Retirement community

A retirement community is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age. It differs from a retirement home which is a single building or small complex where no "common areas" for socializing exist. Many retirement communities are planned for that purpose, and have special facilites catering to the needs and wants of retirees, including club houses, golf courses, and on-site medical facilities. Others are "Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities" (NORC), which become retirement oriented due to market forces rather than design.

There are really three broad categories of retirement communities:

ACTIVE communities (all residential units, no longterm healthcare facilities)
ACTIVE/SUPPORTIVE communities (a combination of residential and healthcare facilities - also known as "continuing care retirement communities")
SUPPORTIVE communities (all longterm healthcare units, like assisted living and nursing care)

Retirement communties are often built in warm climates, and are common in Arizona, and Florida but are increasingly being built in and around major cities in cold climates too.