Matthews NC: Ideal for Baby Boomers and Seniors

Baby boomer, active adult, over 55 or senior?  No matter how you describe yourself, Matthews NC is a great place for your active adult lifestyle. 

What makes Matthews NC so attractive to seniors?

• Matthews is located in the North Carolina Piedmont with its mild weather and four seasons.  The mountains and the beaches are just a few hours away.  A number of golf courses are found within a 20 to 30 minute drive of the town.
• Matthews has a quaint town center that offers fun destinations, such as the Matthews Farmers Market and Renfrow's Hardware, in business for over a hundred years.  Events and festivals in downtown Matthews attract visitors throughout the year.  You can walk to the library or a coffee shop, get a sandwich or eat at an upscale restaurant in downtown Matthews.
• Matthews seniors have a thirty year history of organizing for fellowship, sharing, and activities.  A group called the Happy Times Club worked for twenty years to create a senior center in the town.  Their dream was realized in 2006 when the Levine Senior Center on 9.8 acres opened.  Today the center has approximately 1000 members.  Members have many activities to choose from at the center:  exercise and fitness classes plus a fitness room, water aerobic and other classes in the heated pool, massage therapy, a library, arts and crafts, dance and computer classes, a billiard room, a community room, and a meditation room.  The center has a cafe open daily for lunch and a large meeting room with a capacity of 375 for community use.  The center also sponsors holiday celebrations and dances as well as learning luncheons and support groups.
• Matthews has a number of community shopping centers with grocery stores and pharmacies as well as regional shopping destinations with big box retailers within the town.  Downtown Charlotte with its cultural amenities is just a 30 minute drive from Matthews.
• Matthews is not just for seniors.  The town is popular with families with children for its abundance of activities and desirable schools.  Every generation can enjoy Matthews and living near each other.

What are some attractive places for active adults to live in Matthews NC?

Whether you want to live in a golf course community, in a single-family home or in an attached townhome, or a retirement center, there are many possibilities in Matthews itself or nearby in surrounding towns.  A few of these options are described here.

• Bella Sera Villas and the Polo Club of Matthews.  These neighborhoods are near the Levine Senior Center and community shopping.  Each offers patio or villa homes that are attached.  Five homes have sold in Bella Sera in 2008.  Pricing ranged from $231,000 to $294,900 and square footage from 1522 sf to 1767 sf.  The Polo Club had no sales in 2008 and a successor neighborhood call the Polo Club of Silver Oaks will begin construction soon.

• St. Andrews.  St. Andrews is another neighborhood of attached patio homes nearing completion in Matthews.  2008 sales ranged in price from $231,000 to $244,000.  The size of the St. Andrews homes ranged from 1650 sf to 2150 sf.

• Windsor Run.  Windsor Run, Matthews' newest option for seniors, is a continuing care retirement community that is just beginning construction.  Windsor Run offers apartment-style homes in multi-level buildings.  The clubhouse will provide a place for activities and several restaurants.

For more information about living in Matthews or buying or selling real estate in Matthews NC, visit

www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.

About the author:  Carol Fox of Allen Tate Realtors is a veteran real estate agent who has lived in Matthews for over twenty years.

Copyright 2008.  Carol Fox.  All rights reserved.  "Matthews NC:  Ideal for Baby Boomers and Seniors"