Pickup today's paper if you don't have a paid subscription to wsj.com. The impact graphs for members of the boards of directors of condominium and townhouse HOAs:
But today, while weather and leisure remain important, retirees are telling builders, developers and researchers that they are looking primarily for what Mr. Lydens has found in Mount Airy: a community where they can make friends and connections quickly, whether it's a small town or a walkable neighborhood in a big city. A close second and third on the priority lists: a home that's near grandchildren, and a setting where one can indulge a post-work passion, such as a second career, a newly adopted sport or even, for a growing number of people, farming.
"Moving to a mixed-use development, a small town, or seeking an urban experience are all elements of the same thing: It's a community where you get to know each other," says John McIlwain, 62 years old, a senior resident fellow for the Urban Land Institute, a research group in Washington. He traded a Maryland suburb for a 1,000-square-foot loft downtown after his children left home. "You're walking around, and you get to know your neighbors, you get to know the shopkeepers, because you meet them on the street."
