If you are looking for peace and tranquility when choosing where to retire, the mountains might just be the place for you! When you live near the mountains, you enjoy the natural wonder of the landscape including: clear starry night skies, the sounds and stillness of nature, and of course all of the hiking one could ask for. Whether you take advantage of the mountainous sports such as skiing or canoeing, or rather relax in solitude, the mountains are the perfect place to retire. Retirenet.com offers a wide range of mountain communities from The Appalachian’s to The Sierra Nevada’s and everything in between. Once you have decided where you want to retire, come check out our premium 55 plus communities nestled in the heart of the mountains. Retirenet.com has listings varying from the more affordable, all the way to the most luxurious mountain retirement communities. Explore our beautiful mountain listings below and happy home hunting!

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.