many of the residents have extremely high maintenance gardens that require regular gardeners' attention.

However some of the homes are nice, if small. There are several floor plans, and the homes vary quite a bit. Everything is neat and tidy. I think it is a fine place for some people who like to golf; it is also close to SR 14 which gets you to PDX and the city of Portland pretty fast, or as fast as traffic allows.

[Goin' Coastal]

Originally Posted by silibran

There is a 55+ community in Gresham,OR. I don't know exactly where it is located, and I don't remember the name. But several years ago I toured a home for sale. It was too cramped for us.

However some of the homes are nice, if small. There are several floor plans, and the homes vary quite a bit. Everything is neat and tidy. I think it is a fine place for some people who like to golf; it is also close to SR 14 which gets you to PDX and the city of Portland pretty fast, or as fast as traffic allows.

There is also Cascadia Village out in Sandy.

[Farmer15]

Thanks, Coastal. We need to be in WA for tax reasons.

[Farmer15]

Thanks, Silibran, that's good info about Fairway Village.

[StealthRabbit]

dog park and long walks near Washougal, and nearby Columbia Gorge (and in Camas (5 min from Washougal) has some nice long treks).

Fisher Landing Ctran SE 164th Ave Vancouver, 6 min to Camas. (Metro bus transit station) also hosts Skamania Transit, very cheap ride into the Gorge several times / day. Also Express buses to downtown Portland.

VA in Vancouver (senior and rehab center next to Clark College) was running a shuttle to Portland VA several times / day.

I am 6 mi east of Washougal, yet <20 min to PDX (that is very nice, and you can grab a $0.99 hot breakfast @ IKEA before your flight (certain hours).)

WA tax domicile, near PDX, near access to Portland and Salem narrows it down a bit.

If you want DRY, you need to head 1 hr east to White Salmon (which is very nice too!) Close to even more hunting and fishing. But.... as an active retiree, Camas / Washougal / Ridgefield will be good. Woodland and north for lower taxes and property prices. (Cowlitz County) Can accomplish the same 20 min east in Skamania County. North Bonneville is very attractive to retirees that like to hike / golf / fish (Sturgeon, Steelhead, and Salmon). It is a very pretty setting, but do not overpay for properties, as it is tough to sell there (minimal services, must drive for everything). Worth a look, as is Underwood (near White Salmon). I really like BZ Corners (towards Troutlake), but medical and activities would be a stretch. (long drive).

Depending on your age and ability... could be wise to plan ahead. I find a lot of very energetic 70 yr olds bite off a lot and clear land, build homes, shops... and then in early 80's are worn out / injured / can't manage the rural props, and must leave their dream home. Thus... I need to get the senior rural village built or discovered. One of my grandparents aged at a community senior village that was donated and staffed by farmers and locals (300 population of small town in NE). Similar with Spouse's Grandmother in MN. Nice village overlooking a pond, being cared for by the kids she taught in school. +/- Many locals people visited, and the community made a point to have meetings and events at the senior village. My dad was in a VA village in WA that was superb. PX, Cafe, great view of Puget Sound, bus every hour. Ferry to Seattle, and to Bremerton. Is very nice for our service personnel / veterans (must be destitute, but still ambulatory).