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mericans have retired in droves to age-restricted communities ever since six model homes opened in Sun City, Arizona, in 1960 -- the first such development in the world. Today, as Sun City plans a 50th anniversary celebration for its more than 40,000 inhabitants, some 1,500 “leisure retirement communities” have become a way of life for nearly 12 million people.

While age-restricted communities tend to cluster in sunny states, they’re proliferating everywhere. You may be surprised to learn that 60% of new retirement communities are being built in the North. Massachusetts, where I live, contains 150, with about 200 more proposed.

The largest age-restricted (and gated) retirement community in the world is The Villages in central Florida. One-and-one-half times the square mileage of Manhattan and currently housing 70,000, this flock of “villages” lured former neighbors of mine, the Andersons, several years ago. In a one-month stay at The Villages, two weeks of which were spent at their new home, I did my preliminary research for Leisureville: Adventures in America’s Retirement Utopias, a study of retirement communities around the country. My goal: To understand the appeal of a unique way of living that has been luring our elders away.

INDEPENDENCE AND COMMUNITY

The most prominent type of retirement community, and the one I studied for my book, focuses on recreation. The amenities are plentiful, with little waiting for a tennis court or tee time... and a constant influx of new residents that encourages bonding and creates instant community.

Grown children feel relieved that Mom and Dad are busy and happy. Some communities contain continuing-care facilities for residents who become unable to care for themselves.

While these communities vary widely, they share attributes that say “paradise” to some -- and “purgatory” to others.

A CERTAIN AGE

Designed for those who prefer a child-free environment, retirement communities address the needs and desires of the older set. Minimum age requirements -- usually age 55 -- are strictly enforced. At least one member of each household must be the minimum age or older. (Filling the house with unrelated roommates is not allowed.) Guests, including relatives, under age 18 or 19 may visit for only a predetermined number of days per year.

Pros: Residents relish the novelty of having their needs treated as a top priority. A child-free environment ensures more peace and quiet than ordinary neighborhoods provide. Seniors feel safe surrounded by age peers.

Cons: Grandchildren’s visits are limited. They can never move in, whatever the family situation. People who enjoy mingling with others of all types and ages might find the setting too limiting.

RECREATION 24/7, INCLUDING SEX

Golf, tennis, swimming, Bingo, dances and hobby groups dominate daily activities in leisure-oriented communities. An active singles scene includes the never married, the divorced, the previously widowed and those widowed after moving in. A relaxed social atmosphere with no work responsibilities tends to encourage sexual freedom. I have observed that a good number of older gentlemen, and some women, regularly seek and find sex partners.

Pros: Life can be all play -- a common retirement fantasy. Tennis courts, swimming pools and gyms aren’t overrun by the young. Recreational facilities are designed for less-than-perfect eyesight and physiques.

Cons: People who are less focused on sports and hobbies may feel alienated, as may retirees who derive significant pleasure from high culture -- opera, theater, classical music, a superb public library. Widows and widowers who haven’t dated in 50 years and who dismiss the use of condoms as solely for contraception are unaware that sexually transmitted infections, including herpes, syphilis and AIDS, have infiltrated the senior singles scene.

NEW CONSTRUCTION, LOTS OF RULES

Many retirement communities, being built in ever-increasing numbers, boast that everything is new. The older ones were built just as fast and not all that well.

Also, home owners must respect many rules (“deed restrictions”).

Examples: Exterior paint colors and even the height of shrubs may be prescribed... pets limited to two... lawn ornaments and window air conditioners banned.

Pros: Modern amenities, including plenty of bathrooms and closets. Homes designed with few stairs and universal accessibility.

Deed restrictions ensure that neighborhoods remain clean and neat. Many home owners consider mandatory conformity a small price to pay for knowing that they’ll never see their neighbors’ car on blocks, swing sets in the yard or gnomes on the lawn.

Cons: Slapdash construction, including modern versions of old designs built with today’s questionable workmanship, often lacks charm. Each community’s success hinges on perpetual investment and care by the managing owner. You may never know whether the developer is about to declare bankruptcy, as some have, leaving behind partially completed, thinly populated “communities” with houses that will probably become increasingly difficult to sell.

PRIVATE OWNERSHIP

The communal areas of most recreational retirement communities -- the golf courses, the downtown, the streets -- as well as the empty lots and unsold houses are owned by their builders (or whomever the builders sell them to). Special zoning arrangements (these communities bring in lots of tax revenue for local jurisdictions) may permit community rules to sidestep state and county laws in many aspects of life.

Pros: Many residents, delighted with their low per-home property taxes, feel confident that the owners have a personal stake in meeting community needs.

Cons: Residents trade the ballot box for the suggestion box. Residents with a gripe plead their cases before a corporate board, not elected officials. Don’t look in the local paper or at public meetings for discussions of serious issues.

Expect to live under a form of “taxation without representation.” Through steadily increasing maintenance fees, the owners can charge residents for, say, new golf courses and recreation centers.

ADVICE FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS

If age-restricted retirement community living attracts you, visit several, staying for a while if you can arrange it. I learned far more during my four weeks with the Andersons than any official tour could have shown.

Generally, these communities have wonderful recreational amenities. But is the intellectual spark bright enough for you? Can you find a group that reads the kinds of books you like?Other questions to consider...

Where do you want to be in 20 years? How would you feel about being far from your family and old friends later in life?

Can you imagine aging happily there? Might you “age in place” instead, perhaps having your current home retrofitted?

Will your house purchase be a good investment, bringing decent value if you sell?