Carolina Shores, NC Active Adult Retirement Communities and Retirement Homes

Living in an active 55+ community offers a vibrant, social, and fulfilling lifestyle for retirees. These communities are designed with amenities and activities tailored to enhance the quality of life for older adults. Residents enjoy access to fitness centers, swimming pools, golf courses, and walking trails, promoting physical health and well-being. Social interaction is fostered through clubhouses, organized events, hobby groups, and social clubs, allowing residents to forge new friendships and maintain an active social life. Many communities also offer educational classes, arts and crafts, and volunteer opportunities, encouraging lifelong learning and personal growth. The low-maintenance living, with services such as landscaping and home repairs included, provides residents with more free time to pursue their interests. Safety and security are often emphasized, creating a worry-free environment. Overall, active 55+ communities provide a supportive and engaging atmosphere, enabling retirees to enjoy their golden years to the fullest.

North Carolina's coast remains largely undeveloped in comparison with the rest of the Atlantic coastline. The 300 miles of barrier islands and broad sounds are home to only one city of considerable size (Wilmington). Most of the coast is overseen by the state's Division of Parks and Recreation, which has prevented commercial and residential overdevelopment, and kept the beaches accessible to the public. Still, the area is extremely popular, and teems with tourists during much of the year. It is also beginning to fill up, as more and more affluent home buyers push up housing prices.

The area has a long chapter in the history of America. This is the part of the United States that saw the earliest European settlement, and it is here that the "Lost Colony of Roanoke" was founded in 1585. The coastline was of immense economic and strategic importance throughout the Colonial era, and was fought over in the Revolution and the Civil War. Later, it became the site of the world's first powered airplane flight, at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk.

Wilmington is the urban heart of the area; but even here the pace is noticeably more laid-back than other coastal cities. Other towns of note include Elizabeth City, New Bern, and Jacksonville, home of the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune.